Meatless Mondays Dalia Colon

7 Tips for Meatless Mondays

By Last Updated

If you’ve resolved to eat more plant-based foods this year, then a good place to begin is by observing Meatless Mondays.

But “meatless” doesn’t have to mean “flavorless.”

Patel Conservatory dancers perform as baby mice in Next Generation Ballet's production of Nutcracker.

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Here are some tips to get started:

  1. Get inspired. Search for vegetarian and vegan recipes on Pinterest, flip through cooking magazines, check out plant-based cookbooks from your library and follow plant-based influencers on social media. For even more inspo, take a cooking class, attend a veggie-forward event like the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival or visit a vegan restaurant and try to recreate your favorite menu items at home.

 

  1. Think outside the big box stores. Venture out from your usual supermarket to explore Tampa Bay’s cultural bounty. Browse the aisles at Lotte Plaza Market for Asian-inspired meal ideas or visit Sanwa Farmer’s Market for produce you won’t find at mainstream grocers.

 

  1. Lean into lentils. Packed with protein and fiber, lentils are a great way to bulk up dishes that traditionally use ground beef, like pasta sauce or burgers. To transition, you can use half meat and half lentils, then gradually increase the lentils.

 

  1. Work smarter, not harder. Mondays are hectic enough. For busy weeknights, choose a hands-off recipe like slow cooker vegan chili, vegetable curry or black bean soup. Serve over pre-cooked rice. To save prep time, use canned beans instead of dry.

 

  1. Spice up your life. Without meat to flavor dishes, you’ll want to stock up on plant-based flavor boosters. Add chili crisp to a stir fry, fold sun-dried tomatoes into pasta, cook rice in vegetable stock, finish veggies with a squeeze of fresh citrus and use leftover pickle juice to make quick pickled onions or carrots for jackfruit tacos.

 

  1. Plant a garden. Kids who grow their own produce will be eager to make veggies the star of the plate. And a sprinkling of fresh herbs enhances any dish.

 

  1. Go easy on yourself. You won’t love every new food product, recipe or restaurant you try. Going plant-based is a journey, so be kind to yourself along the way.

Meatless Mondays Dalia Colon's son

Photo Credit: Chip Weiner | Originally published in the January 2025 issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine.