Meatless Monday

I’ll just tell you right now, I am NOT a vegetarian. I love meat. Some days, I can’t think of anything else in the world that would taste better than a hamburger. My daddy is a cattle farmer, so it would probably break his heart if I swore off meat. Yes, I know there are some of you out there who can live without it…..but I’m not one of you. Sorry. You stand alone. You and I can meet over a piece of chocolate cake. So, you might wonder why Barry and I go meatless on Mondays. Well, we do it on Mondays partly because it’s a national movement, but I’m going to get serious here for a minute. We do it on Monday because………….I like alliteration and I just like how it sounds. Meatless Monday. Meatless Monday. See? It totally works. Just like Fishy Friday. On Friday I used to always serve fish – until Annie came along and now most fish makes me want to be sick. Not sure why. Hope it’s a phase that passes. I still serve fish on Friday when I can stomach it.

Ya know, I don’t want you to think I’m this big environmental activist who is going meatless on Monday to save all the cows. Nope, not it at all. I do it because it’s cheaper. Big shock, right? Leaving meat out of one meal per week can save you about $20 a month. Think about how much you can do with $20! Well, me anyway – I can do a lot with 20 bucks. Depending on what type of meat you’re cutting out, it could be more than that. I know that I use reusable bags, make my own laundry detergent, use cloth diapers, dry my diapers in the sun, and use my bread bags over again…….but it’s not the environment that’s my main concern. (God calls us to take care of His earth, so act responsible, okay? If everyone would do that, there wouldn’t be an issue.). There are two reasons for all those things: 1. It’s better for my family. 2. It’s cheaper. There ya go.

We love to eat, but we eat responsibly. Our stance is that everything is fine in moderation. I think it’s perfectly fine to indulge in prime rib once and a while. Should we eat it every day? No, Bozo. That would be stupid. Cutting out a meat meal per week is also better for you. I like to do good things for my family, so this numbers among them. Does it mean that I’ll never use sausage again? Heck no. This is just one thing you can do for better health……and then later when you eat that Caramel Biscuit you won’t feel so bad.

I think some people wonder what on earth they can cook that doesn’t include meat. There are tons of options for meatless meals! I never have a problem putting a meatless Monday meal on the table. Beans are a great stand-in for meat. We love beans in the Myers house. Annie eats them like candy. Fix a big pot of beans and cornbread. You might decide to serve a breakfast meal instead – pancakes, eggs, fruit. The point of going meatless isn’t to get technical. I know some people count eggs as meat, but in truth they are not. They ARE a protein, but they are in a category by themselves. Eggs are eggs and meat is meat. Or how about cheese? You could fix a nice dish of Macaroni and Cheese. Barry and I really love veggie burgers, so sometimes we buy Gardenburgers at Kroger and have those. Delicious! There are TONS of meatless soup options – potato, minestrone, chowders galore! This is my favorite recent Meatless Monday meal: Chickpea and Parmesan Pasta. It’s delicious, easy, and FAST.

There is a national movement called Meatless Monday. The website is pretty cool. You can sign a pledge to go meatless on Monday. You’ll get emails with tips and recipes too in case you run out of ideas. I just love any email that sends me good recipes! You can even follow them on Facebook. Of course I think you can follow anyone on Facebook now. Even your grandmother is on Facebook, so watch what you’re posting. If you get creative, you can post your own recipe on the site…..and if you do that, make sure you send it to me too!So, that’s my take on that. Go meatless on Monday – and otherwise, cuddle up with your bacon.