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Wendy Gabriel is an eco-writer, media broadcaster, twitter addict and mommy with a passion for Simple Tips for Green Living. Her definition of Living Green is living simply, sustainably and thoughtfully.
I’m basically a vegetarian. I say basically because I believe there are real health benefits associated with organic grass-fed meat. According to EatWild.com, compared with feedlot meat, meat from grass-fed beef, bison and lamb has less total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories. It also has more vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C and a number of health-promoting fats, including omega-3 fatty acids.
That said it’s not always easy to find good meat sources. Most of the meat, eggs and dairy products that are readily available come from animals raised in horrific conditions in large factory farms. This feedlot meat provided from these facilities is offered year-round at a cheap price but the hidden costs associated with this type of “farming” are astronomical. These costs include animal abuse, environmental pollution and denatured food.
On Mondays we’ve joined the Meatless Monday movement. This helps our grocery budget and ensures our healthy meat goes a little further.
The Meatless Monday website gives additional reasons to avoid factory farm meat and their goal is help reduce meat consumption by 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet. They are a non-profit initiative, in association with Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health.
One of my favorite recipes to make on Meatless Monday:
Pesto Pasta
A bunch of fresh basil
¼ cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 T pine nuts
3 garlic cloves
Blend until desired consistency. Mix into your favorite prepared pasta. Garnish plates with some raw veggies and crusty whole grain bread and it's a quick, yummy meal. And, if you feel a cold coming on, kick up the garlic!
Do you have any tips for ensuring your family is eating healthy while balancing your household budget?
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Comments
Meat, pesto, meatless Mondays and tips
Wendy, your pesto recipe looks scrumptious. I bookmarked it on Delicious.com and can't wait to get some fresh basil to try it. I have been participating in meatless Mondays for a few weeks now, and am chagrined to realize that today of all days, I completely forgot it was Monday and ate meat. Fortunately, it was sourced free-range and local, but still. Thank you for the reminder.
We used to feel we needed meat more nights of the week than not. Over a period of two decades, we have reversed our meat consumption so that we eat it only one or two nights a week, and that has made a huge difference in our budget, so much that we don't notice the extra cost for our occasional bit of locally grown, grass-fed, humanely handled beef.
We have also virtually cut poultry from our diets, since it is nearly impossible to get truly cage-free fowl. Organic beans, rice, pasta and lots of veggies are easily affordable when you're not spending a lot of money on hormone- and antibiotic-laden factory-farmed meat.
Oh, yum! I love a good pesto!
Oh, yum! I love a good pesto! If you're looking to cut out the dairy products, you can substitute nutritional yeast for the parmesean, too!
Meatless Tip
I like to always have a supply of canned beans and canned tomatoes on hand. When I'm in a hurry, canned beans are wonderful to add to clear vegetable soups, or to serve over pasta with tomato sauce. Another way to use them is to mash them up and add lemon juice, herbs and olive oil for a bean spread to eat with crackers, freshly-baked bread, or toast.
Kids don't always love beans right away - just keep serving them a little and try different additives.