Zak and I were eating a lot less meat for a few months recently because of the treatment of animals, the hormones and steroids that are pumped into animals, and because of cost. We switched to buying local meat from local farms, but the cost of that did not fit the small grocery budget we have. After talking and thinking for a while, we decided to go vegetarian. It was definitely a big step and a lot of people don't agree with it, but we are very happy with our new lifestyle! I'm not going to lie, at first I was intimidated by this based on stereotypes I had of "vegetarians." What can I cook? Do I have to eat tofu every day? Will I start to wear tie-dye and put beads in my hair? Do I have to try and save the planet? C'mon, I'm a Southern girl that has never been exposed to other lifestyles, all I had to go off of were stereotypes. I'm not a complete free spirit...yet. This isn't a post about our choice to change our eating habits, but instead it's a post to introduce a series I want to start, A Veggie Meal Deal. This series will be dinners that Zak and I have that will include the recipes, the time put into the dinner, and the costs. I discovered several vegetarian recipes through other blogs that I have throughly enjoyed and now I want to share my knowledge with other readers. I didn't know how to start this journey, it was a little messy at first, but now I have the hang of it and I want to be a light and encouragement to other people on the same path or people who are wanting to start this same path. So lets begin...A Veggie Meal Deal!

Vegetable Plate

Although this ain't a Cohens vegetable plate, it's a pretty basic vegetarian dish, just several vegetables on the same plate.

1.Sautéed kale, onions, and garlic - Mince 1/4 onion and 2 garlic cloves, put in pan with coconut oil over medium/high heat, cook down. Chop up kale (I used 1/3 bag) and add, cook down. Add salt and pepper.
Cost- $1.50

2. Seared rosemary baby potatoes - Boil baby potatoes until cooked through, then place into a pan with olive oil over medium/high heat with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Cook until outside is a little crispy.
Cost- $1.50

3. Roasted brown sugar and rosemary carrots - Mix baby carrots, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Add to a pan and bake on 400 for 30-40 minutes. Mix them up twice during baking.
Cost- $0.50

4. Roasted peppers - Cut peppers into slices, clean the seeds out, put on pan (with carrots if you want) and bake on 400 for 30 minutes, flip over once half way through baking.
Cost- $1.00

5. Everything italian bread - Cut slices from a loaf of bread and bake for a few minutes just enough to get crispy.
Cost- $0.20

Total Cost- $4.70 (This does not include spices and oils)

This meal provided dinner for all three of us and lunch the next day for Zachary. I always cook a little extra for Zaks lunch the following day. (This saves us a ton! $$$)

Well there is my first post of this little series, I hope you enjoyed it and were able to learn something new!

xoxo
Cursty