It dawned on me recently that slowly but surely, I had turned our family into carnivores. I had fallen into the trap of every dinner developing around an animal protein. I was trying to think of the last time we had a meat-free meal… and I couldn’t. I know there are real health benefits from incorporating meat-free meals into your diet - and not just for budget reasons - but I wasn’t clear on exactly why?

Mikhaila Todd, Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach tellsMamamia:"There is a common misconception that by not consuming meat substitutes over animal sources means that you and your family will miss out on protein. This is not the case at all.

"Meat-free substitutes focus on providing a similar protein profile to meat, often with additional benefits of being low in saturated fat plus high in fibre (which animal protein is not). This fibre boost helps to normalise bowel movements and can help to lower cholesterol levels."

With that in mind, I decided to overhaul our weeknight dinners by prioritising the number of meat-free meals we were having as a family. It wasn’t going to be easy - I have one particularly fussy eater in my at-home restaurant and another sceptic who likes his ‘meat and three veg’. I had to get creative.

Instead of trying to get them to eat completely new dishes, I tried to substitute things we already ate with meat-free alternatives from Quorn. Quorn products contain ' mycoprotein' which is a nutritionally healthy source of protein because it's high in protein, high in fibre and low in saturated fat. Producing mycoprotein uses less land and water than animal protein production, so it's better for the planet too.

How? Their super-proteins are fermented vertically rather than farmed in fields, so they don't need extra land to produce it. That means they use less of the earth's resources than a lot of meats or plants do. So, these nutritious protein alternatives are good for your health and the planet too. AND they taste great.

Here are some quick, easy and delicious recipes to inspire you and your family on your way to more meat-free meals.

1. Quorn Meat Free Spaghetti Bolognese

Source: https://www.quorn.com.au/recipes/quick-spaghetti-bolognese

Prep/Cooking time:15 minutes

Serving Size:4 serves

Ingredients:

Method:

2. Quorn Quick Chilli Con Carne

Recipe: https://www.quorn.com.au/recipes/quorn-quick-chilli-con-carne

Prep/Cooking time:15 minutes

Serving Size:4 serves

Ingredients:

Method:

3. Barbecue Teriyaki Quorn Fillet and Pineapple Buddha Bowl

Recipe: https://www.quorn.com.au/recipes/bbq-teriyaki-quorn-pieces-and-pineapple-buddha-bowl

Prep/Cooking time:40 minutes

Serving Size:4 serves

Ingredients:

For the skewers:

For the teriyaki marinade:

For the salad:

Garnishes:

Method:

4. Quorn Vegetarian Stroganoff

Recipe: https://www.quorn.com.au/recipes/quorn-vegetarian-stroganoff

Prep/Cooking time:20 minutes

Serving Size:4 serves

Ingredients:

Method:

5. Dietary-Needs-Flexible Mexican Lasagne

Recipe:Instagram Mikhaila Todd Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach https://www.instagram.com/p/B6PW0y3js_7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link