Advice Please
Plingie
Posts: 8 Member
I am a vegetarian for ethical reasons. I'm a mother of two and have a husband. We're fairly traditional in that I do all the shopping and cooking.
Before being a vegetarian, I bascially cooked meat and 3 veg, spag bol, lasagne, meatloaf type things. Now that I'm vegetarian I have been cooking vegetarian curries, roasted veg with couscous, stir fries with tofu etc must more interesting and healthfull.
Before being vegetarian my husband never cared what I cooked. No matter what I cooked he'd just say thanks it was good. He doesn't cook at all. If I get him to cook he'll fry some meat and boil some veggies.
I have been trying so hard to make nutritious meals. Hubby has said he's not keen on the meat subs (like tofo and seitan) and been talking about how much he wants meat.
I have no problem with him eating meat - when we go to restaurants etc he'll order meat dishes. What I'm having a hard time with is us buying meat. I kind of feel that if I'm cooking him a meat meal, that even if I eat vegetarian that it just doesn't 'count' - our $$ is still going towards meat
I often have to cook different stuff for one of my kids as he is really picky, then my daughter often picks only part of her dinner to eat - so I would have to cook a meat meal, vegetarian meal, a meal for my son then watch my daughter complain about her food.
Before being a vegetarian, I bascially cooked meat and 3 veg, spag bol, lasagne, meatloaf type things. Now that I'm vegetarian I have been cooking vegetarian curries, roasted veg with couscous, stir fries with tofu etc must more interesting and healthfull.
Before being vegetarian my husband never cared what I cooked. No matter what I cooked he'd just say thanks it was good. He doesn't cook at all. If I get him to cook he'll fry some meat and boil some veggies.
I have been trying so hard to make nutritious meals. Hubby has said he's not keen on the meat subs (like tofo and seitan) and been talking about how much he wants meat.
I have no problem with him eating meat - when we go to restaurants etc he'll order meat dishes. What I'm having a hard time with is us buying meat. I kind of feel that if I'm cooking him a meat meal, that even if I eat vegetarian that it just doesn't 'count' - our $$ is still going towards meat
I often have to cook different stuff for one of my kids as he is really picky, then my daughter often picks only part of her dinner to eat - so I would have to cook a meat meal, vegetarian meal, a meal for my son then watch my daughter complain about her food.
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Replies
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I totally understand. I am also a vegetarian for ethical reasons but my husband and boys eat meat. My husband has no interest in going 100% veggie but. can deal with eating a vegetarian dinner 3 out of the 5 days of the work week (we usually order in and eat leftovers over the weekend). I am most successful serving pasta and Mexican style meat free meals Or Asian style noodle dishes and bean Chili also go over well. Soups too. The other nights I cook them some simple meat dish and a vegetable/ grain dish that serves as their side dish and my main dish. I also feel guilty spending money on meat but it really doesn't seem possible for me to cut it out 100% right now. So I am trying to be happy that at least we have reduced the amount of meat that we buy. I am concentrating now on trying lots of new recipes. I'm preparing the ones that they enjoy more often and hoping to just keep phasing out the meat gradually.0
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I don't want to sound preachy, this in no way comes from a place of judgement... but allowing children to be picky about their food is teaching them eating patterns and food relationships that may have a detrimental effect. Perhaps get them to see that eating is fun and all 'your' food is delicous and great rather than whatever special treatment they're getting now.
Also get your husband to cook his own flipping meat - that's what my partner does because I am sure not going to. Even if I'm cooking dinner he can have his separate pan with his separate serving.0 -
Yes ^^^^ this^^^^. Honestly kids are pickier the more you let allow it. I've never insisted my kids eat everything I make, but that's what is for dinner and I let them serve themselves or put a little bit of everything on their plate. If all they want is the broccoli, or the salad, then I'm okay with that. If they are hungry later they can have fruit, or a granola bar, and we don't keep other snacks in the house. I've had 4 kids (13, 15, 28 & 30) and all are vegetarian by their own choice but my husband is not. Getting the kids to help make dinner and even shopping for the groceries when they are young helps because they want to eat what they make/buy. Let them pick a night where it's their choice & everyone eats it. My husband is not veg & he will buy himself a roasted chicken, or sometimes a steak for the grill once in a while & eats meat when we go out to a restaurant. Everyone eats vegetarian at my house - even if I am making a dinner for a friend or neighbor (as a Thank You, or they had a baby, etc.) It's a vegetarian meal. I don't use a lot of the fake meats, just good whole fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. but I use tons of spices to season things to my liking. Try making each night a different ethnic theme - Italian, Mexican, Asian, Greek, American, etc & get some vegetarian cookbooks from the library to help plan your menu. Make enough for leftovers for lunch the next day. My diary is open if you want to check it out for ideas.0
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The Hungry Girl blog has a lot of accidentally vegetarian dishes that mimic fast food meals that taste fairly like meat. My girlfriend loves it, and she is also very wary of tofu, seitan, etc. There are a lot of good recipes there for even the most die-hard carnivore.0
