Vegetarianism/Veganism

mamaclose
mamaclose Posts: 179 Member
in Food and Nutrition
For those of you who are vegetarians/vegans and have families, how do you approach food?

I was a vegetarian for 7 years, then when I started college, began to eat meat again. I've been eating meat ever since. I'd like to return to vegetarianism, and eventually to completely vegan.

However, I am now married to a "meat and potatoes" kinda guy and have three small children. I'm not sure how to handle this situation. I know my husband will never give up meat, no way no how.

At this point I've only cut out red meat, still eating turkey, chicken, seafood, dairy, etc. This isn't a huge deal since as a family we've reduced red meat intake since January. I had a conversation with my husband this weekend and he is NOT willing to eliminate meat from his diet and doesn't feel the kids should either.

Do I simply make my own separate meals that are meat free? Any ideas?

Replies

  • darkling_glory
    darkling_glory Posts: 239 Member
    When my husband (then boyfriend) and I first moved in together I felt like I had to cook to separate meals all the time (he is an omni).

    After a while, he saw how much work I was putting in and told me not to worry about it, he could handle dinner on his own. Sometimes he will eat what I make (pasta, or burritos) but most of the time he makes his own dinner. For example, I might make a vegetable stir-fry for myself and he'll have some of the veggies as a side dish and make himself a piece of chicken.

    This works out well for us and as time has gone on he has eaten less and less meat in the house - all stuff that doesn't really need cooking. Maybe some lunch meat, a can of chicken soup, or a frozen pizza with some meat on it.

    As for your kids, well, if you're the one cooking they need to eat what you cook. Talk to your husband about it, tell him how important it is to you, and go from there.

    I will warn you - there might be fights at first. When I switched from vegetarian to vegan my husband was convinced we'd never be able to eat out again and we fought a lot for a week or two.

    But now he is super supportive and I just love him for it!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    There are quite a few of my vegetarian recipes that my meat and potatoes boyfriend will eat, like my chili. He isn't above making his own meals, either. Neither is my daughter, but she's 17.

    If I make a full meal for everyone that includes meat, I always have a few sides that I can eat and they're filling enough to keep me happy. Once you get started on it, it isn't that difficult or really any more work.
  • Vegan_Runner
    Vegan_Runner Posts: 133 Member
    Make meals where you can sub the protein. If they are having chicken, make tofu, tempeh or seitan for yourself. Besides you can do meatless meals throughout the week, they do not have to have meat at every meal. Or your hubby can cook the meat meals and you cook the rest.
  • TKHappy
    TKHappy Posts: 659 Member
    I am and was a vegetarian when I met my 'meat and potatoes' husband! Before that I was cooking for myself and my two small children, when we moved in with my husband and step son I just make everyone elses dinner and mine seperately...it can be a pain but if you prepare for it, its not that bad! All of our "sides" are veggie based for the most part and I will just cook the meat on the side....soooo they have steaks, I have tofu steaks and so on. Sometimes it is completely different meals, I think you just will have to see what works best for you. :)
  • grassette
    grassette Posts: 976 Member
    Just go with one meatless day per week for everybody.
  • Katalysts
    Katalysts Posts: 11
    I agree with the approach on the husband above me, but not so much the kids. Forcing your kids into vegetarianism isn't going to do anything good for them long-term. Offering them either choices (your husband or your meal) and letting them see how happy and healthy you are is a great start. Later, when they learn for themselves the benefits of being vegetarian they can make that decision for themselves. I knew one girl who was raised vegetarian at home and she would go nuts at school (this was in elementary school). Once we were all hanging out with a mutual friend and the friends mother brought us fast food- the poor girl gorged herself until she was sick and complained about how much she hated her parents for never letting her eat meat. I'm all for vegetarianism but I think it should be the individuals choice.
  • smoffette
    smoffette Posts: 56 Member
    I would check out the Happy Herbivore cookbooks and blog recipes (the blog ones are free online!). The recipes are to the liking of many meat and potatoes people, and the spicing and sweetness of dishes is similar to what you see in normal American cuisine. At least using some of these recipes can help you manage cooking something the family will like that will adhere to your new diet plans, and you may even win some converts who will at least concede that veg food can be delicious (even if for them it is only once in a while). Good luck!
  • lissymae11
    lissymae11 Posts: 71
    I decided to become a vegetarian when I was 10, but the rest of my family ate meat. For certain things, you can use meat substitutes, and people can barely tell the difference. Morningstar Farms makes "Veggie Crumbles" that you can season and use basically the same way as ground beef. I like it in shephard's pie, or in tacos, for example.

    For other meals, my suggestion would be to cook the meat (or have your husband do it). If you have side dishes (mashed potatoes, veggies, etc.) everyone can eat those. But you should find some way to substitute protein in your diet (so make something easy that's vegetarian). It doesn't necessarily have to be two entirely separate meals.

    I wouldn't suggest making your kids become vegetarian, but that's just my opinion. However, if they decide at some point that they want to, then surely be supportive! Seeing you be a vegetarian, they may get curious and decide that they want to try it at some point. However, when I became a vegetarian as a ten year old, I developed really bad eating habits (I didn't eat meat, but I also didn't substitute with anything else that was healthy) so make sure that they're healthy about it!
  • TheChocolatePrincess
    TheChocolatePrincess Posts: 137 Member
    Why do you have to make completely seperate meals? Most of what you eat can be side dishes to any meat that they have.

    If i had a large family of meat eaters, I would do things on the weekend like make a large pot of spaghetti sauce with ground beef, roast a whole chicken or chicken parts, and maybe do a pot roast or pork roast.

    Then I would take those meats; portion them off, and freeze them.

    At that point, you are only making whatever vegetarian dish that you would eat during the week and you can provide them with the meat as they want it. i.e. 10 minute pasta can be spaghettii and meatsauce for them and pasta and veggies for you; veggie stir fry can also be chicken veggie stir fry.

    So on; so forth. I am a big meal planner because my boyfriend works two jobs. I try and have things pre-made so that all he has to do is grab and go. I will do a large Sunday dinner and he will much on it for the entire week and I make varied items (like 3 different veggies, 2 meats, and 2 starches) so he isn't eating the same things over and over again.

    Good luck!
  • gracey2521
    gracey2521 Posts: 72
    There are a lot of vegan and vegetarian dishes you can make that you can easily add meat too. I will make the dish and then cook up a little chicken breast for my husband and add it on the side. It's pretty easy!
  • rhythmicveggie
    rhythmicveggie Posts: 48
    I was a vegetarian for years (hence the 'veggie' in my username) and I've only started eating chicken again recently. My boyfriend, on the other hand, is a huge meat lover. Steaks, chicken, bacon, and did I mention steaks? :tongue:

    I still usually pick vegetarian options, and I still buy my fake meats. When we would be making our dinner, I would get a plain piece of a meat replacement, like an unseasoned chunk of "chicken". He'd have his regular chicken, and we'd just cook marinade both and season both and cook both, just as if they were just chicken. I used to keep his chicken blocked off in case the juices would spread during cooking, haha. I'm not that strict about it any more, but it's totally possible to do that.

    Ah, and about the cooking times.. timing it is probably the trickiest part.. you kind of just have to add the second one later in the baking. It took a while to get a hang of the cooking times, but in the end neither of us are suffering.
  • mamaclose
    mamaclose Posts: 179 Member
    I have no intention of forcing my kids to be vegetarians, that is most definitely a personal choice in my opinion.

    Thanks for all the ideas, I had intended on simply eating all the "sides", veggies, potatoes, pasta, what have you then subbing the "meat" portion with a meat alternative (tofu, etc.) for myself. I think this will be the easiest approach.

    Thanks again!
  • XxXHillaryXxX
    XxXHillaryXxX Posts: 32 Member
    I am a mother of two (8 years old & 5 years old) and wife. I am also Vegan 90% of the time (I occasionally have dairy). I should mention that we all eat vegetarian meals for the most part in this house. My kids eat meat on the weekends when they stay with grandparents and my husband occasionally eats meat when we go out. We aren't a big "sit down at the dinner table and have a family style meal" kind of family because of conflicting schedules but the kids and I eat similar meals. The difference is I add certain things to thier plates like dairy products or eggs. Sometimes I pick up Ian's Gluten Free chicken nuggets for them. You don't have to all eat the same foods. And I feel by eating the way I do in front of my kids it encourages them to eat more fruits and veggies. Science has shown that a BALANCED Vegan/Vegetarian diet can provide adequate amounts of all nutrients needed to live a healthy life (yes, including protein). If I were in your position I would start preparing meals that meet your needs as a vegan or vegetarian then adding a meat item for your kids and husband to enjoy in addition to the other items served. This should make everyone happy. And you never know one day they might start to enjoy meals without the added meat item. Thats how my husband came around. Good luck!
  • gpmominoh
    gpmominoh Posts: 17 Member
    I try to eat mostly vegan. But my boyfriend and kids are meat eaters. I have 3 basic strategies

    1. I always make a couple vegan options to have in the fridge. This allows me to cook a meaty dinner for them and have something to heat up for myself for myself. These are usually soups or roasted veggies with rice and beans... stuff that reheats well.

    2. Combo meals --- Spaghetti is great. Just don't put meat in about 1 cup of the sauce, and the whole family can eat the same thing. Tacos -- I give them meat filling, but I have black bean dip instead. Burgers -- I go for boca

    3. Side Dishes -- baked potatoes are great because they can be topped with salsa and be enough for my dinner.
  • mamaclose
    mamaclose Posts: 179 Member
    I would check out the Happy Herbivore cookbooks and blog recipes (the blog ones are free online!). The recipes are to the liking of many meat and potatoes people, and the spicing and sweetness of dishes is similar to what you see in normal American cuisine. At least using some of these recipes can help you manage cooking something the family will like that will adhere to your new diet plans, and you may even win some converts who will at least concede that veg food can be delicious (even if for them it is only once in a while). Good luck!

    Thanks for the website, there are some great recipes on there!
  • darkling_glory
    darkling_glory Posts: 239 Member
    I have no intention of forcing my kids to be vegetarians, that is most definitely a personal choice in my opinion.

    Thanks for all the ideas, I had intended on simply eating all the "sides", veggies, potatoes, pasta, what have you then subbing the "meat" portion with a meat alternative (tofu, etc.) for myself. I think this will be the easiest approach.

    Thanks again!
    Here's the thing. You shouldn't look at is as forcing your kids to eat/not eat meat. But if YOU'RE the cook, you should be able to cook and eat what you want to eat.

    Just like my husband doesn't force me to cook him meat, I don't force him to eat vegan. But if he wants to eat what I'm eating, it will be vegan.

    Because the majority of homes in American are omni, kids are growing up omni and being told that that is how you eat. If you grew up in a vegetarian household your kids would just assume that being vegetarian is the way people eat.

    You'd be surprised how quickly kids internalize vegetarianism. If you explain to them (and I don't know how old your kids are, but this works well for younger children) that you don't eat cows because you don't believe that cows should have to die for you to have a hamburger you can bet your kids will at least consider what you're saying.

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