Meatless Mondays

When days get shorter and chillier, a salad, no matter how delicious, can be last on your list for dinner. Instead, dark evenings call for comfort foods. If you're in the mood for something meatless, here are three warm meals where vegetables are the star.

Mushroom and Apple Quinoa

This mushroom and apple quinoa is a quick weeknight dinner that only requires one pot. The mixture of squash, apples, mushrooms, and brightly flavored quinoa is both comforting and filling.

Cheesy Baked Butternut Squash Casserole

You can bake the butternut squash in this cheesy baked butternut squash casserole beforehand to decrease cooking time, but using raw squash cubes adds 10-15 minutes of sautéing time. With the addition of broccoli, cauliflower, and onion (and a generous helping of cheese), this casserole makes for a satisfying Fall meal.

Read on for one more filling warm vegetarian dinner.

Never given Meatless Monday a try? Aside from mixing up your dinner menu with exciting and healthy vegetarian meals, going vegetarian even one day a week can not only save you a little dough, but offers health benefits as well. If you're on the fence about it, here are some reasons that may convince you to skip the meat every Monday.

For dropping pounds: Recipes that involve meat can run you tons of calories, which means delving out smaller portions in order to avoid overdoing it. If you don't eat much for dinner, you'll be itching for more food soon after the meal is over, which translates to more daily calories consumed. Many vegetarian meals are all about the veggies, and since they're low in calories and high in fiber, they fill you up without racking up the cals. You'll love this recipe for vegetarian stir-fry with quinoa, full of fresh veggies.

They're fiber-licious: Aside from the fiber in veggies, vegetarian meals often focus on whole grains. Quinoa, brown rice, oats, barley, and millet are great sources of fiber, and since they're so filling, a small serving is all you need to feel satisfied. Give this carrot raisin spelt berry salad a try.

Keep reading for two more reasons to go meatless this Monday.

The beginning of the week can be hectic, so a quick healthy dinner is key to more time unwinding after work and less time on yet another obligation for the day. If you've got 30 minutes, make one of these fast and flavorful vegetarian meals tonight.

Curried lentil stew: There are a lot of ingredients in this curried lentil stew recipe, but even with prep this one-pot dish only takes about 30 minutes to make.

Spicy mushrooms and kale: This simple recipe for spicy mushrooms and kale is full of flavor, thanks to the simple additions of pepper flakes and a little bit of vegetable stock. Make this as a side or toss in marinated pan-fried tofu for a filling dinner.

Read on for more vegetarian recipes to make tonight after the break.

There are many ways to go about reducing your carbon footprint, but one of the easiest ways is to participate in Meatless Mondays.

Although forgoing meat also helps fight world hunger (and the issue of obesity), it's also proven to be kinder to Mother Earth, even if you're just skipping out on animal protein one day each week. To learn a few of the environmental benefits of going meat-free once a week, keep reading.

Earth Day is turning 40 this year, which is a great excuse to make your healthy lifestyle even healthier. And while I know most of you are already doing your part by recycling and wearing eco-friendly clothes, there's always more that we can do to green our fitness. Here are five healthy (and simple) ways to celebrate Earth Day this week.

• Bike to work. Not only is riding a bike good for your health, it's great for the environment too. Pedaling everywhere helps you conserve the planet's resources and reduce the amount of pollutants going into the air. Compared to a car, it also takes way less energy and parts to manufacture and ship a bike to consumers. If biking just isn't an option for you, take public transportation or try carpooling instead.
• Use less energy. Reducing how many things you turn on and switch off is a no-brainer, but use Earth Day as an excuse to really unplug. Reducing energy has its health benefits too: taking the stairs is a great way to burn calories, and turning off your computer or TV is a great way to de-stress and increase social interaction.

To find out how else I'll be celebrating Earth Day, read more