I just became a vegatarian..Its so hard not to eat meat

[BatNon]

I became a vegatarian today...but am not new to it...my husband of 9 years is a veg.  i love eating chicken and burgers...how am i going to be able to pull this off...i also have three kids,(5,7,8) who are not and...they would become malnurished before giving up some meat.....i have gotten them to eat tvp and veggie burgers ..so maybe there is hope..   But as for me...uhgg . its so hard not to buy a quick burger or if you visit family who are meateaters...how do you deal?? how can i do this veg thing?  i feel guilty when i slip..and i have already...i am beginig to wonder if i can pull this off.

[rkoloms]

Hi there and congratulations on your commitment to healthy eating for you and your family. Remember, the secret to health (for vegetarians and meat eaters alike) is to eat a diet rich in fruits and veggies (eat a rainbow a day) and whole grains (minimum of seven servings a day). The SAD (standard American diet) has way too much sugar, whites (flour, rice, breads, pasta etc.) and protein.

The fake meats are tasty (I love the morningstar ch'kn patties and dogs), but loaded with nasty chemicals.

Don't feel guilty about slipping!  This is a journey, not an event.  You just need to add simple, tasty (and budget friendly) foods to your arsenal.  A crockpot can be your best friend (any slowcoooker recipe can be made in a big pot on the stove, over low heat, stirring a few times an hour). I make brown rice on the weekends and freeze meal size portions in wax bags in a big zipper bag; the wax bag can go right into the microwave and the rice gets hot in about a minute (the wax bag goes back into the freezer for the next batch of rice). Buy whole wheat pastas in different shapes for different meals.  Cook large recipes and freeze the leftovers.

Don't be afraid to introduce your kids to new flavors and textures of food: Indian night, Mexican night, etc. Feel free to contact me offlist with any questions: [e-mail]

Here are a couple of recipes to get you rolling:

Mexican Vegetable Stew (Guisado de Verduras)
2 onions, peeled and sliced
1 sweet red pepper, cut into strips (bell pepper)
1 sweet green pepper, cut into strips (bell pepper)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) broth
1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin
1 tsp (5 ml) dried oregano
1/2 tsp (2 ml) fennel seeds
1/4 tsp (1 ml) red pepper flakes (or to taste)
2 small red potatoes, diced (any potato will do, about a cup diced)
1 small sweet potato, diced
2 cups (500 ml) fresh green beans, sliced into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces (frozen are fine)
1 zucchini (courgette), sliced
1 yellow squash, sliced (or a second zucchini
1 15-ounce (425 g) can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1-1/2 - 2 cups of your home cooked beans)
2 ears corn cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces, or 1 cup (250 ml) corn kernels (use frozen)
2 Tbs (30 ml) lime juice
1/2 cup (125 ml) cilantro or flat leaf parsley
(I make this in the crockpot) Combine the onion, red and green peppers, garlic and broth and bring to a boil in a large pot. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the spices, red potatoes and sweet potato, cover and simmer 10 minutes more, adding more broth or water if needed. Add the green beans, cook 5 minutes more. Add the zucchini, yellow squash, black beans, corn and lime juice. Reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender. Garnish with cilantro or parsley. Serves 10 to 12 as a side dish, 4 to 6 as an entree. Sprinkle a bit of white cheese and a crumbled tortilla chip on top.

World's Simplest Hearty Crockpot Stew (also really delicious and easy on the budget; I freeze half for use another time)
Ingredients:
5 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce, tamari or braggs
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste (Do this last)
5 tablespoons Worcestershire (I buy the wizards; it is vegetarian)
3 heaping tablespoons cornstarch, whisked with a little water or cold broth until not lumpy
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1-2 cans diced tomatoes with basil and garlic (or plain, with your own added seasonings)
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup white mushrooms, diced
1 small sweet potato and 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2-3 zucchini, sliced
3/4 cup corn (I use frozen)
3/4 cup peas (I use frozen)
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (be sure to rinse the quinoa really well or it will be bitter)
3/4 cup uncooked red lentils
1 cup regular garbanzo beans
1 cup green garbanzo beans (you can sub any beans that you like)
Directions:
The directions for this are pretty simple: I just throw everything in (I refuse to pre-saute anything or add ingredients at different times because that defeats the purpose of the crockpot, to me*) except the tomatoes; when the beans are soft, after around 4-5 hours on low, then add the tomatoes leave it for another hour or so. I like to garnish each bowl with a dollop of Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream, or real sour crean before serving. Sometimes I also like to add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts and 2 chopped Boca burgers to the stew.                      *If you are less lazy than me, you might saute the onions, garlic, and mushrooms in a little olive oil before tossing them in. Personally I think they taste fine without that extra effort, though!

Indian Crockpot Vegetable Curry
4  carrots, peeled & sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled &  cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans , rinsed and drained (or 1-1/2-2 cups of your home cooked beans)
8 ounces fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (a bag of frozen is good, I also throw in 1/2 back of frozen, chopped spinach)
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups vegetable broth
1 14-1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
Hot brown rice
In a 3-1/2- to 5-quart slow cooker, combine carrots, potatoes, garbanzo beans, green beans, onion, garlic, tapioca, curry powder, coriander, garam masala, crushed red pepper, salt, and cinnamon. Pour broth over all. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 9 hours or on high-heat setting for 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours. Stir in undrained tomatoes. Cover; let stand for 5 minutes. Serve over hot steamed  rice. Serves 4  I like to sprinkle some toasted pecans or cashews over the top when served.

LENTIL TACOS
Ingredients
1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed
8 ounce can tomato sauce (or home made)
corn tortillas (for fun, use a mix of white, yellow and blue; you can also use whole wheat tortillas, taco shells, lettuce leaves, whatever is around)
1 packet dry taco seasoning mix (or make your own with the recipe below)
handful of textured soy protein, optional (I leave this out); you could also use tofu that has been frozen and defrosted
lettuce (shredded)
cucumber (seeded, peeled, sliced)
tomatoes (chopped)
lemon or lime wedges (optional)
Directions
Cover the lentils with water in a large saucepan. They expand tremendously so use a large pot. Add tomato sauce, textured soy protein, and taco seasoning. Bring to high heat until boiling. Simmer at low heat until the mixture thickens. Add more water if necessary and stir often so that the bottom does not burn. This process will take about an hour. You want to cook it until it's about the  consistency of cooked oatmeal. Taste the mixture and add more seasonings if necessary. Add more textured soy protein if you want more texture and continue to heat until the textured soy protein is fully hydrated. In the meantime, heat the tortillas in the oven, directly on the oven rack for about 5 minutes at 350 degrees. Assemble the tacos as desired. Squeeze the lemon wedges over the tacos... yum!!
This recipes makes a large quantity and is very flexible with the garnishes. Experiment by adding chopped avocado, cilantro, onion, salsa, etc.

Taco Seasoning:
4.5 tsp. paprika;
1 tsp. cumin powder;
0.5 tsp. oregano;
1 tsp. chili powder;
1 tsp. onion powder;
0.25 tsp. lemon powder (optional, I've never used it);
1 tsp. salt;
1 tsp. sugar;
0.5 tsp. garlic powder;
1 tsp. flour;
0.5 tsp. cocoa powder
Mix all together and store in airtight container. Makes approx. 4 tablespoonful - the equivalent of 1 package of seasoning (enough to season 1 pound of meat or a substitute). This mix is very mild.

 

The other options:

 1) puree a can of diced green mild chilies and add that to the sauce pot.

 2) use a 6 oz. can of  tomato paste and just add enough water to cover lentils by about an inch, and cook for an hour. Pretty simple

[ladyreddragon]

hey im right there with ya. im new to being vegetarian too. and believe me, i know its hard. ive so wanted to go to sizzler for a nice juicy steak. or to burger king or carls jr. for nice hamburger. but im making it through and so can you. i have thought about the dealing with family. and one way that is working for me is to the family barbaques, i bring along my veggie burgers to grill. and about working with the kids, my sister in law mixes meat with tofu and then starts to add more tofu and less meat. and before ya know it the kids are eating vegetarian. but dont tell them while you are doing it and they wont know untill they have been eating just the tofu and liking it. by then it will be too late they will be hooked.

[brayleesmom]

Close to 4 years ago I made the choice to not eat meat.  I dont think of it as a burger, or a hotdog.  It is an animal and that animal suffered and lived a horrible life to ecome a "quick burger"  Maye if you watch some videos on factory farming, you would find a new reason to be more comitted.  Good job on trying though, you figure it out.

[DivaPrinciple]

In a book that I read, she said to take your own "snacks" with you....Especially if you know they're meat eaters...You may have to explain to them ahead of time that you are now a vegetarian and dont want to eat meat so you will be bringing your own items....If you dont want your kids to eat meat, You may need to take things for them to....She also says to eat before you go {that includes parties, out to restaurants etc} That way you wont be as tempted to eat the meat...{Feed the kids too lol} You can also ask if you can prepare a few of your vegetarian meals to bring with you or when you get there...Get some soy burgers, veggie dogs{dont suggest you microwave them they'll be nasty lol} etc that'll help the transition a little too!

[babonwy]

Girl, I know how you feel!

I have been veg on and off forever now, this time I feel WAY more ready to commit though.

I have a Hard time with certain foods (Like Burgers) and Have made it a Point to try Every kind of veggie burger till i find the PERFECT one...I found it awhile back (The Morning Star Filly cheese steak flavor one) then the Stopped selling it!!!

I still love moring star but to get the Fix I need (You know Greasy, messy goodness) I top it with onion straws, BBQ sauce, and mushrooms...

Do your best and dont beat yourself up if you fall off the Veggie cart...it happens! The best thing to do is Brush yourself off and try again!!

[hyper_bunny]

It gets easier. I am at the point if I eat red meat or chicken I get nauseous. But don't beat yourself up if you slip. I know its hard because you want to make this change but the world isn't going to end if you slip one day. You just have to say okay I slipped but I am going to get back on the horse and try again. Don't give up, you can do it! :)