Cutting down on meat. Need help

rainbow198

I'm heading towards my 5th year not eating any meat. I do eat eggs and very little dairy.

I still eat a lot of the same things, just without meat. Tacos, burritos, flautas etc. are made with rice, beans and veggies.

Pasta is made with no meat (manicotti, spaghetti, fettuccine alfredo, lasagna etc.)

Same with stir fry, I use fresh or frozen veggies and lots of seasonings.

I love breakfast foods, so I make veggie omelettes, oatmeal and blueberry Belgian waffles with unflavored protein powder mixed in.

Homemade soups is a great option.

I use substitutions cooked the exact same way I did when I ate meat...BBQ or Ranch Cauliflower Bites instead of using chicken or "crab cakes" made with shredded zucchini.

Also I make a lot of things from scratch like homemade protein bars, fat bombs (which satisfy a sweet tooth as well), almond milk sometimes, bread etc.

Lastly, I tend to shy away from the "fake" meats - I'd rather make my own black bean veggie burger or a portabello burger, but there are a lot of options available these days in regular grocery stores.

My menu is so diverse and tasty, but it did take me a while to perfect my recipes. I'm always trying new things too. There are so many good recipe sites out there where you can get ideas and inspiration from!

Good luck!

Movemoreguy22

Do you guys find u spend more money than meat eaters or do u spend less cos you dont buy the meat

kshama2001

garyggriffin wrote: »

Do you guys find u spend more money than meat eaters or do u spend less cos you dont buy the meat

You have to add a few more variables in there. I'd argue that a meat eater who buys inexpensive cuts of meat and cooks everything from scratch is going to spend less than someone who lives on vegan convenience foods.

That said, when I was in rural Costa Rico, locally available plant-based foods were widely available, widely consumed, and cheap, while meat was much more expensive.

Being plant-based can be quite budget-friendly if someone includes foods like rice and beans bought in bulk as staples rather than premade meals or so called "superfoods."

ThatJuJitsuWoman

My husband eats meat and it’s definitely the most expensive part of our food budget.

I would guess that if I ate an identical diet to him, and replaced every meat or dairy item with a vegan substitute it would cost about the same. In reality we eat very differently and I often eat beans, nuts, lentils and chickpeas which are pretty cheap.

Clairin

https://www.pinterest.es/micapricho/vegetarian-grilling-vegetarian-bbq-healthy-outdoor/ Here is a great Pinterest page for Burgers, Grilling, Salads & sides all vegetarian.

NovusDies

kcmcbee wrote: »

Really good extra virgin olive oil. EVOO can add to almost anything and can have a lot of other benefits as well. Calorie dense and good for you.

Olive oil or any oil is fat. Meat is protein and some fat. You can replace calories from meat with fat but you cannot replace protein from meat with fat.

pjwrt

garyggriffin wrote: »

So people I'm trying to cut down on meat and eat more plant stuff.... breakfast and snacks are easy but what the hell do you have for lunch and dinner.
I normally would have chicken or some type of cow, but seen some video on facebook and yeah put me off...
Trying to do it in small steps rather than going cold Turkey.
I'm trying to gain weight so just eating lettuce and carrots ain't gonna do me any flavours..
My snacks would involve nuts, peanut butters, bananas, apples, homemade protein bars etc etc. Just lunches and dinners I need advice with...

lol...I eat fish and the occasional hot link a few times a month. Otherwise, it's all "veggies." Dude, my veggie meals would beat any meat meal any day of the week. Search out vegetarian meals on the internet. Using left overs for lunch is great.

If you want to get specific, search out nationalities like "American vegetarian recipes" or Mexican. I made veggie stuffed green peppers a few days ago and the effort was two days of meals for less than $10.00 and and 20 minutes prep time. Sweet.

Mexican is cheap and easy. The same few easily obtainable ingredients and spices.

You don't have to be 100% vegan, just 99% will get it.

mbaker566

don't forget about tofu and seitan. it can be a good replacement.

BoxerBrawler

If you like beans those are an excellent choice! Mushrooms also!