Ten years ago, our dinner always included some sort of “normal meat”. Pork, beef, poultry, fish or lamb were always considered key to the meal. Plus, I married an Irishman who only needs meat and potatoes to exclaim the meal was a winner. He’s a little wary when I tell him I’m serving a meatless meal. So I just don’t tell him!
I’ve always wanted to incorporate more meatless meals in our weekly plan. Don’t get me wrong; I love a good burger or shrimp. Bring on a hot dog, roasted chicken or lamb chops and I’m a happy girl! I was raised in a meat-eating family. But as my skills as a cook have developed, I’ve found that there are so many meatless recipes that I enjoy as much as a good pork chop.
When Covid happened, I leaned in to cooking more at home, planning and even how often I shop. We got better at using our Pantry for staples such as beans, lentils and pasta, plus grains such as quinoa and couscous. More vegetarian meals became our new normal. My family wasn’t really aware I’d made this shift, they just liked the meals.
I’ll likely never be a full-fledged vegetarian, but I do recognize the many benefits of a plant-forward diet.
4 Benefits of Adding Meatless Meals:
- Healthier: Protein can be found in a variety of sources such as dairy, beans, vegetables and nuts, not just meat! Vegetarian diets can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes. Better health now means fewer health issues later.
- Cheaper: Meat can be expensive…Some well-balanced vegetarian options can cost less.
- Nutrient Intake: Adding more fruits and veggies to my diet contributes fiber to help me with my healthy weight goal, and keeps my body fueled with a wonderful variety of vitamins and nutrients.
- Good for the Environment: Wow, if everyone in the US went vegetarian for one day, the impact would be huge — saving 100 billion gallons of water and 70 million gallons of gas! That’s motivating!
How to Add Meatless Recipes to your DinnerTime Meal Plan:
- Choose the Meatless option from the dropdown menu on any calendar day. You can do this either before spinning your meal plan or when editing your meal recommendation.
- If you want to eat vegetarian all the time, make the Meatless profile your default profile.
- If you want to avoid a specific meat, you can always change your profile to exclude it from your recommendations.
Try a new Meatless Recipe!
The kids will love this healthy all-in-one recipe!
Easy and yummy!
Fill up with this tasty vegetarian sub!