Transitioning to Vegetarian

[Daisy]

So I'm ready to take the plunge. We buy our meat as responsibly as we can (local organic co-op) but I'm really ready to just set aside meat altogether.

 

The problem? I'm the only one in the family.

 

We already eat vegetarian 2-3x a week usually and everyone is fine with that, but I know my husband doesn't want to make it a 24/7 thing.

 

So can any of you recommend meals that are easy to make that would have meat for the rest of the family and be meatless for me?

 

One example I can think of is that I make chicken/eggplant parmesan. I can easily just make a smaller ramekin of eggplant parm for me while not having to change the recipe much.

 

Any other ideas or suggestions?

[Sherry in OH]

Couldn't you just make vegetarian meals, but have a side of meat?

 

Spaghetti with marina sauce, meatballs or sausage on the side

Vegetable stir-fry, rice, baked/fried chicken legs

Casserole (any type you like), meatloaf - use leftover meatloaf as a side another night

 

Sausage, hamburger, bacon, meatballs, fish-sticks, and chicken fillets are all easily prepared meats.

[bluemongoose]

spaghetti

Chili

Lasagna

Salads

Omelets

Pizza

Sandwiches

 

Really just about anything can be made with a vegetarian base and then meat added to it.

 

Some great Vegetarian cookbooks are the Moosewood Restaurant Cookbooks.

 

I am the only vegetarian as well, but my family is very used to vegetarian meals now. We probably have meat once ever 2 weeks or so at home. DH often has meat at work in his lunch. When we go out to eat (like once every 2-3 months or so) the kids still pick vegetarian meals 95% of the time, DH usually orders meat.

[Daisy]

My worry is not getting any protein.

 

Right now we pretty much cook

 

grilled meat (chicken, fish) and veggies (year round)

 

or

 

vegetarian meal (usually when we have more starchy foods like pasta).

 

Sooo, I'm not sure how to add protein to our typical dinner.

 

I can dump the grilled meat for me but if I just substitute with more veggies, I won't get protein, right?

 

Lunches and breakfasts are easy because I usually have oatmeal and salad.

[Mejane]

If you eat eggs, dairy and beans, you shouldn't have any problem getting enough protein. We usually eat way more than we need.

[AK_Mom4]

Mexican foods. Beans and cheese provide good protein for you. You can easily serve burritos or tacos - everyone builds their own and you can just skip the meat. You can make a pan of enchiladas with meat and one for you with beans/cheese.

 

Beans are great, too because you can cook up a big pot and keep the leftovers in the fridge or freezer to add to your meal in place of meat.

 

Don't know if eggs are on your list, but you can make awesome egg dishes (lots of protein just in the eggs) with meat added for the rest of the family or plain for you.

[LauraGB]

You might want to keep various kinds of beans on hand for easy tossing into salads and sauces. Cheese, eggs, seeds, nuts are also handy for just adding.

 

I keep bags of home cooked beans in the freezer; kidney, great northern, black and pinto. Kidney are great for tossing into red meat sort of dishes, great northern for chicken sort of dishes. Sometimes my main dish is a salad and often consists of greens and veggies as well as some sort of bean, cheese and sunflower seeds, or left over lentils, etc.

[elise1mds]

My son decided to become vegetarian a couple weeks ago. I posted a thread about it here http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=211969 because he is also the only one in our family who is vegetarian.

 

You're probably more knowledgeable than I am about all of the details, but there were a lot of good suggestions. :)

[Medieval Mom]

See if your library has Moosewood Cooks At Home. It's my favorite cookbook, when I've been vegetarian, and when I'm not ;) It has great, easy to cook recipes that don't require bizarre ingredients (or they are easily substituted) and are quick to make. They provide suggestions for rounding out the meal, too. In the back are a few fish dishes, but the majority of recipes are vegetarian. It would be super simple with this book to "add meat" for the meat-lovers, but have a protein-rich main dish for all of you :) My favorite is the Udon noodles in peanut sauce (minus the hot spices). (Just add chicken for dh!) For years, I made it with bean thread noodles. Yumm!!

[Sherry in OH]

My worry is not getting any protein.

 

Right now we pretty much cook

 

grilled meat (chicken, fish) and veggies (year round)

 

or

 

vegetarian meal (usually when we have more starchy foods like pasta).

 

Sooo, I'm not sure how to add protein to our typical dinner.

 

I can dump the grilled meat for me but if I just substitute with more veggies, I won't get protein, right?

 

Lunches and breakfasts are easy because I usually have oatmeal and salad.

 

 

If you eat a varied diet you are unlikely to suffer from a lack of protein. There are small amounts in many foods. If you are really concerned, the main vegetarian sources of protein are (1) grains, (2) beans, and (3) nuts and seeds. If you eat foods from two or more of those groups on a regular basis, you will have plenty of protein. If you also eat dairy and/or eggs you will have even more protein.

 

If you substitute more veggies for grilled meat, you will need to eat a lot more veggies than you are probably used to consuming at one time. Otherwise you will get hungry sooner than expected. The problem will not be the lack of protein, it will be insufficient calories. If you want to lose weight, not a problem. Otherwise add some calorie dense foods to your diet.

Edited September 24, 2010 by Sherry in OH

[Daisy]

 

If you substitute more veggies for grilled meat, you will need to eat a lot more veggies than you are probably used to consuming at one time. Otherwise you will get hungry sooner than expected. The problem will not be the lack of protein, it will be insufficient calories. If you want to lose weight, not a problem. Otherwise add some calorie dense foods to your diet.

 

I don't think veggies will be my problem. We have no problem meeting our veggie quota for the day. LOL. I just rarely good grains or beans as side dishes so that will be new

 

I'm actually worried about GAINING weight (since I'm already overweight). Carbs and I rarely agree and the only way I've ever lost weight was on low-carb diets, but they make me feel ill.

 

Okay, I have a Moosewood cookbook. As I said, we do cook vegetarian a few nights a week. I'm just not used to adding any carbs to meals other than on those nights. So having carbs at every meal is SCARY to me.

 

I'm going to do some more research. Thanks everyone. I'm not trying to transition today. I'm doing my research and trying to ease into it without freaking my family out too much.

[Laura Corin]

I tend to make lots more veggies for me, and make sure that one of the veggies has the protein I need. If I make pork chops for the family, I'll make whole grain pasta to go with it, plus oven roasted mushrooms and zucchini, and steamed green beans. I just give myself extra large portions of the veg plus as much of the whole grain pasta as I need.

 

FWIW I'm not vegetarian - I still eat fish.

 

Laura

[knittingmomof3]

My worry is not getting any protein.

 

I can dump the grilled meat for me but if I just substitute with more veggies, I won't get protein, right?

 

 

Hi Daisy,

 

Just wanted to throw this out there...

 

The book EAT TO LIVE by Dr. Joel Fuhrman does a good job at exposing the myth that veggies don't have enough protein. I can't possibly do justice to his explanation so I'll just point you to his book. He gives ideas for vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. It's very informative.

[Laura Corin]

My worry is not getting any protein.

 

 

I think we worry too much about protein. Most of us eat much, much more than we need.

 

If we assume that you need 46 grams a day, then we can think about how that might happen.

 

I tend to drink about a cup of milk over the course of a day in tea and coffee. I also have a cup of milk with breakfast cereal. I drink soy milk, but the protein content is roughly the same between soy and dairy. That's around 16g of protein already. The bran flakes themselves contain 3g of protein, so we are already up to 19g. My wholegrain pasta has 14g of protein in every 100g, so with healthy pasta and veg for lunch you are up to 33g. There are 4g of protein in just three tablespoons of green peas, so a good helping of peas takes you up to 41g. A large red tomato gives you 1.5g, so four tomatoes complete your protein requirements.

 

So, you serve your family cereal for breakfast, pasta and veg (and meat if they need it) for lunch, a pea and tomato salad (and meat if needed) for supper, and all your needs are fulfilled, so long as you drink tea or coffee a few times during the day. The key to easy protein intake is some whole grains, a legume (peas, lentils, etc.), and lots of other fresh veg.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[Teachin'Mine]

Good for you!!! I haven't read all the way through all the posts, so these suggestions may have been made already.

 

Most people get more protein than they need. There are many great sources of protein that are easy enough to add to your meal. For example, you have a salad for lunch. Open a can of garbanzo beans, and add some to the salad. The same can be done with shredded cheese. Nuts, especially almonds, are also a great source. If you like beans, there are many options there. You can have a Mexican night and make burritos with re-fried beans and cheeses. If you're not opposed to processed soy and others, there are lots of vegetarian substitutes in the freezer section of the supermarket.

 

I agree with making a meal, and then having some meat on the side. You may find that the more you experiment with some great vegetarian meals, that the more your family won't be "missing" the meat and will ask for some of the great new dishes instead. I'll second Moosewood cookbooks! And now that we're coming into cooler weather, lots of vegetarian soups are awesome. :)

 

Another suggestion, get Vegetarian Times - either the subscription or from your library - and you'll get lots of information and great recipes. I think they've got a site online as well. Have fun finding new recipes!!!

[5wolfcubs]

Hi Daisy!

I just posted in the other vegetarian thread (and recommended a great cookbook). I worried a lot about the protein aspect because dh had thrived on low-carb. But I've read enough and eaten no meat for long enough that it isn't at the forefront of my thoughts anymore. If I'm feeling the need for protein (although it may be a need for FAT) I eat nuts or cheese.

[Peela]

I agree with Laura that people worry too much about protein. There is a current fad about low carb and high protein, but a balanced diet has some of both. It is very difficult to go low carb/moderate protein as a vegetarian without eating a lot of eggs and soy products.

 

My dh is vegetarian, and dd16 and I only eat meat once or twice a week, so we eat a lot of compeltely vegetarian meals, and frequently, partly veg. One thing dd16 and dh do is have eggs for breakfast every day. One or the other of them makes it for both of them..it's a nice little father daughter ritual they have (along with the coffee!).

 

We do eat some soy...quite often I will make a meat replacement schnitzel that dh likes, for him and whoever else doesnt want meat...while I make meat for who wants meat.

 

Making a bolognaise sauce is easy enough for a vegetarian- take out a serve for yourself before adding the browned meat.

 

I often like to eat raw only...so I often just put aside a meal for myself as I make the others a meal. its easy enough to make myself a great salad while making te rest of the family some meat and salad.

[Blueridge]

...I'm actually worried about GAINING weight (since I'm already overweight). Carbs and I rarely agree and the only way I've ever lost weight was on low-carb diets, but they make me feel ill.

 

 

You sound very much like me. :) Speaking of protein needs, one simple thing that I do every day is to make a nice smoothie for my breakfast. All sorts of goodies go into it like water + almonds (protein) for quick milk, flax meal, coconut, frozen bananas and strawberries, a big spoon of Barley Max Berry (H Acres), and for extra protein I add a big spoon of hemp seeds. So delicious. Through the day, try to get in some beans or bean sprouts, whole grains, seeds and nuts, humus dip, even potatoes have some protein. You can help avoid weight gain by being conscious not to eat too much starchy stuff like crackers and chips, etc.

[Daisy]

Thanks everyone. This has been a really encouraging thread.

 

I made this dish last night and replaced the chicken with garbanzo beans. Everyone LOVED it. They didn't even care that it was vegetarian.

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/spiced-couscous-and-chicken-recipe/index.html

[Karen in CO]

One thing we have done is to switch to the high-protein pastas. My mom is diabetic and can't eat lots of starchy foods. Read some boxes in the pasta aisle looking for ones that have a bean flour in them it will have more protein.

 

We changed to spelt and other grains for as many things as we can find - there are some terrific spelt torillas that make great chips if baked and sandwhiches. Spelt has more protein than others.

 

You don't need as much protein as most Americans eat. Make sure you eat as wide of variety as you can find of everything you can eat. Always eat your veggies first. :) We also quit serving bread or other starches with our meals.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I think we worry too much about protein. Most of us eat much, much more than we need.

 

If we assume that you need 46 grams a day, then we can think about how that might happen.

 

 

Not picking on you Laura as many people have commented on this. Yep, there are lots of people who do fine on less protein. BUT there is a segment of the population that NEEEEEDDSSS more protein that 46 grams. I have tried to go vegetarian (eating lots of healthy veggies, whole grains, legumes etc and balancing the carbs and protein.) and I become a slug ... a mean, crabby, irritable slug. Then I become an amoeba and, if I don't eat soon, I pass out. I need the protein to maintain normal blood sugar. And, I have found that I do best with animal protein. I don't think there is one-size-fits-all approach to eating. As much as I would love to be a vegetarian, it has not worked for me in the past.

[lighthouseacademy]

I don't think veggies will be my problem. We have no problem meeting our veggie quota for the day. LOL. I just rarely good grains or beans as side dishes so that will be new

 

I'm actually worried about GAINING weight (since I'm already overweight). Carbs and I rarely agree and the only way I've ever lost weight was on low-carb diets, but they make me feel ill.

 

Okay, I have a Moosewood cookbook. As I said, we do cook vegetarian a few nights a week. I'm just not used to adding any carbs to meals other than on those nights. So having carbs at every meal is SCARY to me.

 

I'm going to do some more research. Thanks everyone. I'm not trying to transition today. I'm doing my research and trying to ease into it without freaking my family out too much.

 

Check out Dr. Fuhrman's 2 book set about diet. He has transitional recipes and he is not big on the carbs.

 

Greens- especially the DARK greens are high in protein so green smoothies are wonderful!

[Daisy]

 

Greens- especially the DARK greens are high in protein so green smoothies are wonderful!

 

I didn't know this! Our entire family loves dark leafy greens. Yummy.

 

I'm beginning to think this won't be so difficult. LOL.

[Pamela H in Texas]

We do meat (or bread) on the side for many meals. For example, this evening, hubby and ds had a vegetarian hamburgers (on bread and the burger had a wheat product) with baked potatoes and green beans. Dd and I had stuffed baked potatoes and green beans with a 1/4 of an avocado (hubby and ds had 1/4 on their burgers).

 

Taco Soup was made with "meat" (it's actually vegetarian, but has wheat in it) on the side.

 

Anyway, so with us avoiding animal products and now wheat (dd has been doing it awhile and has now roped me into it since she's feeling better), we do all sorts of things with something or another on the side.

 

Now, as for meats... I OFTEN substitute without people knowing (and after awhile, let them in on the secret so now hubby is okay with it so will even buy it himself!). So you could do that on many things. Then do "sides" of meat otherwise.

 

ETA: A few thoughts:

 

1) the gaining weight thing is a REAL concern. The reason usually isn't carbs, but because many people choose fatty things. Though certain fats are "good" for you, you definitely can overdo it as MANY in the raw food movement do! LOTS of people don't lose weight going vegetarian, vegan, or raw due to this issue. Few gain though.

 

2) There are three issues regarding the protein.

 

a) Very few people need as much protein as we're led to believe. Babies are the ones that need to grow (and rapidly) and yet THEIR food (breastmilk) has only 4-10g of protein.

 

b) There are plenty of protein available fruits and vegetables and beans and such. In the Eat To Live book, he outlines a few menus showing them to be similar in protein.

 

c) Proteins are made up of amino acids. Our body needs those amino acids to grow, heal, etc so when we eat protein whole, our bodies have to work to break those proteins down into the usable amino acids.

 

3) When people think they are hungry when not eating meat, there are a few reasons.

 

a) There are more calories in meat than veggies so you have to either eat more at one time or eat more often to get the same number of calories.

 

b) Fruit and veggies may digest more efficiently requiring us to eat more often.

 

c) both of these can be good things as it allows our metabolisms to stay revv'd rather than stalling during the day. Eating nutrient rich food is awesome for your body. Eating enough of it keeps all your bodily functions (metabolism, eliminating, etc) going well.

Edited September 28, 2010 by 2J5M9K

[LibraryLover]

I didn't know this! Our entire family loves dark leafy greens. Yummy.

 

I'm beginning to think this won't be so difficult. LOL.

 

 

:) It's not so difficult. You can do it easily. :)

 

( I am not a veg now --we eat a few certain 'bits' of meat--due to our climate and needs-- but we were veg for a few years.

Edited September 15, 2014 by LibraryLover

[jld]

The only way I can keep a low weight as a vegetarian (nearly vegan) is by eating a low-fat diet (10% fat). Especially avoid all oil like the plague. Eat fruit, vegetables, beans, and whole grains, and you should start to see the fat melt off. You'll also save money and feel good. See the testimonies on dr.mcdougall.com for more encouragement. :)