Help! I inherited a vegetarian..

**Thevail** · 08-05-2009, 05:08 PM

My daughter's best friend has troubles at home (not bad one's) just financial, and since she's pretty much here every day anyway.. come the school year it looks like she'll be here to stay for a while.

But we're not vegetarians.. heck, we may be meatatarians...

The poor child lives on ramen noodles and mac n' cheese and bread products and consequently is a bit over weight.

I don't mind feeding her, but I don't know how to make sure a growing teen aged vegetarian has a healthy balanced diet, especially in a house where we're not all veggies.

Any hints, help, tips etc will be eagerly awaited and greatly appreciated. I've only got a month to prepare for this!

**Contrary Housewife** · 08-05-2009, 05:19 PM

Check out the Whole Foods website for recipes. They have some great ones that are nutritious and taste good. wholefoodsmarket.com

**Karen1** · 08-05-2009, 05:20 PM

She needs protein.
So that would be beans and such.
Without protein and living on carb garbage, her body is suffering.

Research vegetarian meals and protein options on the internet. She needs real food and soon!

**madhen** · 08-05-2009, 05:41 PM

If you have a Whole Foods in your area, they do sell prepared foods, as well, which might help you out, at least until you figure out how to cook the type of meals she will eat and enjoy.

If she eats mac n' cheese, then I'm assuming she eats eggs and dairy? That opens up your possibilities quite a bit. Cheese enchiladas, veggie burritos, omelettes, stir fry. One of my favourite (and kind of decadent) vegetarian dishes is kung pao tofu.

Check out the vegetarian section of FV recipes, as well!

**ml2620** · 08-05-2009, 05:49 PM

Meals where the meat is added in, burritos, salads, burgers, etc. Emeril green did an episode on a meat eating family that had a vegetarian.

Eggplant or veggie lasagna, quiches,soups- what are you big favorite family meals now?

**Thevail** · 08-05-2009, 06:19 PM

Family favorites.. and budget friendly meals now are usually..

soups.. heavy and cream based (ham and potato, clam chowder, etc.)

Spaghetti.. usually with italian sausage, but lots of chunky veggies anyway

Casseroles of all stripes

various stuff sauted with a sauce and served over cous cous

Quiches

I think maybe I could just start cooking the meat separately for a lot of this stuff and just add it in after her portion is dished up.

Thank goodness she eats milk, eggs, cheese, etc.

Mind you, my hubby is lactose intolerant so that also gets weird.

**akolb** · 08-05-2009, 07:24 PM

I am a pescatarian ( I eat seafood, no meat).
She defiantly needs more protein. I rely on eggs, peanut butter (no extra sugar kind) tuna fish, cheese (low fat...not just rubbery american) and yogurt.
I also believe frozen veggies are a godsend. They can be substituted in alot of traditional recipes. Pastas, quiches, frittatas, stir-fry, almost anything.
Bocca burgers (vegan frozen burgers) and soy ground-beef substitute regularly go on sale at our Whole Foods.

Hope that helps!

**dmarie** · 08-05-2009, 07:31 PM

My kids can live on Ramen I'm not a big fan of it but since they are eating it i only serve it with stir fry veggies and they just love it. We add chicken or pork to ours but can make it with out. She needs protien so suggest Mushrooms and Beans added to her meals and tofu are great to add.

**itsmyisland** · 08-05-2009, 07:54 PM

Originally Posted by Thevail

I think maybe I could just start cooking the meat separately for a lot of this stuff and just add it in after her portion is dished up.

I think that is a good idea. Sautes are very easy to improvise with. Add some beans to her portion to ad substance and protein. A one pound bag of dried beans can be prepared at the beginning of the week and frozen in serving size portions and tossed in near the end. This may make her feel more comfortable too as her meal won't be that much different then what the family is sharing.

**Grainlady** · 08-05-2009, 08:04 PM

She sounds more like a typical high school or college-age "Twinkie" vegetarian - they avoid meat, eat the non-meat junk-food, but don't know much about combining foods for meat alternative protein substitutes. Combinations of foods, such as grain/dairy, bean/grain will give you a complete protein.

Check your local library for some vegetarian cookbooks and vegetarian web sites for some recipe ideas. You'll find lots of vegetarian dishes in almost ANY good cookbook. You may also want to make ahead some vegetarian non-meat entrees, in single-portions, and stick them in your freezer (vegetarian lasagna, bean burgers, etc.) for a quick addition to your normal meals.

As a former vegetarian, we still eat at least one non-meat day (usually Friday), and many non-meat and low-meat meals during the week to save on the cost of meat, adding lots of meat alternatives (beans/legumes, eggs, grains, cheese/dairy...). And all without ANY tofu.... (LOL). We DO like homemade bean burgers at our house!!!

Good luck!

**Thevail** · 08-05-2009, 08:35 PM

Can you freeze tofu?

I mean if you find it on sale, could you buy a lot of it and then freeze it in the package or do you need to cook it first then freeze it?

Or will it stand up to being frozen at all?

**ladykemma2** · 08-05-2009, 09:21 PM

find used copies of the moosewood cookbooks and "diet for a small planet"

**Palooka** · 08-06-2009, 01:25 AM

Combining foods to get complete proteins has been debunked. If she can just focus on whole grains, nuts and seeds, whole foods, beans, etc. It should be easy to eat healthy and cheap too.

Check out http://www.vegweb.com/ for some great easy recipes and I also would have her get involved with the cooking.