As I ate less meat this week for the bettering yourself exercise, my family also ate less meat because I cook for them.
I cooked vegetarian lasagna, potato salad, crepes, spinach salad, greek salad, natchos, and vegetarian chili (see recipe below).
Reducing our meat consumption provided many benefits, but my family would go on strike if they had no meat for dinner, so I cooked chicken breasts and bacon.
For for the first five days, I ate no meat, and I didn’t miss it. I ate one piece of chicken (poultry), and two pieces of bacon by the end of the week.
I got my 40 to 60 grams of required daily protein from non-meat sources. One medium sized bowl of the vegetarian chili contains 20 grams of protein alone. The cheese in the lasagna contains protein, and spinach contains protein as well. typically in North America, we get more protein than we need from a variety of sources.
Digesting my food was easier when I consumed little or no meat. My stomach didn’ t feel heavy after dinner, where I want to fall asleep on the couch.
I also felt good doing my part to help the planet, as increased demand for meat with a growing population is devastating for animals, the environment, and our own bodies.
The high fat content of meat also raises cholesterol and the antibiotics fed to animals contribute to antibiotic resistance in humans. I am going to continue to eat less meat due to the many benefits.
Recipe for Vegetarian Chili:
The Ingredients
1 can Kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup vegetable broth
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 heaping tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp Ghirardelli cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp (or a bit less) cayenne pepper
A couple splashes of soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
Black pepper and paprika to taste
The Directions
Step 1: Chop the garlic, onion, and bell peppers. Saute lightly over medium high heat in 1-2 tsp olive oil. Meanwhile, wash the beans until all of the canning liquid is gone.
Step 2: Once the veggies have sauteed for about 5 minutes, add everything else into the pot (tomatoes, beans, spices, etc.). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 min or longer as needed.
Recipe from The Picky Eater blog: http://pickyeaterblog.com/
photo courtesy of i stock photo.
photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnnystiletto/6924588557/”>I Believe I Can Fry</a> via <a