This Feature Friday, I wanted to feature Meatless Mondays! This has been a growing trend that little Miss SGM has not been a part of. I like meat. There. I said it.
Now, even though I enjoy beef and noodles, or turkey on Thanksgiving – I assure you, I am still a good person 
However, I am also concerned about the health ramifications of a meat-heavy diet and the environmental impact it has too. So I am challenging myself and YOU to go take part in a global effort to reduce meat consumption on Mondays with me in celebration of Earth Day 2011! It’s called…Meatless Mondays!
“Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health. We provide the information and recipes you need to start each week with healthy, environmentally friendly meat-free alternatives. Our goal is to help you reduce your meat consumption by 15% in order to improve your personal health and the health of the planet” (MeatlessMonday.com).
You may already be familiar with it since it dates back to World War 1 – wow! Then in 2003, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for a Livable Future recreated this “movement” by encouraging Americans to reduce their risk of preventable disease by cutting back saturated fat.
Fact:
Americans consume 8 ounces of meat per day – 45% more than the USDA recommends.
Fact:
Going meatless once a week can reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.
and according to PETA.org
“Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide together cause the vast majority of global warming. Raising animals for food is one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide and the single largest source of both methane and nitrous oxide emissions.”
and if this were not compelling enough – I had to share all of these benefits with you from MeatlessMonday.com (an excellent resource for doing the non-meat thang on Mondays or any day!
So with all of these benefits – I ask myself “Why would I *NOT* give this a try? It’s only one day per week and there’s always the possibility that I might actually LOVE it! So who’s in this with me? I would love to have you on board…whatdaya say? You in?
Let’s do this every first Monday of the Month between now and Earth Day 2011 (April 22).
Look for more deets to come!!!
***UPDATE***
Natalia, my friend and author of Pure Pleasures recipe book is donating several copies of her ebook to those who want to participate in this challenge! Just link back with each post and you are automatically entered to win one copy of her awesome book in ebook version! (ebook + Earth Day + paperless = AWESOME!
Images:
http://www.meatlessmonday.com/
http://www.refugewatch.org/2009/04/22/happy-earth-day-2009/
Sources:
http://www.meatlessmonday.com/
http://www.peta.org
Good for you! There are tons of really tasty vegetarian recipes out there…and some great veg chefs on Twitter whose brains you can pick if necessary. I’ve been vegetarian for four years now, so I’d like to try making more of my meals dairy-free or as local as possible. Maybe Monday can be my dairy free day.
I’ll do it!!
Perfect! Sounds like we have the start of a team!!
uuuum. Aren’t you *already* vegan or something LOL! You are so funny – my little nut! That’s okay – we’ll take it!
Okay … I’m IN! Yeah, I’m already vegetarian but heck … I’m here to support you in this challenge. I post a vegan recipe once a month, on the first Friday of the month … and I have a whole page of tried and true recipes on Reduce Footprints.
Quite some years ago, we were watching a program on how our diet has so much to do with our health. The program pointed out that almost every disease known to man is, in some way, connected to the amount of animal products we consume. Shocking! So we went “cold turkey” into vegetarianism. I really thought that I couldn’t do it but we decided that we’d give it a go for 30 days (we can do anything for 30 days, right?). Well, we never looked back … and I have felt better than ever. Even some of my allergies went away … now that’s something. And I can honestly say that I have not, even once, missed meat (quite something for a dedicated carnivore prior to that).
My one tip for success … don’t try to recreate meat meals … it’s almost always disappointing. Instead, try new dishes and new tastes … it’s a lot of fun!
Best wishes … and I look forward to watching the journey. And, of course, any help I can give … just whistle!
Fun idea~ I’m in!
Heh. I’m an ovo-lacto-vegetarian, which means that I eat some dairy (not a lot; my stomach doesn’t like it as much as my tongue does) and eggs. The dairy industry isn’t much better than the beef industry in terms of environmental impact, so I’ve been cutting way down. Some recipes definitely don’t taste as good without a little dairy, so I want to explore new dairy free recipes.
I am not a vegan, but it is so easy to be semi-meatless with all the terrific menus available. Try it~ you’ll like it !
Oh you’re wonderful! I am so excited to see some of these recipes you post and to have your support along the way
I am really excited about this! Good for you on never looking back and great advice on trying new dishes rather than recreating. Love it!
Yay! I am so happy to have you in Kim! It will be fun having all of us do t his together and share recipes!! Thanks for your support
Woah amazing! I have never heard of so many titles/descriptions! Perhaps I have some research to do LOL! Will you be joining us each first Monday then? I hope so!!!!!
So true! That is what I was thinking too! It’s only a couple of Mondays for the next few months so I can’t imagine that it would be to traumatic LOL! Besides – I we might really like it and there are a lot of recipes and options available
Will you be doing this with all of us and posting your recipes or thoughts each first Monday? I really hope!!! Thanks Carol 
Totally in!! We have been eating less meat at our house. I’ve even made a good Tofu “meatloaf” and the whole family loved it!
This past monday we…well, hubby and I had portabella burgers and salad while the boys ate Annie’s mac and cheese. It was good and very filling.
We’ve been eating less meat and having meatless Thursdays because our veggie granddaughter (and her veg parents) eat with us then. We’re with you on the Meatless Monday Challenge!