Meatless May is here, and I am HERE for it! I made a spur of the moment decision a week ago after reading an article that my wonderful babes here at Skinny Souping showed me- IS Foundation: Meatless May that gave me all the facts I needed to know about how going meatless helps our bodies and our environment. Now, if you know me, you know that MEAT is a fan favorite of mine: chicken wings, cheeseburgers, fish tacos- you name it! But for the last couple of years or so, I have been trying to incorporate a lot more plant-based proteins into my diet. The last several months with the team here at Skinny Souping really inspired me to take this leap of faith into Meatless May- because as you know, Skinny Souping was based on the idea of getting a boat-load of nutrients from plant-based products!

So far, it is going very well… except for that slice of sausage pizza I ate Saturday night, ooops. But hey! No one is perfect and I am here to tell you that it can be challenging at times to stick to a diet you are not used to. Fortunately, I have experience cooking vegetarian and vegan meals thanks to these last couple of years of incorporating it slowly into my diet. But for those of you who wish to try this cold turkey, I suggest looking up easy dinner recipes online! I am a big fan of using legumes (i.e. black beans, chickpeas, etc.) in most of my recipes. But I am slowly venturing into things like soy chorizo, tofu, and tempeh! Tofu is a wonderful plant-based protein addition to any meal and can be cooked any way you want. I like to pan sear or bake mine because I like it to be crispy! I usually follow a Tofu Pad Thai Recipe and add extra veggies like carrots, bell peppers, and broccoli to it.

This first week of going meatless has really shown me that you can stay full and energized with plant-based proteins as you would with meat proteins. I feel the same, if not a bit better than I did when I was eating meat everyday! Going meatless has also made me a lot more conscious about what I am putting into my body- making sure I am giving my body the fuel it needs to get through my day successfully. And if there is one essential thing I have learned, it is that the internet is your BEST friend- for recipes, nutritional facts, stores to buy plant-based protein products, etc. It has truly helped me so much this last week- even with my cooking background. I am slowly but surely becoming more confident when grocery shopping for and cooking my meatless meals without recipes!

Check back here or at @SkinnySouping on Instagram for weekly updates, recipes, and how-to videos! And don’t forget to stock up on our delicious, nutrient-packed soups for your Meatless May journey!

Xoxo,

G

August 19, 2022 — Alison Velázquez