I’m so completely over winter and I’m sick of eating casserole type things, particularly meaty casseroles. There’s no doubt that it’s handy to defrost a bag of spag bol, or beef stew and have a swift instant supper, but I’m yearning for the lighter, brighter summer meals and lovely salads of July and August. We’re stuck in a rut of meatballs and tagines, and I’ve decided enough is enough.
Although we do eat veggie meals 2 – 3 times a week, I know that there’s a lot to be said for cutting down on the amount of meat we eat and increasing the amount of veg. And that’s not just from a health perspective. From an environmental point, eating less meat, but making that sustainably farmed meat, rather than factory reared is the way forward.
Mackeral & Bulgar Wheat Salad (www.mostlyeating.com)
So, during March, I’ve decided to reinvent dinnertimes at our house. We’ll be going (mainly) meat-free in an effort to find some great new family meals that can be made swiftly, and that everyone likes (yeah, right, with a fussy 5 year old and a contrary two year old to please that’s a joke!) I say mainly meat-free because some of the lovely fish recipes I’ve got use a little bacon – but as long as meat isn’t the focus of the meal then that seems reasonable.
A lot of the recipes I’m going to be using are from The Kitchen Revolution, including the Thai Fishcakes which are on my menu for this week.
If you fancy joining me, I’ll post my menu here every Thursday on the website (with links to similar recipes if possible). I’m also going to track how much my shopping costs to see if I save money and will also, most importantly post feedback on each meal as the majority of them are going to be new dishes.
My menu plan for w/c 28th Feb is as follows:
- Sunday – Lemon Butternut Lasagne (similar recipe here (my recipe makes an extra one for the freezer)
- Monday – Thai Fishcakes
- Tuesday -Grown up beans on toast
- Wednesday -Purple Spouting Broccoli, Anchovy & Pasta
- Thursday – Bulgar Wheat & Sardines (sorry, can’t find exact recipe online, this is similar but more of a salad)
- Friday – Veggie Pizzas
If you’re interested in trying a ‘Meat Free March’ yourself, or if you’ve got any veggie / fish recipes that you’ve tried yourself and would like to share, then feel free!
[...] Week 1 Review Well last Sunday saw the start of my ‘Meat-free March’ with the delicious Lemon Butternut Lasagne. The adults and the baby loved this, but 2 middle boys were extremely undecided. Too bad, it made an extra one which is now in the freezer and will be produced later this month! [...]
I’ve gone meat and dairy free for the last few weeks so really interested in your recipes. My children, especially my older sons, wouldn’t eat a thing if I served up a meat less meal though. :0(
Hello Helen,
Just wanted to say a word of support for your project – definitely a worthwhile one! We’re not vegetarian, but we aim to eat meat only once a week for environmental reasons (and in fact, we don’t eat fish at all for the same reasons) so we’ve had to learn a lot of new recipes in the last few months, but so far it’s going really well. When we do have meat we can afford a nicer cut, and we really REALLY appreciate it – so there are real personal benefits as well as environmental ones. Good luck with your meat free March!
Found you via the BMB carnival
Hey Zoe, cheers for the support. It’s been fun actually although I have to say that I’m really looking forward to a nice juicy steak sandwich at the start of April. Would be great if you could share some of your favourite recipes (does that make me sound geeky?)
I have to say it’s been tricky, particularly with my 2 1/2 year old boy who is going through a fussy eating phase, which if it isn’t fish fingers and chips, he’s not particularly interested. But then, he’d be turning his nose up if it was spag bol too, so I just ignore it.
Funnily enough, some of the recipes which I thought might not go down so well, have been really successful with my 5 year old and the baby. The pasta with broccoli was a big hit and so was the Paella that we did on Sunday. I’m going to do a ‘top 5′ at the end of the month, so watch out for that…