Tips for being vegetarian when your family is not?

[summerreading]

I'd like to stop eating meat. I'm looking for tips on cooking for a meat-eating family. I tired before for a month and maybe I didn't plan meals well enough b/c I ended up anemic. I'm thinking the best way to go about it is to start making meat a side dish and build the meal around the veggies. What else am I missing?

 

Thanks

[Jean in Newcastle]

Easiest way is to have separate items (Ie not casseroles). Then have a nonmeat protein for yourself. Or when cooking something like a stir fry, have a smaller skillet for yourself where you put your share of the veggies and sauce with your nonmeat protein while the family skillet/wok has meat in it. 

[summerreading]

1 minute ago, Indigo Blue said:

I mostly do the above things. I'm just careful to get B-12 and iron. (I'm not a total vegetarian, but close).

We just have simple meals, and I live on beans, rice, oats, peanut butter, green salads, etc.

(I would love to cook lots of quinoa since it's a complete protein, but it doesn't agree with me. That's why all the beans and rice).

 

Do you need to take supplements for B-12 and iron? 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Even a non vegetarian family might join you for one vegetarian meal a week. Save that meal for casseroles. 😉

[Carrie12345]

There’s one vegetarian in our house, and it’s not me. I just focus on meals that have separate components.  Last night was chicken alfredo. I kept the chicken in a separate pan. (I also put aside chicken without sauce and pasta without sauce for my child who doesn’t eat sauces.). I keep the house stocked with beans, “fake meat”, and various other substitutes that my vegetarian is responsible for cooking for herself if the rest of us are having meat. I’ve also just paid more attention to some of our favorite meatless meals.  Just because the rest of us are carnivores doesn’t mean we have to eat meat all the time.

I’m just glad she hasn’t wanted to go vegan, because I’m constantly pushing dairy on her. Not that she always listens. Not that I’m opposed to people BEING vegan, I just can’t see myself juggling a vegan and carnivores (and one picky eater) every day.

She hasn’t had her blood checked since just a couple weeks in, but she has an appointment coming up soon.

[prairiewindmomma]

I've been leaning more vegetarian. There are some meals that are easily for all.  For other things, I prepare a non-meat option separately. As an example, I made two batches of fajitas last week--one with chicken for everyone else, and one with portobello mushrooms as a meat substitute for me.  

[May]

When our youngest daughter lived at home, she was a vegetarian. We ate vegetarian 2-3 times a week to accommodate her. DH is easy to please and he didn’t care. On the other days, we ate a lot of grilled veggies, a starch and a protein for us. I always had veggie burgers on hand or other selections she had picked out and I bought. 

[displace]

I recommend a nutritional tracking app (like chronometer) to see how your nutrition is for a week or two.  It helps me know exactly how much iron and B12 I’m getting, plus I also know my potassium isn’t awesome and sometimes my protein is too low.  

The daily dozen checklist (by Dr. Greger) is a great starter idea of well rounded nutrition based on a vegan diet (but a good nutritional guideline for even omnivores).

[chocolate-chip chooky]

I've been vegetarian for over 30 years and I'm the only vege in my family.

There are three main things you need to keep in mind: iron, B12 and protein.  Vegan is a lot harder, in my understanding. 

Iron and B12 I take care of with daily supplements.

Protein isn't hard. You just have to remember to have a variety so that you get all of the essential amino acids.

We generally have a vegetarian meal 2 or 3 times a week. eg nachos with beans and rice, stir-fry with tofu, pasta with pine-nuts, curry with paneer and chickpeas, dahl (lentil-based)

The other meals generally look like this: half the plate is salad/vegies, quarter is a carb, and then some protein. Meat for the meat-eaters and a meat-substitute for me. For me, that is often a vege patty, or I have something like a mini-tin of 4-bean mix. 

I just try to be mindful about my protein. I'll choose peanut butter or baked beans as a lunch option, for example.

The bottom line is that it's absolutely doable. 

[CAJinBE]

I've been gradually going whole foods plant based. I take supplements and recently had blood work done, but still waiting to see the results. I feel great though which is saying a lot considering I'm nearly 55, had back surgery less than a year ago, and am approaching empty nest. The biggest thing that has helped me is getting an instant pot so I can make beans, especially chickpeas, quickly and easily. Turns out the family likes the veggie stews and currys from the IP as well. 

[Chris in VA]

On 3/13/2019 at 11:42 PM, displace said:

I recommend a nutritional tracking app (like chronometer) to see how your nutrition is for a week or two.  It helps me know exactly how much iron and B12 I’m getting, plus I also know my potassium isn’t awesome and sometimes my protein is too low.  

The daily dozen checklist (by Dr. Greger) is a great starter idea of well rounded nutrition based on a vegan diet (but a good nutritional guideline for even omnivores).

 

Beans 3X a day? hahhahah NO THANK YOU. My God. The thought of it. It would wreck us. 

 

That said, we do like them now, the British way, on toast for breakfast. Thank you, British Mandate Period. 🙂

On 3/13/2019 at 11:42 PM, displace said:

W

 

[displace]

6 hours ago, Chris in VA said:

 

Beans 3X a day? hahhahah NO THANK YOU. My God. The thought of it. It would wreck us. 

 

That said, we do like them now, the British way, on toast for breakfast. Thank you, British Mandate Period. 🙂

 

I’m sure you know, if you’re vegan, and for some vegetarians, that is the main protein group (with some additional from whole grains mostly).  Though, vegetarians may have eggs/dairy.  

“Beans” includes hummus, soy products (like tofu), as well as beans.  Each serving is only 1/2 cup.  For each meal, as someone else mentioned, an average of a protein serving, 2 veg, a grain, and fruit makes a balanced diet.  I usually have 2 servings of fruit, nuts/seeds, and a grain for breakfast, then a serving and a half of beans for lunch and dinner, with vegetables and grains.

It’s quite easy to add some beans to salads, or have tofu stir fry instead of chicken, or have vegetarian chili instead of beef.  Some people need to add beans over time to allow their microbiome to adjust, but a whole foods plant based diet is probably the healthiest way to eat.  My go to quick lunch is a black bean bowl, with black beans, corn, salsa, avocado, and baked corn chips (or a whole wheat tortilla).  Tofu stir fry is also easy.  🙂

Beans on (whole wheat) toast is healthy, and I bet two slices is easily 1/2 cup serving.

Edited March 15, 2019 by displace

[summerreading]

7 hours ago, CAJinBE said:

I've been gradually going whole foods plant based. I take supplements and recently had blood work done, but still waiting to see the results. I feel great though which is saying a lot considering I'm nearly 55, had back surgery less than a year ago, and am approaching empty nest. The biggest thing that has helped me is getting an instant pot so I can make beans, especially chickpeas, quickly and easily. Turns out the family likes the veggie stews and currys from the IP as well. 

 

Thanks for all the replies. I am getting excited to try some menu planning.

Yes, I think I'd need some kitchen supplies to make life easier. I want an IP and a food processor.  A lot of recipes seems to call for a processor. 

[Corraleno]

I'm a vegetarian and I highly recommend one-pot dishes (and even casseroles, lol), even if you live with carnivores. I basically make vegetarian meals and then just add meat to DS's portion. So for example if I make lentil stew or black bean chili, I'll just add a little grass-fed ground beef or bison to DS's bowl. Or I might make vegetable curry with chickpeas, a pasta dish with cannelini beans and pine nuts, or a noodle bowl with edamame, and then just add some chunks of cooked chicken to DS's portion. If the meat-eaters in your family won't eat legumes, you can just make the dish without them, focusing on the veggies/starches/sauces/herbs/spices, and then add some to your portion and add meat to the other portions. You can pre-cook ground beef and strips of chicken breast and keep them in the fridge or freezer to add to various dishes.

I find that as long as the meals have a lot of texture and flavor (especially savory/umami type flavors), meat isn't missed as much, so you can get away with either skipping it or just adding a little for those who want it. I do eat pastured eggs, so I can also make an omelet or frittata or breakfast burritos with potatoes and veggies and cheese and not need to add any meat even for DS. 

I recommend finding a few really good vegetarian recipes that you like and that your family will eat (with or without the addition of meat), and then gradually work on variations of those. Maybe start with a really tasty vegetarian chili recipe, add a little meat for the meat-eaters, serve with lots of cheese, sour cream, salsa, guac, tortilla chips, etc, for lots of flavor & texture. Then you can try reducing or eliminating the meat, trying different beans, changing the seasonings (try green chili instead of red), etc. Find a good vegetable curry recipe, adjust the seasonings to suit your family's taste, add a bit of chicken to theirs, and if that goes well, then you can start playing around with different combinations of vegetables and flavors for variety.Try adding edamame and snap peas to a basic stir-fry with lots of ginger and garlic, add a little chicken to the other servings, add some flaked almonds or sesame seeds or fried noodles for extra texture. Next time maybe vary the vegetables and serve over soba noodles (high protein) instead of rice. Find some really flavorful vegetable soup recipes — minestrone is a good one because it tends to have a lot of flavor and the beans and pasta make it very filling, too. Serve with shaved parmesan and garlic bread and no one will miss the meat.