Simple Ways to Do Meatless Mondays

Check out these Simple Ways to Do Meatless Mondays! They include ideas on how to save money in your grocery budget by eating one meat-free meal a week.

The idea of Meatless Mondays is one I got on board with several years ago. Although I tend to do it on different days of the week, the concept is the same. Meatless Mondays are simply a great way to save money in your grocery budget. We were able to save over $30 a month by simply doing one meat-free meal a week.

We have a small family of just 3, so that's about $10 per person. If you have a bigger family, you could save even more! You could also save a lot by doing all meals on Mondays meat-free. If you have a mostly carnivorous family, you may be wondering how you can make the switch without upsetting people too much. To help you with that, here are some Simple Ways to do Meatless Mondays that are (mostly) painless.

Simple Ways to Do Meatless Mondays

Make meals that are already ‘accidentally' meat free. There are many classic meals we make that are actually without any meat and no one complains about the meat being gone. Make meals like grilled cheese with tomato soup, salads, middle eastern foods, and pasta dishes. These are easy to make, low cost and filling.

Substitute another source of protein. Just because you are having Meatless Monday doesn't mean you should give up a source of protein. Meatless Monday is a perfect time to try low cost substitutes for protein such as tofu, grains like quinoa and lentils or beans. Use these as the ‘meat' in your dishes and they will be just as filling and most cost pennies per serving. Buy in bulk for the best savings. Try to stay away from ‘fake' meats usually sold in the frozen foods section as these generally can end up costing more than meat and are highly processed.

Have your family help you pick recipes. Sometimes we just have to let those that are upset with a change have some control in order to compromise. If you have middle school kids or older, have them look up recipes they might want to try. Younger kids can be given a choice between 2-3 dinner ideas.

Remove the meat where it's not necessary. There are many meals that don't need the meat in them in order to still be good because meat is more of an additive rather than the main part of the meal. Remove meat from these recipes. good ones to play with include tacos, spaghetti sauce, pizza, stir fry and chili. In many cases, your family might not even notice the meat is missing.

Start a Pinterest board for Meatless Mondays. I have a board for my meatless meals to help me save ideas for future use. When I am on Pinterest now, I sometimes search for meatless dinner ideas and add them to my board. It's been a good way for me to drum up new ideas.

Are you looking for ways to save money? Check out these 52 small changes that will help you save more money this year. Don’t forget to Join the Facebook group to keep yourself accountable and discover more ideas for saving money.