Let Daisy Brand Cottage Cheese Inspire You on Meatless Mondays

It seems like everyone’s doing it, from Mario Batali to Michael Pollan. Come Monday, they’re going meatless. Skipping meat on Mondays has picked up steam because of the successful Meatless Monday program, which provides the sweet, simple message that you have a lot to gain by going meatless just one day a week.

Studies show that you can gain important health benefits such as reducing your risk of heart disease, cancer and obesity, as well as lower your carbon footprint on Mother Earth by reducing the amount of meat you eat every week. While not everyone can make the shift to complete vegetarianism, going meatless one day a week is certainly something we can all do. I should know, because my whole family, which includes two growing teenage boys, enjoys a meatless menu at least once a week — without any complaints! With so many delicious foods to put on the menu, such as vegetable lasagna or home-made veggie pizza, what’s to complain about?

Going meatless on Mondays is simple and delicious. It gives you a reason to scan your favorite websites and cookbooks for new ideas for cooking delicious meals. The Meatless Monday website is chock full of great recipe ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time to help inspire your menu with delicious meals. You can also rely on Daisy Brand Cottage Cheese to help build your meatless Monday menu — it’s a classic meatless ingredient which offers protein and calcium, as well as creamy texture to your favorite dishes. Vegetarians have been relying on cottage cheese to round out their menu for decades, so take a few tips from the pros.

Here are some of my favorite ways Daisy Brand Cottage Cheese can lend a helping hand to your Meatless Monday menu:

Breakfast

• Enjoy a scoop of Daisy Brand Cottage Cheese with whole grain toast and fresh fruit.
• Whip eggs with Daisy Brand Cottage Cheese and fresh chives to create a breakfast scramble you can serve with home-fried potatoes.
• Mix up a batch up Cranberry Orange Muffins using Daisy Brand Cottage Cheese.

Lunch

• Toss together a delicious salad with fresh baby salad greens, bell peppers, tomato wedges, avocado slices and a scoop of Daisy Brand Cottage Cheese.
• Fill a whole grain pita with Daisy Brand Cottage Cheese and veggies. You can try this recipe for Raiti Cottage Cheese Salad, for starters.
• Create a veggie wrap by filling a whole grain tortilla with Daisy Brand Cottage Cheese, sprouts, dried cranberries, avocadoes, and sunflower seeds. 

Dinner

• Whip up a delicious vegetable casserole with Daisy Brand Cottage Cheese and vegetables, such as this Garden Veggie Casserole.
• Layer lasagna noodles with marinara sauce, broccoli, and Daisy Brand Cottage Cheese to create a garden lasagna.
• Make a vegetarian quiche featuring eggs, Daisy Brand Cottage Cheese, beans, and spices, such as this Tex Mex Crustless Quiche. 

Snack

• Use Daisy Brand Cottage Cheese as a dip for fresh carrot and celery sticks or whole grain crackers. Or try this White Bean Dip recipe.
• Sprinkle a scoop of Daisy Brand Cottage Cheese with granola, berries, and chopped nuts for a wholesome parfait.
• Create healthy frozen fruit bars with Daisy Brand Cottage Cheese and strawberries, using this recipe for Strawberry-N-Cream Pops.