Piero cooks one hell of a steak. Most Fridays, he'll arrive home from the bakery with some really good quality sirloin or ribeye steaks. With a pinch of salt & pepper and a squeeze of lemon, he can fry up restaurant-quality steaks in less then 10 minutes. Delicious.
So, you'd think our love of good steak would have us eating it every day? Nope! We're firm believers of everything-in-moderation and eating a balanced diet. Meat free Monday was an idea from Paul & Stella McCartney in 2009 inspired, of course, by Linda McCartney.
These days eating vegetarian or vegan meals are more common. So here's our top 3 reasons for going #meatfree once a week:
Try something new
Even if you're not a good cook, it's a great opportunity to learn some really tasty and simple recipes.
Being a healthy eater means being an adventurous eater. Yes, sticking to the same diet all the time is convenient, but trying new foods can have so many positive benefits. Do you have a favourite food? Do you think there's anything better out there? Of course not! But hang on, how do you know? I was never a big fan of cauliflower growing up. Then I came across a recipe that I thought looked interesting, so I decided to give it a try. Now I make these Vegan Cauliflower Falafels for my lunch all the time. A unique and amazing dish I would never have discovered had I not been a little adventurous.
Save a little money
My vegetarian recipes are always made from food I already have in the kitchen. It's amazing the dishes that can be made once you have a well stocked larder. We keep staples such as veg stock, tin tomatoes, coconut milk, lentils, chickpeas, pasta and pizza bases. Some days we'll just have a really simple pasta and pizza dish with a green salad or a vitamin packed soup always goes down well for lunch. Green pesto is so easy to make and you can add it to pasta or top a pizza base for a delicious, quick, meat free meal like mouth watering Panfried Mushroom & Pesto Pizza
Health Benefits
This Food Pyramid is designed to make healthy eating easier. Healthy eating is about getting the correct amount of nutrients – protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals - you need to maintain good health.
Cutting down on meat could be one of the most significant things we can do for our health. If you don’t know where to start in your healthy eating journey, the best change you can make in your home is to focus on cooking more items from scratch instead of buying processed foods. Vegetarian dishes are a great way to make simple, fresh food. Taking it week by week, we'd recommend experimenting with different vegetables and gradually trying newer things.
Variety is the spice of life so next time you're doing your food shop why not pick up:
- A grain you've never tried before, like Quinoa, Couscous, Bulgar or even Sweet Corn
-Vegetables of all colours, like Peppers, Tomato, Courgette, Asparagus & Aubergines
- Pizza da Piero Pizza Bases. Our artisan pizza bases are the only bases to go through a two day fermentation process. This is the traditional Italian way that makes them so delicious and easy to digest. Topped with your favourite veggies they provide a simple solution to any meat free meal. They freeze really well so you can have them on hand any time.