5 Tips to Mastering Meat Free Meals

I just got back from Adelaide yesterday after spending a long weekend with one of my good friends and we spent the weekend exploring, hiking/walking in nature and eating delicious foods.​​

Something I noticed was the variety of delicious plant based meals available at many of the cafes/restaurants that we visited.

The typical Aussie diet of meat and three veg that our parents and grandparents lived off is becoming a thing of the past. It wasn’t too long ago that if you were vegetarian, vegan, or gluten free you would struggle to eat out with friends or find quick and easy meal options that catered to you.

These days, with meal plans, dinner kits and ready meals flooding the market and the bustling plant based meal culture around us, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to having access to healthy and tasty meals.

One of the biggest areas of curiosity I see amongst my clients is the desire to reduce their meat consumption.

Research is growing in favour of the positive health impacts that a plant-based diet can have, particularly on cardiovascular and cholesterol health.

Whether you are looking to go full blown vegetarian, flexitarian or are just meat-free curious there are some ways that you can make the transition a bit easier for you and your family.

Here are 5 tips to mastering meat free meals:

TIP 1: MEATLESS MONDAYS

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Meatless Mondays is a movement that gained massive traction a few years ago with the likes of Beyonce and Jay Z coming out in support of giving up meat on a weekly basis. The theory and practice are simple, you can create a habit while experimenting with your meals while getting a taste for the meat free way of life.

One day per week is easy enough for most people to commit to without feeling like you are giving up meat forever. In the age of social media, the concept of #meatlessmondays also has quite a wide social acceptance.

TIP 2: GET EXPERIMENTAL

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Mealtimes don’t have to be boring! It can be so easy for us to get into the habit of eating the same thing every day or week – but there are so many options out there. A great way to incorporate more plant-based meals into your week is to experiment and get creative.

Popular vegetarian food tends to have a real beauty and synergy in how foods and seasoning work together: from beans and lentils in curries, the use of spices and making vegetables such as mushrooms the hero food of the meal.

TIP 3: INVEST IN A VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK

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Leading on from above one of the best ways to gather inspiration is through a plant-based cookbook. This is a great tool to tie in with your Meatless Mondays as you can choose a recipe each week to cook.

Not only are the photos incredibly inspiring but the instructions are all laid out in front of you so you know your meal will be a success. Because let’s face it there is nothing more discouraging that trying a new way of eating and having it taste like dirt.

Looking for inspiration? Here are a few of my favourite plant-based creators: Deliciously Ella, Green Kitchen Stories, PlantProof.

TIP 4: BULK OUT YOUR MEALS

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This is all about making vegetables and grains the stars of your plate and making your meat the supporting act. This is great if you are used to eating a lot of meat but want to start to tip the scales in the other direction towards plant-based eating. You will start to get a taste for yummy veggies and high protein grains and feel less of a reliance on the meat as the star of the show.

The best ways to do this? Try bulking out casseroles and lasagne with veg, adding vegetables to pasta dishes and filling up on hearty roast vegetable salads.

TIP 5: SUBSCRIBE TO A VEGETARIAN MEAL PLAN

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If you are struggling to come up with your own ideas one of the best ways to get into the habit of eating less meat is to let someone else do the thinking for you. Meal plans or meal delivery services such as Soulara, Chef Good, Hello Fresh, Marley Spoon etc... are great for this because you can easily choose a vegetarian meal plan catering for the family for 3-5 nights per week.

This way you get a real mix of vegetarian dishes splattered throughout your week and all you need to commit to is around 20 minutes of food prep for the whole family.

I hope you found these 5 tips helpful in incorporating more meat free meals into your diet.

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