Guest guest Posted October 4, 2004 Report Share Posted October 4, 2004 Hi, I am going vegetarian and need help. I have purchased some cookbooks but it seems like they are in a different language. I don't know what half the ingredients are. But thanks to the dictionary I have found most of what I need. But the grocery store here is difficult to maneuver looking for items. So I'm coming here for help. We do have a small health food store where I can buy nut butters etc. But it is very expensive 9.00 for a ten ounce jar. So I don't think I'll be shopping there unless there is something specific I need that I can't make or get elsewhere. There is a large city an hour away that I can shop at once every few months and stock up which I hope I will be able to do soon. Now I go and just get confused on what to purchase. So I have to purchase all my groceries at the local store during the winter months but they have a fair selection of organic foods. 1. What were your 5 trouble areas when you decided to go vegetarian? 2. What is necessary for a pantry? 3. What is one balanced meal I should include in my new diet? 4. Is there a resource manual you would suggest to finding out what all the ingredients on a label mean? I usually don't buy prepared food because I like eating whole foods but I do like to have some easily prepared foods in my freezer for days when I just can't think about food or don't have the time. 5. Do you find that eating a vegetarian diet is expensive? It seems like it is to me but I think that might be because I am buying on overload and not really knowing what to buy and also I am still buying for the family who refuse to go without meat. I'll buy it but I won't cook it. They do that for themselves. (I like their lazy days and they eat the large salad I prepared. LOL) I have searched the web and have found thousands of sites with information but it all seems so overwhelming that I am getting frustrated. So any advice for a beginner would be welcome. But please keep it simple. Thanks. pen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 4, 2004 Report Share Posted October 4, 2004 Hi Pen:) I'm new to the list too, and I've been off/on vegetarian most of my adult life. I also have a house full of meat eaters, and usually cook from whole foods (98%). What I can say about the cost, is yes, it does tend to cost more - but not because being a vegetarian costs more, it's actually much more cost efficient, but because in addition to the food you are buying for the meat eaters, you are now also buying veggie stuff that may be solely yours. What I try to do is combine menus whenever I can. Take tacos, for instance...I like just drained black beans in place of the meat mixture. I do not like TVP, so I don't add it. The rest of the ingredients (lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, etc) are open game for every one, and I fry my own corn tortillas in either canola or olive oil. If I make them a meat/potatoes/veggie plate-type dinner, I eat the same veggies they do and either have some beans or a portobello mushroom cap in place of the meat. If we do pizza, I usually get cheese, and they get what they want. They'll also eat the cheese pizza, so I don't worry about having to eat it all myself. I do like couscous, but I prefer cooking everything from scratch, so I usually buy my grains in bulk. Add grains to your plate along with mushrooms or beans, and you have a great amount of complete protein:) I also love to do pastas - buy whole wheat pasta when you can, and I love to saute' mushrooms with garlic and italian herbs in a light amount of olive oil and toss to coat the pasta - marinara also works well, and spagetti is another easily combined meal. Two pots on the stovetop - one vegetarian, and one with meat sauce - covered!! we don't want meat splatters in our sauce:) As for the nut butters, if you have a food processor, you can make them yourself from dry-roasted nuts. It will take a long time - I'm told about 10-15 minutes, and it will be very dry & choppy at first - DO NOT add oil. The nuts have their own - it just takes a bit to press it out. Hope this helps:) Debra , " change2colors " <change2colors> wrote: > > Hi, I am going vegetarian and need help. I have purchased some > cookbooks but it seems like they are in a different language. I don't > know what half the ingredients are. But thanks to the dictionary I > have found most of what I need. But the grocery store here is > difficult to maneuver looking for items. So I'm coming here for help. > We do have a small health food store where I can buy nut butters etc. > But it is very expensive 9.00 for a ten ounce jar. So I don't think > I'll be shopping there unless there is something specific I need that > I can't make or get elsewhere. There is a large city an hour away > that I can shop at once every few months and stock up which I hope I > will be able to do soon. Now I go and just get confused on what to > purchase. So I have to purchase all my groceries at the local store > during the winter months but they have a fair selection of organic > foods. > > 1. What were your 5 trouble areas when you decided to go vegetarian? > 2. What is necessary for a pantry? > 3. What is one balanced meal I should include in my new diet? > 4. Is there a resource manual you would suggest to finding out what > all the ingredients on a label mean? I usually don't buy prepared > food because I like eating whole foods but I do like to have some > easily prepared foods in my freezer for days when I just can't think > about food or don't have the time. > 5. Do you find that eating a vegetarian diet is expensive? It seems > like it is to me but I think that might be because I am buying on > overload and not really knowing what to buy and also I am still > buying for the family who refuse to go without meat. I'll buy it but > I won't cook it. They do that for themselves. (I like their lazy days > and they eat the large salad I prepared. LOL) > > I have searched the web and have found thousands of sites with > information but it all seems so overwhelming that I am getting > frustrated. > > So any advice for a beginner would be welcome. But please keep it > simple. > > Thanks. > pen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 4, 2004 Report Share Posted October 4, 2004 Thank-you Debra, You gave me some very good ideas. Tonight I was home alone so I made my dinner, making extra so I could have some to heat up tomorrow for an easy lunch. Well, DH came in I told him that I had the left over vegetarian meal and that he could grill his own meat on the George Forman grill. Well, he opted for the vegetarian meal and was not interested in getting the grill out. LOL. So he was vegetarian too. Debra Lee Thompson <iw_amberwolf wrote: Hi Pen:) I'm new to the list too, and I've been off/on vegetarian most of my adult life. I also have a house full of meat eaters, and Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 5, 2004 Report Share Posted October 5, 2004 Pen - I find that happens alot at my house, with my husband too. He feels " threatened " by my choice to be Vegetarian, but will also go days without consuming meat so long as I don't make any noise about cutting it out of his diet entirely. Another groovy thing we do is baked potato night. I keep a can of vegetarian chili in my cupboard for just such occasions:) Then there's beans & eggs night for when I want lots of protein - I make poached eggs and a pot of either black or baked beans, and serve it with wheat toast:) It's quite yummy:) If you want to do a hotdog night, Morningstar farms makes excellent veggie dogs - we did that this weekend. I had my veggie dog with mustard, onions, and sauerkraut on a wheat bun, and the rest of the house had their meat versions fixed however they wanted. I bought baked chips, and made some beans to go with it. It was great:) Debra pen <change2colors wrote: Thank-you Debra, You gave me some very good ideas. Tonight I was home alone so I made my dinner, making extra so I could have some to heat up tomorrow for an easy lunch. Well, DH came in I told him that I had the left over vegetarian meal and that he could grill his own meat on the George Forman grill. Well, he opted for the vegetarian meal and was not interested in getting the grill out. LOL. So he was vegetarian too. Debra Lee Thompson <iw_amberwolf wrote: Hi Pen:) I'm new to the list too, and I've been off/on vegetarian most of my adult life. I also have a house full of meat eaters, and Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 6, 2004 Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 Welcome Pen! 1) Trouble Areas - Hard to remember, it's been so long but I do still miss pepperoni! 2) I always have in my pantry: oats, couscous, whole wheat pasta, spaghetti sauce, tomato soup, vegetarian chili, black beans, vegetarian refried beans, salsa, enchilada sauce, salad dressings. 3) not sure what to suggest here - the files have sooo many great recipes or scroll through past messages. I say just keep trying new recipes and you will find stuff you just love (and some stuff you don't!). For breakfast, I start our day with 1 cup plain yogurt, 1 cup berries (your choice - blueberries are great), 1 Tablespoon flaxseed meal, and a handful of nuts. 4) I'd love to know about a good resource like this too! I do prefer to cook when I can, and freeze extra for later. But, it's not always possible. I do have some frozen pizzas for emergencies! 5) see my other long-winded post :-) Amanda , " change2colors " <change2colors> wrote: > > > 1. What were your 5 trouble areas when you decided to go vegetarian? > 2. What is necessary for a pantry? > 3. What is one balanced meal I should include in my new diet? > 4. Is there a resource manual you would suggest to finding out what > all the ingredients on a label mean? I usually don't buy prepared > food because I like eating whole foods but I do like to have some > easily prepared foods in my freezer for days when I just can't think > about food or don't have the time. > 5. Do you find that eating a vegetarian diet is expensive? It seems > like it is to me but I think that might be because I am buying on > overload and not really knowing what to buy and also I am still > buying for the family who refuse to go without meat. I'll buy it but > I won't cook it. They do that for themselves. (I like their lazy days > and they eat the large salad I prepared. LOL) > > I have searched the web and have found thousands of sites with > information but it all seems so overwhelming that I am getting > frustrated. > > So any advice for a beginner would be welcome. But please keep it > simple. > > Thanks. > pen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 6, 2004 Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 Thank-you fro the suggestions. I'm starting my third day as a vegetarian and I'm feeling better about the decision. pen Amanda Crawford Beckwith <lovethecold wrote: Welcome Pen! 1) Trouble Areas - Hard to remember, it's been so long but I do still miss pepperoni! 2) I always have in my pantry: oats, couscous, whole wheat pasta, spaghetti sauce, tomato soup, vegetarian chili, black beans, vegetarian refried beans, salsa, enchilada sauce, salad dressings. 3) not sure what to suggest here - the files have sooo many great recipes or scroll through past messages. I say just keep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 Welcome to this list, pen. i am sorry it took so long for me to welcome you here, but i am glad to see others have answered your questions and shared the wisdom born of their experience. i will share my answers to your questions in my next post. You ask some very good ones. It is great having you here. ~ pt ~ People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) ~~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~> , " change2colors " < change2colors> wrote: > > Hi, I am going vegetarian and need help. I have purchased some > cookbooks but it seems like they are in a different language. I don't > know what half the ingredients are. But thanks to the dictionary I > have found most of what I need. But the grocery store here is > difficult to maneuver looking for items. So I'm coming here for help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 Bravo Debra. A lot of great ideas and advice in your post below. Thanks for sharing and being inspiring to me. :::coffeemug salute::: ~ pt ~ The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world. ~ Lao-Tzu ~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~> , " Debra Lee Thompson " < iw_amberwolf> wrote: What I try to do is > combine menus whenever I can. Take tacos, for instance...I like just > drained black beans in place of the meat mixture. I do not like TVP, > so I don't add it. The rest of the ingredients (lettuce, tomatoes, > cheese, etc) are open game for every one, and I fry my own corn > tortillas in either canola or olive oil. If I make them a > meat/potatoes/veggie plate-type dinner, I eat the same veggies they > do and either have some beans or a portobello mushroom cap in place > of the meat. If we do pizza, I usually get cheese, and they get what > they want. They'll also eat the cheese pizza, so I don't worry about > having to eat it all myself. I do like couscous, but I prefer > cooking everything from scratch, so I usually buy my grains in bulk. > Add grains to your plate along with mushrooms or beans, and you have > a great amount of complete protein:) I also love to do pastas - buy > whole wheat pasta when you can, and I love to saute' mushrooms with > garlic and italian herbs in a light amount of olive oil and toss to > coat the pasta - marinara also works well, and spagetti is another > easily combined meal. Two pots on the stovetop - one vegetarian, and > one with meat sauce - covered!! we don't want meat splatters in our > sauce:) As for the nut butters, if you have a food processor, you > can make them yourself from dry-roasted nuts. It will take a long > time - I'm told about 10-15 minutes, and it will be very dry & choppy > at first - DO NOT add oil. The nuts have their own - it just takes a > bit to press it out. > > Hope this helps:) > > Debra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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