Meatless Meal Ideas
National Vegetarian Month is in full swing! Have you incorporated any meatless meals to your weekly schedule? Here are a few tips and ideas to help you join in with National Vegetarian Month.
- A quick reminder: Decreasing meat consumption and increasing intakes of plant based proteins, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables can provide our bodies with plenty of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. These nutrients help reduce our risk of many chronic diseases.
Why go meatless on a Monday? Well, it doesn’t always have to be Mondays, but designating a certain day of the week to cook a meatless dish can help with meal planning and grocery shopping. Check out these meatless meal tips that will help you create delicious plant based dishes.
- Quinoa packs a protein punch and can be combined with any flavor. Make a big batch of quinoa for the week and incorporate your favorite mix-ins for a different dish each day. For a Mexican spin, add some beans, peppers, avocado and cilantro. For some Asian flavor, make your quinoa into “fried rice” with soy sauce, eggs, peas, and carrots. To get your Italian fix, add some pesto and mozzarella cheese.
- Pasta is not just pasta anymore! Besides providing a dish with beneficial carbohydrates, pasta is now made from black beans, edamame, chickpeas, or lentils for some extra protein. Cook up some of this pasta and top with your favorite sauce, and why not add some extra veggies in too!
- Soups and stews are perfect for incorporating everything but the kitchen sink. Cook up your favorite veggie soup or broth and add in veggies, beans, lentils, quinoa, potatoes, pasta…the options are endless to create a yummy and well-balanced meal. Slow cookers are great to create hearty stews – throw everything into the pot and let it cook!
So make the choice once a week to cut meat from your daily diet routine. Get creative with it and share your recipes below!