There was an article recently on Slate about the USDA proposing a meatless Monday. Apparently, it didn’t go over to well with at least a few Republicans. And they took to Twitter to let everyone know about. From the article:
Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, for one, had this to say: “I will eat more meat on Monday to compensate for stupid USDA recommendation [about] a meatless Monday,” Likewise, Sen. John Thune, offered his take: “Who at USDA thought ‘Meatless Mondays’ was [a] good idea? Anti-[agriculture] agenda at USDA is irresponsible, even for a day.”
The basic idea behind meatless Monday is to encourage vegetarian consumption one day a week in corporate and school cafeterias, with the notion that doing so doing so will have both environmental and health benefits.
If Senator Grassley wants to eat more meat, more power to him. I’m sure he gets paid well enough to afford it with ease, and isn’t too worried about his health (not that all meat is bad – but somehow I picture this guy reaching for something that’ll clog his arteries). As for Senator Thune – I’d hardly say a meatless Monday is anti-agriculture. Last I checked, agriculture also involved those strange things like fruits and vegetables.
I don’t think it’s fair to expect cafeterias to start stocking tofu, and expecting everyone to like it. But there are plenty of yummy, basic, vegetarian options that most people will eat, such as:
- Chili
- Grilled cheese
- Spaghetti
- Soup
- Burritos or tacos with beans and rice
What can cutting meat out of your meals for a week do for you?
- Save you money! Meat isn’t cheap. It’s a heck of lot cheaper to buy a can of beans (or buy raw ones if you’re really ambitious), then it is to buy ground beef, chicken etc.
- Improve your health. If you’re particularly inclined towards fatty or salty stuff (say, pepperoni or bacon), then it’ll do you good to cut down on them. Note – I have a bacon and cheese tomato sandwich once a week. It’s awesome. I’ll freely admit that. But I try to stick to leaner meats the rest of the time.
- Expand your horizons. You can start with stuff you’re comfortable with (say, grilled cheese), but maybe slowly expand out, and try a few dishes you haven’t tried before. Plenty of cultures eat little to no meat, and seem to survive somehow.
What’s your take on meatless Monday?
Vegetarian pasta is delish, and there are a lot of options for other stuff. I never, ever eat meat (save for when somebody else is serving chicken) so it helps save money and is a little more healthy.
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I eat meat nearly every day, but I know I should mix in more vegetarian dishes. Doing so in schools once a week is a great idea. As for that senator who shot down the idea, I think he is just worried about votes knowing that most voters really like their meat.
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Um I’m a meat eater–I know I should cut down and some days I do eat very little meat (like tuna) but I do understand the projected savings of meatless Mondays. I just won’t be into it when I’m cooking–but in the schools? That sounds like a great idea.
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Being a vegetarian and seeing the health benefits I am a big fan of meatless Monday. I think it gets the word out there that no meat meals can delicious and easy to make. I just tried a recipe for sweet potato and black bean burritos. They were really good.
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Daisy – yup, you can definitely eat cheaper if you cut out or cut down on meat!
MM – yup, eating meat is as American as apple pie.
Bog – yeah, it certainly can’t hurt to have it in schools. Again – not tofu for all, but something kids will eat..
Miss T – ooh – that sounds yummy! I will have to try that some time. I was a veggie for 5 years, and learned lots of different dishes – still use some of them.
If schools were to cut meat out of the menu for one day per week, we all know what kids would be eating. Pizza and french fries. Honestly, I don’t think eating pizza and fries is much better than eating sloppy joes or hot dogs or whatever else they may serve in a cafeteria.
Hey, but they’ve decided in the U.S. that pizza is a vegetable because it has tomato sauce.
. You’re right – pizza and french fries would not be much better. It’d have to be a decent alternative that kids would actually eat..
We don’t eat alot of meat so I thought this was a great idea. It also cuts down on cost when you go meatless. We tend to substitute with beans and mushrooms for alot of the meals we create and they are super healthy. Cheers Mr.CBB
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There is a way to save money while NOT doing without meat.
It’s called stretching the meat to go farther by adding other things with your meats.
For example, if you are going to prepare chunks of stir fried chicken to serve on top of rice, you can add a can of bean like kidney beans or other of your favorite canned beans and wash them well, drain out the beans until they are clean and then add them to your chicken.
Add a bit of soy sauce and olive oil and it’s delish.
You can do the same thing with steak. A small piece of steak will stretch farther if served with
some sort of bean. Lentils are dried but pretty fast cooking when added to a meat dish….they will easily absorb any liquid you are cooking the meat in. Split orange lentils are a good source of protein too.
If you want to add some scrambled eggs in with your meats to stretch them further, go for it.
Onions and/or garlic are great to add to meats before serving with your fave veggie or carbs like potatoes, rice, or pasta.
Chop your meats into smaller bit size pieces when you mix them in with beans, lentils or eggs, and you”ll be surprised how far one piece of meat will go.
Bon appetit, and Save some bucks:)
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