Vegetarianism has a certain appeal for me too. I managed to stay with it for about six weeks,but after that, I did not feel well. A week now and then seems OK.
I need about 18-20 grams of protein at each meal with my veggies--about 3 ounces of meat, 4 ounces of fish, 3/4 cup cottage cheese, or three egg whites. All non-fat. I use very good X-virgin green Italian olive oil for fat plus cod liver oil. Do you use tofu? I try, but find it hard to like.
I had friends who raised the most beautiful white chickens who laid magnificent eggs. They were all named for saints: Saint Agnes, Saint Anne, etc. The chickens were affection trained and would leap into your arms for a cuddle once they got to know you. Chicken has been a little hard to eat ever since.
Chickens when raised by hand can be very nice pets.
If you can get really fresh good quality firm tofu, you can do a lot with it. I like to butter a baking pan and bake it, sprinkled with soy sauce or other stuff. Gets kind of chewy and crunchy without frying.
I need a lot of protein too, so I eat a lot of beans and bean soup, and probably more cheese than is good for me. Cholesterol's ok but I should lose 20 pounds. Or even 30, but what the heck. I don't want to scare people when they don't recognize me!