This week marks the first anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement and its ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contain global warming.

While the greatest focus in the climate change battle is on fossil fuel consumption, there is also growing awareness of the impact that massive animal production (animal agriculture). is also having on our environment. The simple reality is that we need to reduce our meat consumption on a significant scale.

And if turning the entire human population into vegans seems unrealistic, it doesn’t mean that we can’t still achieve a meaningful change on the meat front.

If a critical mass simply reduces their meat consumption, it will make a lasting difference.

To that end, why not consider joining the Meat-Free Mondays movement and make a conscious effort every Monday (or whatever day of the week suits you to do so) to eat meat-free meals all day long.

It’s easy to agree to do this, but it can take a little planning in the beginning. It helps to decide a day or two ahead what you will eat on your meat-free day, and then ensure you have the necessary foodstuffs on hand. With this in mind, here is a suggested meat-free meal plan for one day:

Breakfast: Banana & Peanut Butter Overnight Oats 

Overnight oats is an easy and quick option to start your day with a filling breakfast that will keep you going for a few hours. No cooking required—it just takes a couple of minutes to prep the night before. Leave in the fridge to soak overnight, and they’re ready to eat (or take on the go with you) the following morning.

And the beauty of overnight oats is that you can swap out your flavors to suit your own taste (and the season).

Lunch: It’s Gotta be Soup!

This time of year I always make a large pot of soup a couple of times a week—enough for lunch or supper for two to three days. And we have an abundance of amazing soup recipes for you to choose from. My own go-to soup is a (slightly) spicy veg and lentil.

The ingredients are chopped onions, celery, garlic, chili, carrots, parsnip, split red lentils and stock. Start by sweating the onions, then add the rest of the ingredients (except for the lentils and stock), and continue to sweat for a minute or two.

Next, add the stock, bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes. Then rinse the lentils and carefully spoon them onto the top of the simmering soup. Reduce the heat some more, cover and allow the steam to cook the lentils—approximately 10 minutes. When cooked, use a hand-blender to blitz the soup and serve.

Dinner: Green Bean Casserole

Or should I say, “F*cking amazing green bean casserole,” as that’s how the author describes her friend’s recipe. I haven’t tried it yet, but it does sound rather good to me. There are three steps to prepping this, but all of them are easy and quick enough. Even the baking part only takes 15 minutes—well worth a whirl this week.

You’ll find plenty more meat-free meal plans in our archives. And we’d also love if you’d share your own favorite meatless recipes with us—submit them here.

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Relephant:

Comforting Meals for a Meat-Free Monday. {Recipes}

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Author: Hilda Carroll

Image:  Flickr/Whitney

Editor: Yoli Ramazzina