Why Meat Free Monday Matters

It’s about our planet’s balance and health. And Kindness.

Why does the Good4all Experience heartily encourage “Experiencers” to embrace Meat Free Monday? It’s simple. Let’s start with the premise: Positivity has a ripple effect! Our mission is to unleash that ripple effect through people embracing 4 new or renewed good practices or pivots every season. Imagine countless individuals giving it a try. We envision a tidal wave of health, happiness, joy, and kindness washing over our troubled world, bringing everything into greater balance.

The amazing thing about Meat Free Monday is, this one practice, this one personal pivot, benefits all 4 Good4All categories- mind, body, spirit, AND our planet! Making the choice to eat plant-based just one day per week has remarkably outsized results to people, animals and the planet!

And, it’s a fun activity to do as a group. The Good4All Experience encourages “Experiencers” to tap into their friendship groups and do “G4A” together. While everyone selects their own 4 practices, early adopters noticed that having one shared activity provided a great way to touch base every week. On Mondays there were texts and calls asking-how’s your 4 new things going? What’s for dinner? Got a good meat free recipe to share? How about a photo? Did your family like it?- And, let’s face it, we love talking about food! During the summer months when the first G4A Experiencers were getting going, multiple Covid 19 outbreaks at meat and poultry processing plants did not go unnoticed. So, Meat Free Monday emerged as a wonderful and timely “cornerstone activity” for the Good4All Experience.

We are proud to be an official supporter of Meat Free Monday, the campaign launched in 2009 by Paul, Stella, and Mary McCartney! Yes, count us in!

“This not for profit campaign aims to raise awareness of the detrimental environmental impact of animal agriculture. The campaign encourages people to help slow climate change, conserve precious natural resources, and improve their health by having at least one plant-based day each week. It’s easy…join us!”

Paul, Mary, and Stella McCartney

Please take 5 minutes to watch this beautiful short documentary, “One Day a Week”. The film illustrates how our beloved planet is sustained through a delicate balance of climatic conditions- a balance we are dangerously disrupting through many factors including the large-scale consumption of meat and animal products. Skipping meat for just one day a week can reduce your annual carbon footprint by as much as not driving your car for a whole month! Click here for more research.

“There’s a simple but significant way to help protect the planet and all it’s inhabitants. And it starts with just one day a week. One day without eating animal products can have a huge impact in helping maintain that delicate balance that sustains us all.”

Paul McCartney, One Day a Week

We encourage you to connect with a few friends and give Meat Free Monday a try. It’s a perfect first step toward a planet-friendly diet. And your mind, body, and spirit will benefit as well! Caring about ourselves, each other and our planet matters NOW more than ever.

Please enjoy this recipe from the one and only Paul McCartney from The Meat Free Monday Cookbook, Foreword by Paul, Stella, and Mary McCartney. Published by Kyle Books. Photography by Tara Fisher.

Super Vegetable Salad

By Paul McCartney

Serves 4

This is a fantastic salad that can accompany whatever you fancy — here it’s served with tofu, but you could just as easily serve it with veggie burger or vegetarian sausages, as well as chips and new or mashed potatoes. You can also vary the steamed vegetables according to what’s in season

Ingredients

• 28 cherry tomatoes
• 3 florets of broccoli
• 12 green beans, cut into 2cm lengths
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 2cm pieces
• 1 lettuce — I like Romaine
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• 100g polenta
• a handful of chopped herbs of your choice
• 250g tofu, cut into slices
• olive oil for frying

For the Dressing

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup (if you like a bit of sweetness)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6 and roast the cherry tomatoes for 10 minutes.
2. Cover the bottom of a pan with cold water and place a steamer above it. Put the broccoli, green beans, and carrots in the steamer, turn the heat on quite high, and steam for about 15 minutes, occasionally prodding the carrots with a fork to see if they are done. Some people like them slightly crunchy, others prefer them a little softer.
3. While the vegetables are steaming, make a salad with the leaves and spring onions.
4. Combine the polenta and herbs in a bowl. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan. Dip the tofu in the polenta mixture, then fry until golden.
5. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing, but only pour-over at the last minute.
6. Assemble your meal by first putting the salad on the plate, then the warm vegetables, and finally the tofu. Pour over the dressing then add a little seasoning sauce such as Braggs or a sauce of your choice.