I love new stuff. I love new free stuff even more.

I found this new site while surfing the net over the weekend and signed up for a free trial. It’s a meal planner for vegetarians and I think it’s about time someone thought of it.

I have several cooking and recipe sites in my bookmarks that let me search out vegetarian recipes and use them to create a meal plan online, but HappyHealthyVegetarian.com is just for vegetarians and I think it’s a great tool for any busy cook, but also a great idea for the newcomer to vegetarian eating. Planning balanced meals and coming up with fresh ideas can be hard for new vegetarians and vegans.

This might be just the thing to make that transition to the lifestyle easier.

You don’t need a credit card to sign up for the free two-week trial they only ask for one if you decide to become a paying member. Here’s what the website has to say about the meal plans:

There are six meal plans to choose from, and you may access any of the plans at any time.

Have a meat eater or gluten intolerant family member? No problem!

One recipe can be modified to accommodate all members of the family.

• Meal plans are designed to provide you with a variety of fresh nutritious foods.

• Recipes are quick and easy.

• A new plan is posted every week. Each plan suggests seven breakfasts, seven lunches, seven dinners, and seven snacks. You can change the suggested menu and personalize any plan.

• Your custom shopping list can be printed or viewed on your mobile device.

• Recipes have helpful tips and noteworthy information about ingredients.

• If an ingredient is a good source of protein, calcium, essential fatty acids, iron, vitamin E, vitamin A, or vitamin B12 it will be labeled.

• New recipes are added to the database every week.

One of the things I really like about the site is that they offer a “8 Weeks to Vegetarian” or “8 Weeks to Vegan” meal plan to help
newcomers transition to a new diet. I think that could be really awesome for someone who isn’t sure how to go about making the change from a meat-eating diet to a vegan or vegetarian diet.

Check out the site and maybe sign up for a free trial, or just pass it on to someone you know who is contemplating making the switch. If you decide to give it a try, let me know what you think about it.