Vegetarian!

Really great bulk meal is lentil and spinach stew/soup, you can find it on bbc good food website. Very hearty but low calorie and makes loads. Another easy bulk meal is bean chilli, again you can make a big batch and eat it throughout the week. Also chickpea (garbanzo bean) curry with some form of vegetable.
Just aim to have some form of protein in whatever it is you eat, be it lentils (very cheap), beans etc also experiment! There are so many things we dont try because we are so used to eating meat.

If you are sharing with a meat eater, try mushrooms, they can be quite 'fleshy' in texture. Also lots of the fake meats are very convincing, but check lables as they can be quite calorific.

A good snack is rice cakes with low fat cottage cheese. Also chopped veggies with a bit if low fat humous, or apple with nutbutter.

Good luck with going vegetarian!

I'd recommend a Pinterest account and search for vegetarian main courses as that was the most difficult for me...note that I'm not 100% vegetarian but I eat vegetarian about 3-4 times per week. Most of my main courses involve things like beans, lentils, potato varieties, pasta, gnocchi, etc...mushrooms have become a staple as well for that meaty/fleshy texture.

I'd have to say though that I put more effort into my vegetarian meals than I do for most of my meat meals...in my experience, planning is more necessary and many meals just require more preparation than throwing a piece of meat on the grill and serving it up with some kind of grain/starch and some veg...so I don't know that you'll get away with much in regards to "little work"...though a lot of things can also be done in crock pots.

Curious as to why you're going vegetarian. Just as a forewarning, most of my vegetarian meals are actually more calorie dense than my meat meals...many vegetarian staple foods like lentils and beans and whatnot are pretty calorie dense...but they're also very filling, so more difficult to overeat.

Hi, I'm vegan and love it! Feel free to ask if you need any advice
I suggest trying all the different types of protein you can eat instead of meat. Beans, legumes, nut butters (my favourite), tofu, tempeh (my other favourite), seitan (be aware it contains gluten) and so on! Pre-made faux meats are a good option if you're short on time, but it's usually healthier and more economical to go for the less processed protein sources like beans and nuts.

Some easy meals to look into are pasta dishes with a tomato lentil sauce, home made pizza, chunky soups with beans or tofu etc. If you're short on time, a peanut butter and jam sandwich on rye bread is my go to, but you could always go for the faux meat/tofu steak in a sandwich/with a grain and some veggies option! Canned beans are also great in a rush- baked beans on toast are one of my favourites, and if you can find flavoured canned beans (for example Indian style lentils is one I can find where I live), they go great with rice. You can even use microwave rice for a VERY quick meal- just add veggies to top it all off If the other person in your household won't want to even try going vegetarian for some meals, you might like to make a vegetarian base meal (eg pasta) and add meat for the other person after serving (like shredded chicken)- although I'm sure if you are eating delicious vegetarian meals no one will miss the meat

Smoothies are a great option too! Just add some nuts, seeds, or seed/nut butter for protein and fat content.
Grab some tinned chickpeas, garlic, lemon, salt, pepper, and some tahini and make your own hummus. You can customise it however you want and it's a really versatile vegetarian protein source. Chuck it in a sandwich with veggies, have it as a snack with crackers or chips or veggie sticks as a snack (could be an exciting snack for the toddler too). The possibilities are endless, really

Good luck, and I hope your vegetarian experiment goes well! I haven't regretted even a second since going vegan, I feel so much healthier and so much happier with myself because I know I'm doing my best for the environment and our animal friends!

Why trying it for a month?

i was a vegetarian as a kid for a while (i loved animals so much.. still do). I actually havent ate meat in three weeks. i didnt plan on it it just sort of happend. Agreed with pinterest! Also vegetarian is so easy because u just remove whatever protien. My husband is not vegetarian and im not labeling myself as one yet but every meal i made he either ate (he loves veggies grains beans ect) or i just grilled him up stuff on the side.

i love being a vegan.....love all the fresh veggies and fruit. i so some protein shakes, greek yogurt and beans as some of my protein sources. nut butter is a good one as well as eggs! best of luck!

EttaMaeMartin wrote: »

i love being a vegan.....love all the fresh veggies and fruit. i so some protein shakes, greek yogurt and beans as some of my protein sources. nut butter is a good one as well as eggs! best of luck!

What Greek yogurt do you use for protein? I've never seen a non-dairy one that has a good amount of protein.

Kids don't really care about meat on their plate so that's not a problem. Not sure of your living arrangement but my husband and I a lot of times just make our own meals individually. If I am making something he likes he'll eat it too which is more often than not. I'd start with Mexican food. Very easy to do vegetarian.

Meghanebk wrote: »

Awesome advice! I'm not really trying to do "little work" just don't wanna spend 3 hours cooking two-three different meals every night!
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Is there some reason your housemate can't cook for themselves if they're is not willing to eat the same meal as you? They're an adult, they can learn to cook if they don't currently have the skills and are unwilling to eat what you make. Or barring that, they can share your main dish and add whatever they like to it to make it more tasty. You could google "vegetarian recipes for carnivores" and get a lot of hits on things they may be more willing to try.

The toddler is another issue, most of them are so very fixated on specific foods I'd just make whatever they're willing to eat. Try feeding them your new recipes though - my neice and nephews were surprisingly adventurous eaters at 4 years old. But only for some things.

some people and families have their lives set up where one person does the cooking. My husband can cook for himself but i dont work he pays all the bills so its how i contribute.

I make vegan gluten free tacos! Can't tell the difference after putting some lime juice and hot sauce on it (or a good salsa). My bf, huge meat eater, didn't even realize I had him eating vegan and gluten free for 3 months LOL. Try some Southeast Asian dishes. We eat a lot of vegan food such as curries, rice noodle soups, stir fry veggies, and lemongrass tofu (sweet chili tofu is good too!) Can't wait to hear about your adventure! You will feel awesome! Lol

If you can find quark at your grocer it's very high in protein and like a thick yogurt ( I know you can make it too). Focus on beans, lentils peas eggs and yogurt if you are going lacto o o and will consume dairy n eggs. Cottage cheese is very filling. Making veggie burgers, tofu ( you need to cook it in something for flavor), seitan,if going with some boxed things I recommend litelife, quorn, Helen brands. Also there's lots to get creative with. Just look up vegan or vegetarian meals!

EttaMaeMartin wrote: »

i love being a vegan.....love all the fresh veggies and fruit. i so some protein shakes, greek yogurt and beans as some of my protein sources. nut butter is a good one as well as eggs! best of luck!

You're not vegan if you're eating greek yogurt...you also mentioned eggs, dairy, and fish in another thread...that would be Pescatarian....a far cry from being vegan.