Vegetarians, I need help!

[Brilliant]

I have been vegetarian for a whole 19 days - since finishing the book Eating Animals.

 

I'm starting to get discouraged and wondering if my family will starve because I am already out of ideas.:confused:

 

Breakfast is OK - although homemade granola with almond milk gets a little old day after day. We're not going vegan, but trying to cut back on eggs/dairy, hence the breakfasts heavy on cereal.

 

Packed lunches are getting to be a problem (we take our lunches out about 2-3x week). The kids and I love greek salad in a lavash wrap, and hummus sandwiches w/ spinach/onion/cucumber, but those are my only two good ideas!

 

Homemade lunches are better - I have more flexibility at home, so today we are having soba noodles w/ veggies, yesterday we had tomato/bean soup, another day we had pasta, etc.

 

I got a Moosewood cookbook for dinners and it has been pretty good. But it's just discouraging because everything seems like so much more planning and work.

 

Any ideas to get me over this rut and ready for the long haul?

 

(confession: we are still going to eat grass-fed beef bought direct from a rancher, so maybe vegetarian isn't the right word for us...but, in the 19 days, we've had exactly 2 of those beef dinners. I imagine it will be 1 day a week or so)

[LidiyaDawn]

VegWeb - this is a great website for vegetarian & vegan recipes and ideas. :)

 

(hey - don't be stuck thinking that only "breakfast foods" can be breakfast… wraps, veggie burgers, salads, etc, can all be eaten in the morning too!)

[Embassy]

I've been a vegetarian all my life so it is normal to me. My husband does eat meat. I typically eat what he eats minus the meat. Vegetarian food doesn't have to be fancy or take a long time to make.

 

I use cereal in the morning usually because it is quick. Sometimes we just have toast. For lunch I make sandwiches with a side of fruit or crackers. Sandwiches without meat are endless. They don't have to be weird. It could be as simple as a BLT without the B. Don't think you have to have a protein added to everything. Protein is found in more food than animal products. Leftovers are good at lunch too :)

 

For dinner I usually fix a starch dish (rice, pasta, potato) with a vegetable. I rarely add a protein to anything. These don't have to be complicated either. I enjoy cooking, but after a busy day a baked potato with salad or pasta with sauce and a hot veggie will satisfy. Sometimes we eat beans. Cheese, nuts, and peanut butter are well loved around here too. My kids eat meat, but since I prepare most of their food they usually have veggie meals.

Edited April 13, 2011 by Wehomeschool

[oleladyintheshoe]

Morningstar Farms for quickie stuff.

 

I adore tofu. Cooked in the skillet with a bit of olive oil and seasoned however. My main lunch food is tofu with some steamed veggie in a bag, with brown rice or potato or fallafel and freah spinach mixed in with a sprinkle of parmasan on top. IDK, I'm addicted to it!

 

I'm not a big cook and I'm happy to eat the same thing over and over, so, that's pretty much all I've got:D. Also my family is so NOT joining me on this journey so I don't have that to worry about.

[oleladyintheshoe]

Oh yeah! Don't forget good ole Peanut Butter and Jelly!!

[Anita in NC]

There are tons of recipes for vegetarian stuff. Check out allrecipes.com

 

There a lots of things that you can do with beans or lentils (I'm addicted to lentils recently).

 

Trader Joe and Whole Foods have a good selection of veggie items. We like the soy sausages, breakfast patties, meatless meatballs, chickenless nuggets, veggie burgers, etc...

 

I also make lots of things with beans and lentils, pasta, quinoa, millet, rice, veggie stir fries, grilled portobella mushrooms, etc....

 

Good luck!

 

Plus, if you need motivation just watch "Earthlings" on youtube and you will have a renewed enthusiasm. :D

[Sherry in OH]

My family likes routine. DH would be okay if I rotated through the same seven dinners. That being said ...

 

Breakfast does not have to mean traditional US breakfast foods. My children eat almond butter and chocolate hazelnut spread on ww bread nearly every day. As a child, I ate soup for breakfast. Now I usually eat leftovers.

 

Lunches do not require much creativity. Heat leftovers if you are home or make hot sandwiches. Add fruit and vegetables to round out the meal. Cold sandwiches when you are away from home. Homemade baked goods are nice additions.

 

For dinner, think ethnic. Chinese, Indian, Italian, Mexican, and Middle Eastern cuisines offer many easy vegetarian/near-vegetarian options. Soups and stews are also good, easy main courses. Dinner salads are good on warm days.

 

You might start by making a list of your family's favorite meals. Then see which of those could be adapted. Try googling the dish plus vegetarian recipe. For example, if you want a vegan meatloaf, google "meatloaf vegan recipe." Then scan the results for the most appealing recipes.

[redsquirrel]

If speed is your goal, do I have a cookbook for you!

 

Lorna Sass "Short cut vegetarian" is wonderful. I don't use it every day because it is really all about the FAST. It depends on canned beans, canned tomato, jarred salsa etc. So, dinner is made from opening stuff BUT that can be a lifesaver some days, you know? When I had babies it was my best friend in the kitchen!

 

It will get better. It will get easier. I suggest you keep a record of what you made if if you liked it. That way, if you are totally stumped you can look back and make something again. Then again, I am a meal planner and I like to change up our eating by season.

 

We are veg but not vegan.

Breakfast:

Eggs (we eat a lot of eggs)

cereal

bagel and cream cheese

Toast

Fruit and yogurt

 

Lunches:

Ramen noodles and miso broth. Toss in frozen veggies

english muffin pizza

Wrap sandwiches: PB&J, Cream cheese and Jelly, hummus, leftovers

Tofu dogs and baked beans

My kids like those big soft pretzels (I get them in the freezer section) with a slice of provolone melted on top.

 

Dinners:

Bean toastadas

pasta and pesto

ravioli and red sauce

tofu curry and brown rice (we are having that tonight, thai style)

eggs and homefries

homemade pizza

omlette

quick stir fry (tofu or beans)

split pea soup (that was last night)

black beans and rice

Soup and homemade bread

Oatmeal (that is our super busy night)

Lentils! So many things with lentils!

Veg chili

 

When the weather warms up I make different stuff. It is still chilly in my part of the world and a warm soup is appreciated.

 

Which Moosewood do you have? I have almost all of them and can make some suggestions. Their soups are really, really good! Make double and freeze

 

I highly recommend a pressure cooker. Lorna Sass has a great cookbook called "vegetarian cooking under pressure" and that is my go to cookbook all autumn and winter. Lots of great soups, stew and risottos in minutes.

 

Don't forget your library. Most public libraries have cookbook sections. It can be a great way to try something new. Even if the cookbook isn't vegetarian, it might have something you like. I find a lot of good ideas that way. I often take out a cookbook that I like the look of and find at least one vegetarian option we like.

[justasque]

Beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, eggs, cheese. That makes 6 different protein bases for a meal. Add in your beef, and you've got seven meal "themes".

[Brilliant]

You guys are great for advice AND encouragement. I was feeling overwhelmed by this task and guilty for making my ds take a pb&j for lunch. :)

 

I will look for the Lorna Sass cookbooks. Her Pressure Perfect is one of my all-time favorite cookbook, and taught me how to use & love my PC - but it is chock-full of meat recipes. So I'll look for some of her vegetarian books.

 

Simple Suppers is the Moosewood cookbook I got from the library. I've tried 5 or 6 recipes from it, and the family has thought they were all OK to Very Good. And, they have been relatively easy. My chief complaint there is just the planning required - I have to make sure my pantry is stocked with vegetable broth, my fridge has broccoli, etc. All those years of cooking with chicken breast had me in a groove where meal planning was easy.

 

A couple of you mentioned not getting too worried about adding a protein. My dh has been pretty supportive at home (he still eats a burger at lunch) but he is insistent that we try to keep up the protein levels, especially for 15yo ds. So I personally would eat, for example, a stir-fry with just brown rice and veggies, but dh would want me to add at least some of a high-protein item like egg, tofu, or nuts.

 

And add to the mix the whole controversy about soy being good or bad! I am pretty convinced that tofu and soy milk are not all bad, but, at the same time I don't want to overload our diets with it. So we are eating tofu about 1-2x/week.

 

It's back to hummus sandwiches as we head out today - they are so delicious! - and I am lucky both my kids love them. Try them with thinly slice red onion and cucumber and red bell pepper, and baby spinach leaves. A thick layer of homemade hummus on one slice of bread, and a little ranch dressing spread on the other slice. Avocado and sprouts if you have them. Yum. :D

[Mrs Mungo]

I'm not vegetarian, but I have gleaned some great ideas from the vegan lunchbox blog. :)

[SunD]

I just wanted to suggest burritos. They're great as a freezable meal option and as a meal-to-go. For breakfast cook up some onions, peppers, diced potatoes, tomatoes, a couple of eggs, maybe leftover rice, maybe leftover cooked beans, sprinkle with a little cheese and wrap it up. For lunch/dinner try bean and rice with salsa or slice some of that beef super-thin for beef, bean, and rice ... that would really stretch it out but keep the protein level high.

[mytwomonkeys]

this is vegan, but excellent for recipes! lots of videos too.

 

http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-recipes.asp

[Jenny in Florida]

Vegetarian food doesn't have to be fancy or take a long time to make.

 

I agree with this.

 

When I say we're vegans, I think people get this idea in their head that we're eating all this lovely, made-from-scratch, health food all day, every day. Ummm . . . Not.

 

I've been veg for about 30 years and vegan for 15. I don't go around thinking all the time about what I eat, carefully balancing the proteins, lovingly steaming kale, etc. I just make food.

 

So, today my husband and son had home-made banana-chocolate chip muffins. I baked them yesterday and froze a couple dozen for breakfasts over the next couple of weeks. They both drank calcium-fortified OJ, and my son had a glass of (chocolate, gasp) soymilk and half a banana.

 

I had a Coke Zero and some rice, because I'm naughty like that.

 

For lunch, my son will likely have either pasta with tomato sauce or some french fries with fruit and soymilk.

 

He's got two dance classes this evening, meaning we're not home for dinner. I'm baking a loaf of bread so that I can prep a plate for sandwiches for my husband. (He likes cheddar, onion and tomato.) If he doesn't have pasta for lunch, my son will talk me into making him some for dinner.

 

Dinners here are things like:

 

- Indian-inspired lentils or chickpeas with veggie samosas and rice and chutneys

- Baked potatoes with toppings of choice, corn on the cob and some sliced fruit

- Falafel with hummus and couscous and fruits and veggies on the side

- Pasta. Lots of pasta, because it's my son's favorite

- Cold, asian-inspired peanut-sesame noodles

- Barbeque without the meat: Mashed potatoes, baked beans, cornbread, some kind of veggie

- "Snackage": I throw on the table a variety of chopped fruits and veggies and a couple of nice breads and maybe some hummus and let folks eat what they want.

- Sloppy lentils. It's like sloppy joes but with lentils in place of the meat. I usually serve it over hamburger buns with either home-made baked french fries or mashed sweet potatoes.

- Italian subs. This is our version of a sandwich we discovered in NJ when I was pregnant and craving a meatball sub. It has sauteed bell peppers and onions in marinara sauce with some chunks of potato (It was french fries in the original restaurant version) served on a roll. Those who eat cheese can melt some mozzerella over the top.

- Home-made pizza or calzones, minus cheese and plus veggies

- Various Mexican-inspired things like burritos (home-made refried beans), tacos (seasoned black beans in place of meat), nachos (more seasoned black beans and various toppings)

 

We make other things now and then, but these are the meals in regular rotation at the moment.

 

It doesn't have to be hard or "special." We always get irritated when we go to restaurants that insist on serving "weird" food, instead of just normal food that doesn't have meat.

[Embassy]

It doesn't have to be hard or "special." We always get irritated when we go to restaurants that insist on serving "weird" food, instead of just normal food that doesn't have meat.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

Sometimes I order a meat dish and substitute a vegetable for the meat. I think some of those vegetarian dishes were invented by meat eaters with meat eaters guilt. At least that is what my meat eating husband calls it. They throw every vegetable in the world or add beans or tofu or some other protein to a dish that would be fine without it. People who eat meat often don't understand that we don't need to replace the meat with beans, tofu, or 50 different vegetables.

[Jenny in Florida]

People who eat meat often don't understand that we don't need to replace the meat with beans, tofu, or 50 different vegetables.

 

Or mushrooms. Or pine nuts.

 

There was a period of time when we would still try to ask for vegetarian food in nice restaurants. Every. Single. Time. It would end up being pasta with one or both of those items kind of randomly tossed into the mix.

 

It don't get why it's necessary.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

If speed is your goal, do I have a cookbook for you!

 

Lorna Sass "Short cut vegetarian" is wonderful. I don't use it every day because it is really all about the FAST. It depends on canned beans, canned tomato, jarred salsa etc. So, dinner is made from opening stuff BUT that can be a lifesaver some days, you know? When I had babies it was my best friend in the kitchen!

 

 

 

I haven't seen this book but it definitely looks like something I'd like mostly b/c I can beans, tomatoes, and salsa all summer! Also, If you have a pot of beans on Monday, any of those canned bean recipes are covered w/o canned beans but the ones you made earlier in the week. Ditto for salsa. As for tomatoes, I use fresh in the summer whether canned are asked for or not but I can enough to have canned tomatoes all the rest of the year.

 

So, just b/c a recipe calls for canned doesn't mean it has to be.

[fairytalemama]

Eating Animals just turned our house veg too. I found a fantastic eggplant "meatball" recipe in the cookbook Totally Vegetarian. It was seriously so good that I didn't miss the meat at all. Another hit has been the meatless loaf recipe out of Linda McCartney's cookbook. We love shepherd's pie here and I successfully swapped lentils in the place of ground turkey and their were no complaints.

 

I'm struggling to find recipes that aren't too hard that everyone will eat too. You're not alone.

[redsquirrel]

ok, if you like Lorna Sass AND you have a pressure cooker then you really must get "vegetarian cooking under pressure". It is the only (as far as I know) totally vegetarian cookbook for the pressure cooker. She also has another really nice cookbook called "Lorna Sass' Complete Vegetarian Kitchen." The nice thing about that one is that she gives multiple ways to cook things. She give stovetop, pressure cooker, AND crockpot instructions for almost ever recipe. Obviously, some thing only work one or two ways, but some are all three. That makes it very flexible.

 

One credit to Lorna Sass, is that I never even noticed her stuff is vegan. I am NOT a vegan. I like my cheese and what have you. I like to bake with eggs and butter. I had been cooking with these cookbooks for years before I realized that they are vegan. That says something to me!

 

Speed will come. I promise. If I were you, I would allow myself to have a nice stock of canned beans to toss in stuff. Stir fry? Add some chick peas or white beans. Pasta with veggies? Chick peas or white beans. Veggie soup? Beans. Do you notice a pattern here?

 

In time, once you get the hang of a new way of planning, you can start making pots of beans and freezing the extra. It will come. But, if you want these changes to last, don't make too many demands on yourself all at once. I promise you, I don't spend more time planning and cooking meals than you did when you ate all those chicken breasts. It just takes time. So, look for ways at the beginning to make it as accessible and easy as possible.

 

And I never, never make "pasta primavera' at home. Never ever. It is what I get served at too many resturants. It is a matter of principle that I won't make it at home. Good thing I live in Ithaca, where all restaurants have great vegetarian choices all the time. I am so spoiled!

[Brilliant]

Eating Animals just turned our house veg too.

 

I think I read about this book on your blog. :) But I can't post a comment there for some reason.

 

... But, if you want these changes to last, don't make too many demands on yourself all at once.

 

I think this is one of the reasons I was so discouraged yesterday - I was so bummed out after reading a vegan cookie cookbook with all sorts of ingredients that I don't have. And they were so much WORK - who is going to simmer pumpkin puree for 45 minutes before making a batch of cookies? I need to relax a little and find what works for us.

[Gracily]

I love Healthy Tipping Point. Lots of quick meal ideas and motivation to live healthier.

[mcconnellboys]

What about bagels for breakfast? You could eat them with jam, honey, or peanut butter (or just butter, perhaps). Or you could do the same with English muffins and maybe slice some bananas on top of that peanut butter. I love warm bagels and English muffins!

 

What about steel cut oats, if you like oatmeal? I love the crunchy pop of steel cuts with a little cinnamon and brown sugar and almond milk. Yum!

 

What about cinnamon toast, or just plain toast with honey, butter, jams or jellies?

 

Or do you want to cut out breads because of the eggs/dairy in those? If so, sorry.... I was thinking of pancakes and waffles, too, but if you don't want baked bread type items, those do you no good....

 

We love to just eat fresh fruits of all sorts for breakfast. Wash, slice and serve! We slice bananas and pour orange juice over them. I also sometimes just cut up a bowl of all sorts of fruit and spash orange juice over it.

 

What about salads for breakfast, particularly if you do salads that include quite a bit of fruit? I love salad for breakfast! Not that I do breakfast very often, LOL..... I had a terrific salad yesterday that would be great for breakfast: mixed field greens, golden raisins, dried cranberries, mandarin orange slices, green apple chunks, a sprinkling of chopped up peanut butter brickle for crunch and some vinagrette dressing.

 

Lots of Asian folks eat noodles (like Ramen) for breakfast. But again, maybe you don't want the egg/milk that might be in the noodles, not sure....

 

For lunches, we love to pack various cheeses, crackers, sometimes breads, nuts and seeds, fruit, sometimes salad, olives, and little sweet midget pickles. We love cucumber and sprout sandwiches with a lemon/chive butter (that's simple to make yourself). Various salads, of course. Vegi soups or broths of various types. Bean dishes of various types.

[fairytalemama]

I think this is one of the reasons I was so discouraged yesterday - I was so bummed out after reading a vegan cookie cookbook with all sorts of ingredients that I don't have. And they were so much WORK - who is going to simmer pumpkin puree for 45 minutes before making a batch of cookies? I need to relax a little and find what works for us.

 

PLEASE don't simmer pumpkin puree. That seriously sounds like torture.

 

I don't foresee us going vegan anytime soon, but we are doing okay on the vegetarian front. My daughter told my mom the other day "I'm a vegetarian now. I just eat chicken sometimes." :lol: My dh and I don't eat dairy, but the kids love yogurt and cheese and my dd insists on cow milk (which we get from a local dairy. She loves the glass container). Our fridge has every milk in the book right now --- rice, soy, almond, coconut, and cow. I haven't eliminated eggs (I'm baby stepping this whole process. We're using organic cage free in the interim), but here is a vegan egg substitute I've tried that I got at the health food store that worked well.

 

For baking recipes, I sub in almond or rice milk instead of cow milk, and Earth Balance spread instead of butter.

 

For breakfast here we eat cereal, bagels, oatmeal, pancakes, omelets, and scrambled eggs. Most mornings I eat oatmeal with some fruit on top.

 

For lunch we eat either previous night leftovers, PB&J, hummus and pita with veggies and dip, or soup. We usually have some cut up fruit with it.

 

For dinners I have been combing library books frantically for stuff that looks decent. We have had a few hits (e.g. my previous post on this thread) and a lot of misses. I made some chickpea crepes stuffed with rosemary veggies two nights ago that were quite frankly barely edible. My dh was kind and said "It tastes good if you put a lot of soy sauce on it." Needless to say, I won't be making that again. I think if we can just build up a repetoire of knock offs of stuff our families like, we might be in the money. :D I'll PM you if I find any other tasty recipes as I go along.

[Truscifi]

We only eat vegetarian twice a week, but I have found that simple is usually better. A nice pot of rice and beans, pasta and veggies with a little grated parm on top, frittatas (heavy on the eggs, I know, but so yummy - it's why we just got chickens).

 

Also, if you like Indian food, try Manjula's Kitchen (google it). She is Jain so all her recipes are vegan. And she has videos to go along with most recipes for those of us who have no idea how to cook Indian food, lol!

[CalicoKat]

 

Moosewood's Lentil Bulgar Salad is so yummy!

[Jayson]

wow, some good ideas in here! subscribing to this thread....

 

don't forget smoothies - we have a VitaMix but I suppose a food processor will work too. One of my favorites:

- two leafs of chard, stalks too

- half apple

- half banana

- 1/2 cup or so of grapes or pineapple

- some ice cubes + some water

 

eat w/ homemade bread or homemade granola bar. yum!

[BeckyFL]

We followed a vegetarian diet for 9 mos a few years ago just to give my husband a bit of a liver detox (he has Hep C).

It took me some time to really research (lots of time actually). I love cooking so I wanted our meals to be just as wonderful as they were before. My favorite vegetarian cookbook is The Clueless Vegetarian. I loved many of the recipes in there and I still make them. Another one I like was Vegetarian Cooking for Dummies (are you seeing a trend here? lol). I ordered books from the library (lots of different Moosewood cookbooks and anything else I could find) and I researched online constantly. Here are a few of our favorite recipes...

http://plantoeat.com/recipes/108953

http://plantoeat.com/recipes/108943

http://plantoeat.com/recipes/109619