Thinking about going vegan

PearlMarie_3gen_11484

I'm thinking about going vegan. Any tips/recipes? My husband and my boys eat meat...well Eric (my oldest) eats a lot of vegetables too. Growing up I really wanted to become a veterinarian. I realized that I am doing more harm than good for the animals. I really love animals and I don't want to harm them any more.
Plus I talked to my husband and he is very supportive of it. Which is awesome. I just need some help and ideas for some recipes. Thank you so much.

SergeantSunshine_reused

Here is a link to good vegan desserts!

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/about-2/

tikikris

Welcome! I've been vegetarian for 26 years and vegan for 8 of those years. The best place to get started is the Vegetarian Times magazine website. My daughter is a vegetarian, but my husband is a meat eater, so he buys and prepares his own. (But most of the time he eats what I make because he likes it!)

sc1572

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/chocolate-covered-recipes/

*Vegetarian for 2 years

voluptuous_veggie

I've been vegetarian since I was 10 and vegan for about 6-7 years now. Don't just jump in...do your research. I suggest books like the China Study, the Kind Diet, and cookbooks like Appetite for Reduction and Veganomicon....research, plan, and make sure it's something that you can do. It's very easy to be a junk-food vegan...I mean, Oreos and Fritos are vegan, but you don't exactly want to live off of those! So really do your research. Good luck!

capriciousmoon

Here's a site with a lot of good looking recipes. I like to look at it, planning for how I'll cook when I have money to.

http://www.theppk.com/

Lolamako

Such a great time to be Vegan! There are so many great websites, books and new products out there

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/

http://www.theppk.com/

http://vegandad.blogspot.com/

No recipes, but very inspirational: http://veganmenu.blogspot.com/


With Vegan blogs I always check out what blogs the writer reads, there are also some Vegan Fitspo Tumblrs that are Vegan, or have Vegan catagories:

http://under400.tumblr.com/

Really I could go on for DAAAAAAYS! There are so many great sites out there!!! Have fun!

KavemanKarg

I think its very noble that you wish to not consume animals due to your belief system and wish you luck with it.

CassieAtEatLoveFit

http://theverynewvegan.wordpress.com/

tattooedtwiin

Vegetarian here, with a meat eater in the house (other then the dog)...Good luck to you! Add me as a friend, lots of veggie friends too, great way to learn new foods (their diarys)and support is awesome!

Jezza777

My wife is a vegetarian...which pretty much makes me a vegetarian lol, I have friends that are vegan and they have some awesome dishes they make. I used to be a hardcore carnivore but rarely eat any meat nowadays. I know if you are in the States there are lots and lots of great meat/dairy substitutes so making the transition is a lot easier, good luck!

mizkortnie

There are so many great resources! These are a few I frequent:

http://www.yumuniverse.com/

http://www.veggiebelly.com/

Sample menus for getting started:
http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/two-week-vegetarian-menu.aspx

Great tips on getting started:
http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/making-the-transition-vegetarian.aspx

Wonderful podcast & cookbooks:
http://www.compassionatecooks.com/

For me personally, easing into it is best as well as veggie-fying recipes you are already comfortable with making. Also logging your food in myfitnesspal helps you to make sure you're getting the correct amount of protein. Good luck and congratulations!!

cdstadt

Everyone posted great sites!

I didn't see Vegweb.com yet on here, but it's def worth a look. I've found some great weekly recipes on it.

You might even be interested in magazines like Vegetarian Times or VegNews

tam120

http://happyherbivore.com/
http://www.nutritionmd.org/index.html
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/channel/vegan-food/
http://www.managercomplete.com/engine2/recipes.aspx
http://www.nomeatathlete.com/vegetarian-recipes-for-athletes/

I really like the book Vegan on the Cheap. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470472243

janiebeth

bump....

I'd like to do the same, but have trouble finding good recipes. Hope you don't mind if I take some of the suggestions from this thread...

JB

janiebeth

One tip I can provide (so as not to be a mooch - lol).

My daughter is a vegetarian, and we really love Smart Ground. It is a veggie based ground meat substitute that I find in the specialty area of the produce department. For most recipes it stands in pretty well for ground beef..

Good luck.

PearlMarie_3gen_11484

bump....

I'd like to do the same, but have trouble finding good recipes. Hope you don't mind if I take some of the suggestions from this thread...

JB

Not at all go ahead! :flowerforyou:

PearlMarie_3gen_11484

One tip I can provide (so as not to be a mooch - lol).

My daughter is a vegetarian, and we really love Smart Ground. It is a veggie based ground meat substitute that I find in the specialty area of the produce department. For most recipes it stands in pretty well for ground beef..

Good luck.

thank you I will have to look that up.

Kristimcb

I'm thinking about going vegan. Any tips/recipes? My husband and my boys eat meat...well Eric (my oldest) eats a lot of vegetables too. Growing up I really wanted to become a veterinarian. I realized that I am doing more harm than good for the animals. I really love animals and I don't want to harm them any more.
Plus I talked to my husband and he is very supportive of it. Which is awesome. I just need some help and ideas for some recipes. Thank you so much.

Good luck...I tried it and failed miserable. I jumped in too fast and didn't "wean" myself. So now I tend to live off chicken and fish (which I catch) and that seems to be ok by me. I appauld you wanting to go vegan. I think eventually I will get there.

Beckym1205

I became a vegitarian almost 2 months ago, yet my husband and my 8 year old eat meat (my husband is very supportive and loves the healthy meatless dishes I've been making). I can't wait to check out all the sites everyone posted. I don't have much variety in my vegitarian diet yet. I'm pretty good at homemade soup and homemade spaghetti sauce. And, as a formerOrange Chicken lover, I must say I was plenty suprised to find that I liked my meatless version even better (I used soy chick'n strips (I think that's what they were called, it was tofu that resembled chicken strips) that I bought from Henry's, tossed them in corn meal, fried them up then poured on the orange sauce (I would like to try them baked next time). I made Orange "chick'n" wraps and they were soooooo good

... and now I'm hungry lol

Beckym1205

One tip I can provide (so as not to be a mooch - lol).

My daughter is a vegetarian, and we really love Smart Ground. It is a veggie based ground meat substitute that I find in the specialty area of the produce department. For most recipes it stands in pretty well for ground beef..

Good luck.

That is one of my favorite things. I personally can't tell the difference between that and ground beef, except that it's not greasy.

Also, I was just talking about this at work today, I bought Soy Chorizo (idk if I spelled that right) and that also was just as satisfying as the real thing, yet also not as greasy or as my coworker said not so heavy as the real thing. But oh so good. I made it with Organic scrambled eggs, fresh hash browns, and vegan cheese melted on top (yes, I have found vegan shredded cheese at Trader Joes that works great, even on a quesadilla).

Also, on the topic of Vegan Cheese, I bought a block of nacho flavored vegan cheese and that also melted quite nicely and I made nacho's with that and the soy crumbles. mmmm.

jkestens63

Ignorant question: what is the difference between a vegan and a vegetarian?

Beckym1205

Ignorant question: what is the difference between a vegan and a vegetarian?

A vegan does not eat meat or other animal by-products. (No meat, no eggs, no dairy, no butter... etc.)
A vegitarian does not eat meat but consumes (at least some) animal by-products. I am a vegitarian, I use real butter, I bake with milk and eggs, I eat some eggs and will use milk in my coffee.

jetscreaminagain

Cheers for veganomicon and appetite for reduction. Good cookbooks full of good food. I eat meat but eat out of those all the time.postpunk kitchen is good

101cookbooks.com is always vegetarian sometimes vegan and sometimes gluten free. Sometimes ridiculously sugared too though.

For ground beef substitute take some old school tofu the kind floating in water with a see through topped container. Freeze the whole thing. Defrost and drain it and it crumbles like ground beef. Throw it in with lots of seasonings wherever you do ground beef.

cdstadt

Ignorant question: what is the difference between a vegan and a vegetarian?

A vegan does not eat meat or other animal by-products. (No meat, no eggs, no dairy, no butter... etc.)
A vegitarian does not eat meat but consumes (at least some) animal by-products. I am a vegitarian, I use real butter, I bake with milk and eggs, I eat some eggs and will use milk in my coffee.

A vegan also doesn't USE products made with animals products. Animal oils in toiletries, leather, wool... etc.

tam120

I think most vegans consider it a lifestyle... as in; they do not intentionally consume or use any product that has harmed or used animals in it's production. I eat a plant based diet. I buy meat/butter and milk for my husband, I give my dogs canned food and I drink wine that I don't know is vegan or not (I'm going to assume it's not) and I don't check everything I buy to ensure it has no animal products, although if given a choice of two products of identical quality would choose the one that does not use animal products.

lisasays

I'm vegan and I eat honey (rarely) , but my vegan son does not. I also dont check my wine/beer, and maybe i should. I try not to buy leather (or suede or fur) goods, but I have wool sweaters. My diet is100% vegan and I do consider myself vegan.
I've been vegetarian for 25 years and tried going vegan a few times and let me tell you, in the 80s it was very limiting! Now there are so many options. It is a good time to be vegan!

Grokette

One tip I can provide (so as not to be a mooch - lol).

My daughter is a vegetarian, and we really love Smart Ground. It is a veggie based ground meat substitute that I find in the specialty area of the produce department. For most recipes it stands in pretty well for ground beef..

Good luck.

thank you I will have to look that up.

I am sending you a PM.