Mondays are hard and if you’ve declared your Monday dinners as meatless Mondays, then you’ve potentially added another challenge to your day. Now we can’t fix all of your Monday problems, but we can help you pick a dish to enjoy for dinner.
Before we get started, just in case you have no idea what we’re talking about, let’s talk about what meatless Monday even is. Meatless Monday actually dates back to WWI as a way to ration food to help the war effort; however, this campaign was revived in 2003 as a health initiative. So, we all know Mondays are, well, Mondays, so why would we change how we eat on Mondays of all days? Studies show that people are actually more apt to eat healthy at the beginning of the week versus the end of the week, viewing Monday as a day of reset.
So now that we know what meatless Monday is and why it’s on Mondays (again, of all days), so why meatless? What are the benefits? Consuming less red and processed meat and opting for plant-based options can offer a ton of health benefits such as improving heart health, and reducing the risk of health disease, as well as decreasing your risk of type 2 diabetes, maintaining a healthy weight, and promoting kidney health.
Okay, okay, let’s get to the good stuff. Here are a few comfort meatless Monday meals you can whip up this fall and winter that are good for you, and guaranteed to keep you warm and cozy during these cold months.
Teriyaki Vegetable Noodle Bowl
Because who doesn’t love slurping hot noodles on a cold evening? We love that you can pick and choose what vegetables go in this dish, and you can choose just how crunchy or soft you want them. (It matters!) Nab the recipe here!
Eggplant Lasagna
A really cool thing about Meatless Monday is that you can still have your favorite dishes, they just need a little tweaking; such as swapping out lasagna noodles and using eggplant instead. Get the recipe here!
Sweet Potato Chili
Chili is the ultimate comfort food on a cold day. Not only is it hot and hearty, but it makes your house smell amazing. This chili incorporates a ton of vegetables, the main one being sweet potatoes. And if we’re being technical, cinnamon rolls don’t have meat in them, so we totally understand the logic of making some freshly baked cinnamon rolls part of this meal too. If this sounds like a great option for you, take a look at the recipe here!