Meatless Monday: Meet Your Mates

My husband and I just embraced meatless Monday (a little reluctantly I must say, because we are big meat eaters, but we’re going for it, dammit).

With that on my mind and unable to sleep last night, I thought to myself: “Why aren’t there food themes for the rest of the week? What makes Monday more special than Tuesday or Wednesday? Or Friday — best day ever?”

So my mind went to work. (Not helpful for sleep, but it gave me a head start on writing this post.) Here are my ideas…

Teetotaling or Try-Something-New Tuesday

Teetotaling Tuesday popped into my head first, because I should drink less of those empty calories, but I’m partial to a good Rye Manhattan and my Fernet Branca. Then I realized that you non-drinkers out there need an option too — thus Try-Something-New Tuesday was born — a day to try one of those forgotten recipes sitting in that pile of raggedy-edged magazine pages you’ve been ripping out over the last decade.

Waste-Not or Wayfaring Wednesday

Two ideas for hump day: Waste-Not Wednesday, which could involve dining on leftovers that you might otherwise toss or digging into your pantry for some expired food (which you know is still perfectly edible). If you’re up for a little work, Wayfaring Wednesday might be more your speed. Pick a region or country from anywhere around the world, find a few recipes, and give them a try. Think of the teaching moments you can have with your little ones — especially if you do a little research on your selected area’s history and local traditions.

Thrifty Thursday

Ahhh… it’s gotta’ be Thrifty Thursday of course. Try to feed your family for less than $4 a head. Or shop from the freezer rather than buying new ingredients for your evening meal. Again, this could teach your youngsters a thing or two about planning ahead and managing food budgets.

Friday?

I struggled with Friday, mostly because I like to eat and drink whatever I want as I head into the weekend. But I did have a few ideas. How about Festive Friday? Prep a selection of small-bite party dishes and pretend you’re having a lovely cocktail party. Or Fishy Friday with an emphasis on seafood. (Can someone come up with a better name?) Or my favorite: D.I.FRIday. Instead of buying something pre-made, do it yourself. Make fresh pasta, yeasty bread, or warm flour tortillas instead of buying them from the store. Try a new roasted tomato salsa or pasta sauce recipe instead of reaching for the jarred stuff.

What about the weekend? I don’t know. I finally made myself fall asleep after deciding I had done enough work for the night. (And this is one of the fastest blog posts I’ve ever written!)

What do you think? Would you consider planning your meals around fun themes? Got ideas for a particular night? Let us know!

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