This past Monday, a great movement made its way onto the Bucknell campus. It’s called Meatless Mondays, and the initiative to get it introduced onto our campus was spearheaded by Meghan Byrd and Madeline Dressen. These two seniors worked with John Cummings, head of Dining Services, and Tanya Williams, a nutritionist, to implement Meatless Mondays in the Caf, the Bison, the Commons, and the Terrace Room.
Meatless Mondays promotes the idea of circumventing meat on Mondays to reduce the negative environmental impact of meat and to reduce health risks like cancer and heart disease.
Now that you’ve heard about the movement, you might be considering trying the challenge of going meatless for a day. I know what you’re thinking:
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Despite what you may think, going meatless for one day a week isn’t the end of the world. In fact, it might open you up to a new world of possibilities when it comes to dining.
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Let me show you a whole new world of food so you can prepare to take on the Meatless Monday challenge for yourself.
The Bostwick Marketplace:
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The caf has so many options to choose from that it won’t be difficult to cut out meat. Make sure to take advantage of the egg bar – it’s open all day so you can eat eggs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if you wish. The pizza and pasta station always has plain pasta and pizza without meat as well.
The Whole Body station has vegetarian and vegan options every day, ranging from yummy polenta cakes to quinoa to veggie quiches and soufflés.
Main Street Grille always has grilled cheeses and egg and cheese sandwiches if you want to keep it simple. The stir fry station is build-your-own, so grab some fresh veggies, choose a sauce, add tofu if you want a protein, and hand it to the chef who will stir fry it for you.
The Bison:
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The Bison offers many easy ways to go meatless when you’re picking out your meal. Bada Basil makes made-to-order pasta bowls and wraps, so pile on the veggies and sauces and just avoid the meats. Penne has an ancient grains and quinoa bar at lunch. Quinoa is considered a complete protein, a great source of fiber, iron, and calcium – it’s guaranteed to keep you satisfied.
Xin Pan is a build-your-own stir fry station, and on Monday nights (how perfect), it has build-your-own mac-n-cheese, which I definitely would not miss out on. My favorite Bison hack has to be avocado toast. Ask for an egg and toast from the grill and grab some avocado from the deli, combine, and there you have it: a healthy breakfast (or really any meal) that is sans meat and delicious.
The Commons:
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The Commons, located by the South Campus Apartments, is the newest dining area on campus. If you’re craving meat but you’re determined to stick to Meatless Mondays, the Commons offers veggie burgers and veggie hot dogs. The breakfast sandwiches have the option of adding a protein, so to make it meatless simply skip the meat or add tofu. In addition to vegetarian paninis and melts, you can always find hummus, tabbouleh, and quinoa in the Commons Café.
Now that you’ve been exposed to this new world of meatless dining, I bet your reactions are this:
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I highly recommend that you all try Meatless Mondays at least once; even if you decide it’s not for you, Meatless Mondays is a great way to expand your palate and develop healthier eating habits. Check out meatlessmonday.com to learn more about the movement.