Anyone vegetarian with a meat eating family?

**daddys3chicks** · 10-25-2005, 03:49 PM

I don't know that I am ready to go totally meat free, but I am finding myself not wanting meat much lately. DH and DDs, however, still want meat.

Anyone meat free in a meat eating family and how do you handle it? Of course, it wouldn't hurt any on them to do without meat a few times a week anyway.

**forestdale** · 10-25-2005, 03:59 PM

Yep, I did this for years. I started off making two separate meals but I got over that real quick. lol I generally made a "normal" meal and I'd just eat the vegetable part of it. Sometimes I turned the tables and make a vegetarian meal I knew they'd eat - like spinach lasagne or potato pancakes.

Now that it's only DH and I, we've both modified - I will eat fish now and DH has given up most meats. He still has ham on sandwiches but eats only vegetarian or fish for dinner.

Good luck with the change. It's a healthy alternative and you'll probably feel better for it.

**homesteadmamma** · 10-25-2005, 04:01 PM

We are although I've cut dh and the kid's meat consumption in half and I'm expecting to cut it even further.

I make meals for the whole family and eat what is vegetarian for me. An example: I'll cook chicken, potatoes, veggies or have a salad. I'll eat a small potato, the veggies and the salad. If I make a casserole that has meat in, I'll have something different to eat such as a salad with a small yogurt.

I will also make chili w/o meat, lasagna w/o meat or chili baked potatoes w/o meat. They don't even notice there isn't any meat. The thing is to find vegetarian recipes that are similar to recipes with meat in and "fool" them.

And I always make sure that I have a couple dishes that have no meat in so that I have something to eat.

**daddys3chicks** · 10-25-2005, 04:05 PM

[i]
I will also make chili w/o meat, lasagna w/o meat or chili baked potatoes w/o meat. They don't even notice there isn't any meat. The thing is to find vegetarian recipes that are similar to recipes with meat in and "fool" them.

And I always make sure that I have a couple dishes that have no meat in so that I have something to eat. [/B]

Do you ever use the meat substitutes for chili and such? Dh and kids actually like those, so I suppose that is a idea too.

**homesteadmamma** · 10-25-2005, 04:25 PM

Yes Cheryl, I will sometimes use "ground veggie" if I can find it on sale in my chili. It freezes well. I don't use it in lasagna though because it shouldn't be cooked too long. When I put it in chili, I add it the last few mins., just enough to get it hot. We love it here.

**Emerald_Mommy** · 10-25-2005, 04:27 PM

None of us are vegetarians but I've been cutting down on how much meat we eat in a week. Lots of beans, pasta, salads, etc. Philip is not ready to give up meat entirely and honestly, neither am I but we have cut back quite a bit and red meat back almost completely. Baby steps, I guess.

**geniebird** · 10-25-2005, 04:33 PM

I don't think all people can be vegetarian. We tried for two years. DH said he felt better -- I was sick the whole time. I asked vegetarian friends and alternative health practitioners what I was doing wrong and they said nothing that they could see -- it looked like we were getting plenty of protein.

Finally a massage therapist friend of mine said that he doesn't think all people can be vegetarian since we all have different dietary needs.

I am tired enough the way it is without cooking two entirely different meals, so we compromise. DH eats meat, but we eat smaller portions of it. We never eat pork -- it's not even allowed in the house. We try to get lots of variety in our meal with fresh fruit and veggies (the main part of our meals) and whole grains. He has other dietary problems/allergies, so I never fix anything with tomatoes, potatoes, or peppers. If we go out to eat I might get something I can't have at home.

I've talked to other people who feel like they "failed" as vegetarians. But I believe if you listen your body it will tell you what you as an individual need to be healthy. Of course peoples needs are different. And finally of course when it comes to personal health some people don't have a clue.

By changing the focal point of our meals away from the meat to fresh fruits and veggies and whole grains, DH could not eat the meat and would still be getting good nutrition. Maybe you could try something like that.

Oh one more thing -- the soy products taste good, but don't rely so much on them that you don't get enough fresh fruits and veggies. Oh boy, I'm starting to sound like my mother. I never thought I'd say that.

**daddys3chicks** · 10-25-2005, 05:13 PM

LOL! I just am getting sick of ground beef and chicken. I like fish and cheese and sadly I love a really good steak once in a blue moon. But I would rather have a veggie plate or some pasta. I think maybe phasing in whole grains and more veggies is a good way to start.

**geniebird** · 10-25-2005, 10:11 PM

Yeah, don't you hate it when you hear your mom's voice coming out of your mouth. My DH loves veggie plates -- also cottage cheese and fruit plates and salads... Whenever I serve large entree salads he always says something like "We'd probably pay $10 for something like this in a restaurant... and it wouldn't be as good." Okay so my hubby may not be your typical male.

Just an idea, but why not try making veggie plates for everyone and adding meat for the carnivores? Or make a small salad sized fuit plates for them and a larger one for you. It would also be easy to take some pasta sauce out for yourself before adding the meat. And you might try whole wheat pasta on them. The main different I notice is the texture -- it's chewier -- it's also slightly darker in color. I think anything made with whole wheat flour has a slightly nutty flavor -- that's what my DH likes about it.

Anyway, good luck. When it comes to food at our house DH is the adventerous one, so I don't know how much change your family will tolerate. But I think you can do it in small ways without scaring them too much.

**Nada.Leona** · 10-25-2005, 10:49 PM

I've been vegetarian almost steadily since I was 16. I love it, best decision I ever made. DH, on the other hand, is an omnivore and quite proud of it.

I do all the cooking in out household, so basically whatever I cook, he eats.

However, we've made some compromises. Basically, if it requires meat added to the recipe, I don't put it in, I just cook it seperate. Best tool a vegetarian can have -- a George Foreman grill. Fantastic -- grills meat in 15 minutes or less, quick clean up and it doesn't have to go near your meat-free foods.

Another suggestion -- learn how to alter a meal so that the meat is only on his side of the dish. I've learned how to seperate a shepard's pie with a wall of mashed potato in the middle of it, with meat on one side and no meat on the other. Can't do that sort of thing in chili or soups, but you can prepare the meat and add it to his servings later.

Just try to be creative.

Good luck!