Foshu's Leafbiting Challenge for 2019 is coming up next week.

I didn't participate in 2018's Leafbiting due to a move. The grocery store was too far out for me to visit as conveniently as before, when I could walk there at 2 am if I felt like it. Now the trips have to be planned a little in advance.

I'm ready. I'm planning well in advance this time. Snacks? Gotcha covered. I have some mochi aspirations for later as well. No routine eating out schedule with friends right now, which was always awkward for our gaming nights and ending up in random restaurants and trying to go vegetarian. Bojangles trip with no meat? Ugh. Kill me.

The one thing I miss most during a meatless stint is usually chicken stock. I don't make a lot of meat for my own consumption in my day to day, but chicken stock creeps into one of my favorite recipes. I've got a very good substitute for that I plan to make ahead of time this year.

One tip I can give is to make easy meals for yourself. Take time on a Sunday to cook something you can freeze in batches, such as spaghetti sauce full of veggies (made 4 quarts this past weekend and will provide a recipe shortly), or chana masala. Make a big meal you can heat up easily during the week and it will make those work nights a lot less stressful if you're used to meat in your diet for convenience. Veggies can be a lot more affordable and convenient when you get the knack for it. Frozen Chinese stirfry veggies are a great quick option - just add your favorite sauce and you've got a pretty hearty meal - especially if you add brown rice or some rice noodles. Frozen spinach, broccoli, and brusselsprouts make very solid light meals when mixed together with a bit of lemon pepper. Even a baked sweet potato can be a pleasant one-off snack.

There's no trick to Leafbiting, it's more the mental challenge and diversifying the flavors you like. To me, Leafbiting is a chance to explore different ways of cooking, to find new recipes and alternatives not just to meat but to processed foods and eating out as a whole. You can save a lot and eat more healthy by cooking for yourself, but you have to put in the time. I found a fun vegetarian cookbook a while back that I'm excited to experiment with this year.

Whether you choose to go the full challenge duration or set a shorter personal goal, Leafbiting can be a fun way of exploring your options, and it will help make you think more about what you're eating.