We haven’t looked at veggie meals for a while, but you should always be considering vegetarian meals, at least a little, because it’s not only better for your health but super keen for the planet as well. While you don’t need to totally cut meat from your diet to reap health and earth-minded rewards, you should attempt to cut at least three meat-based meals per week.

If you’re looking for a way to get started on meatless meals more often, but are worried your family will freak, a good way to go is with some simple tweaks. You can make tons of mainstream meals meatless – you don’t even need to utter the words tofu or bean sprouts to be a good part-time vegetarian.

Some great veggie meal ideas for the typical meat eating family…

• Vegetarian Meals for Meatlovers
• Spaghetti and sauce sans meatballs
• Veggie, cheese, or vegetarian Mexican taco pizza
• Black Bean Chilaquile – so good!
• Bean and rice burritos
• 7 Cheap and Easy Vegetarian Meals
• A veggie soup, salad, and bread
• Stir fry minus the meat – pack in lots of veggies and have rice and fruit on the side.
• California Grilled Veggie Sandwich

To learn more read:

• Why Go Meatless More Often?
• Meatless Meals: Veggie Books for Kids
• Meatless Meals: How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
• Tofu Recipes for Kids
• Meatless Monday

What are you waiting for? Try a meat-free meal tonight!

When was the last time you ate a great meatless meal?

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Today we’re featuring one of my favorite bloggers, Marye, from Kettle & Cup (among other places). Marye is an extra cool person just on principals; funny, kind, and is also quite a green individual all the time, not just on Earth Day. Today however, she’s breaking out even more green to bring you information about growing your own herbal tea.

Of course growing your own anything; veggies, herbs, etc, is a good idea when possible. It cuts down on packaging, chemicals, and barring my tomato growing nightmare of 2001, homegrown foods almost always tastes better too.

All that said, don’t you want to check out her post.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

• Meatless Meals: How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
• A Veggie Resource in the Health and Science Channel
• Meatless Meals: Veggie Books for Kids
• Tofu Recipes for Kids
• You can also get involved by taking the Meatless Meals Poll

So, back to our one meatless meal. Having been a vegetarian for years and years, people always think I’m going to bring the suck dish to the potluck or family event. Here’s one meatless meal I make that everyone LOVES. I’ve never had a meat eater complain about it, not once.

I got it a long time ago from the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites cookbook. After you taste this you’ll want to own it. It’s a nice recipe because it can easily be adapted for vegans too.

The recipe is Black Bean Chilaquile and I went looking for it at a Moosewood site (so I wouldn’t have to type it) and I didn’t find it there, but I did find it at another blog called Kitchen Window. This blogger already typed out the recipe so I’ll just send you there. Bonus, she has a picture of the finished product.

Notes:

• Like this blogger I also omit the salt – you really don’t need it.
• I only use organic ingredients in mine – you should at least use organic spinach.
• I make mine with homemade organic salsa that’s fairly spicy, but you can use any kind you like.

I swear everyone I know loves this dish. Wait, you know Cedar doesn’t – but he doesn’t love mixed foods, he likes whole foods better, but everyone else loves it.

So, this week omit one meat meal, conserve land and energy, and be a bit more healthy.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

There are lots of ways to plan an eco-friendly birthday but today it’s all about cake design. If I decide I should work on my birthday I may be back with tips; if not look for those tomorrow.

If you’re planning an eco-friendly birthday you might as well go all the way and even make it a theme party. Here are some amazing cake ideas that can help.

You have to visit Pink Cake Box to read more about this cake below. Whenever I need a cool cake for a post my first stop is always Pink Cake Box and they never disappoint.

I can’t tell if this next one is real or not but if it is real it sure is sweet.

I really love this next one.

And because it’s not all about me; here’s a super easy World Tree Cake that you and your kids can make right now.

Simple and it would look great with decorations of little frosting apples or flowers. Get instructions here.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family