Why you can't afford to not be (almost) Vegetarian

Hello, my few faithful adventurers. I really appreciate everyone who has looked at this blog so far...I'm loving it! Our life-style change today is neither easy to hear nor easy to achieve, but let me attest to how much it is WORTH it!
While perusing Netflix one lazy evening, I came across a movie called "Cowspiracy", and the first thought I had was, "Yeah, here we go again...one of those 'how you're destroying our planet through agriculture' videos that's going to be a big shame and guilt fest." Due to not finding anything else more interesting, I ended up watching it anyway. It was made by a guy all on his own who was out to see why no one was talking about the thing that affects our air quality the most out of ANYTHING....and that is animal agriculture. I highly recommend this video...in fact, I insist that you watch it right after you read this post. If you're already hanging around on Facebook or my blog, you probably have time to watch it. *Note: the first 30 minutes are REALLY slow moving in the movie, but after that it starts to really get interesting.
This article also sums up a lot of what the video talks about if you really don't have time to watch it, but you REALLY should watch it at some point.
Before you all get freaked out and think that I'm trying to convert you to be vegan, I'm NOT. I don't think I could even do it myself. Vegetarian? Yeah, I could probably do that, but probably not vegan. Let's examine some of the reasons why you should eat less meat.

1. You save A LOT of money at the grocery store
2. You improve your health
3. You help the environment

The biggest thing you're probably wondering is how you get your protein or get ENOUGH protein everyday. I wondered the exact same thing when I started out my venture towards a more plant based diet, and it really is so easy. Quinoa is an excellent source of protein and a nice change of grain from the usual rice or wheat. Tofu is also something that can be used in almost everything...I prefer not to eat it plain, but in a sauce or casserole, you practically can't even tell the difference! Nuts are another excellent protein. Beans are also a REALLY great source of protein, and they are extremely affordable and last forever! Did you know that spinach also has protein? SO many foods have protein. The average American, according to this other great article, only needs about 45-57 grams of protein per day, and women don't even need quite that much. Let's do some math and see how easy it is to get your daily dose protein without eating any meat (Note, I do NOT exclude animal products from my diet):

Breakfast: FAGE 2% Plain Greek Yogurt with blueberries and granola. 19 grams of protein!
Lunch: Veggie burger on a piece of toast with avocado, mayo, and a little mozarella cheese. About 12-15 grams depending on your brand of veggie burger.
Snack: 1/2 cup almonds. 15 grams of protein.
Dinner: Homemade cornbread and chili with beans, assuming you eat 1/2 cup of beans. 8 grams of protein.

TOTAL: 55 grams of protein. Any meat in there? Nope. Absolutely none. Daily meatless protein dosage achieved!
*All protein measurements were found using this food calculator.

Now, I'm not asking you to entirely remove meat from your diet. I enjoy the occasional burger or salmon filet, too, and I like to eat eggs in the morning. However, as Americans, we eat WAY too much meat. You can hardly find meatless meals at restaurants! The goal I am striving for myself is to eat red meat once a week (and a small serving at that) and some other form of meat (poultry or fish) twice a week or less. I am not perfect at it yet, and I am still working on collecting meat-free recipes, but let's be honest, there really isn't any excuse not to be able to find meatless recipes with Pinterest and all of the incredible online websites that have gazillions of meatless recipes available a click-or-two away. Another way I have found to drastically reduce my meat consumption is to not ever make it THE main course. Basically, I cut it up really small and put it in stuff...like sauces, casseroles, salads, etc. Even then, there are a lot of other things you can substitute besides meat.

It's obvious how this helps your wallet...meat is expensive! Fresh vegetables, fruits, grains, and dried beans are much cheaper and more sustainable. Your body will also thank you! Eating less meat forces you to eat more veggies and fruits, and whose body doesn't like those?
As far as the environment is concerned, like I said, check out that Cowspiracy video on Netflix and the article that I posted above. Cows are responsible for the MAJORITY of the CO2 and methane in our air....more than all of our means of transportation combined...crazy, right? So, forget the new electric car, and save even MORE money at the grocery store by leaving without that nice porterhouse steak. So, really, you can't afford to not be almost vegetarian--it makes you healthier and saves you bundles of cash.

So, I hope you'll do the challenge with me. One red-meat-meal, one other-meat-meal this week, and the rest meat-free! Meatless Mondays doesn't make enough of a difference, it needs to be Meatless Most Days. I hope you post your experiences (and recipes) in the comments below! Now time to revise that weekly meal plan....Don't freak out. You can do this. Keep Calm and Eat less Meat.

Up next...what do we do with all this money we are saving? And no, the answer is not to keep it stashed away in that sad little checking account.