Meatless Mondays - Try Going Meatless Once a Week

Our family has been experimenting with Meatless Mondays. Just in case you haven't heard, Meatless Mondays is a movement to eat at least once per week meals without any meat. Yes people that means all meat, even chicken too! In all honesty, our family does not stick to just Mondays, we drift to whatever day of the week works with whatever is readily available in the pantry and refrigerator. But really all that matters is that you cut down. Meatless Mondays are great but if you fear a family revolt just don't mention it is meatless. They won't notice!

Here are Some of the Benefits we have Experienced:

• Quick & Easy Meals - Many vegetarian meals are super easy. When I am feeling lazy or forgot to pull out ground beef or chicken to defrost, vegetarian meals work out perfectly.
• Slash Grocery Bills - Many beans, peas, lentils, and chickpeas are just pennies per serving and taste super good. Unfortunately, another recent reason to forgo meat once a week is the bad weather that has hit the Midwest which is being blamed for a reduction in many crop yields especially corn. This is predicted to translate into higher costs for all types of meat over the coming months. By going meatless you will slash 10-20% or more off your grocery bill.
• Good for your Health - Meatless meals made with veggies usually have plant protein, complex carbohydrates, and fiber, all which help fill us up on fewer calories. Reducing calories derived from animal products is associated with lower rates of cancer, heart disease, and obesity. 
• Environmental Impacts: A pound of beef requires 1,800–2,500 gallons of water and uses 40 calories of fossil fuel of every calorie of beef, where as a pound of tofu uses only 220 gallons of water and only 2.2 calories of fossil fuel. The more meat we produce and eat the bigger that carbon footprint will get. According to the Meat Free Monday website, between 1961 and 2007 the world population increased by a factor of 2.2, but meat consumption quadrupled, and poultry consumption increased 10-fold.

Favourite Meatless Ideas!

• Omelets with Veggies and Cheese. Kids love breakfast for supper!
• Black Beans and Rice
• Homemade Mac and Cheese
• Cheese & Veggie Fondue - cut up dippers like broccoli, baguette, apples, carrots, tortilla chips, cauliflower and celery and dip away in your favourite cheese fondue.
• 7 Bean Chili with Corn Bread
• Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Vegetable Soup
• Stuffed Baked Potato Bar - Bake potatoes and create a bar with lots of sides like shredded cheese, steamed broccoli, sour cream, chives, salsa, refried beans and whatever else sounds good.
• Veggie Burgers and Oven Roasted Potatoes
• BBQ Veggie Pizzas - Let the family build their own with spinach, peppers, onions, mushrooms, cheese, olives, freshly sliced tomatoes. Add your favorite BBQ sauce to your tomato sauce.

Cost Savings for Our Family: Assuming a typical grocery bill of $100 week and a conservative estimated savings of 10%, it saves over $500 a year. 

Links:

Meatless Monday
http://www.meatlessmonday.com/

Meat Free Monday's
http://www.meatfreemondays.com/