Many of you know that in recent years, our family has made it a priority to eat meat sparingly. To us, this has meant that we have meat meals less often, and when we do, we use less meat in them. While we make no claims of being any variety of vegetarian or models of healthy living, we have really enjoyed the less-weighed-down feeling of eating less meat. (I like killing fewer animals, too.)
When I discuss this with friends, many of them ask how we have balanced, filling family meals that do not include meat. Again, I make no claims of being a health expert or dietitian, but our family has been satisfied with our diet, so I thought I'd share this week's dinner menu as an example:
Potato and chickpea curry with naan
Butternut squash soup, rolls, salad and asparagus
Eggplant parmigiana with garlic bread
Clam chowder
Baked tilapia, artichokes, garlic bread, and patatas bravas
Paella
Spaghetti
Breakdown:
1 features meat (paella)
1 has cheese (eggplant parmigiana)
2 have seafood (clam chowder and tilapia)
2 have meat flavoring (squash soup: chicken bouillon; clam chowder: bacon grease in which to saute onions)
For me, the secret to meatless meal planning has been to emphasize what you CAN eat, rather than what you can't. We don't substitute tofu or soy or anything like that. We figure out what non-meat foods we like - vegetables, grains, legumes - and build meals that revolve around those things. One reason meat is so popular is because it has strong, delicious flavor. There are other foods that also have strong, delicious flavors, so when we make those the focal part of the meal, we honestly don't feel like we're missing anything (because we aren't).
7 comments:
Gosh, I wish I could convince my family to eat less meat and more of all the OTHER good stuff. But, as it is, I'm the only one who could possibly enjoy those wonderful sounding meals that you've listed.
I'd like your recipe for the curry--it sounds yummy. This doesn't mean you've cut back on bacon, does it? I think that might break my heart.
Great plan :) I just gave a lesson to relief society about meatless dinners. It makes you feel so much better. All of those recipes sounds fantastic, and I'm like you ( I still LOVE meat :)
We've cut down a lot on meat, too, for a lot of reasons. I think it better follows the Word of Wisdom, and it's better for us and animals. Plus it's cheaper, which actually means I just buy better meats--organic chicken, grass fed beef. My next adventure is buying direct from a farm with pastured animals. It's been a process but I'm glad we've tried. My only challenge has been finding foods that still fill us up. I'm sure half of that is mental. I need to just learn more vegetarian recipes. The challenge has sometimes been Morgan's dairy allergy and the fact that I don't use soy substitutes (soy cheese or even tofu). See I find vegetarian or even vegan recipes and half the time it's all soy substitutes, which doesn't help for me. So your thoughts on flavor and such are really good. Glad to hear someone else's thoughts on this.
Cool. I like your approach, and I'm starting to have the same tendencies. Like you, I'm not going to become a vegetarian, just less meat. It helps that I've never been a big meat eater anyway. (I could NEVER do Atkins, lov e my carbs!) I'm learning to make more recipes that involve beans. Slit pea soup is a new favorite: delicious, nutritious and cheap! I'm also starting to experiment with quinoa.
Ash: yeah, the husband kind of has to be on board. And it also helps that my kids are young enough to not really know different (but Olivia LOVES chicken and "chicken" (any other meat).
Crystal: More on Manjula later - but make sure to watch the videos! They really help.
Kendra: I like you.
Emily: Those are our reasons too, and I also now buy better cuts of meat. As far as filling, we really have had to come up with different recipes - it's not enough to just take the meat out of a dish, because it just leaves us hungry afterward. And yeah, I don't dig on soy substitutes either.
Vickie: We love split-pea soup! I've been trying to learn more about different kinds of beans, too. I haven't tried quinoa - please send me over any good meal ideas you come up with!
Mmm! I want to come eat with you guys! I've been experimenting with meatless meals lately (partly because I'm cheap), too. I'd love your recipes if you don't mind sharing. :)
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