Where's the beef? Meatless Meals

Almost everyone I know is doing some version of "Meatless Monday". Forgoing meat once per week is a great way to save money on your grocery bill.  During Lent, Catholics abstain from meat on Friday. That's already twice per week, So I wondered, could I give up meat altogether for Lent this year?

Yes!

Let me clarify: I gave up meat, but I did not go vegan.  Fish and eggs are still on the menu.

The first thing I did was go through my recipe box and write down all the meatless recipes I already had, and figure out which recipes could be modified to exclude meat.  I was a little bit scared that we would be eating spaghetti with marinara and fish stick for six weeks!

I was pleasantly surprised at all of my options...my list included items such as black bean burgers (a favorite of the whole family), spinach ravioli lasagna, eggplant au gratin, cauliflower macaroni and cheese, fish tacos, and shrimp and grits with spinach...when all was said and done, I had twenty-five recipes to get started.


I was a little worried, because my husband did not go meatless for Lent, nor did my youngest daughter.  I can honestly say that, as a family, we did not miss the meat at dinnertime.

When I was a part of a homeschooling co-op, I knew a very wise woman who had 10 children. One day she told me she was going to put a chicken in the oven for dinner. I asked her how many chickens do you need to cook for a family of 12? She said, "you didn't listen to me- I said I put 'a' chicken in the oven- when you have a large family, you need to stop looking at meat as the main course...it's a side dish." Hmmm. Like I said- a very wise woman. 

Lent is over, but I think we will consider meat as less of a staple, and continue include more meatless meals into our weekly dinners.

In case you would like to try going meatless, here are a few recipes for inspiration:

Rainbow Pizza
1 loaf of french bread, split
broil in oven until toasty (about 4 minutes? just watch it)
spread with alfredo sauce
add chopped red, yellow, and green peppers
add chopped purple onions
sprinkle with mozzarella cheese
place back under broiler until cheese melts (2 minutes?)
.....................................................................................................................................................................
Baked Nestled Eggs

2 packages Archer Farms squash risoto, prepared
(found at Target)
3 red bell peppers, halved and seeded
6 eggs
Stuff pepper halves with risoto,
spray Pam in baking pan, put remaining risoto in pan
arrange peppers among risoto, so they are level
crack eggs onto each pepper half
Bake at 400 for 30 minutes
salt & pepper to taste
.....................................................................................................................................................................

Creamy Cheese Grits and Spinach

28 pieces medium deveined & peeled frozen shrimp
1 package frozen chopped spinach, microwave cooked
1 cup quick cooking grits
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/2 package mozzarella/provolone cheese blend
bring grits, broth, milk, salt, and garlic powder to a boil
reduce heat & simmer, stirring occasionally for 10-12 minutes
until thickened
stir in spinach and cheese until well blended
Top with shrimp boiled with Old Bay seasoning