Going Meatless and Loving It!

World Wide Web | Going Meatless and Loving It! | Want to shrink your grocery bill as well as reduce your saturated fat intake? Try going meatless for your weeknight meals. I have to tell you, I used to plan my meals around the meat: grilled hamburgers, chicken enchiladas, steak, fish tacos, pork chops, and so on! So yummy, but most animal protein rings up at $2.50 per pound or more. Also, meats are calorically dense compared to whole plant foods, like vegetables and grains. For anyone who's worried about maintaining or losing weight, cutting back on animal proteins is a great idea. In addition, unless you're sticking to lean poultry cuts and fish, your veins and arteries aren't thanking you for all the saturated fat in your diet.

If you think it's just too hard to come up with vegetarian meals that your family will love, just look around. There are so many websites featuring recipes and nutrition support to help you provide your family with quality, delicious meals that anyone would devour! Try out a new recipe, or swap out animal protein for beans or tofu. Your family may or may not notice. And as long as dinner tastes great, is filling, and brings everyone together, who cares?

The best way to incorporate vegetarian dinners into your family's routine is to start slowly. Small changes over time provide the longest-lasting results. For my family, simply omitting diced chicken breast from our favorite chicken wonton salad was easy. My kids still ate it up because it has the yummiest dressing, crispy wonton chips, and canned mandarin oranges. And my kids will always gobble up my chicken enchiladas, even when I replace the shredded chicken in them with spicy and sweet black beans.

I've found that planning my menu with vegetarian dishes has cut my grocery bill by about $15.00 per week. We eat many more fresh vegetables and still enjoy satisfying meals together. Even if you try a vegetarian dinner once or twice a week, you can feel good that over time, you children are probably eating healthier, fresher foods.

Here's a favorite pasta recipe that is perfect for using up end of summer produce. It makes a lot of pasta, which we love for lunches and leftovers, but feel free to cut the recipe in half if you have a small family.

Zucchini Tomato Pasta

1 lb. whole wheat thin spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tbsp. olive oil

3 ounces reduced-fat or fat-free cream cheese

2 tbsp. chicken bouillon paste or granules

2 cups of pasta water

1 large onion, chopped

2 large zucchini, diced

2-3 large beefsteak tomatoes, diced

Parmesan, to taste

Fresh basil, for garnish (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil pasta according to package directions. In a large soup pot or sauté pan, heat oil, garlic and red pepper flakes until garlic is golden. Add onions and cook five minutes, until onion is translucent. Add diced zucchini, pasta water, chicken bouillon and cook on medium-high heat until zucchini is tender-crisp. Add cream cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Season to taste, and when pasta is done al dente, add it into sauce. Turn off heat under pan and occasionally stir so that sauce and pasta are well-incorporated. Add tomatoes, parmesan and basil and serve hot.

Article Source  : EzineArticles