Meatless Mondays

Surfing the internet, the other day, I came across a brilliant idea!

The idea was to start to have Meatless Mondays as part of a strategy to cut down on the cost of groceries.

Well, for me, that makes perfect sense! This is for several reasons, and some of them are rather obvious for those who know me. You see, I’m Vegetarian, and will be celebrating my 20^th year as someone who doesn’t eat meat by 2020.

But I’d like to confirm that eating Vegetarian does save heaps of money. My monthly budget for food is around the $50 to $60 mark. This is partly because I know how to cook, and make a point of never throwing out food. My left overs are always cooked into something else the following night.

Now, I get the idea that Vegetarianism isn’t for everyone. But I thought to add my voice to those who already endorse going Vegetarian from time to time, to cut costs. And that’s not even taking into account that it’s actually a very healthy alternative to meat.

So, here are some ideas about eating Vegetarian.

If concerned you’ll be hungry after cutting out the meat, drink water. It’ll fill the crevices nicely, and you’ll be saving money and weight at the same time.

If soaking beans sounds like too much trouble, just think of it like pulling the steak out of the freezer the night before. Except that instead of defrosting meat on the bench/in the fridge, you’re boiling the kettle and pouring hot water over beans in a bowl/container instead, and leaving them to soak. Failing this, there are always the tinned variety.

And thirdly, here’s a recipe I love. I’m including it because it’s the Vegetarian version of bolognese.

Ingredients (serves 4 – 6)

1 ¼ cup brown lentils, pre-soaked

Salt and black pepper

1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 onion, chopped

Left over vegies/tin of corn

400g tin tomatoes

1 tablespoon tomato puree

Basil or any Italian herbs

Method

1. Simmer lentils until they can be mashed with a fork. Discard water.

2. Heat oil in frying pan and fry onion and garlic

3. Add vegies/corn and continue frying

4. Add lentils, tomatoes and puree

5. Add the salt, pepper and herbs, to taste.

6. Simmer until sauce is thick.

This recipe can be turned into spaghetti bolognese, lasagne, served on toast, made into a meatless loaf, or anything else that the meat variety can be used. It’s also significantly cheaper, with lentils costing very little in comparison to mince.

Try it and give me feedback!