Vegetarian

lisah180

I have been contemplating making a switch to a vegetarian lifelstyle and was looking for personal accounts I guess, like how you made the switch, was there any go to meals you had until you expanded your recipe base..stuff like that. Also, my husband is a big meat eater and not looking to change, how do you eat meals together, my husband is concerned we will have to double our grocery budget. Thanks!

grace173

Congrats on the lifestyle change. Surely meat is more pricey than vegetarian food?? Eat lots of stir frys with quorn to get used to not eating meat would be my recommendation. Good luck

getitamb

Money is the main reason I switched to vegetarian. Beans are much cheaper than meat with the fat cut off.

JShailen

I made the switch 2 years ago mainly for ethical reasons but also I was always extremely fussy with meat and never liked the texture. Handling raw meat made me feel sick so I would usually buy precooked frozen or rotisserie meats which would cost quite a bit more.

I've been anemic on and off my whole life, even as a meat eater and was diagnosed again this year. Being aware of iron rich foods is something to consider as the vegetarian sources of iron aren't absorbed as well as is the iron from meat.

Protein is also a struggle for me, but lately it's been better. Making, eggs, oats, and beans a staple helps.

As far as eating meals with a meat eater I don't really see that as a problem. My family are meat eaters and I dated someone for a few months that was as well. If anything it should save you money, your husband will have meat and you can have beans for example which are much cheaper anyway.

Good luck making the switch

vivmom2014

I made the switch a year ago, but I kept seafood in my diet. Eating veg/pescatarian has been an adjustment after cooking for soooo many years with meat as the centerpiece. But there have been fun discoveries along the way -- tempeh, seitan and tofu are all very creative and delicious to work with. Field Roast products are wonderful. Seafood insures an easy protein source and is simple to plug into that "centerpiece" slot.

I haven't noticed increased grocery bills.

Otherwise it's been a gradual shift to enjoying simpler meals most of the time - soups, stews, vegetable "fry-ups" and sautés, pizzas featuring things like arugula and nuts, Mexican bakes & tacos made with tempeh and seitan, bean burgers, chilis, etc.

I've tried a few fancy vegetarian recipes from cookbooks, but only occasionally. The trick has been not to make this a big deal. My extended family seems to view it as remarkable - offering to make a separate entrée, for instance - which is really unnecessary. This way of eating is actually more straightforward, and I love NO cross contamination while cooking, and no dealing with meat in general!

kommodevaran

getitamb wrote: »

Money is the main reason I switched to vegetarian. Beans are much cheaper than meat with the fat cut off.

I agree - beans+rice is a complete protein source, cheap, and versatile. Anyway, if you're concerned about cost, but want to eat meat, do eat the fat! Probably a bit off-topic, but this annoys me, all the time "eating on a budget" tips include cut/drain fat. Fat is an important nutrient, and wasting money is bad form, and not even an option when money is scarce. Not to mention what happens to the drainage pipes.

morg987

Have a similar divide between me and my sister being vegetarian and parents not, we tend to make a vegetarian base for example curry, stir fry or casserole and then seperate a portion to add meat to. I particularly enjoy tofu curries, or tofu bean nachos/ wraps/ tacos. Adding lots of leafy greens, other good veg, beans, plus grains and fruits or OJ at meals will provide you with more balanced nutrition, protein and iron absorption. Parents also freeze meat for future cooks.

PreventType2Class

My husband and I just ate curried lentils with cabbage, onion, carrot and rice for a 4 day period. Very healthy and cost is next to nothing.

suzan06

For most of my marriage, I have been vegetarian and my husband a meat eater (and 30 lbs overweight!). He has now joined my bandwagon, and lost the weight, go him!

Anyway:
-He was willing to eat vegetarian meals, just not every night, but that helped. Like pasta with tomato sauce, he doesn't need meatballs.
-Buy him a rotisserie chicken, he eats it for a few meals, I make veggie dishes that are my main and his side dish.
-Mexican/tacos: Make beans for me (just open a can, lol!) and meat for him. Portion the meat in half and freeze half for next time, so no additional cost. Probably saves money because beans are cheaper!
-Do stir fry with chicken and tofu, we each pick out the other person's (I am a veg, but I don't freak out if my food touches meat, just personally it doesn't bother me)
-If there is a big holiday like Christmas and we have a ham or turkey, freeze a bunch in small servings to pull out and top otherwise vegetarian dishes.
-Big salads with beans on mine and chicken on his

Hopefully that give you some ideas. We tend to make pretty simple meals, such as endless variations on: Tacos. lol. If I want a specific recipe, I just google.

YeaYeaPueblo

It might be a challenge if your husband isn't on board! I'm lucky that mine is. I even took him on a vegan journey this year. He does get a burger at a restaurant every once in awhile, that's the compromise.

I recommend Pamela Anderson's (different one!) Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals. It's a great vegetarian starter cookbook, with lots of hearty vegetarian meals.

If you're serious about it, AND needing to save money, I'd invest in a high pressure cooker. It makes cooking dried beans from scratch super easy. They're done in 45 minutes instead of soaking overnight and cooking for half a day.

rainbowbow

Been a vegetarian my entire life, so i can't really offer any advice on transitioning. Just wanted to say, do it. I would start experiminting with recipes and trying as many things as you can. You may enjoy some meat substitutes at first if you can't create meals without that portion at first.


As far as your husband.... I've been with my man for 5 years and he is also a big meat and potatoes kind of guy. Considering i do the cooking, he eats what i make. If he doesn't want it he can cook himself whatever. I pretty much never get complaints and he frequently requests some of his favorite dishes (and no meat included). I know that may sound harsh, but aint no body got time to cook two seperate meals. I support him if he ever wants to, but so far that's been..... never? Maybe once he made salmon? In five years. So... i wouldn't worry about that too much.

socajam

I would not say that I am vegetarian , but I have not eaten any meat/chicken/or seafood since 1989. I eat salt water fish and wild salmon a couple times a month, otherwise I could go a couple of times with just eating plant based food. You need to become creative with your food, otherwise who will become bored.

I have come to love chickpeas/cannellini beans. I use them in my smoothies, also make a version of scrambled like eggs with my chick peas - very filling. Stewed chickpeas are also nourishing and can be eaten with rice and a nice salad or vegetables.

Chick pea flour pancakes are really nice.

For the person who is anemic - try taking Floradix - its a plant based iron. Be careful your teeth it normally stains your teeth, but one of the best forms of iron that I have taken. Does not make you constipated.

After giving up meat etc, I went through that stage of being anemic for a while. Now I eat a lot of greens - spinach, some kale and other foods that are iron rich.

Floradix® is a liquid iron supplement that is specially formulated for easy absorption and assimilation. In fact, over 98% of the iron is available for quick potential absorption. The daily use of Floradix® helps normalize low iron levels to boost energy, vitality and optimal health.

LaurenAOK

I've been vegetarian on and off for the past few years but made the switch this time around earlier this year. This time I think it is pretty permanent as I am really enjoying it and don't miss any meat at all.

The key for me was learning to make all my old favorite dishes, just with meat substitutions. So for example, tacos or burritos, I just do beans instead of chicken. And for a lot of recipes, I use the fake meat products. A lot of people turn their nose up at them, and some products are nasty, but some are soooooo good. I made my roommates lasagna with meatless "ground beef" crumbles, didn't tell them it was veggie, and they couldn't tell at all and thought it was delicious.

It takes some experimenting to find the brands and products that work for you, but here are the main ones I like:
Boca - chick'n patties
Morningstar - black bean burgers
Morningstar - pizza burgers
Morningstar - grillers meatless crumbles
Gardein - seven grain crispy tenders

Once I got the hang of using substitutions, I've never missed any of my old favorite foods. It's also easy if you're sharing with a meat eater, because you can just make their portion with meat and your portion with the substitute. So the only extra thing you have to buy is the substitute product.

For protein, I use protein bars and shakes. The Quest products are my favorite. I ate them before I was veggie too, but now I eat them more frequently. I honestly never have a problem hitting my protein goals. I get a lot of it through cheese, greek yogurt, lentils, and veggies (broccoli has a pretty good protein count).

Honestly, after a couple weeks of adjusting your food to fit your calorie and macro needs, it gets pretty easy. You can search online for a million awesome vegetarian recipes. For me, it is totally worth it to make the switch. Good luck!

rybo

My girlfriend is vegetarian but I'm not. I cook meals for us all the time that are meat less. Its not a big deal. If things progress to where we have a lot more meals together, I see no problem in making a meat on the side, or adding it to a meal after her portion is taken out.

JShailen

socajam wrote: »

I would not say that I am vegetarian , but I have not eaten any meat/chicken/or seafood since 1989. I eat salt water fish and wild salmon a couple times a month, otherwise I could go a couple of times with just eating plant based food. You need to become creative with your food, otherwise who will become bored.

I have come to love chickpeas/cannellini beans. I use them in my smoothies, also make a version of scrambled like eggs with my chick peas - very filling. Stewed chickpeas are also nourishing and can be eaten with rice and a nice salad or vegetables.

Chick pea flour pancakes are really nice.

For the person who is anemic - try taking Floradix - its a plant based iron. Be careful your teeth it normally stains your teeth, but one of the best forms of iron that I have taken. Does not make you constipated.

After giving up meat etc, I went through that stage of being anemic for a while. Now I eat a lot of greens - spinach, some kale and other foods that are iron rich.

Floradix® is a liquid iron supplement that is specially formulated for easy absorption and assimilation. In fact, over 98% of the iron is available for quick potential absorption. The daily use of Floradix® helps normalize low iron levels to boost energy, vitality and optimal health.

Never heard of Floradix, thanks for the tip. I've added it to my amazon wish list. I just bought a 2 month supply of my standard multivitamins + iron so I'll use those up first.

BinaryPulsar

socajam wrote: »

I would not say that I am vegetarian , but I have not eaten any meat/chicken/or seafood since 1989. I eat salt water fish and wild salmon a couple times a month, otherwise I could go a couple of times with just eating plant based food. You need to become creative with your food, otherwise who will become bored.

I have come to love chickpeas/cannellini beans. I use them in my smoothies, also make a version of scrambled like eggs with my chick peas - very filling. Stewed chickpeas are also nourishing and can be eaten with rice and a nice salad or vegetables.

Chick pea flour pancakes are really nice.

For the person who is anemic - try taking Floradix - its a plant based iron. Be careful your teeth it normally stains your teeth, but one of the best forms of iron that I have taken. Does not make you constipated.

After giving up meat etc, I went through that stage of being anemic for a while. Now I eat a lot of greens - spinach, some kale and other foods that are iron rich.

Floradix® is a liquid iron supplement that is specially formulated for easy absorption and assimilation. In fact, over 98% of the iron is available for quick potential absorption. The daily use of Floradix® helps normalize low iron levels to boost energy, vitality and optimal health.

Thanks for sharing. I'm vegan now. I eat a lot of chick peas also. And with quinoa and veggies. My husband and kids are omnivore.

Pretty2Petite

I became vegetarian by telling myself that I'm only going to do it for 30 days and by the end of it I can quit ... This helps your mind think that it's not a drastic and permanent change. By the end of day 30 it becomes habit and you can stick with it. It really works. If you quit at day 5 or 29 start over from day 1. Currently doing this to transition to 100% vegan