view sourceprint? 01 Ramblings from a Ranch Wife: Meat Eater Mondays

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"The darkest nights produce the brightest stars"
~


Monday, April 15, 2013

Meat Eater Mondays

Have you heard this rubbish?  From what I am reading and understanding on a Meatless Monday website, going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.

By not eating meat, you can limit your risk of cancer, reduce heart disease, fight diabetes, curb obesity, live longer, and improve your diet.  I am no dietitian  but from what I understand of diabetes, (I had gestational diabetes with both of my pregnancies), that diets high in protein are better at managing diabetes.  Where does protein come from?  Oh yeah....meat!  As far as curbing obesity, get outside and go for a walk and quit eating fast food every day of the week.  As far as living longer, both of my paternal great grandmas lived well into their 90's, my great Aunt is 86 and still going strong as well.  Guess what they eat (or ate) everyday?  You guessed it meat!

Since I'm feeling rather feisty today, and I totally disagree with all of the meatless Monday propaganda, I am initiating my own Monday plan.  Introducing to the Rambling Ranch Wife, starting today, every Monday is Meat Eater Monday.  I will be sharing beef facts and recipes made with beef.  (No offense to lamb, pork, and chicken producers, all awesome forms of meat, I'm just sticking with what I know)!

According to Beef MagazineHere are six reasons to include meat in your diet:
  1. It’s healthy. There are 29 lean cuts of beef, according to USDA standards. Beef provides nutrients like zinc, iron, protein and B vitamins, and half of the fat found in beef is monounsaturated, the same heart-healthy fats found in olive oil.
  2. It’s easy. Using recipes from beefitswhatsfordinner.com, beef is an easy addition to a well-balanced meal. Simply fire up the grill or turn on the slow cooker, and you’ve got a healthy, simple meal that stars meat.
  3. It’s environmentally friendly. Cattle graze on land that is too steep, hilly or rocky for farming. Cattle aerate the soil and eat brush, which is good for wildfire management. Check out our Earth Day page to find more reasons why beef production is good for the planet.
  4. It’s affordable. Calorie-for-calorie, beef is more nutrient dense than vegetarian protein options like peanut butter, tofu or beans. You get more nutritional bang for your buck by choosing healthy, lean animal proteins. 
  5. It’s kind. Cattlemen care about their livestock; it makes good business sense and it’s the right thing to do. Respectfully harvesting these animals to nourish people is a part of the circle of life, and something that ranchers take very seriously.
  6. It will make you feel sexy. Without protein as the center of my diet, I feel depleted of energy. Sure, vegetables and fruits are great, but without protein power, I’m not strong. And, being strong is sexy! Be inspired by all the Team Beef members who are out leading busy, active lifestyles, competing in triathlons, marathons and more! 

In honor of our first Meat Eater Monday, I'm sharing with you my favorite Meatloaf recipe.  It is from the Country Women Magazine, reprinted in Spend The Day With Beef cookbook by the Nevada Cattlewomen.

Sweet and Sour Meatloaf 
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 c. dry bread crumbs
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 eggs
1 tsp/ dried minced onions
15 oz tomato sauce, divided
Topping:
reserved tomato sauce
2 tbs. brown sugar
2 tbs. vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. prepared mustard

Mix together beef, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and eggs.  Add onions and 1/2 can of tomato sauce.  Form into a loaf in a 9x5x3 pan.  Bake at 350* for 50 minutes.  In a sauce pan, combine topping ingredients; bring to a boil.  Pour over meatloaf and bake 10 minutes more.  Makes 6 servings.

You can put some potatoes in the oven the same time as the meatloaf, and have baked potatoes with it.  Serve with a nice salad and you have a complete meal!



11 comments:

  1. I know the.comment I have is not really relevant to your beef eating topic but kind of in a way I guess it is! My daughter, recently stayed with a cousin of mine who has adopted a began meal plan, they no longer eat meat of any kind, don't drink milk nor do they cook their food. The night Kelsey stayed they had tacos, it was basically a salad with taco seasoning when Kelsey asked for some milk she was told, "they don't drink milk because research has proven milk was intended only for 2000 lb animals and that is why there is such an obesity epidemic " - Becky

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  2. Hurray for you! I have some homegrown burger thawing for meatloaf as we speak. My recipe is similar to yours, but in honor of your new Monday plan I am going to make your recipe. My great-grandmother raised sheep and cattle and ate meat everyday for more than one meal I can guarantee you and lived well into her 90's. She was also a very active woman. I agree that obesity is not to be blamed on meat. I sit around more than I should & don't always hold back on having seconds, THAT is why I carry a few extra inches around my middle (that and I carried to big babies and haven't tried to lose it like I should). :D

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    1. Gina you are beautiful and don't need to loose any weight from what I can tell! I wish people would practice moderation and exercise. It would make a huge difference!

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  3. I love this! Yay for meat eaters! I'm SO sick of all the propaganda on meat, dairy, etc. Its ridiculous. Go out and exercise, stay away from fast food, quit drinking 10 cokes a day... its not rocket science!
    Just another way agriculture is coming under attack though. They want us driving dinky cars,or better yet, riding bicycles and eating salads. Which by the way, I don't see how any of the veggies are much better when they are coming out of Mexico! At least in our part of the world, its very hard getting USA veggies.

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    1. I just can't buy into the eat less meat be more healthy mindset. When you look back through our history, we were much healthier when we didn't eat all of the processed and sugary foods. When you look at people who are healthy and look good, they eat diets high in protein (meat) and exercise. They don't drink lots of soda and eat fast food.
      It's hard to get a lot of USA produce here too. Kind of funny, our American raised beef is safer to eat than a lot of the produce you can buy in the store! So glad you liked it!

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  4. Yay for my fellow beef promoter! My husband's grandpa is 77 years old, eats beef almost every day, and is STILL farming full time. I hate all of the political propaganda surrounding beef and beef ranchers...we are NOT the ones that abuse our animals. The one that gets me the most is when they say "grass fed beef." Well as long as they're living with me, that's what they eat, all day long!

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    1. LOL, exactly, what does a cow eat anyway? Grass! I could go on all day about grass fed, organic, hormone free beef! =)

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  5. Well said, well said! People have lost common sense! They dont eat MEAT! Meat, builds muscle, puts oxygen in your blood! What is your heart? A muscle! You NEED meat to keep it pumping! But like you say. EVERY thing in moderation! Get off your butt and go for a walk, get some fresh air! We eat meat every day. Its spring time! Get out and smell the flowers, listen to the birds, say hello to your neighbors. Then have a nice juicy steak with a HUGE glass of ice milk for dinner. :)

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  6. What gets me is the "science" is always so skewed. I know you can't run tests on human subjects sort of speak but figure out how to compare things right!! You can't take a Vegan who counts & worries about every ounce of stuff they put into their mouth and then compare that to someone who doesn't watch their diet at all (i.e. the 10 cokes a day (or beer), fast food, sugary foods, etc.) and say that it was them eating meat that caused the problems. Take a meat eater who counts every ounce and worries about what they eat and I would bet money they would be way healthier than the Vegan. With that said, I know I can cut the sugary stuff, up the meat based protein, be very inactive, and eat way more than I should and pull off blood numbers that rock out in the health department. Tried it and it works. The wind can't blow me away but the chances of having a heart attack or stroke, etc. are slimer than I am if you look at my blood work. -SRW

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  7. Catholics used to be deathly afraid of eating meat on Fridays. It would be interesting to compare some statistics, but I don't think it will show anything.

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