Guest guest Posted May 30, 2008 Report Share Posted May 30, 2008 Hello all! My name is Amy and I have a 14 year old who came home and told me that she wants to be vegetarian (just to try it out.) That was about a month ago. I've bought NO meat since we sat down and talked about being a vegetarian. My problem is now: what else can I cook? I'm a working mom with a 14 year old, a 3 month old (whom I am breastfeeding)and I'm a foster parent, too. I feel like all I make is pasta with sauce. My daughter eats a lot of peanut butter sandwiches (her choice.) All the receipe books I look at seem really time consuming as far as preparation. Any ideas for me? I'm enjoying the meatless meals and I actually can see myself making this " trial period " a permanant change for my family. I want to expand what I can cook so that my kids will continue to eat vegetarian. Thanks ahead of time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 welcome amy! first of all, i must give you a HUGE cyber hug for not only supporting your daughter's choice but doing whatever you can to work vegetarianism into your diet as well! you are an awesome mom! i first said i wanted to be vegetarian when i was 8 and i said it over and over again until i finally moved out and could actually BE a vegetarian. my parents were completely unsupportive, not only refusing to make other things that i could eat but refusing to help me learn to cook for myself. if i didn't eat meat, i was basically left with baked potatoes and canned peas (which basically meant i couldn't be vegetarian). to introduce myself, i'm chandelle and i've been on this list for about three years (with one hiatus). i was on-and-off vegetarian for about three years, then vegan for three years, and now my family is trying a raw diet that is vegan except for occasional honey. i'm studying to be a holistic nutritionist and eventually a naturopathic doctor. my husband is a waldorf teacher and we have two children, isaiah who is 3, and willow who is 18 months. this group is awesome and just the place to be for support. nava atlas has some good cookbooks for quick vegetarian meals that make most family members happy; i feel that they're a bit heavy on processed ingredients but they can be a good transition item. personally i found the book " ecological cooking " invaluable when i was transitioning to veg, because it's full of simple, hearty, recognizable dishes that are based on pretty basic, inexpensive materials. i kept a vegan blog throughout the past year, and though i've moved on to a raw blog now, my vegan blog is still up. it has a large index of recipes, most of which took around 30 minutes for me to make. www.authenticdeliciousness.blogspot.com my favorite vegan blog is susan's: www.blog.fatfreevegan.com and you can find literally thousands of other all around the internet. good luck and welcome again! chandelle On Fri, May 30, 2008 at 11:44 AM, amy_and_al <amy_and_al wrote: > Hello all! My name is Amy and I have a 14 year old who came home and > told me that she wants to be vegetarian (just to try it out.) That was > about a month ago. I've bought NO meat since we sat down and talked > about being a vegetarian. My problem is now: what else can I cook? > I'm a working mom with a 14 year old, a 3 month old (whom I am > breastfeeding)and I'm a foster parent, too. I feel like all I make is > pasta with sauce. My daughter eats a lot of peanut butter sandwiches > (her choice.) All the receipe books I look at seem really time > consuming as far as preparation. Any ideas for me? > I'm enjoying the meatless meals and I actually can see myself making > this " trial period " a permanant change for my family. I want to expand > what I can cook so that my kids will continue to eat vegetarian. > Thanks ahead of time! > > > -- " if voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal. " ~emma goldman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 Hi Amy, Congratulations for being such a great parent to embrace your daughter's beliefs and support her so wholeheartedly! She will forever remember your support and commitment to her ideas. Yayy! As far as what to cook - you can cook just about anything you would have cooked before, just omit the meat. We do cheese enchiladas, veggie and tofu lasagna (smash up tofu and use instead of ricotta), tofu macaroni and cheese (I can send the recipe if you like - super easy and fast and delicious), bean, cheese and veggie burritos, tacos made with nature's burger or beans, veggie pizza, falafel with yogurt sauce, and we also just keep lots of stuff in the pantry to mix and match: grains like rices, rice pilaf mixes, pastas, polenta, breads - to mix with proteins like falafel mix, veggie burger mix, canned beans, eggs, nuts, seeds, soy milk, tofu - and then mixing those with fresh veggies and fruits and dairy in the fridge, we can cobble together something on most nights. Oh, and we also keep a green salad in the crisper, all made up, ready to scoop out - onto sandwiches, burritos, tacos, burgers, or just with salad dressing. We also often keep containers of cut up veggies and fruits in the fridge, and some yogurt mixed with dill as a veggie dip or peanut butter for a fruit dip. These can be appetizers, side dishes, or with enough eaten . .. . a light meal. :-) I've also gotten into the habit of putting a dish of nuts or sunflower seeds on the table at dinner, and/or a plate of apple or orange wedges . . . everyone ends up eating some. The Moosewood cookbooks are good, and so is the Deborah Madison one - and there are tons of vegetarian recipe sites, including VRG - which has a " teens, family and kids " page. Oh, and the Vegan Lunchbox site is amazing, too! We love the tofu " fish " sticks recipe she has on there! We also eat some of the meat analogs sometimes - tofu dogs, fake bacon, veggie burgers, and my partner/husband will eat those fake sandwich " meats " and sausages (which smell like rotten feet to me) :-) -- but I know a lot of people don't eat them, choosing more healthy options. :-) Have fun and you are in the right place! Tons of great recipes likely reside on this list!!! Have a great day! Lorraine On Behalf Of amy_and_al Friday, May 30, 2008 10:44 AM New Member to Group Hello all! My name is Amy and I have a 14 year old who came home and told me that she wants to be vegetarian (just to try it out.) That was about a month ago. I've bought NO meat since we sat down and talked about being a vegetarian. My problem is now: what else can I cook? I'm a working mom with a 14 year old, a 3 month old (whom I am breastfeeding)and I'm a foster parent, too. I feel like all I make is pasta with sauce. My daughter eats a lot of peanut butter sandwiches (her choice.) All the receipe books I look at seem really time consuming as far as preparation. Any ideas for me? I'm enjoying the meatless meals and I actually can see myself making this " trial period " a permanant change for my family. I want to expand what I can cook so that my kids will continue to eat vegetarian. Thanks ahead of time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 My 15 year old daughter is a vegan who loves almost every recipe in Vegan with a Vengance by Isa Shandra Moskowitz. She loves these recipes enough that she often volenteers to make dinner. amy_and_al <amy_and_al Friday, May 30, 2008 12:44:12 PM New Member to Group Hello all! My name is Amy and I have a 14 year old who came home and told me that she wants to be vegetarian (just to try it out.) That was about a month ago. I've bought NO meat since we sat down and talked about being a vegetarian. My problem is now: what else can I cook? I'm a working mom with a 14 year old, a 3 month old (whom I am breastfeeding) and I'm a foster parent, too. I feel like all I make is pasta with sauce. My daughter eats a lot of peanut butter sandwiches (her choice.) All the receipe books I look at seem really time consuming as far as preparation. Any ideas for me? I'm enjoying the meatless meals and I actually can see myself making this " trial period " a permanant change for my family. I want to expand what I can cook so that my kids will continue to eat vegetarian. Thanks ahead of time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 Welcome! & nbsp; This group is full of working moms, and you will get lots of great advice. & nbsp; I cook (brown) rice in my ricecooker on the weekends; I put it in wax bags and put the wax bags in a big ziplock in the freezer. & nbsp; A typical weeknight dinner is a stir fry (I fry some slices of garlic and ginger in a bit of olive oil; take them out and throw in frozen veggies and cubed tofu; toss on a sauce (Indian, Thai, Chinese etc) and serve over rice that I warmed up in the microwave. & nbsp; Dinner is ready in 20 minutes. & nbsp; & nbsp; Other staples in our house are: & nbsp; assorted shapes of whole wheat pasta, dehydrated refried beans, whole wheat tortillas, cheese, canned beans. & nbsp; Robin --- On Fri, 5/30/08, amy_and_al & lt;amy_and_al & gt; wrote: amy_and_al & lt;amy_and_al & gt; New Member to Group Friday, May 30, 2008, 12:44 PM Hello all! My name is Amy and I have a 14 year old who came home and told me that she wants to be vegetarian (just to try it out.) That was about a month ago. I've bought NO meat since we sat down and talked about being a vegetarian. My problem is now: what else can I cook? I'm a working mom with a 14 year old, a 3 month old (whom I am breastfeeding) and I'm a foster parent, too. I feel like all I make is pasta with sauce. My daughter eats a lot of peanut butter sandwiches (her choice.) All the receipe books I look at seem really time consuming as far as preparation. Any ideas for me? I'm enjoying the meatless meals and I actually can see myself making this " trial period " a permanant change for my family. I want to expand what I can cook so that my kids will continue to eat vegetarian. Thanks ahead of time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 Hi Amy! I am also a working Mom with no time to cook, and a 9 year old boy that doesn't want me testing new recipes on him! Besides pasta, we eat a lot of Mexican food, bean burritos with veggies has a lot of protein and nutrients, but is cheap and quick, usually pleases anyone! My son also likes salad, pizza and spinach artichoke dip as easy favorites. I applaude you for listening to your child, it is such a terrifficly happy and healthy lifestyle for the entire family! .... Danielle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 Hi Amy, I'm with you--I'm all for recipes that require little more than cutting up some fresh veg and throwing it in the oven or into a pot. I'm assuming you're going vegetarian (meaning that you still eat milk, cheese, eggs, etc.), not vegan. Here are some relatively quick supper ideas that we use a lot. Once you get into the habit of taking a few minutes to cut up the veg (you can even do it the night before in most cases, after the kids go to bed), these really do put themselves together quickly. Basically, I try every night to combine some grain with a veg and a protein source. We even have our kitchen cupboards divided up into these three groups, which lets us come up with quick meal ideas at a glance. Just got to remember that rice and potatoes take a lot longer than pasta, and you don't want to serve pasta every night--so if you want rice or potatoes, start those going first and do the other stuff while they're cooking. We also use an organic veg box delivery service, which makes shopping a LOT easier. Don't know if there's one in your area, but you could look around. We're in England and use Abel and Cole <http://www.abelandcole.com> . Khichri: Rinse and cook lentils well, with a bay leaf, couple of wedges of garlic and ginger thrown in, for about 30-40 minutes. Add a can of chopped tomatoes (organic, of course) and cook for another 5 mins. Remove the garlic, ginger, and bay leaf and serve with rice and salad. Potatoes: Bake potatoes and stuff with fillings, esp. proteiny fillings--like beans, lentils, cheese, sour cream--and veg. We like finely grated carrots, bean/seed sprouts, mangetout/snow peas, green/french beans, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. Great with soup. Quiche: Take any fresh organic vegetable, steam/stir fry/just cut it up raw, mix 4 eggs and 1.5-2 cups of grated cheese in a pie pan (plus any herbs/spices you like), and put in the oven--no crust required! But rub the pie pan with olive oil first. Bake for about 30 mins or until it's set. Serve with bread and an organic salad. (Good veggies to throw into quiche include zucchini/courgette, carrots, onions, peppers, asparagus, avocado, green/french beans, snow peas/mangetout, cauliflower, broccoli, peas, etc. etc.) . Pasta bakes: Cook some pasta, open a jar of tomato sauce, stir in with herbs/spices and cut-up veg (any of the above mentioned veg would be great), top with cheese, and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Beans are surprisingly good in pasta bakes and add a protein kick. You can do bakes with rice or potatoes as well, for a bit of a change. Soup: As you chop veg during the week, save the good (nothing rotted) peelings, cores, stalks, skins, etc. in a plastic bag in the fridge. On the weekend, throw it all into a pot, cover it with water, and boil for about 30-60 minutes. Drain off the water and voila--easy soup stock. Throw in cut-up veg, barley, beans, potatoes, pasta, whatever sounds good (and whatever you've got lying around), plus herbs/spices, and cook until it's all done. Serve with salad and wholegrain bread, with maybe cheese and butter. Excellent on a cold wintry day. We also love to make pizzas, with a really delicious yogurt-based herbed whole wheat crust <http://www.recipezaar.com/111650> . It's really light, creamy, and yummy. I imagine you could do it with soya yogurt instead if you like, much like any cheese in the above suggestions can probably be replaced with soya cheese if you're vegan. But the pizza dough takes kneading and so a little more effort, so we save it for nights when we've got a little more time available. Best, Kerri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 VRG has a great book called meatless meals for working families that has a lot of great quick ideas in it. & nbsp; I hate spending a lot of time cooking. & nbsp; We eat lots of mexican type dishes. & nbsp; You can make bean and rice burritos. & nbsp; Bean and cheese quesidellas (use soy cheese if you are vegan). & nbsp; Tacos, with refried beans instead of beef or use ground veggie burger. & nbsp; Soups are another great idea. & nbsp; We recently started eating chili cheese baked potatoes. & nbsp; Hormel makes a vegetarian chili (its in the same area of the grocery store as beef and turkey chili). & nbsp; You can also Amy's or another brand of vegetarian chili and top with cheese or soy cheese. & nbsp; I hate PB & amp;J. & nbsp; My daughter does smartdeli slices cut into triangles and makes sandwiches with crackers. & nbsp; I also pack her yogurt and fruit for school. Just make sure that you get organic yogurt if you aren't vegan because the non-organic kind of yogurts typically have gelatin in them. & nbsp; Also you can make things like BLT's with smartbacon or MSF breakfast strips and lettuce and tomato on whole wheat bread. & nbsp; Probably wouldn't work well for packing lunch but good for the weekends. Welcome to the group. Renee --- On Fri, 5/30/08, amy_and_al & lt;amy_and_al & gt; wrote: amy_and_al & lt;amy_and_al & gt; New Member to Group Friday, May 30, 2008, 1:44 PM Hello all! My name is Amy and I have a 14 year old who came home and told me that she wants to be vegetarian (just to try it out.) That was about a month ago. I've bought NO meat since we sat down and talked about being a vegetarian. My problem is now: what else can I cook? I'm a working mom with a 14 year old, a 3 month old (whom I am breastfeeding) and I'm a foster parent, too. I feel like all I make is pasta with sauce. My daughter eats a lot of peanut butter sandwiches (her choice.) All the receipe books I look at seem really time consuming as far as preparation. Any ideas for me? I'm enjoying the meatless meals and I actually can see myself making this " trial period " a permanant change for my family. I want to expand what I can cook so that my kids will continue to eat vegetarian. Thanks ahead of time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 For fun and easy family meals, try a taco or burrito night with canned refried beans, salsa, lettuce, tomato, avocado, etc. Everybody can pick their favorite ingredients. We also like falafel sandwiches (there are decent mixes on the market), veggie burgers, Tofurkey and Field Roast sausages, stir fries, sloppy joes, and hummus/pita/veggie feasts. I recommend The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas for other simple, versatile family meal ideas. Perhaps your 14-year-old would enjoy helping you experiment in the kitchen. Good luck and stick with it! MCJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 Hi Amy, I also forgot to mention that we make " meat " loafs out of veggie burger mix, super easy and everyone loves it - and we use leftovers for sandwiches. Another way to get good recipe ideas is to google vegetarian restaurants, and see what they're serving - then look for those recipes online. Some of our favorite dishes are ideas we got from restaurants - locally and from traveling. Best of luck and have fun! Lorraine On Behalf Of Lorraine Friday, May 30, 2008 7:54 PM RE: New Member to Group Hi Amy, Congratulations for being such a great parent to embrace your daughter's beliefs and support her so wholeheartedly! She will forever remember your support and commitment to her ideas. Yayy! As far as what to cook - you can cook just about anything you would have cooked before, just omit the meat. We do cheese enchiladas, veggie and tofu lasagna (smash up tofu and use instead of ricotta), tofu macaroni and cheese (I can send the recipe if you like - super easy and fast and delicious), bean, cheese and veggie burritos, tacos made with nature's burger or beans, veggie pizza, falafel with yogurt sauce, and we also just keep lots of stuff in the pantry to mix and match: grains like rices, rice pilaf mixes, pastas, polenta, breads - to mix with proteins like falafel mix, veggie burger mix, canned beans, eggs, nuts, seeds, soy milk, tofu - and then mixing those with fresh veggies and fruits and dairy in the fridge, we can cobble together something on most nights. Oh, and we also keep a green salad in the crisper, all made up, ready to scoop out - onto sandwiches, burritos, tacos, burgers, or just with salad dressing. We also often keep containers of cut up veggies and fruits in the fridge, and some yogurt mixed with dill as a veggie dip or peanut butter for a fruit dip. These can be appetizers, side dishes, or with enough eaten . .. . a light meal. :-) I've also gotten into the habit of putting a dish of nuts or sunflower seeds on the table at dinner, and/or a plate of apple or orange wedges . . . everyone ends up eating some. The Moosewood cookbooks are good, and so is the Deborah Madison one - and there are tons of vegetarian recipe sites, including VRG - which has a " teens, family and kids " page. Oh, and the Vegan Lunchbox site is amazing, too! We love the tofu " fish " sticks recipe she has on there! We also eat some of the meat analogs sometimes - tofu dogs, fake bacon, veggie burgers, and my partner/husband will eat those fake sandwich " meats " and sausages (which smell like rotten feet to me) :-) -- but I know a lot of people don't eat them, choosing more healthy options. :-) Have fun and you are in the right place! Tons of great recipes likely reside on this list!!! Have a great day! Lorraine @gro <%40> ups.com [@gro <%40> ups.com] On Behalf Of amy_and_al Friday, May 30, 2008 10:44 AM @gro <%40> ups.com New Member to Group Hello all! My name is Amy and I have a 14 year old who came home and told me that she wants to be vegetarian (just to try it out.) That was about a month ago. I've bought NO meat since we sat down and talked about being a vegetarian. My problem is now: what else can I cook? I'm a working mom with a 14 year old, a 3 month old (whom I am breastfeeding)and I'm a foster parent, too. I feel like all I make is pasta with sauce. My daughter eats a lot of peanut butter sandwiches (her choice.) All the receipe books I look at seem really time consuming as far as preparation. Any ideas for me? I'm enjoying the meatless meals and I actually can see myself making this " trial period " a permanant change for my family. I want to expand what I can cook so that my kids will continue to eat vegetarian. Thanks ahead of time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 Hi Amy, I forgot to mention, too, that in our house, cooking dinner is an event. A big part of our family's evening routine is making, eating, and cleaning up after supper. We've got no TV, but we've got no trouble filling our time between 5pm and bedtime. It's a great way to talk with your family, catch up on the day, and share news. We make it a big deal. My husband and I each pour a glass of wine and start cutting up vegetables and baking potatoes while our daughter (12 months) bangs on a couple of pots with a wooden spoon or plays with the fruit bowl. :-) Someday she'll be put to work as well, though! And a couple of hours later, we're fed, the baby's asleep, the kitchen is clean, and we feel like we're really in touch with each other's lives and what's going on with one another. It's been a brilliant thing since we stopped thinking of eating as something we had to do, a chore. We've found a lot of benefits to making time to cook and clean together mindfully. Best, Kerri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 , " amy_and_al " <amy_and_al wrote: > > Hello all! My name is Amy and I have a 14 year old who came home and > told me that she wants to be vegetarian (just to try it out.) That was > about a month ago. I've bought NO meat since we sat down and talked > about being a vegetarian. My problem is now: what else can I cook? > I'm a working mom with a 14 year old, a 3 month old (whom I am > breastfeeding)and I'm a foster parent, too. I feel like all I make is > pasta with sauce. My daughter eats a lot of peanut butter sandwiches > (her choice.) All the receipe books I look at seem really time > consuming as far as preparation. Any ideas for me? > I'm enjoying the meatless meals and I actually can see myself making > this " trial period " a permanant change for my family. I want to expand > what I can cook so that my kids will continue to eat vegetarian. > Thanks ahead of time! > In our house we aren't always home at the same time. Especially at meal time. I have learned to make lentil soup and put it in the crock pot for everyone else when they get home. My kids like it and believe it or not I never any left overs of it. I admire you for listening to your daughter and making a change with her. I don't know many parents who actually listen to what their kids say in regards to diet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2008 Report Share Posted June 8, 2008 I\ am facing similar challenges. I have been online searching for recipes. www.allrecipes.com has many vegetarian alternatives. , " amy_and_al " <amy_and_al wrote: > > Hello all! My name is Amy and I have a 14 year old who came home and > told me that she wants to be vegetarian (just to try it out.) That was > about a month ago. I've bought NO meat since we sat down and talked > about being a vegetarian. My problem is now: what else can I cook? > I'm a working mom with a 14 year old, a 3 month old (whom I am > breastfeeding)and I'm a foster parent, too. I feel like all I make is > pasta with sauce. My daughter eats a lot of peanut butter sandwiches > (her choice.) All the receipe books I look at seem really time > consuming as far as preparation. Any ideas for me? > I'm enjoying the meatless meals and I actually can see myself making > this " trial period " a permanant change for my family. I want to expand > what I can cook so that my kids will continue to eat vegetarian. > Thanks ahead of time! > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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