Meatless Monday

joshdann

honestly, I probably wouldn't. But, I do like to cycle between different diet plans every so often, to shake things up both physiologically and psychologically. Of course anything I try would need to fit the same sensible macros, but I like to know how different foods will affect me. I just haven't found a way to make a plant-based diet work.

Allibaba

My bf is trying to go vegan and he is 6'2 and a larger frame. We use Vega products as one way to increase protein, I really find taking a shake of some kind is easy for breakfast and when you are working full time easy is important. We also get a good amount of our protein through nuts, I make a lot of different things using nuts instead of meat. Nuts are high in fat, but if you are not eating animal products then you can afford the fat in your day, at least it works well for us. I have made a lot of different types of dishes, veggie loaf with nuts and chickpeas, raw pad thai with zucchini "noodles" and an amazing beet salad with a walnut "cream cheese".

I really do believe in this lifestyle and I think that if everyone educated themselves on how their meat is made they might consider at least reducing the amount of meat that they eat. I don't believe that everyone has to be vegetarian/vegan, but I think that meat should be valued more, if you feel that meat is something that you want to eat, try to buy something that is not full of hormones and that has not caused major environmental damage to get to your plate.

Zaniejane

honestly, I probably wouldn't. But, I do like to cycle between different diet plans every so often, to shake things up both physiologically and psychologically. Of course anything I try would need to fit the same sensible macros, but I like to know how different foods will affect me. I just haven't found a way to make a plant-based diet work.

Tofu scramble, bean and veggie chili, quinoa and lentil soup, seitan, advocado and lentil sandwiches. If you like to cook there are awesome recipes and ideas online. I stopped eating meat last December and I have continued to enjoy food as much as ever. I think meatless Monday is a terrific idea, if only to taste and experience different meals.

alexsheena

I always forget to defrost chicken so i normally just add veggies to curry sauce and have some rice or i do a veggie stir fry. I used to be a veggie so I have a lot of vegetarian cook books, most of it is like vegetable pattie type things. Bit like falafel.

Carnivor0us

No, I need over 100g of protein/day and the easiest way for me to get that is with meat and fish. Since I have no religious of philosophical reason to avoid it, I don't. What is the purpose of a 'meatless Monday"?

That is a common misconception my dear You can get plenty of protein from pastas, veggies, legumes, fruits, etc. You don't need meat or even dairy.

You could obtain protein through non-meat sources of course but I'd rather eat some meat and get all I need than eat tons of carb heavy foods to get the same amount of protein.

laddibugg

The purpose? for me it's money and creativity.

I love meat...LOVE it, but it's interesting to see what else you can make that doesn't include meat, and it can be cheaper, and as filling as a meal with meat if you do it right!

bcattoes

I don't do meatless Monday, but I often have meatless days because I love beans. Beans and cornbread, bean burritos, bean soup, beans and rice, edamame, hummus, etc. Occasionally tofu, but my husband one of those weird 'anti-tofu for no reason' people, so I eat that a lot less than I used to.

I don't plan "meatless days" I just have them when I'm in the mood for soemthing other than than meat.

Wildflower0106

I couldn't do it. I had thought about it in the past but when I took into account my food intolerances and trigger foods for my digestive issues it would have been hard for me to fuel my body properly.

bcattoes

I for one appreciate the lack of conversion attempt

so, for someone my size, who needs 220g+ of protein per day... do you think I could go 100% plant-based and stay healthy? What about if I also want to build some lean muscle?

Oh, sure you could. There are vegan protein powders available. Couple that with a legume heavy diet and you could easily hit 220 a day and build lean muscle. If you don't consider dairy or eggs as 'meat' then it gets even easier. You could even still use whey powder.

joshdann

FWIW, I'm not trying to become vegan. I'm just considering experimenting with different caloric makeups. If for no other reason than to introduce more variety and ultimately discover more options that fit my overall plan. The idea of eating a ton of legumes does not really appeal to me (nor, I assume, to my wife with whom I share a bed).

For whatever it's worth: dove season opens this weekend, and deer season is right around the corner. The majority of my meat for the next several months will die by my own hand. A full year, if I'm lucky. It's cheaper and the stuff is wild... very tough to argue about living conditions for this meat. At least before I get to it

Allibaba

Josh, I have a lot of hunters in my family and although I don't eat meat I would likely eat some of theirs if the offered it to me (they live a fair distance away so it hasn't come up). My bf was talking about fishing and doing a catch and release because he wanted to stay vegetarian. I said that was really silly, if you want to fish, then eat the darn fish lol.

I totally agree that variety is the spice of life. Even dedicated meat eaters would do well to look at more vegetarian dishes, even just as a part of a meal with meat, there are so many amazing creative recipes online now, why not

annasor70

I for one choose death.
Meat meat meat meat meat. Meat all day everyday. MEAT.

Wow! I want to see your intestines in a few years lol
That is some SERIOUS addiction speaking there!

willdob3

One reason given in support of Meatless Mondays is that it reduces saturated fats. No way do I want to do that. I add extra saturated fat every day because I want to be healthy.

The whole idea that red meat is unhealthy is ridiculous. Get your beef from healthy sources & it is a very healthy food. The foods they say to eat instead are what I avoid because I value my health.

I have days when I don't consume red meat but those days have chicken, wild-caught fish, whole eggs, etc. I'd have no problem eating grass-fed beef every day but it isn't in the budget.

neanderthin

I for one choose death.
Meat meat meat meat meat. Meat all day everyday. MEAT.

Wow! I want to see your intestines in a few years lol
That is some SERIOUS addiction speaking there!

That some scary *kitten*, wanting to see someones intestines.:happy:

joshdann

I for one choose death.
Meat meat meat meat meat. Meat all day everyday. MEAT.

Wow! I want to see your intestines in a few years lol
That is some SERIOUS addiction speaking there!

That some scary *kitten*, wanting to see someones intestines.:happy:

with some fava beans and a nice chianti...

meeper123

ohsheglows.com has some great stuff I am vegan so yeah I think I can do that lol but seriously there are some great recipes on youtube.com and many wonderful sites about this

lesliefence

Now that the weather is cooling down, does anyone have a favorite fall time veggie dish? Looking for some new inspiration with all the fresh autumn vegetables currently out at the Farmers Markets? How is meatless Monday going?

crunchybubblez

We eat no meat on more days than just Monday, but there's a few reasons to do it.
1) I can buy more food when I buy less meat.
I bought 2x as much meat last week and wasn't able to buy as much of other foods.
(fresh, canned, & frozen produce, pastas, etc.) But then again I buy everything organic.
2) If you eat conventional meats it cuts back on pollution being dumped into rivers, and oceans,
and the air. Cows from feed lots produce a lot more carbon dioxide than cars/trucks do.
3)It takes about 2,500 gallons of fresh water to produce 1 pound of beef.

Meatless Mondays was started to help "save the planet".
The idea is if each person can cut out at least 1 meal of meat a week, it would make a huge difference,
and if you could cut out a whole day, even more so.
Hence Meatless Mondays.

ecka723

Now that the weather is cooling down, does anyone have a favorite fall time veggie dish? Looking for some new inspiration with all the fresh autumn vegetables currently out at the Farmers Markets? How is meatless Monday going?

I just made a vegetarian shepherds pie (I needed to use up some leftover garlic mashed potatoes) to have in a few days.

Soups are good, veggie with barley, minestrone, vegetable noodle, bean soup, whatever you can imagine.

I also like to make lasagna using thinly sliced zucchini instead of noodles.

LB2812

Now that the weather is cooling down, does anyone have a favorite fall time veggie dish? Looking for some new inspiration with all the fresh autumn vegetables currently out at the Farmers Markets? How is meatless Monday going?

I love, love, love fall foods And I'm vegetarian (the rare, occasional seafood though) so everyday is meatless for me. (my diary is open, feel free to poke around for ideas or add me!)

My husband wanted mexican this weekend, but I was feeling the fall weather and wanted fall foods... so we combined them... i made black bean pumpkin enchiladas... YUM. I couldn't decide which recipe to use so I used this one:
http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/2013/03/21/a-recipe-for-black-bean-enchiladas-with-pumpkin-sauce-and-a-celebration-of-cilantro-for-the-recipe-redux/
(i didn't use nearly that much onion, and I subbed taco seasoning for chili powder and i skipped the cilantro)
I also had added a little bit of the pumpkin to the enchilada sauce. I topped it with black olives, chopped tomatos, more cheese, and avocados. And I had it with pumpkin beer. :drinker:

Another veggie fall dish is shepard's pie. There's a million recipes out there and I usually just wing it now, but it's a layer of "meat", then mashed potatos, then cheese. For the meat part, in the past I made it using the soy ground meat (boca, morningstar, etc. all make one), but the last couple times I used lentils. Mushrooms are perfect in this dish to give it a heartier, meatier texture too.

Chili is also good. A good hearty bean chili (I usually use 2-3 types of beans, taco seasoning, tomatos, and some veggies) is good on it's own or make it "fall" by throwing in sweet potato or pumpkin.... YUM.

tonyrocks922

My employer launched a campaign years ago called Meatless Mondays to encourage us to eat more veggies and allow your creative food juices to flow without meat. Several in my office are now vegetarians as a result and other staff feel they save money on meatless Monday.

If my employer decided to meddle with the personal eating habits of their employees, I'd probably quit.

cadaverousbones

I am pescetarian (vegetarian except you eat fish/dairy/eggs) feel free to check out my diary for some vegetarian ideas

Cordy1228

We generally do one or two meatless nights per week, not necessarily Monday. It's more for budgetary reasons than anything else.

On those nights we usually have baked potatoes with either crustless quiche or tomato soup, or otherwise just pasta with marinara. We're not fancy.

Sometimes we have just pancakes or waffles. YUM.