Happy Kids, Inc: Meatless Monday by A Vegetarian Mom

Do you do Meatless Mondays in your house? Is your house split between carnivores and vegetarians? I have been a vegetarian for 25 years. My husband is a meat eater and while he welcomes some of my "interesting" vegetarian recipes, he will definitely remain a meat eater. We have three children (9, 7, 4) and I decided to take the approach to expose them to all cuisines as they grow up. When they reach a point that they may want to make a decision to become vegetarian, I will, of course, embrace and support their decision. If they don't, that's okay, too.

I haven't gotten to a point in their lives where I'm ready to talk about the history of how we (as Americans) produce, distribute, buy, and consume our food. What they do know are some of the basics of why I have chosen not to consume meat. For me, it did begin as an animal rights cause; but over the years, it has evolved into a focus on health. It has been good in that it encourages me to try new foods, new recipes, and keep things interesting.

I started Meatless Mondays with my family about 6 months ago. It has gone great! My children are generally not picky eaters and they are used to eating a variety of foods. My husband was also very open to trying this out.

Breakfast was pretty easy. I usually serve cereal and fruit and we occasionally do pancakes in the morning.

For lunches, it's been a lot of egg salad or peanut butter sandwiches (almond butter for my daughter, who's allergic to peanuts). But I've really been trying to make lunches (especially school lunches) interesting and not boring. So, it's not always about a sandwich! I've gotten creative with putting things on sticks. I've gotten creative with what foods I can use to roll up and make into shapes.

Dinners have been fun. I've taken some of my families favorite meals and made them vegetarian. Taco night, enchiladas, sloppy joes, pasta, lasagna.....I have put my own vegetarian spin on meat dishes. Be sure to visit my recipe archive for some recent vegetarian entrees that are delicious!

So, what do I think are some of the best benefits of doing Meatless Monday?

1. Awareness. When you are intentionally making a drastic change in your diet, you become more focused on what you are eating, healthy vs. unhealthy choices, and intrinsically wanting to know more about the origin of what you are eating.

2. Cost. It's quite simple, meat is expensive. Generally speaking, you can spend less money by eating a plant-based diet that you are cooking from scratch. Eating vegetarian routinely has also made me better about cooking at home more, which also reduces your grocery bill.

3. Excitement. My kids are genuinely excited about what we might be trying each Monday. Maybe it's a surprise in their lunch. Maybe it's an old favorite with a twist for dinner. But the fact that it's not excitement over cupcakes or a bagel is definitely a good thing.

4. Meal Planning. I have naturally fallen into a good habit of meal planning for the week. Having to put a little extra thought into Meatless Mondays has overflowed into the rest of the week. I've even been trying new meat-based recipes, too.

I'd love to hear your successes or failures with trying Meatless Mondays, or any vegetarian recipes. What does your family love or hate? Do you need help implementing it? This is a topic I am passionate about and I'd love to offer help.