If we’re friends, or you just know me from my blog or my socials, you’ll know I’m vegan and I’m very bloody worried about the climate, what we’re doing to the planet and the future we are leaving our children/grandchildren, nieces and nephews/children of our friends {by looking at it that way, we’re including everyone – not just those of us who are parents!}.

The simplest and most immediate thing we can do as individuals to have an effect on climate change {which, to be honest, can feel insanely overwhelming most days!} is to stop eating animals and animal products.

No Meat May sets the challenge to each of us to go a month without meat. This is easy in our home because I’ve been vegan for almost 4 years and vegetarian for about 5 before that. A lot of people I know, however, wonder what on earth they will eat if they aren’t eating meat and dairy. So I decided to share 1 recipe every day for the month.

creamy red lentil and coconut dahl

Who doesn’t love dahl? So versatile {I know, I know – that word is on high rotation with this recipe series, but most vegan recipes are just that}!

An email arrived in my inbox from SBS food a couple of days ago featuring 15 versatile vegetarian curries. They all look insanely delicious and reminded me that I hadn’t yet shared a dahl recipe. A big bowl of warm goodness on these cooler nights is just the thing to chase away the chills.

Eating healthful flavoursome food also helps chase away the blues in my experience. I’ve been really struggling with my anxiety this week. That old chestnut. Back again. Keeping me awake nights. Popping elephants on my chest during the day. No fun at all. I’m getting sunshine, fresh air, walks with the pups and Love Bug and trying to eat all the good foods I can and avoid foods that make me feel heavy. While that may not work for everyone, it’s definitely worth a try if you’re prone to anxiety.

While there are factors closer to home that are headlining this anxiety tour, I imagine even the toughest of people would be effected by the UN report released this week which states 1,000,000 species are threatened with extinction. Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history – and the rate of species extinctions is accelerating. The report goes on to say that it is not to late to slow this, but that immediate action is required. We all need to try to be climate optimists and believe that we can turn things around!

If you’re in Australia, please make your vote count. Know the consequences of dummy voting and not filling in each box on the ballot paper. Make changes at home. If you’re still reading, you’re at least on the path to making an individual difference. Which is what each of us need to do.

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Don’t forget to take a photo and tag me {insta @bumpyroadtobubba} if you’re playing along! #veganmjnomeatmay #mj9of31 #nomeatmay #31recipes #veganfortheplanet #vegafortheanimals #veganforthekids #veganforthefuture #easyrecipes #tasty #doitfortheplanet #doitfortheanimals #doitforthekids #actNOWforfuture #challenge #youcandoit