Teen new Veggie = Stress for mum...

Blue_Fairy_3

Veggie food needn't be 'exotic' but it does take a bit more imagination sometimes. I'd avoid directly substituting meat for quorn products like sausages/burgers all the time.

Surely your family don't eat a meat-based meal every day? It's probably much healthier for you to all have a veggie meal sometimes, rather than making your son seperate meals.

I often make a big pot of vegetable soup, which is
a) cheap and you can use up any odd vegetables left in fridge
b) quick and easy to make after work
c) even hardcore meat-eaters find it satisfying!

I don't have a proper recipe, but it's pretty simple... Basically heat some oil in the biggest saucepan you own, meanwhile chop an onion and stick (or 2) of celery and add to pan. While they're softening, prepare and chop whatever veggies you have available: I always use carrots, plus some or all of the following: red pepper, leeks, potato, butternut squash, sweet potato, swede...

Add your chosen veg to the pot with some dried mixed herbs, stir and saute for 5-10 mins. Then the important ingredient - some red lentils or soup mix (about 100g or so). Cover with hot water and add some stock cube/bouillon powder and salt/pepper to taste. Simmer for about 20 mins until lentils have made soup nice and thick and veggies are well cooked. If it goes too thick at any point just add more water. Serve with bread and a chunk of cheese.

I tend to either make a sort of ministrone by adding a tin of chopped tomatoes with the water/stock, then some broken spaghetti 10 mins before the end, or a vegetable cawl (welsh broth), by using more rooty veg (carrots, swede, leeks etc.) and no tomatoes.

You can add extra protein and make it even more filling by chucking in a tin of mixed beans or blackeye beans 10 mins before end of cooking.

If you have some left over it tastes even better the next day. Even my FIL likes this and he thinks veggies are weirdos!

I would definatly get your son a student veggie cookbook too. Student cookbooks are great all round; they don't assume prior knowledge of cooking anything, they don't use loads of expensive and exotic ingredients, and they don't assume you are cooking for dinner party guests every day or want to spend hours slaving over the hot stove, like a lot of recipe books! HTH.

Fire_Fox

frugalmumof4 wrote: »

Nice easy vegetable pie- cook up lots of vegetables to fill a large oven proof dish, mix with mushroom soup, 1 tsp of mixed herbs, and cover in homemade pastry, bake in oven for 40 minutes until golden, this always goes down well!

Whilst it sounds yummy, there is no protein in that meal. The human body does not need the massive amounts of protein found in the average carnivore diet (although growing children need more weight for weight than adults). We do, however, need to take in protein at each meal and snack as the body cannot store spare amino acids as it can carbohydrates or fat. If I was advising someone in my healthcare work, I would suggest adding some red lentils to the veggies and a generous helping of wheatgerm to the pastry. Hope that helps.

LameWolf

buxtonrabbitgreen wrote: »

Could you let me have the recipe for nut loaf please. My ds loves nut cutlets but I buy them as I have no idea how to make nut loaf. Thanks.

With pleasure.:o

1 oz butter or margarine
1 large onion, chopped finely
1 and a half tablespoons plain flour
A sploosh of milk (I think it's about 5 tablespoons, but I don't measure it nowadays)
2 large eggs
13 oz nuts, ground finely (I use walnuts, almonds, brazils, hazelnuts and cashews in roughly equal amounts. Don't worry if you don't have them all, just make up the weight with what you have.)
7 oz brown breadcrumbs
2 oz mature Cheddar or similar cheese, grated
A good handful of dried mixed herbs

Grease and line a loaf tin - not sure of the size *goes away to measure it* the one I use is 8 and a half inches x 4 inches, and 2 and a half inches deep.

In a largish saucepan, melt the butter/marg and soften the onion over medium heat for about 5 mins.

Stir in the flour and cook for another minute.

Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously, until mix thickens.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Beat in the eggs.

Put the nuts, breadcrumbs, cheese and herbs into a big bowl and mix thoroughly together.

Gradually add the nuts etc into the mix in the saucepan and mix it all thoroughly.

Put into the loaf tin, press down and ensure top is level, and bake at 180 C for 40 mins (or until firm).

Leave to stand for at least 10 mins before removing from loaf tin.

Use a good sharp knife to slice.

Enjoy!

blueberrypie

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Whilst it sounds yummy, there is no protein in that meal. The human body does not need the massive amounts of protein found in the average carnivore diet (although growing children need more weight for weight than adults). We do, however, need to take in protein at each meal and snack as the body cannot store spare amino acids as it can carbohydrates or fat.

I believe that information is a little out-of-date; we now know that the body can store essential amino acids for a short time, and the recommendation now is that we should include protein daily, but that it is not necessary to have some with every meal.

(See http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1128.aspx?CategoryID=51&SubCategoryID=168 for example: "This means you should try and incorporate a portion of protein into one or two of your meals every day. This way you should get all the protein that you need.")

If I was advising someone in my healthcare work, I would suggest adding some red lentils to the veggies and a generous helping of wheatgerm to the pastry. Hope that helps.

Those are good suggestions anyway, and show just how easy it actually is to ensure a reasonable protein intake :-)

naturally_2

I think this could be a great time to reduce your shopping bill AND bring healthier food into your family's diet.

First of all, even hardcore meat eaters will eat somevegetarian meals without noticing or complaining. You can cook meals the whole family will eat several times a week and by excluding the most expensive part of the meal - meat and replacing it with the cheaper and often healthier veggie sources of protien, you will save £££ on your shopping bill.

But some linda mccartney veggie mince and make a shepherds pie and serve it to the carnivores in your family and serve your son something different. I BET you they won't notice its veggie! As for veggie sausages etc being more expensive than meat that's often not true; the mince is the same price as standard brand level mince without the [EMAIL="!!!!"]!!!![/EMAIL] that comes out of the melat version. There are many brands of veggie stuff around these days at differing prices. I used to make packet mixes up of veggie sausages & burgers - you can buy these in some supermarkets and holland and barrett too.

Don't forget eggs are a source of protien, and a fried egg can be a burger or sausage replacement with virtually any meal. It is also worthwhile remembering that the amino acids that form protien are found in all aorts of vegetables and grains: many don't have all of them in the one source, but combine two and they present the complete range: Baked beans on toast is the classic example.

It really doesn't have to be difficult incorporating a vegetarian into the family's meals. You mention you are a meat and two veg type: so you can replace the meat with the various aforementioned burgers and sausages for a start.

I'll try and list easy veggie meal ideas here:

Sandwich fillings:

Houmus (ready made or homemade with chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic and oil)
Cheese - hard, soft or cottage with various additions for variety e.g tomato, onion, salad, pickle etc
Sliced meat replacement (IMO yuck!)
Peanut butter
Marmite
Jam
Veggie spreads and pates - mushroom pate is a favourite of mine
Egg mayonaise
Cold cooked quorn sausages & ketchup

Jacket potato fillings
Beans
Houmus
Egg mayo
Sweetcorn
Cheese

Main meal meat replacement:

Veggie sausages & burgers
Sprinkle grated cheese over meal
Fried egg

Meal ideas for the whole family:
Veggie curry (vegetables in curry sauce with rice)
Chilli (meat free mince, red kidney beans, tinned tomatoes and chilli powder)
Shepherdless pie (good tip is to start eeking out meat mince with lentils, veggies and oats as per OS board on here, and over time they won't notice you've replaced some/all of the meat mince with veggie)
Pasta bake (tomato sauce and cheese on top, you can even use diced chicken or tuna in 1/2and serve your son from the chickenless end as long as he doesn't mind his food being cooked with meat)
Spag bol
Mushroom risotto
Macaroni cheese
Potato gratin...

With lots of the above, if the me at eaters complain about the lack of meatyou can become an expert in things like serving your son's up first then stirring in fried cubes of bacon/chicken/beef etc etc before dishing up the rest.

pickledonionspaceraider

thank you so much eveyone for replies. i think key for me here is imagination, and getting out of this culinary rut i seem to be in!
I really appreciate eveyones comments and have learned so much from you all.as many of you have stated, it doesnot have to be a big deal, as i am more than happy to eat veggie food too.thank you so much guys for your insight and help with this. big hugs

frugalmumof4

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Whilst it sounds yummy, there is no protein in that meal. The human body does not need the massive amounts of protein found in the average carnivore diet (although growing children need more weight for weight than adults). We do, however, need to take in protein at each meal and snack as the body cannot store spare amino acids as it can carbohydrates or fat. If I was advising someone in my healthcare work, I would suggest adding some red lentils to the veggies and a generous helping of wheatgerm to the pastry. Hope that helps.

lentils added sound great! Its a good basic vegetable pie that you can add to it what you fancy. We never have protein in everymeal, I have 4 children, 2 of them being stong teenage boys, they are full of energy, so our plan works well for us! My husband cycles to work everyday 40 miles a day, and he eats exactly the same.

sethsgran

We aren't vegetarian but a favourite recipe here is

Cowboy Vegetable Pie

1 bag quorn mince, fresh or frozen
1 stock cube
1 Tin Baked beans
1 small onion diced
Large ammount of mashed potatoes

Place all of the above in your "shepherds pie" dish and add approx 1/2pt boiling water, don't have the mixture too sloppy. I then put this in oven for about 10 mins, 190C, then top with the creamy mashed potatoes and grated cheese. Return to oven until golden on top, SERVE. I often add raw egg instead of marg to mashed potatoes as it gives extra protein if you have fussy eaters. When this comes out of the oven it is bubbling hot with gravy oozing out from the edges. Do give this a try it is delicious and not cardboard tasting like you might expect. I also put corn or peas or both in especially if I need to bulk it out. I normally hate the thought of beans potatoes and gravy on the same plate but this is fab. Good Luck

I also sometimes boil a pan of pasta and whilst it's cooking I saute onion, peppers, mushrooms etc. When pasta is cooked drain and add the veg. I then add a tin of chick peas, tin of red kidney beans and tin of chopped tomatoes. Mix this all up and serve piping hot with crusty bread and grated cheese sprinled on the pasta if you want. This takes about 15 min from packet to table.

sethsgran

Thanks will check out foodbargains

daska

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Whilst it sounds yummy, there is no protein in that meal. The human body does not need the massive amounts of protein found in the average carnivore diet (although growing children need more weight for weight than adults). We do, however, need to take in protein at each meal and snack as the body cannot store spare amino acids as it can carbohydrates or fat. If I was advising someone in my healthcare work, I would suggest adding some red lentils to the veggies and a generous helping of wheatgerm to the pastry. Hope that helps.

Now that is a perfect example of why the OP needs to keep an eye on things. Going vegetarian is more difficult than just removing meat from your diet, and that is where the people I know who have had problems with the transition have fallen over. They've mistaken 'a varied vegetarian diet' to mean 'a diet of varied vegetables'.

Please don't shout at me again.