Cutting down on meat. Need help

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...
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Replies

  • Movemoreguy22
    Movemoreguy22 Posts: 387 Member
    I'm still happy to eat eggs, dairy maybe fish.
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,970 Member
    I'm a pescatarian which is a plant based diet with seafood, eggs and some dairy.

    Would you have the same aversion to fish?

    How about trying things like roasted veggies? You could use additional oils or fat of some kind to up the calories.
  • Movemoreguy22
    Movemoreguy22 Posts: 387 Member
    LyndaBSS wrote: »
    I'm a pescatarian which is a plant based diet with seafood, eggs and some dairy.

    Would you have the same aversion to fish?

    How about trying things like roasted veggies? You could use additional oils or fat of some kind to up the calories.

    I've got no prob eating salmon, tuna..
  • Safari_Gal_
    Safari_Gal_ Posts: 1,461 Member
    I love avocados. I have to limit since I’m trying to cut right now - but if you are trying to gain - they are your friend too!

    Some other plant based ideas with or without dairy- Eggplant parmigiana?
    Tried peanut stew? Can add or not add chicken.
    Egg frittata?
    Vegetable lasagna- use zucchini or eggplant and omit ground beef.

    Check this avocado recipe link- https://www.google.com/amp/s/tasty.co/article/alisoncaporimo/delicious-ways-to-eat-avocado-for-dinner
  • I love to make curries using chick peas, and also marinated chick peas. I add marinated chick peas on top of salads and they fill me up. One can of rinsed chick peas, add juice of one lime, half a clove of garlic, minced, 1 tbs olive oil, salt and pepper. I also eat less meat and the stuff I do eat is humanely raised.
  • MoKaaz
    MoKaaz Posts: 162 Member
    I usually have a cheese cucumber sandwich at lunch and dinner is normally some egg product. Egg or a tofu substitute for meat.
  • NewMeSM75
    NewMeSM75 Posts: 971 Member
    edited September 2019
    Mushroom quesadillas are the bomb! Sautee mushrooms with garlic, onions and little thyme. I like the ole xtreme wellness tortillas. Tortilla, provolone cheese, mushroom mixture, provolone, fold over tortilla. Cook in nonstick skillet with butter or I use olive oil spray. Deeeeelicious!

    Also, stuffed peppers. Vegetarian chili. Stuffed zucchini. Soups (lentil, broccoli, zucchini, potato, tomato).

    Vegetable skewers. Eggplant parm. I oven bake my eggplant instead of frying.

    Cheese ravioli. Pasta with fresh tomato sauce.

    Morning star makes some pretty descent vegetarian options also.

    Few of my ideas. Lol.

  • novio50
    novio50 Posts: 778 Member
    Stick to legumes. I would do a quinoa bean mix or some type of black bean burger and fries for lunch. Dinner I would go with something like mushrooms or jack fruit. Give it a try, you won't die....
  • ThatJuJitsuWoman
    ThatJuJitsuWoman Posts: 155 Member
    This evening I had vegetable stew with a load of peanut butter stirred into it. I would have loved a thick slice of crusty bread with it, but I’m trying to lose weight not gain!

    Chilli made with soya mince and beans, served with rice and cornbread is very filling (and the cornbread is sadly high in calories!). I’m a big fan of Mexican type food. Indian is also great, there are lots of filling dishes made with chickpeas or potatoes. You could also add paneer, and serve everything with rice and naan bread.

    I don’t eat meat at all but I’ve always found it easy to gain weight. Losing it is a different matter 😁
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,023 Member
    edited September 2019
    Beans, lentils, soy products and fish would be your best bet. Google-ing "vegetarian meals" will probably get you some ideas of how to structure a meal without meat, in addition to the ideas you get here.

    Being an ethical vegetarian is your choice, but beware of throwing your diet into chaos because of "some video on facebook". And there is nothing wrong with slowly removing meat from your diet as you continue to learn ways to replace it. When you grow up with meals centered around meat, it can be hard to visualize a full plate of food without meat that doesn't leave you looking for protein!

    When I was looking to increase the protein in my diet without adding more meat, it was beans, lentils, Greek yogurt, and a bit more fish that did the trick.
  • hmhill17
    hmhill17 Posts: 283 Member
    I've made some decent tofu curries and stir fries. Add chickpeas or beans to a salad. I'll make a batch of black beans and eat it with brown rice and pico de gallo. Dab of Greek yogurt on top instead of sour cream and more protein.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    edited September 2019
    I gave up meat 9 months ago and I use some meat substitutes, veggie burgers, etc.

    I also make a lot of rice and beans and recently starting making more stews like sweet potato and black bean, African peanut, and Indian dishes as well.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    edited September 2019
    If you're willing to eat fish and eggs there's also the option of buying other meats that are slaughtered and butchered in more humane ways (both humane for the animals and the humans). I would hazard that some videos that you see on Facebook (among other places) aren't good representations of animal husbandry and slaughter (given the videos you can find of wool shearing vs typical practices).

    Barring that, it's exceedingly easy to find good Indian recipes that are meat free. I also am a fan of cooking all manner of non-Indian curries without meat. Here are some links to recipes that I've saved recently that I have made or want to make. Some have fish but most don't have any animal products (and it appears the bulk are from The Guardian). Some of the links from the Guardian have more than one recipe with at least one containing meat, I'm obviously not pointing you towards the ones that contain meat.
    https://www.theguardian.com/food/2018/nov/10/meera-sodhas-vegan-thai-green-curry-recipe (this one is amazing)
    https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/aug/17/yotam-ottolenghi-rice-recipe-black-rice-squash-dirt-veggie-fritters
    https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/may/04/yotam-ottolenghi-broccoli-recipes-fried-pickled-rocket-pasta-mushroom-ketchup
    https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/mar/31/the-flexible-pescatarian-after-work-spicy-fish-parcels
    https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/apr/20/four-vegan-meals-for-a-pound-singapore-miguel-barclay
    https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/mar/09/yotam-ottolengi-bean-recipes-bean-mash-confit-garlic-aioli-rice-mung-bean-kubbeh-beef-rib-butterbeans
    https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/feb/03/nigel-slater-warming-winter-soup-and-cake-recipes
    https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/baked_sweet_potato_taquitos/
    https://redhousespice.com/pan-fried-vegetarian-dumplings/
    https://www.angsarap.net/2018/10/19/stir-fried-fish-and-broccoli-in-mushroom-black-bean-ginger-sriracha-sauce/
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
    edited September 2019
    I would recommend checking out some vegan or vegetarian cookbooks (Isa Chandra Moskowitz has done some good ones)...thing is, it's usually very easy to adapt those recipes to include stuff like (some) meat, eggs, dairy, etc., much easier than it would be to just use a traditional cookbook and try to "de-meat" all of the recipes. My husband eats a pescetarian diet and we honestly eat more vegan stuff than fish, at home. We often make "vegan" recipes but then add dairy cheese (for example).

    I loved the ideas above especially the ones from NewMeSM75...but we eat a lot of beans, lentils, chickpeas, baked russet or sweet potatoes with nutritional yeast, chickpea stew, TVP seasoned like taco meat, extra firm tofu seared in a pan or in stir fries, edamame & hummus on a wrap with lots of veggies, etc.

    Morningstar grillers veggie burgers on a bed of rice with a fried egg is one of my favorite meals especially with a bit of homemade brown gravy (using "no beef" broth)...it's like Loco Moco, but vegetarian. So good!

    If you have an Aldi store near you, they have amazing vegetarian meatballs with Italian seasoning. Very good on a sandwich or in pasta with marinara.

    Also, avocado is a nice source of calories & good fat if you're trying to gain (and if you like the taste of avocado).
  • FireyChimera
    FireyChimera Posts: 155 Member
    I am vegetarian and I eat cereal , oatmeal, veggie patties, toast with guacamole, egg sandwiches, veggie soups, rice, lentils, quinoa, apples, peaches, grapes, yogurt, beans, peanut butter sandwiches, crackers and nut butter,and pasta to name a few things that I like to have for lunch or dinner. If you need more ideas, I have plenty! Also I eat pancakes for dinner usually twice a week or more :)
  • FireyChimera
    FireyChimera Posts: 155 Member

    While I'm not there yet myself, I applaud ethical vegetarians and vegans.

    Thanks for the shout out! I went vegetarian when I was 9, vegan when I was 13, and now vegetarian again :) I am in it for ethical and health
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Also the Moosewood cookbooks by Mollie Katzen are great.
  • phx92
    phx92 Posts: 87 Member
    I haven’t ever eaten plant based really but if you like Mexican food you can make some good stuff with no meat—things like beans(black or pinto), squash, rice, avocado, corn, tomatoes, peppers and onions are all good. Spices and salsas can give you a lot of flavor. You can use pretty much any of those to make tacos (potato tacos are amazing), burritos/burrito bowls (breakfast burritos are great all day), or enchiladas. Bean tostadas are great (I’ve never actually checked the calories or nutrition on them, but it’s a fried crispy corn tortilla so idk)

    Other meatless meals I’ve eaten: baked potato/sweet potato, pb&j, veggie omelettes, chili, black bean burgers (texture is softer than meat but flavorful).

    I have some vegetarian friends who love mushrooms, especially the big portabellos.