There are so many articles and media sources that knock red meat and how they cause cancers and diseases and it is terrible for the environment. Well yes, if you don't consume in moderation and pay attention to what went into feeding and processing the animal and yes like most everything else mankind has done, it does take its' toll on the Earth. After watching documentaries like Food Inc. I definitely stopped eating certain proteins for a long time; however, after doing a little research and looking at the benefits of grass fed, meat and I are friends again.
Nom Nom Paleo reposted a link to several articles and blog posts from Chris Kresser that discuss the health benefits and debunk some of the myths of red meat. Chris Kresser is leader in paleo nutrition and researcher for ancestral health. Since discovering him on Nom Nom, I've found that there are several interesting posts that he has for health and nutrition and I learn something new each time I read through.
Don't get me wrong, Hess and I are meat eaters and our freezer is packed with grass-fed meats and wild fish. However, processing red meat does take its' toll on the environment- tons of water and land usage for grazing. In comparison to pork or chicken, beef does take several times more feed, water and area to raise and process. Even with free range beef, the land does change from the cattle roaming and grazing. Consumed in moderation, red meat has plenty of flavor and nutritional value. So like with everything there are pros and cons and you just have to be aware of what you are putting into your body.
About a week ago, we were reading several articles and watching another food documentary and Hess came up with the idea for us to do Meatless Mondays (since I always talk about how one of my jobs does Teriyaki Thursdays and Taco Cart Fridays). We spend quite a bit on ground beef, pork or chicken thighs and sometimes our vegetables go bad before we can finish them. Even though it is only one day a week, we can do our own little part to help the environment and to focus on making some vegetable centered dishes that are just as delicious. There are so many times I go to make our side dishes and realize we've had the same sautéed or roasted vegetables and want to come up with another creative and yummy way to prepare vegetables. I have tried mashed sweet potatoes and parsnip purees which are awesome but with summer around the corner, I need new ideas!
Now with Meatless Mondays I spend Saturday prepping and finding new recipes that are filling for Monday. Thus far my go to and one of our favorites has been squash and zucchini noodles with any type of sauce. I try to make fresh salsa and guacamole that we can have with eggs for breakfast to make it more filling since it is a no bacon day.
At work one of our vegetarian options are fat Portobello mushroom sandwiches and last week I tried to take a leaf out of that book. Since these mushrooms are so big and meaty I thought they may be like a 'steak' substitute. They were delicious but they did cook down more than I thought they would and so were much smaller and not as filling. Next time we are going with two 'steaks' each. See the Tip for the Day for the recipe!
Now that we are getting back into the swing of things, it is also much easier to prep and the week. Having a day that I know are mostly vegetables and a small amount of beans after I am finished with Whole30, makes shopping a little easier. I know that come Monday I am most likely going to cook up all our vegetables so I know they won't go bad.Before we would sometimes snack on charcuterie and those delicious meats with vegetables (and cheese for Hess). Now I snack on almonds, pistachios and cut up celery and carrots sticks to much on with almond butter (or peanut butter or hummus for Hess). I have to say, I love a good ol' T-Bone steak on the grill but all the different meals we have been making for MMs, I don't miss that protein as much as I thought I would!
Tip for the Day: Marinated Portobello Mushroom Steaks
5 large Portobello Mushrooms, cleaned and gills scraped out
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 tbsp ghee or butter
Take the caps and place in plastic bag or baking dish with a lid. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper and toss with garlic and balsamic. I let mine marinate overnight. Pop them in the oven at 375 for 15-20 minutes cap side down in the butter. Enjoy with some zucchini noodles or parsnip puree!
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