Top 5 Meatless Monday Meals {Earth Month Series}

  Let's kick off my Earth Month series with a post about food. Because I'm never not thinking about food.

         Going meatless for one meal a week is perhaps the most important way my family cares for creation. It takes a lot of resources to raise animals--and the corn/soybeans to feed those animals. Intentionally going meatless for one meal a week (or 15% of your weekly food consumption) minimizes water usage, reduces greenhouse gases, and reduces our fuel dependence. Meatless meals also reduce heart disease and stroke risks, limit cancer risks, fight diabetes, curb obesity, decrease overall healthcare spending, improve the nutritional quality of your diet, and even cut your weekly grocery budget. This is one way I live out the Faith in Place mission to educate, connect, and advocate for healthier communities.

Here is a round-up of my family's favorite meatless meals. I hope you find quick and easy meatless inspiration here. And please share your family's favorite meatless meals in the comments below!

1. Grilled Cheese and Soup or Salad: Our favorite"fancy" grilled cheese recipes are Sweet and Spicy Carmelized Onion BBQ Grilled Cheese, Tomato, Mozzarella, and Pesto Grilled Cheese, and Cucumber and Goat Cheese Grilled Cheese.

2. Mac & Cheese: We have two favorites, Gnocchi Mac & Cheese and Crock Pot Mac & Cheese.

3. Pad Thai: Easy to throw together and always a hit with the kids: Easy Pad Thai

4. Pasta: We especially like to make these cheese ravioli dishes: Ravioli with Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Sauce and  Easy Ravioli Bake (I add a layer of frozen spinach to mine).

5. Meatless "Mexican" meals: Lots of variation here, but our favorites are Cheesy Enchilada Rice Skillet, Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas, and  Roasted Veggie and Black Bean Burritos.

That's not what ships are for.

I was having coffee with a friend recently. She's a server at a restaurant chain specializing in southern hospitality, comfort food, and country-themed tchotchkes. During our conversation she mentioned something that both surprised and angered me: the Sunday-after-church crowd is the absolute worst. They are impatient and demanding, they make a huge mess, and they don't tip well. So, basically the opposite of what you'd expect from folks fresh from worship.

Having never worked in food service, I really don't have much personal experience in this area. But being a lifelong church-goer, I've seen this behavior first hand. Just think about how many folks you've seen trying to run each other over in the parking lot after services are over.

This made me wonder: Are we doing church wrong? If church is supposed to reconnect us with our creator and bind us to one another, how can we then treat people so poorly mere minutes after leaving the sanctuary? It seems to me there's a disconnect about what should happen after we worship.

I'll admit, when I was young church was about socializing or critiquing what my peers were wearing, not about faith formation. But as I've gotten older and matured in my faith, I've realized that I'm looking for much more from worship--I'm looking for transformation. I want to feel moved to tears and then to action. I want the feeling that the Holy Spirit is moving through the pastor's sermon or the praise band's song. And I wouldn't mind feeling a motivation to go home and dig deeper at something I didn't understand or engage my pastor in a deeper conversation. But I don't think many of us are finding this at our churches.

Lent is a great time to work on personal transformation. I find it a quiet, centering time to prepare myself for the joy of Easter. But if you remember what happened after Jesus' resurrection, you know the hard work that comes after: there was fear among the early believers but also a mandate by the Holy Spirit to go forth and share the Good News with all.


I recently came across this quote by William G.T. Shedd: "A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for." I think this sentiment illustrates what Christians are called to be.

Today's Christians like to stay safe inside their churches and communities, but I don't think that's what we were made to do. It's how we act outside that building that matters most--it's what we were made for.

As we work our way through lent, ask yourself: how seaworthy is your ship? Are you stuck in the harbor? Preparing to set sail? Just back to port from an extended journey?
Just remember: you were made for this. And if you happen to go to lunch after church on Sunday, be a nice human.