My October Challenge

Hi guys!  So on Sunday I told you about my challenge for this month- to eat completely vegan one day a week.  Here's some persuasion:

If everyone went vegetarian just for one day, the U.S. would save:

• 100 billion gallons of water, enough to supply all the homes in New England for almost 4 months;
• 1.5 billion pounds of crops otherwise fed to livestock, enough to feed the state of New Mexico for more than a year;
•  70 million gallons of gas -- enough to fuel all the cars of Canada and Mexico combined with plenty to    spare;
•  3 million acres of land, an area more than twice the size of Delaware;
•  33 tons of antibiotics.

If everyone went vegetarian just for one day, the U.S. would prevent:

•  Greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 1.2 million tons of CO2, as much as produced by all of France;
•  3 million tons of soil erosion and $70 million in resulting economic damages;
•  4.5 million tons of animal excrement;
•  Almost 7 tons of ammonia emissions, a major air pollutant.

[source]

That's amazing!  You can make a difference!  Please try this challenge- only one day a week for the month of October- kind of like a more specific Meatless Monday.  Only you can choose any day of the week you want to eat vegan, or any meal.  If you guys need some help, here are some vegan meal ideas:

Breakfast:

• Single Serving Blueberry Pancakes
• Oatmeal
• Peanut butter and banana sandwich
• (Soy, Almond, or Coconut) Yogurt Parfait with Granola, Fruit, and Chocolate Peanut Butter
• Cereal with Chia Seeds, Fruit, and Soy/ Almond Milk
• Overnight Oats
• Smoothie with toast

Lunch (I have tons more on my packed lunches page):

• Chickpea Lemon Salad
• Rainbow Couscous Salad
• Greek Style Couscous Salad
• Black, White, and Green Bean Salad
• Sweet and Savory Quinoa Salad
• Plant Based Protein Wheatberry Salad
• PB + J

Dinner:

• Vegan Spaghetti
• Black Bean Soup
• Vegetable Korma
• Taco night:  whole wheat tortillas, black beans, rice, salsa, vegetables, guacamole, cilantro, and lime!
• Hummus stuffed pitas with veggies, black bean dip, tabbloueh, and falafels

Snacks:

• Fruit and nut butter
• Veggies and hummus
• Crackers/ chips with salsa (I like Beanitos!)
• Larabar, or any other vegan bar
• Applesauce with cinnamon
• Beans on toast
• A warm tortilla (microwaved for 30 seconds) smuthered with peanut butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and ground flax
• Half an avocado sprinkled with salt and pepper
• Nuts and dried fruit (trail mix!)
• Pita chips and hummus
• Chocolate Banana Granola Bars
• Cereal with almond milk

So, as you can see, there are plenty of meal and snack options for vegans.  The little things (buying soy/ almond milk instead of cows milk, swapping mayonnaise for hummus or avocado on sandwiches (or vegannaise!), using beans for protein instead of meat) can make a BIG difference.  Just remember all the money, energy, and life you save every time you don't eat meat or animal products.  

Are you going to try my October Challenge?  Do you have any questions?

I hope you guys have a nice Monday!  Happy Vegetarian Day!