Vegetarian? Help please!

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savismommy
savismommy Posts: 56
in Food and Nutrition
When I was a junior in high school, I was vegetarian for a year. Now I'm wanting to go back to that. Today is day one. What do YOU eat? Menu ideas. Food ideas. I need some ideas. My husband and I are currently staying with my sister. My husband and sister are both very big on meat. Meaning if there's not meat, it's not a meal! How do you balance your food - not eating meat - with their food. I REALLY love chicken. And hamburgers. And I know it's going to be hard.

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  • aaleigha1
    aaleigha1 Posts: 408 Member
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    do some research to make sure your diet is balanced a good vegetarian author is rose elliot I have various of her vegetarian books

    you can marinade tofu and use it in a stir fry eggs florentine is a nice luncheon dish
    I have oly just joined but feel free to friend me so you can see my food diary
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,342 Member
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    Not hard at all, get the vegetarian versions of their meats, and put those in your part of the dish. I do this because my fiance eats meat. When he has barbecue I have barbecue same with, lunch meat, chicken, burgers, meatballs and anything else. I like Quorn best then morningstar. Otherwise beans and lentils can be a good replacement to meat. Also look up Veggie Nut Roast, really delicious, just like meatloaf and you could keep it in the freezer and pull it out and microwave it.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    My diary is wide open. Feel free to look and ask any questions.

    Also, I have a blog (still in early stages) with some recipes I like on it: reneesnewrecipes.wordpress.com
  • silvergurl518
    silvergurl518 Posts: 4,123 Member
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    do you like fried chicken? general tso's chicken? chicken chicken chicken???? then buy saitan (wheat gluten). you will *not* be disappointed. it's amazing!!!
  • lawkat
    lawkat Posts: 538 Member
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    Why did you become a vegetarian? There are a lot of books out there that give guidance on how to get all of your vitamins and minerals.

    I love tofu, lentils, beans and nuts which give me a lot of protein. You can change a lot of recipes around to replace meat with tofu or seitan.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    If you really love chicken and burgers, why are you becoming a vegetarian? Is it for health, or ethical reasons?
  • savismommy
    savismommy Posts: 56
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    I loooove chicken! LOL. General Tso's from the walmart deli is one of my favorites. When I was vegetarian, I was in it for the whole animal rights deal. Now I want to go back for that reason AND for my health. When I was veg I lost 20 pounds, and that was with just changing the way I ate (taking away the meat). I know it would help with my weight loss and much more! I like the Morning Star and Boca brands, but I have never heard of Quorn.
  • tikikris
    tikikris Posts: 81 Member
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    I've been vegetarian for 30 years and married to a non-vegetarian for 23. I find that if I don't make a BIG DEAL out of cooking a "vegetarian" meal, no one notices the lack of an animal on the plate. My husband, our families, and my friends love my cooking because they know I will always come up with something unique to serve them.

    A great pasta, veggie chilli, quiche or casserole does not need meat to be tasty and satisfying. Plenty of grocery stores make vegan/vegetarian meat substitutes for recipes. Every Thanksgiving, I make a Tofurkey roast, and it always goes faster than any other dish.

    If all else fails and your family does not want to eat what you prepare, so be it. To each his (or her) own.
  • savismommy
    savismommy Posts: 56
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    If you really love chicken and burgers, why are you becoming a vegetarian? Is it for health, or ethical reasons?


    Health and ethical reasons.
  • ctkennedy
    ctkennedy Posts: 19 Member
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    I'm vegan so I really confuse people with that one. I love mexican food because you can make that with no meat (but you can still add cheese if you want). Last night I made sweet potato and soy chorizo enchiladas but you can make sweet potato and black bean enchiladas as well. To substitute meat in recipes you can use tofu, tempeh or seitan depending on the texture you want. Also there are vegetarian/vegan sausages, meatballs, chicken available as long as your food store carries those items. I like gardein (they have really good "chicken" fingers) and Quorn brand items but there is also boca and morningstar. You can easily find recipes on line or even check out the moosewood cookbook. Those recipes are vegetarian (so fish though) and don't require too many crazy products like tempeh and seitan.
  • lilmissemmylou
    lilmissemmylou Posts: 11 Member
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    im another who uses veggie meat alternatives but my OH who was a HUGE meat eatter now eats a lot of veggie items and so if we make lasagne or spag bol etc it is much easier for us all to have the veggie version as a family.

    I do also love looking for new dishes to try, today I seen a spinnach lasanga roll dish on another forum thread and it looks YUMMY! I will so be trying it.

    Check out some veggie websites to get ideas of meals that may suit you and your family :)
  • d13raven
    d13raven Posts: 3 Member
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    I will say off the bat, I am not a vegetarian. But I do cook several meatless dishes. I like to grill yellow squash and zucchini when my husband wants to grill steak. Also for dishes with meat in them that are casserole like I use lentil or the morning star crumbles to substitute (it also works really well to replace taco meat).
  • Pangui
    Pangui Posts: 373 Member
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    What do YOU eat?

    Lots of fruit and vegetables, potatoes, sweet potatoes, salads, brown rice, brown pasta, quinoa, oatmeal, corn, beans (almost all kinds), lentils, tofu and meat substitutes (limited), nuts, seeds, and any other whole food I forgot to mention.

    Typical dishes in our home include, whole grain spaghetti with marinara sauce, lasagna, chili (many great versions), veggie and bean stews, sweet potato and black bean enchiladas, stir fry rice & veggies, scrambled tofu, and lots of soups. Usually, I just keep it simple and serve something like red potatoes topped with leftovers, sauteed mushrooms, veggies and salsa. One of my favorite websites is www.fatfreevegan.com.
  • maura5880
    maura5880 Posts: 346 Member
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    I haven't had meat in about a month now & I've been easily adapting to a vegetarian lifestyle. The "fake" meats out there are incredible! I don't care for veggie burgers, but the Morningstar chicken nuggets and patties are amazing. Smart Dogs are also delicious. Amy's makes a frozen veggie lasagna that is great, too. If you're low on protein without meat, try Greek yogurt and if you like chili, Smart Chili has beans and soy protein, 19g in one serving!
  • california_peach
    california_peach Posts: 1,858 Member
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    I am not a vegetarian, but my husband is and has been for most of his adult life. I have a vegetarian cooking blog with loads of recipes that appeal of meat eaters and vegetarians alike. There are also tons of vegetarian products which are great, like Morning Stars and Boca.

    As to balance, my children and I are omnivores, so I cook meat on the side usually a chicken breast or a fish fillet. I often use the ourdoor grill and the George Forman grill for this. Casseroles, pasta dishes and things like that I make meat-free. Then I'll have the meat on the side if I feel it works with the overall meal.
  • grassette
    grassette Posts: 976 Member
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    Check out Recipes for Health at the New York Times for wonderful vegetarian recipes. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/series/recipes_for_health/index.html
  • savismommy
    savismommy Posts: 56
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    Thanks to everyone for the wonderful replies! Checking out the blogs and different things now! :]
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    I loooove chicken! LOL. General Tso's from the walmart deli is one of my favorites. When I was vegetarian, I was in it for the whole animal rights deal. Now I want to go back for that reason AND for my health. When I was veg I lost 20 pounds, and that was with just changing the way I ate (taking away the meat). I know it would help with my weight loss and much more! I like the Morning Star and Boca brands, but I have never heard of Quorn.

    Don't assume it will help with your weight loss. I've been veg for a few years now and still struggle.
  • xhaller
    xhaller Posts: 95
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    http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/chickpea-spinach-curry-00100000066526/

    http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/tortellini-butternut-squash-00100000066437/
    http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/dinner-menus-00100000066454/page2.html#10

    Here are three awesome meals I have made in the last week!!

    And here's an awesome recipe I posted in another forum. In fact, I'm making it tonight. My husband eats meat but luckily he's totally open minded and doesn't mind eating meatless meals. We both love these burritos!

    Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

    -Large sweet potato
    -Half of a red onion
    -Olive oil
    -One can organic (or low sodium) black beans, rinsed
    -1tbsp of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (usually found in the Mexican section)
    -One small bunch of spinach
    -Large flour tortillas
    -6oz. shredded monterrey jack cheese

    Cut a large sweet potato and half a red onion in chunks.
    Combine in large pan with olive oil. Cover for 10-12 minute but stir occasionally, until softened.
    Add one can of black beans and 1 tbsp of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
    Mix for 2 minutes.
    Add a small bunch of coarsely chopped spinach.
    Let cook for another two minutes.

    Divide among five large flour tortillas. Divide 6 oz. shredded Monterrey jack cheese between each shell.

    Roll burrito style and cook in pan, approximately 3 minutes on each side.

    Obviously you can add whatever else you want and spices.
  • nebtanhai
    nebtanhai Posts: 4
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    I love Hummus and other crock pot beans. falafels are another good one.

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