How many of you eat a whole chicken breast or steak weighing in at an average of 8 to 10 ounces per meal? I know I do. In fact, you probably don’t even realize how much meat you’re consuming per meal, but the suggested amount is only 4 ounces of lean meat. So let’s say you eat a burger for lunch. Unless it’s a small burger from McDonalds {yuck!}, it’s probably going to be between a quarter to half a pound. Then for dinner you prepare a meal that allows for each family member to have a full chicken breast of their own. That’s well over 4 ounces again. It way more meat than our bodies need daily.
For optimum health we need to get away from canned foods (especially those with BPA- but this toxin is found in a lot more things than just cans, it’s also in our plastic, for example); meat, eggs, and dairy products that contain hormones, among other things; breads and cereals that include disgusting ingredients such as L-cysteine.
This is not a complete list by any means, and it doesn’t even cover things like soaps, shampoos, dish washing liquids, etc. All those things can be and are absorbed into the skin (or eaten off of “clean” plates and forks) and are just as toxic, but we’ll have to get to that another day.
So, in order to actually afford eating better we need to be realistic and smarter about it. If we should only be eating 4 ounces of meat at a time then spending more money on grass-fed beef or organic meats is more possible. Plus, who says we have to eat meat at every meal? You can get just as much protein from beans, legumes and eggs.
That’s when I realized that I don’t have to search out a ton of new recipes (even though I will anyway just because I’m always looking for new recipes) but instead I just have to incorporate healthier ingredients into the recipes I already love 
Then it came to me- why am I not searching out more vegetarian meals?
And so Meatless Mondays on The Home Heart begins!
Now, I know this isn’t a new idea by any means, in fact it’s all over the blog world. But for us it is new, and not only that but I hope to plan out my future menus with more than just one vegetarian meal a week. I began this project by surveying my Facebook friends with the question, “What’s your favorite meatless meal?”
Here are some of the replies:
1. Vegetarian Moussaka
2. Eggplant Parmesan
3. Spinach Stuffed Manicotti
4. Linguine Frittata with Greens
5. Butternut Squash Risotto
6. Vegetable/Eggplant Lasagna
7. Black Bean Soup
I intend to try these, and any other awesome recipes that come my way, and feature them on Meatless Mondays. If you have a favorite vegetarian recipe that you’d like to share, please feel free to post it here or contact me through The Home Heart on Facebook. There is a link on the upper right side of this blog. I would love to see what great meatless meals you are all eating.
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