Themed Eating Mini Series: Meatless Monday

January 20, 2014

Guest Post By Amber Earle


I have been a vegetarian for 13 years now. Growing up in Indiana near turkey barns and pig farms will make you reconsider what type of food you put in your mouth. Follow that up with a disgusting college cafeteria experience and you have a budding vegetarian. Since then, I've done alot of research and educated myself to ensure my nutritional needs are met on a vegetarian diet. This was especially important to me once my husband and I decided to start a family. Our two youngest children, Bailey (5) and Elijah (3), have never had meat in their life. However, our oldest, Felicia (17), and my husband eat meat at restaurants, just not in our home. That is how we compromise in our household. In addition to eating healthy, the five of us also love to stay active together. We are avid hikers, enjoy themed 5Ks, and look for any excuse to be outdoors as a family. For instance, some of our family adventures are slaying "dragons" in the woods near our house and exploring "hidden" trails in search of treasure!

One of our family friendly meals, and a favorite of mine, is portobello mushroom pizza. Not only is it extremely simple and quick to cook, but it's tailored to individual tastes. This particular one has sun dried tomatoes and asparagus on it. But, you can use any veggie you can think of!