Sweet Potato 5: Delicious Meatless Mains

Here’s another of our iVillage columns. This one feels timely after Kathy’s post yesterday about meat. We know that lots of you are looking to add more vegetarian meals to your weekly roster. Let us know what your meatless mains are – we love hearing from you!

5 Delicious Meatless Mains

Sometimes dinner isn’t about what’s on the table. In fact, sometimes it’s about what’s not on the table. Stick with me here, I’m about to make sense, I promise. Yes, meals are about the food on the plate and hopefully making it both healthy and delicious for kids and parents alike. But the meals we prepare when our kids are small are also a chance to set some standards and, hey, maybe even some ideals. What defines dinner? Is it the meat and two veg combo that I grew up with? Or do you join the growing trend toward flexitarianism and make a dinner or two a week meatless? The health benefits to you and your kids of reducing your meat intake even by one day a week are undeniable. Multiple studies show that scaling back on meat reduces the risk for cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Admittedly, it can be a tough switch for some adults to make. Which is why setting the expectations for meatless meals in our kids is so important. And when you think of how many more vegetables, fruits and grains there are out there compared to the few types of meat we eat, it actually opens the doors to millions of mealtime options. You can take the lead from Meatless Monday (a non-profit organization that promotes a reduction in meat consumption and a fantastic resource) and skip steak on Monday or give it a try any night.

Here are some meal ideas to get you started.

First, it’s breakfast for dinner with these delicious Corn Pancakes.

Veggie Chili: An easy-to-make classic that’s satisfying even to carnivores. Plus, it makes enough for lunch the next day.

Butternut Squash: Once you’ve got the basic technique of risotto down you can take it in any direction you like. Kids love the sweetness and creaminess of this version.

Vegetable Enchiladas: Give your regular pizza delivery place the night off and try these easy, delicious enchiladas. We bet these become a regular.