A friend of mine was thinking about taking the
PETA 30 challenge and going veggie for 30 days. It can seem a bit time consuming when first thinking about meal planning with the goal of staying veggie (it did for me at first too), especially when you have a picky eater and kids. And it may take a little bit of time only because your mind is used to things being a certain way and you are accustomed and used to having the same meals your mom made for you. I happen to feel it is much easier to not have to worry about thawing out meat just the right way, cleaning up the juice and stuff to keep from getting sick, and making sure that it is cooked just right but not too overcooked. Once you have a few veggie ideas to work with, it really does become a no-brainer. To help get you started I made a menu of the foods that we eat.
I also try to include fresh whole grains, flax, and amaranth as well as a mixed green or spinach salad with lunch and/or dinner. I try to just avoid the meat substitutes for personal reasons as well as the fact that they just taste funny when you are used to the real thing.
| Breakfast | Snack | Lunch | Snack | Dinner |
Monday
| Oatmeal with sliced almonds, raisins honey and soy milk | banana | Burrito with beans, rice and cheese and all the veggies | Salsa and baked tortilla chips | Pesto Pasta with veggies, zuc, mushroom, broccoli |
Tuesday
| French toast Fruit and OJ | Apple and peanut butter | Balsamic Tomato, basil, fresh mozzarella cheese sandwich | popcorn | Baked potato with broccoli and cheddar cheese |
Wednesday | Cold cereal Banana | Cottage cheese and fruit | Hummus & tomato wrap with celery and carrots | Cheese and crackers | Stir fry or steamed veggies, tofu and brown rice |
Thursday
| Scrambled eggs and toast | Fruit popsicle | Egg salad sandwich with carrots, fruit | Pretzels and raisins | Pasta with veggie marinara |
Friday
| Plain yogurt with jam or honey and toast
| Carrot & flax muffin | Lentil soup or Sambar | Grilled tomato with cheese | Garden burger sandwich with grilled veggies and fries |
Saturday
| Bagels and cream cheese fruit | Cereal fruit bar | Mac and cheese with carrots and peas |
| Veggie Omlette Spinach tomato and mushroom |
Sunday
| Pancakes and eggs | Fruit smoothy | Veggie lasagna | Cucumber, tomato, sprouts and cream cheese pitas | Homemade pizza with fresh tomatos and pineapples |
What to eat when you are out?Fast food: Wendy’s has a baked potato, BK has veggie patty, Taco bell burritos (the 7layer is yummy). Most fast food places will make the item you like without meat (and charge full price of course).
Sit down meals: Pasta, Pizza, Omelets, veggie burger substitute (my fav is Red robin’s mushroom burger) or Portabella burgers. Stir fry with tofu and rice or noodles, Eggplant Parmesan, Veggie or cheese enchiladas, grilled veggie fajitas, and all kinds of Indian and Thai and Mediterranean food.
Enjoy your veggie adventure!
