At Smart Restaurants we make sure that as a team we support Meat Free Mondays. This means for one day a week we are cutting out meat from our diets for that particular day for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. For Meat Free Week we will be doing the same thing, this time it will be for a whole week. Whilst some people may feel as though cutting out meat is a challenge and is hard to do, we enjoy it here at Smart Restaurants as it gives us the chance to try out new meals. We like to talk about what we have tried and also enjoy giving each other new ideas. We will have simple meat free meals such as egg and soldiers through to more filling meals such as vegetable lasagnes topped with sliced mushrooms and served with cheesy garlic bread – delicious!
Meat Free Week
Meat Free Week will be starting on Monday 23rd March 2015 and will last the week until Sunday 29th March 2015. Each day means that you can try something new and exciting. By the end of the week you may of enjoyed your Meat Free Week so much that you would like to cut meat out of your diet for good and become a vegetarian.
Meat Free Week started in 2013 in Australia. In 2015 it has come over to the UK and the same campaign has been launched here. The past 2 years have been very successful for Meat Free Week with over 4,000 people signing up and over $150,000 being raised for charity.
The idea behind Meat Free Week is to raise the importance of cutting out meat or reducing the amount of meat that you eat from your diet. Many do not realise that consuming a large amount of meat can actually be bad for you as well as having a negative impact on animal welfare. Too much meat consumption can lead to bowel cancer and heart disease, so for a healthier life it is important that people do cut back on meat to reduce the risk of life threatening diseases. Meat Free Week is also about raising the awareness of animal welfare. Most cases of animal cruelty are due to the way animals are mistreated in factory farming. This is something that needs to change and we can all do so by supporting Meat Free Mondays and Meat Free Week. We can also help by purchasing meat which has had a better life and better upbringing by being free range and organic. Free ranged products mean that animals have been able to roam around on a nice spacious farm compared to being stuck in a factory farm where animals are mistreated and abused.
Vegetarian Meals
Vegetarian meals can be surprisingly pleasant to many. What many people do not realise is that most meat based meals have vegetables added for the flavouring. Meat on its own can actually taste quite bland. Vegetarian meals are full of flavour and are also often much lower in calories than meat based meals. Vegetarian meals also tend to be healthier for you and full of nutrition and goodness. There is a large selection of vegetarian meals which you can purchase as ready meals from your local supermarket, or there are many easy vegetarian meals which you can make at home.
Vegetables
You can use vegetables to make some rather tasty meals for Meat Free Week. Stuffed mushrooms can be a tasty low calorie meal to have and served on a bed of salad can be extremely satisfying. To use up any vegetables that you may have left by the end of the week you can also mix together in a tasty stir fry or you can cook them together with chopped tomatoes to make a delicious ratatouille. Ratatouille can be very nice with pasta to make a fuller meal, can be cooked with fresh pasta sheets to make a vegetarian lasagne or can be put on top of a jacket potato for a tasty meat free meal.
Quorn
For those that really do enjoy the taste and texture of meat then the Quorn range is the perfect option for you. Quorn is made up from soya and as a brand Quorn provide many meat free options ranging from ready meals such as cottage pie and lasagne to Quorn mince and chicken style pieces so that you can make your own meals such as spaghetti bolognese to a chicken style stir fry. Quorn can be a good substitute for those that want to support Meat Free Week or for those that are considering becoming vegetarian.
Your Meat Free Week Planned
For Meat Free Week we thought we would put together a list of meals which you could try each day. We have given ideas for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner:
Meat Free Breakfasts
- Egg and Soldiers
- Poached Egg on Toast
- A Vegetarian Breakfast; Eggs, Meat Free Bacon, Meat Free Sausages, Mushrooms, Tomatoes and Toast.
- Various Cereal
- Fruit Salad
- Fruit and Yoghurt
- Toast with Jam, Marmalade or Spread
Meat Free Lunches
- Egg and Cress Sandwich
- Cheese and Onion Sandwich
- Cheese and Tomato Sandwich
- Cheese and Cucumber Sandwich
- Cheese and Coleslaw Sandwich
- Salad Sandwich
- Egg Salad
Meat Free Dinners
- Vegetable Soup
- Jacket Potatoes
- Omelette with Cheese, Mushrooms or Tomato
- Roasted Vegetable Lasagne
- Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni
- Vegetable Pizza
- Stuffed Mushrooms
We hope you enjoy your Meat Free Week. To find out more and to support Meat Free Week by eating less meat please click here.
