help a newby

July 8, 2007

Hello!

I’m Steph, mom to 6 kids, five still here at home. Ages 10, 6, 5, 4, and

two yrs. We also Home school. Anyhow.. I have a few questions or myths

that need to be dispelled.

We are making the switch. My children love veggies so I don’t see any

complications there. Some of them even like the dreaded Brussell sprout.

:-) For now, we are going Lacto Ovo. I have heard that a vegetarian

menu is cheaper than a menu that contains meats. Have any of you found

that to be true?

With my life style I don’t have much time to be in the kitchen preparing

gourmet meals. A lot of my “vegetarian” recipes look time consuming –

white wine all that. And I want to avoid as much processed food as I

can. Esp white flour noodles etc which haunt my recipes too.. Any hints

or suggestions in that area? I don’t mind a good sauté .

What sort of nutritional issues should I be concerned with? ( outside

of the B vits )

Is there a food pyramid for “dummies” for the vegetarian?

What does a day in your life menu look like?

Any Crockpot recipes for dry beans?

Any help appreciated

Steph in Ohio

“We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means

doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case,

the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive. "

C.S. Lewis

July 9, 2007

I'm still converting too! I substitute all of my white pasta with whole wheat

pasta. In the beginning I would only do a ratio of 75% white and 25% whole wheat

and then after a few weeks I'd lessen the white and increase the wheat until

it's all wheat. My favorite it the Barilla Plus in the yellow box. I'm not a big

fan of the rice pasta, I can't have the corn because I'm allergic to corn.

Jackie K.

Proud Mom to Tatiana 04-26-04

----

Find out how you can get spam free email.

http://www.bluebottle.com/tag/3

July 9, 2007

Good for you for switching!! You'll all be healthier in the long run!!

My kids eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, some beans and whole grains and

very little processed foods. Next to zero sweets. They got frozen berries this

morning and that's like candy to them. They take a kids' multivitamin once

every other day and that's it. I add some supplements to their homemade soymilk

but it's nothing more than what's added to the commercial kind. They're both

extremely healthy. I can't remember the last time either of them were sick.

A vegetarian diet is no reason to start up a bunch of supplements. Just a good

multivitamin is all you or your kids need. Eat a varied diet and make the bulk

of it whole, unproccesed foods. Vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains.

And just what do you mean by " dreaded brussels sprout " ?!? My brussels sprout

plants out in my yard are crying now!! I could eat my weight in those things.

While I was pregnant with my son I ate a 1 lb. bag of them *every day*!!!

Brussels sprouts are awesome!!

RnScarlson <scarlson1 wrote:

Hello!

I’m Steph, mom to 6 kids, five still here at home. Ages 10, 6, 5, 4, and

two yrs. We also Home school. Anyhow.. I have a few questions or myths

that need to be dispelled.

We are making the switch. My children love veggies so I don’t see any

complications there. Some of them even like the dreaded Brussell sprout.

:-) For now, we are going Lacto Ovo. I have heard that a vegetarian

menu is cheaper than a menu that contains meats. Have any of you found

that to be true?

With my life style I don’t have much time to be in the kitchen preparing

gourmet meals. A lot of my “vegetarian” recipes look time consuming –

white wine all that. And I want to avoid as much processed food as I

can. Esp white flour noodles etc which haunt my recipes too.. Any hints

or suggestions in that area? I don’t mind a good sauté .

What sort of nutritional issues should I be concerned with? ( outside

of the B vits )

Is there a food pyramid for “dummies” for the vegetarian?

What does a day in your life menu look like?

Any Crockpot recipes for dry beans?

Any help appreciated

Steph in Ohio

“We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means

doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case,

the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive. "

C.S. Lewis

July 9, 2007

Hi Steph and welcome!

I never spend more than 20 minutes on week night dinners. On the weekends

I'll make brown rice, put it in wax bags, put the bags in a zipper freezer bag

and freeze. Dinner is often a quick stir fry with frozen veggies, tofu and a

jarred sauce (trader joes has great ones) over rice. In the summer I buy a lot

of produce from farmers' markets; I'll cook for a minute in the microwave

(covered pyrex with a drop of water for one minute) and freeze when cooled.

Another quick dinner is a jarred pasta sauce over whole wheat spagetti; I'll

throw in some sauteed mushrooms and onions from the freezer.

I always have bagged lettuce on hand for salads (as a side dish or a meal).

Be sure to include a variety of colors of veggies (so easy in the summer!).

It is very, very helpful for getting kids to eat new foods if they get to choose

a new veggie and a recipe. Your local library may have a good assortment of

cookbooks; I love the kids Moosewood.

Robin

RnScarlson <scarlson1 wrote:

Hello!

I’m Steph, mom to 6 kids, five still here at home. Ages 10, 6, 5, 4, and

two yrs. We also Home school. Anyhow.. I have a few questions or myths

that need to be dispelled.

We are making the switch. My children love veggies so I don’t see any

complications there. Some of them even like the dreaded Brussell sprout.

:-) For now, we are going Lacto Ovo. I have heard that a vegetarian

menu is cheaper than a menu that contains meats. Have any of you found

that to be true?

With my life style I don’t have much time to be in the kitchen preparing

gourmet meals. A lot of my “vegetarian” recipes look time consuming –

white wine all that. And I want to avoid as much processed food as I

can. Esp white flour noodles etc which haunt my recipes too.. Any hints

or suggestions in that area? I don’t mind a good sauté .

What sort of nutritional issues should I be concerned with? ( outside

of the B vits )

Is there a food pyramid for “dummies” for the vegetarian?

What does a day in your life menu look like?

Any Crockpot recipes for dry beans?

Any help appreciated

Steph in Ohio

“We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means

doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case,

the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive. "

C.S. Lewis

July 9, 2007

LOL.. Tell your BS plants I personally love them. But I do have one

daughter who crys when I buy them. LOL. She is ten yrs old. She is a

super kiddo, but her dislike of the BS is her one undoing. LOL.

Say.. I tried growing those last year. I got a really good stalk, but no

little heads. Do you think I planted them too late in the season? They

are a cole crop right?

Do you start yours from seed or plant?

Steph

“We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means

doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case,

the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive. "

C.S. Lewis

On

Behalf Of Kadee M

Sunday, July 08, 2007 11:41 PM

Re: help a newby

Good for you for switching!! You'll all be healthier in the long run!!

My kids eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, some beans and whole grains

and very little processed foods. Next to zero sweets. They got frozen

berries this morning and that's like candy to them. They take a kids'

multivitamin once every other day and that's it. I add some supplements

to their homemade soymilk but it's nothing more than what's added to the

commercial kind. They're both extremely healthy. I can't remember the

last time either of them were sick.

A vegetarian diet is no reason to start up a bunch of supplements. Just

a good multivitamin is all you or your kids need. Eat a varied diet and

make the bulk of it whole, unproccesed foods. Vegetables, fruits, beans,

whole grains.

And just what do you mean by " dreaded brussels sprout " ?!? My brussels

sprout plants out in my yard are crying now!! I could eat my weight in

those things. While I was pregnant with my son I ate a 1 lb. bag of them

*every day*!!! Brussels sprouts are awesome!!

RnScarlson <scarlson1 (AT) cinci (DOT) <scarlson1%40cinci.rr.com> rr.com>

wrote:

Hello!

I’m Steph, mom to 6 kids, five still here at home. Ages 10, 6, 5, 4, and

two yrs. We also Home school. Anyhow.. I have a few questions or myths

that need to be dispelled.

We are making the switch. My children love veggies so I don’t see any

complications there. Some of them even like the dreaded Brussell sprout.

:-) For now, we are going Lacto Ovo. I have heard that a vegetarian

menu is cheaper than a menu that contains meats. Have any of you found

that to be true?

With my life style I don’t have much time to be in the kitchen preparing

gourmet meals. A lot of my “vegetarian” recipes look time consuming –

white wine all that. And I want to avoid as much processed food as I

can. Esp white flour noodles etc which haunt my recipes too.. Any hints

or suggestions in that area? I don’t mind a good sauté .

What sort of nutritional issues should I be concerned with? ( outside

of the B vits )

Is there a food pyramid for “dummies” for the vegetarian?

What does a day in your life menu look like?

Any Crockpot recipes for dry beans?

Any help appreciated

Steph in Ohio

“We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means

doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case,

the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive. "

C.S. Lewis

July 9, 2007

I love to eat corn but I am a bit leery of it now. I was reading some

anthropology thing that talked about being able to track Maize and its

progression up and east with arthritis & other inflammatory auto immune

diseases of the sort appearing in the bones of Native American Indians

at about the same time Corn got there.

Steph

" We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means

doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case,

the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive. "

C.S. Lewis

On

Behalf Of Jackie

Sunday, July 08, 2007 10:52 PM

Re: help a newby

I'm still converting too! I substitute all of my white pasta with whole

wheat pasta. In the beginning I would only do a ratio of 75% white and

25% whole wheat and then after a few weeks I'd lessen the white and

increase the wheat until it's all wheat. My favorite it the Barilla Plus

in the yellow box. I'm not a big fan of the rice pasta, I can't have the

corn because I'm allergic to corn.

Jackie K.

Proud Mom to Tatiana 04-26-04

-------------------------

Find out how you can get spam free email.

http://www.bluebott <http://www.bluebottle.com/tag/3> le.com/tag/3

July 10, 2007

Hello,

I am a huge fan of slow cooking. It totally works for our family. One of my

favorite cookbooks is Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson.

They are all pretty simple ingredients and easy to prepare. Some of the recipes

have you " pre-cook " ingredients but over the years I have stopped doing that

because of time and the recipes are still great.

Have fun!

Karen

Those having Lamps will pass them on to others. - PLATO

TV dinner still cooling?

Check out " Tonight's Picks " on TV.

July 10, 2007

That's one of my favorite cookbooks, too. We have even made the seitan

recipe (using gluten flour instead of the traditional way with the wwflour)

and it's really very good. I should have done that the other day instead of

the stove (I do prefer it baked though instead - and I don't think the bbq

seitan for the grill would have been the same if it was boiled...).

I also have 'Better than Peanut Butter and Jelly' (I think that's the title)

and it's got a lot of kid friendly and fast recipes. I have a little

" vegetarian cookbook " I found at the craft store (in the book section) and

it has one of my favorite recipes - kidney bean kiev in it (I've posted it

here, so it should be in the archives)

Stir fries are quick and easy, and healthy - a good way to get in those

various vegies, too. I put in some sliced up patty pan squash from our

garden, it was amazing.

I also make a 'skillet dinner' - basically you choose a grain, a protien,

vegies and cook it in one pot - I tend to make something very much like

those 'hamburger helper' things - only much much better, and a heck of a lot

less salt and no preservatives. Hee.

I also like the loaf generator (for something akin to a meatloaf) it'shere:

http://www.veganlunchbox.com/loaf_studio.html

We do pasta, with sauce, tofu koftas (like meatballs).

vegweb.com has a TON of really good vegetarian and vegan recipes. There's an

awesome one pot rice and lentil dish that is super versatile (depending on

spices/etc that you cook in it). It's another favorite in our house.

Congrats on the switch! My son was raised on a vegetarian diet, and we've

been vegan for nearly a year (it's coming up on 1yr in a few more months)

and he's rarely ever sick. We switched to being vegan because it was

easier to manage with his dairy allergy. He just had his 4yr checkup, and

his doc basically said wow, he's been very healthy, we hardly ever see him,

and I don't think we even had to take him in in the last year for anything

at all.

Missie

On 7/10/07, Karen <kbkbrocks wrote:

>

> Hello,

>

> I am a huge fan of slow cooking. It totally works for our family. One of

> my favorite cookbooks is Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin

> Robertson. They are all pretty simple ingredients and easy to prepare. Some

> of the recipes have you " pre-cook " ingredients but over the years I have

> stopped doing that because of time and the recipes are still great.

>

> Have fun!

>

> Karen

>

> Those having Lamps will pass them on to others. - PLATO

>

> TV dinner still cooling?

> Check out " Tonight's Picks " on TV.

>

July 11, 2007

Missie, could you please post your tofu kofta recipe? Also, I'm growing

patty pans in my garden this year but have never had them before -- some

are just about ready to pick and I've got no idea how to use them! Do

you peel them before you slice them for your stir-fry?

Heather

Missie Ward wrote:

>

> That's one of my favorite cookbooks, too. We have even made the seitan

> recipe (using gluten flour instead of the traditional way with the

> wwflour)

> and it's really very good. I should have done that the other day

> instead of

> the stove (I do prefer it baked though instead - and I don't think the bbq

> seitan for the grill would have been the same if it was boiled...).

>

> I also have 'Better than Peanut Butter and Jelly' (I think that's the

> title)

> and it's got a lot of kid friendly and fast recipes. I have a little

> " vegetarian cookbook " I found at the craft store (in the book section) and

> it has one of my favorite recipes - kidney bean kiev in it (I've posted it

> here, so it should be in the archives)

>

> Stir fries are quick and easy, and healthy - a good way to get in those

> various vegies, too. I put in some sliced up patty pan squash from our

> garden, it was amazing.

>

> I also make a 'skillet dinner' - basically you choose a grain, a protien,

> vegies and cook it in one pot - I tend to make something very much like

> those 'hamburger helper' things - only much much better, and a heck of

> a lot

> less salt and no preservatives. Hee.

>

> I also like the loaf generator (for something akin to a meatloaf)

> it'shere:

> http://www.veganlunchbox.com/loaf_studio.html

> <http://www.veganlunchbox.com/loaf_studio.html>

>

> We do pasta, with sauce, tofu koftas (like meatballs).

>

> vegweb.com has a TON of really good vegetarian and vegan recipes.

> There's an

> awesome one pot rice and lentil dish that is super versatile (depending on

> spices/etc that you cook in it). It's another favorite in our house.

>

> Congrats on the switch! My son was raised on a vegetarian diet, and we've

> been vegan for nearly a year (it's coming up on 1yr in a few more months)

> and he's rarely ever sick. We switched to being vegan because it was

> easier to manage with his dairy allergy. He just had his 4yr checkup, and

> his doc basically said wow, he's been very healthy, we hardly ever see

> him,

> and I don't think we even had to take him in in the last year for anything

> at all.

>

> Missie

>

> On 7/10/07, Karen <kbkbrocks <kbkbrocks%40>>

> wrote:

> >

> > Hello,

> >

> > I am a huge fan of slow cooking. It totally works for our family. One of

> > my favorite cookbooks is Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin

> > Robertson. They are all pretty simple ingredients and easy to

> prepare. Some

> > of the recipes have you " pre-cook " ingredients but over the years I have

> > stopped doing that because of time and the recipes are still great.

> >

> > Have fun!

> >

> > Karen

> >

> > Those having Lamps will pass them on to others. - PLATO

> >

> > TV dinner still cooling?

> > Check out " Tonight's Picks " on TV.

> >

July 11, 2007

You now, I just washed mine, and sliced them. I should have sliced them a

bit thicker than I did, but they were still very good.

The koftas, they're fairly simple:

1 block of mori-nu ex-firm or firm tofu

breadcrumbs or matzo crumbs (perhaps some quick oats whirred in the blender

for a bit might also work in this)

thinly sliced or shredded carrots, zucchini, maybe a 1/2 c. each

onions/garlic to taste (sauteeing first is good

squish tofu and breadcrumbs together (you can add an egg replacer if you

like, I usually just leave it out, but it might help them stick together

better). Mix/fold in vegies. Form into balls. Lightly spray/oil a bakign

sheet or use a baking stone. Bake at 350 for about 20-30 min's till golden

brown (check once about half way through, and turn them over).

you could also pan fry them, but they always seem to fall apart for me (I

may try some egg replacers to see if that helps any next time I make them).

this was adapted from I think a moosewood cookbook, but it was so long ago,

I have no idea anymore what it was from.

I also spice them differently depending on what I want to do with them.

Italian spices make them like 'meatballs', add in Indian spices, they go

nice in a good curry sauce (and what I think the original recipe called for,

but I adapted it for other things).

Missie

On 7/10/07, Heather Hossfeld <hlh4850 wrote:

>

> Missie, could you please post your tofu kofta recipe? Also, I'm growing

> patty pans in my garden this year but have never had them before -- some

> are just about ready to pick and I've got no idea how to use them! Do

> you peel them before you slice them for your stir-fry?

> Heather

>

> Missie Ward wrote:

> >

> > That's one of my favorite cookbooks, too. We have even made the

> seitan

> > recipe (using gluten flour instead of the traditional way with the

> > wwflour)

> > and it's really very good. I should have done that the other day

> > instead of

> > the stove (I do prefer it baked though instead - and I don't think the

> bbq

> > seitan for the grill would have been the same if it was boiled...).

> >

> > I also have 'Better than Peanut Butter and Jelly' (I think that's the

> > title)

> > and it's got a lot of kid friendly and fast recipes. I have a little

> > " vegetarian cookbook " I found at the craft store (in the book section)

> and

> > it has one of my favorite recipes - kidney bean kiev in it (I've posted

> it

> > here, so it should be in the archives)

> >

> > Stir fries are quick and easy, and healthy - a good way to get in those

> > various vegies, too. I put in some sliced up patty pan squash from our

> > garden, it was amazing.

> >

> > I also make a 'skillet dinner' - basically you choose a grain, a

> protien,

> > vegies and cook it in one pot - I tend to make something very much like

> > those 'hamburger helper' things - only much much better, and a heck of

> > a lot

> > less salt and no preservatives. Hee.

> >

> > I also like the loaf generator (for something akin to a meatloaf)

> > it'shere:

> > http://www.veganlunchbox.com/loaf_studio.html

> > <http://www.veganlunchbox.com/loaf_studio.html>

> >

> > We do pasta, with sauce, tofu koftas (like meatballs).

> >

> > vegweb.com has a TON of really good vegetarian and vegan recipes.

> > There's an

> > awesome one pot rice and lentil dish that is super versatile (depending

> on

> > spices/etc that you cook in it). It's another favorite in our house.

> >

> > Congrats on the switch! My son was raised on a vegetarian diet, and

> we've

> > been vegan for nearly a year (it's coming up on 1yr in a few more

> months)

> > and he's rarely ever sick. We switched to being vegan because it was

> > easier to manage with his dairy allergy. He just had his 4yr checkup,

> and

> > his doc basically said wow, he's been very healthy, we hardly ever see

> > him,

> > and I don't think we even had to take him in in the last year for

> anything

> > at all.

> >

> > Missie

> >

> > On 7/10/07, Karen <kbkbrocks <kbkbrocks%40> <

> kbkbrocks% <kbkbrocks%25>40>>

> > wrote:

> > >

> > > Hello,

> > >

> > > I am a huge fan of slow cooking. It totally works for our family. One

> of

> > > my favorite cookbooks is Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by

> Robin

> > > Robertson. They are all pretty simple ingredients and easy to

> > prepare. Some

> > > of the recipes have you " pre-cook " ingredients but over the years I

> have

> > > stopped doing that because of time and the recipes are still great.

> > >

> > > Have fun!

> > >

> > > Karen

> > >

> > > Those having Lamps will pass them on to others. - PLATO

> > >

> > > TV dinner still cooling?

> > > Check out " Tonight's Picks " on TV.

> > >

July 12, 2007

Hi Steph,

I'm in Ohio and I'm a home schooler too.

I don't know how everyone else will answer this question, but I have found that

eating healthy, including removing meat from our meals does cost more. We spend

so much more on food now that it's surprising, even though I expected it.

The bonus though, besides the long term benefits of longer life, lower cancer,

heart disease and diabetes risks, etc., is that we have not been to the doctor

or bought any type of medicine since we went veg. My children haven't even had

colds in that time. We do still include dairy and some eggs, but we have cut

down on our intake of those foods, and we are much pickier about which we buy.

So, although the food costs more, the medical costs are less, which is great.

I am still learning about vegetarian meals, and there are ways to cut costs,

just as I knew there were when I was cooking meat. The only place I can't cut

costs is in fresh foods. My family does not like frozen veg, so we have to buy

it all fresh. Not so bad in the summer, but tough in the winter. Fresh veg also

require more time to prepare, so I spend a decent amount of time in the kitchen.

I developed a " sous chef " callous on my first finger within the first month of

going veg from all the chopping. If I were smart, and better prepared, I would

make up the veg ahead of time; cut all the veg up for a few days' supply and

keep it in the fridge, ready to eat or cook. I'll get around to that soon. :-)

The best part of it all is that I feel really good about what I feed my family.

I know that they will be healthier and happier because of it, and that makes me

happy.

Soooo, I guess you CAN buy happiness, or at least, you can buy vegetables, and

that makes us happy. Not rich, but happy.

Jen in NE Ohio

______________________________\

____

Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone who knows.

Answers - Check it out.

http://answers./dir/?link=list & sid=396545469

July 14, 2007

Hi Jen,

I'm in NE Ohio too - Canton area Where are you?

Christina

, Jen <thefourlakes wrote:

>

> Hi Steph,

> I'm in Ohio and I'm a home schooler too.

> I don't know how everyone else will answer this question, but I have

found that eating healthy, including removing meat from our meals does

cost more. We spend so much more on food now that it's surprising,

even though I expected it.

> The bonus though, besides the long term benefits of longer life,

lower cancer, heart disease and diabetes risks, etc., is that we have

not been to the doctor or bought any type of medicine since we went

veg. My children haven't even had colds in that time. We do still

include dairy and some eggs, but we have cut down on our intake of

those foods, and we are much pickier about which we buy.

> So, although the food costs more, the medical costs are less, which

is great.

>

> I am still learning about vegetarian meals, and there are ways to

cut costs, just as I knew there were when I was cooking meat. The only

place I can't cut costs is in fresh foods. My family does not like

frozen veg, so we have to buy it all fresh. Not so bad in the summer,

but tough in the winter. Fresh veg also require more time to prepare,

so I spend a decent amount of time in the kitchen. I developed a

" sous chef " callous on my first finger within the first month of going

veg from all the chopping. If I were smart, and better prepared, I

would make up the veg ahead of time; cut all the veg up for a few

days' supply and keep it in the fridge, ready to eat or cook. I'll

get around to that soon. :-)

> The best part of it all is that I feel really good about what I feed

my family. I know that they will be healthier and happier because of

it, and that makes me happy.

> Soooo, I guess you CAN buy happiness, or at least, you can buy

vegetables, and that makes us happy. Not rich, but happy.

>

> Jen in NE Ohio

>

______________________________\

____

> Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone who

knows. Answers - Check it out.

> http://answers./dir/?link=list & sid=396545469

>

July 16, 2007

Jen,

Good frozen veggies in a stir fry don't taste any different than fresh. I buy

frozen organics at Costco or Trader Joes (Whole Foods or Wild Oats when they are

on sale or if I have coupons) and put the bags in 2 gallon zipper bags to keep

them fresher. If I had to chop veggies every night, we would only eat them on

weekends.

Robin

Jen <thefourlakes wrote: