Meat Free Mondays is a movement aimed at conscientious meat-eaters.

In acknowledgement that our society is set up to promote meat-eating at every turn, its aim is as follows:

“To raise awareness of the detrimental environmental impact of eating meat, and to encourage people to help slow climate change, preserve precious natural resources and improve their health by having at least one meat free day each week.”

We don’t have to buy into the all-or-nothing approach. If we can’t see ourselves completely cutting it out, reducing our meat consumption—on a collective scale—can have a significant cumulative effect.

So, the more people who get involved—even if it’s only for one day a week (every week)—the better it is for all of us.

If this is a new concept for you, below is a meal plan that requires absolutely no cooking—although there is a bit of blending involved. (Blending is quicker and easier than cooking, so it’s an easy way to have a meat-free day.) Follow the links for the recipes:

Breakfast: Green Goddess Smoothie.

Packed with healthy goodies (spinach, celery and cucumber) and sweetened with pineapple and orange juice, this is breakfast in a glass. Both celery and spinach are on the “better buy organic” list, so bear that in mind. But you can always choose your own selection of ingredients and come up with your own goddess concoction.

Lunch: Watermelon & Jalapeno Gazpacho.

Keeping it light—and liquidy—this gazpacho (cold) soup is also ready in minutes. Both sweet and spicy, it’s perfect for a hot afternoon.

Dinner: Blackbean Mango Salsa.

Containing some of my all-time favorite ingredients (avocado, tomato, onion, cilantro), this salsa is definitely on my menu this week. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! And as you can never (in my opinion) have too much avocado—and because tortilla chips are my chosen accompaniment—I’ll be having guacamole on the side. I highly recommend you consider the same.

Desert: Peaches with Basil, Balsamic & Honeycomb.

Basil for desert? Oh yeah!

Ready in as much time as it takes to slice a peach, break up some honeycomb, snip some basil and arrange all ingredients in a bowl.

This recipe also comes with two bonus no-cook basil recipes—an alternative breakfast smoothie and an extra yummy (because it contains avocado) pesto.

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For more information on Meat Free Mondays, visit this website.

This is a weekly post, and your own suggestions for favorite elephant recipes are welcome in the comments below. You can also find other quick and easy meal plan ideas here and—if you won’t have time to go shopping before Monday—check out some store cupboard-friendly recipes here.

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Author: Hilda Carroll

Image: Maggie Hoffman/Flickr

Editors: Toby Israel; Travis May

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