I went vegetarian 17 years ago and thought it might be helpful to share some ideas with some contemplating going veg.
It's important to note, that I went veg for the animals. More than likely this guide will only be useful to you if your motivations are the same (for the animals). Lots of people go veg for health or other reasons, that's great, it's just a whole different mind-set and motivation and I think you would be best served looking for information about going veg for health reasons. I care about health, but I'm not a dietician and probably someone trained in eating for health would be best to offer advice.

I'm writing this for the person who has been chewing on the idea of going veg, because of the animals, because they look at the meat on their plate and think about where it comes from and decided to try not to take part in the "process" anymore. If you are thinking about it- good for you! In my opinion, you are evolving! You are raising your consciousness about how what you do in your life impacts others. Hurray for you! Now, let me see if I can help you put action behind your good intentions:

First, let's make sure we're on the same page: What IS a vegetarian, exactly?

Well, I'm not looking it up in Webster's, but common thought is that a vegetarian is non-meat eater. Someone who eats no meat, but may eat eggs and/or milk - more specifically, an ovo-lacto vegetarian. I think most vegetarians fall into this category. Some say vegetarians eat fish or chicken, but personally I consider fish and chicken meat and since I'm doing it for the animals, I'm not going to just not eat the cute ones, so I don't eat fish or chicken (I think they are both cute, though).

A word about Vegans and Veganism: Veganism is strict vegetarianism, no animal products whatsoever - not just in what you eat, but also the clothes you wear, the products you use: NO animal products, no silk, no leather, no fur, no wool, no honey, no milk, no eggs, no milk/egg/animal derivatives like gelatin (which is so pervasive, it's in EVERYTHING now!) Vegans rock! So do vegetarians, I will say that I've met a LOT of vegetarians in my life and hardly any of them went "straight vegan" (meaning they didn't do ovo-lacto vegetarian first- they went from carnivore one day to vegan the next and it stuck). Again, I think vegans rock, but I think your best bet at making this vegetarian thing "stick" is to go ovo-lacto first and once you've got that down, if you feel so inclined, try going Vegan. Baby steps :-)

SO, now that we understand each other, here's my best advice on how to go veg. Please bear in mind I'm not a dietician and have no schooling in such, please do the research to make sure you are going about this in a balanced, healthy way - that's your very best bet at sticking with this!

In one sentence, here is my quick & simple approach at going veg:

Eat everything you always did, but skip the meat.
Spaghetti with veggies and maybe meat substitute, fried rice minus the meat, pizza without the meat.. if you have the advantage of having someone who makes meals, ask what is in everything (beef/chicken broth, bacon, etc.) and skip anything with meat.. pick up some of the really delicious meat substitutes to compliment your meal of side dishes.

If you go out to eat, if there's not a vegetarian dish already on the menu or you are limited to just a side salad or french fries, see if there's something that appeals to you that you can ask them to "hold the meat." I like pasta, quesadillas, all manner of Mexican and Italian foods, so I find something that sounds good minus meat and ask them to leave the meat off. I pay close attention to the waiter/waitress's response to see if they "get me".. if there's any doubt that they might not be following me, I'll say - "no meat on anything anywhere" and I'm NICE about it. I've walked many miles in their shoes, their job isn't easy, they are there to help me get what I want - a vegetarian dish.

A word about meat substitutes: I know some vegetarians can't stomach the thought of meat substitutes, not because they don't taste good, but because they don't want anything to do with anything that even resembles meat. I'm not of that camp. I love Boca burgers and other veggie meat substitutes. They are usually made of textured vegetable protein (TVP) and/or soy and usually are really good and make it SO much easier to go veg. If the idea doesn't completely repulse you, I'd recommend trying and maybe stocking up on these meat substitutes - try everything that appeals to you. When you shop, think of how you might be able to rework that food to make it similar to one of your favorite dishes. Here's one of mine: I take a Boca burger and find a mushroom gravy mix (read the ingredients & pick up one without any beef fat), I make some mashed potatoes and green beans and put the gravy on the Boca burger and potatoes. To me, this is reminiscent of salisbury steak, but better! Really yummy.

Meat substitutes are usually good sources of protein and fiber and your best bet at doing this thing is to do it in a healthy, balanced way, so add some vegetable sides and be sure to take a multi-vitamin with B vitamins, especially B-12.

Here's another thing, explore new recipes and especially international foods. After I went veg I expanded my menu to include more international foods, many Indian foods are naturally vegetarian - like Dal, a lentil curry usually served over rice and this really amazing bread called Nan. Wow, one of the most fantastic foods I've ever eaten. Then there's Kung pao tofu or bean curd home style.. I'm not big on tofu, but you should try it (find some recipes) but these dishes are usually exceptional if you are dining out somewhere that they know how to prepare them. Then there's Pad Thai, a delicious Thai noodle dish. Then there's the quick and easy hummus - a spread made of garbanzo beans and spices, really delicious on an "Everything" bagel, cracker, on flat bread as a sandwich, etc. For all of these dishes I just mentioned, make sure to confirm that they contain no meat, no beef/chicken broth. I believe they are all naturally veg, but check to make sure.

Keep it simple.
I did say to try new recipes, there are a lot of vegetarian cookbooks these days, but I will say don't hinge your quest to go veg on creating elaborate dishes for each meal. You can try new recipes, but try to make this as simple a transition as possible. Find easy-to-prepare dishes and create yourself a real or mental list of options early on so you can grab something quickly if you've had a long day and are too tired to try a new recipe.

Thankfully, these days of the world wide web, there are a wealth of resources from like-minded people who want to help you on your quest. Many of these sites can likely provide sound advice in regard to nutrition, read up & do it right so you can stick with it & feel great (and you don't have to be a "french fries and salad" vegetarian):

Helpful links:

Vegetarian Resource Group: http://www.vrg.org/
Vegetarian Times: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/
Choose Veg: http://www.chooseveg.com/
Veg Web: http://vegweb.com/
Veggie123 - offers a free e-book on How to Successfully Go Vegetarian! I haven't read it, but sounds like a great deal, check it out: http://www.veggie123.com/

These are just a few. There are many more sites, just search 'vegetarian' and explore this bold new world you're stepping into!

Here's one of my favorite quick veggie recipes:

Easy Veggie Chili

1 can Chili Magic (mild or hot) or canned Chili Beans
1 12-15 oz. can of Diced Tomatoes
1 pouch Boca Meatless Ground Burger

In large microwave safe bowl or dish, microwave the Boca Meatless Ground Burger for 1 min.

Add Chili Magic/chili beans and tomatoes. Stir until mixed. Microwave 4-6 minutes until thoroughly heated.

This little batch of chili is great with crackers or tortilla chips, in taco salad, on a burrito, on a baked potato, on a veggie dog, over noodles, in nachos and in many other dishes.
Add your favorite veggies or chili seasoning to the mix, experiment and create your own fabulous, but easy chili recipe!

Veg on the Fly
Like you, I'm busy most of the time. I often find the need to grab a quick bite, here are a couple quick and easy veg solutions to a time crunch:

Vegetarian Vegetable soup (canned)
Hummus on a bagel or toast
Bean burrito - either frozen (check the ingredients) or from Taco Bell or other Mex fast food restaurant. Just make sure they don't use lard in their refried beans. Taco Bell does not.
Peanut butter sandwich/toast or on a bagel or PBJ
Peanut butter on celery with cran-raisins (YUM!)

There are many more, come up with your own and share them here!

One more thing, but this is important!

BE A VEGETARIAN AMBASSADOR. Don't be harsh on those who don't understand why you went veg. They may just not get it (you weren't always veg, ya know). If they seem open to discussion, you can explain you did it for the animals and answer any questions they have (you never know, they may decide to join you). If they don't seem interested, just let it go, don't argue it. Don't criticize those eating meat around you or share horror stories of how that meat arrived on their plate UNLESS THEY ASK. As the saying goes, "You get more flies with honey" (which isn't vegan, but it's just an expression)." If you are respectful of how they live their lives (although you may not agree with it), most people will be respectful of how you live your life and may consider going veg, too, if you are approachable and open (but don't try to shove vegetarianism down their throat).

Did you know that a vegetarian, in their lifetime, saves 1,000 animal lives? Godspeed, my vegetarian friend!