How often do you eat a vegetarian meal? Have you ever tried to go vegetarian?
It’s a frightening thought for many, and not something I adhere to myself.
However, going vegetarian for at least one night per week is a great way to get more veggies and variety to your diet.
The added bonus is that your food bill may work out cheaper, because you’ll be reducing your meat intake.
Today’s challenge is to ‘go vegetarian’ and cook a vegetarian meal
You’ll need to replace the meat with a suitable healthy alternative. Alternatives to meat include:
- Peas, beans and lentils
- Soy-based foods, including tofu
- Seeds, nuts and nut butters (such as peanut butter)
- Eggs (if appropriate)
Serving size:
- 1 cup beans, peas, or lentils
- 2 eggs
- 8 oz. bean curd or tofu
- 1/2 cup shelled nuts
- 3-4 tbsp peanut butter
How to go vegetarian one day each week:
Try setting one day a week as your vegetarian day, and stick with it. Then make sure you have all the ingredients necessary for cooking that day.
If vegetarian cooking is new to you, look for new recipes by going online, or hiring a vegetarian cookbook from the library for more inspiration.
Breakfast will probably be pretty much the same as normal for you. But, if you do normally go for a cooked breakfast, you could try scrambled tofu with wholegrain toast, tomatoes, and mushrooms.
For lunch and dinner go for veggie stir-fries, rice, and pasta dishes, legume curries, stews or casseroles, vegetable soups, and salads etc.
For more info on vegetarian eating check out this series.
Will you add a vegetarian meal to your menu plan at least once each week?
To transform the lifestyles of a diet-obsessed world by teaching people how to eat healthy and make healthy eating a habit for life.
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Thanks for this idea. Last year I had a goal to eat less meat. I decided to (#1) switch my one meat in the morning to a “veggie meat”. I eat five meals a day so I also wanted to (#2) go meatless for meal four. I never accomplished either. But, I like this idea much better. It seems to me that I will get a better balance and greater education with veggie meal prep if I aim for a full day each week.
Leon Bullard’s last blog post..Boast Your Healthy Back (Yes, That One)
Leon,
I think it makes things a little more dooable to try out one vegetarian meal per week, or even to go vegetarian for one day each week as you mentioned, especially if veggie cooking is a new thing for you or your family.
I’m intrigued by your five meals a day – how does that work? And are you following a your own ideas, or is it a plan from a book?