Healthy inexpensive vegetarian meal ideas?

[peacelover]

After watching some documentaries, such as Food Inc and The Cove on netflix, I am finding my self unable to eat meat anymore.
I will still eat fish and shellfish. The problem is I have a physically active guy in the house who does not eat any seafood, does not eat many veggies, he is a real meat and potaoes guy.I don't mind cooking him a piece of meat to go alongside an entree, but I don't want to cook two meals every night.
Anyone here have the same situation at home?
What do you make for dinner?

 

[minnie1928]

After watching some documentaries, such as Food Inc and The Cove on netflix, I am finding my self unable to eat meat anymore.
I will still eat fish and shellfish. The problem is I have a physically active guy in the house who does not eat any seafood, does not eat many veggies, he is a real meat and potaoes guy.I don't mind cooking him a piece of meat to go alongside an entree, but I don't want to cook two meals every night.
Anyone here have the same situation at home?
What do you make for dinner?

I'm right there with you, but I watched Forks Over Knives. I watched it with my husband, so he knows where I'm heading but he's not quite as committed as I am.

I tend to do a lot of meals where the basic meal is veggie or pasta, then I cook the meat separately for him. For example, spaghetti then I make a meat sauce for him (Jar of sauce + meat) where as I'll either top it with canned tomatoes or a small amount of sauce with lots of spices added.

Trader Joes has great vegan fried rice, so I'll make that with some of their orange chicken. He has some rice & chicken, I have rice.

I'd love to see some recipes too!

 

[minnie1928]

I forgot to add, soups can be a great option.

 

[pigletto]

My dd is vegetarian and has been for about 3 years. We've learned to adapt pretty well. We eat less meat overall now.
Think of things that you can take the meat out of for you, but add in for him.
This includes, chill, spaghetti sauces, lasagnas, many casseroles, soups etc.
We have a recipe for Tofu Parmesean that the whole family loves, but don't scare him off with Tofu just yet!
Also, for tacos and wraps, dd uses beans (whole or refried) and everyone else uses chicken or ground beef, and we add all the same fillings. Perogies are a good quick meal as well.

 

[cornflake]

There's just tons of stuff you can make that'd satisfy him that you're probably just not thinking of because you cook with meat normally.

I've made a bunch of this stuff for friends who eat meat and they don't even notice they're eating veg., really.

Try a hearty vegetarian lasagna - I like a white one, personally, though you can do red sauce. Whole wheat pasta is more filling, and a good bechamel too. I do white with layers of pasta, ricotta (spiced with egg, like normal lasagna), and whatever veg are handy, usually some combination of carrot, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, grilled portabellos, some mozzarella. Top with more bechamel and parmesan, it's giant, hearty, serve with garlic bread, it's a filling meal.

Mexican food - I make quesadillas all the time because it's a like 15-minute, no mess meal to put together. Use refried beans, grilled or sauteed mushrooms, spinach, asparagus, anything you like, bunch of cheese, some jalapenos, make a few in different varieties, pop em in the oven or on a grill, slice into wedges, make a big platter, serve with greek yogurt (has a ton of protein and is therefore very filling for very few calories and with healthy probiotics) and salsa for dipping.

I also do enchiladas - take tortillas and put a line of refried beans or stewed beans, or grilled mushrooms (grilled portabellos, sliced, are very "meaty" they have a "meaty" texture, if you grill them they get a nice charred smoky flavour, they're delicious and super versatile) or whatever, add cheese, add some spiced rice if you like and a little salsa, roll up, put in a baking dish and pour salsa or enchilada sauce all over, sprinkle cheese on, bake in the oven til all hot 'n' bubbly.

Stir frys - bunch of veg, savoury sauce, served over brown rice.

Roasted veg - even my friend's dedicated meat-loving, veg-hating husband LOVES this one - take a bunch of root veg (carrots, parsnip, sweet and regular potatoes [the wee baby regular are good for this too], brussel sprouts (even people who hate them, love them this way), a head of cauliflower cut into smallish florets, a turnip, small onions or a regular onion cut into big wedges, etc. Whatever strikes your fancy.

Cut it all into pieces about the same size, like an inch-and-a-half ish to two inch sized pieces. Toss in a bowl with a bit of olive oil (if you'd like, add some splashes of balsamic vinegar), then dump onto a foil-lined baking tray or two.

You want there to be a bit of room between each piece of whatever. Not like inches of room like cookies, just room so the stuff doesn't steam together. Salt and pepper the trays well, stick into a 400 degree oven for 25 or 30 minutes. While it's cooking, make brown rice, or couscous or quinoa, butter the grain, sprinkle a bit of lemon on, dump the veggies over, it's fantastic.

There are also tons of pastas, don't forget you can have big sandwiches for dinner - big roast veg sandwich with cheese, let it get a bit melty and crisp in the oven - or sandwich and soup. Make homemade pizzas, with tons of toppings, you can bake them on the grill.

Someone mentioned soups and stews, which can be really hearty. You can do stuffed baked potatoes, lots of veg, lots of cheese melted on, stick under the broiler for a sec... there's really a ton of stuff.

 

[Calliaz]

My husband is a runner and, consequently, a big eater. He will eat veggies, but not a ton. We eat meat, but also have a lot of vegetarian meals. This week we had:

1. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/vegetarian-chickpea-sandwich-filling/detail.aspx on rye bread with a cooked quinoa (lots of protein), cucucumber, olive and feta side that I just put some prepared greek dressing in. Add a salad or some fruit and it was a very filling dinner.

2. Extra firm tofu stir-fried with teriyaki sauce, whole wheat noodles with a balsamic/soy sauce and steamed broccolini. The tofu is firm and gets a little crispy so it is satisfying and full of protein.

3. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/red-lentil-curry/detail.aspx with rice, a salad and some prepared samosa from Target

4. Whole wheat pita with black bean burgers (Morningstar Farms), taziki, feta, olives, pickles and couscous on the side with a veggie or fruit

There are also some great mexican foods you can make with just refried beans or cheese (I have a layered tortilla bake I make with beans, green salsa, avocado, cheese and enchilada sauce, but no recipe)

 

[elcodfish]

go to skinnytaste.com. a lot of her meals already are or could easily be meat free. Sh makes crock pot chicken tacos that i recently made without the chicken and it was great. Lots of beans, lots of taste!

 

[disney*mom*82]

Ive been a vegetarian since I was 11 years old, Im now 29. My DH and DS14 and DD12 all eat meat. The kids do not eat many varieties of meat though. DD4 is a vegetarian also.

When I cook, I usually do what others have said, make it meatless and take his portion out to add the meat to or top his with meat. I also will cook chili one pot with meat and make him other meats. We are on the go alot and I do not enjoy cooking, so we usually have quick easy meals when I cook. Some of our favorites are

Pasta- you can always top with meat for him Ex. meatballs, chicken breast, etc.

Soup- cook all meatless, set aside what you want to remain meatless and add meat to the remaining OR top with meat Ex. potato soup topped with bacon pieces.

Casseroles can easily just use a can of mushroom in place of can of chicken or replace meat with beans, tofu, veggie crumbles or omit it all together.

I dont make seperate meals very often, unless we are having company and he wants Italian Beef or BBQ where you cant really substitute it!

I love morning star brand veggie burgers, chicken nuggets, bacon, sausage and hamburger crumbles. Ive used the cumbles on many occasions with no one knowing it wasnt real meat.

Kraft food website has some quick and easy vegetarian websites.

Just watch your protein, make sure you are getting enough. I worried mostly about DD4 who still refuses to eat meat, but she has always tested fine. She snacks on PB (loves it by the spoonful), loves any kind of bean, eggs, yogurt. Just make sure you are getting enough.

 

[princessmom29]

You doe realize that "documentaries" like Food inc are PURE propoganda, right? Very little of what you see there is standard industry practice. They put the worst possible examples they can find on film, and intend for people to believe the whole industry operates that way. Belive me, they DON'T. I was a chemist for a mjor chicken company for years, and what I see in that video is NOT the way my company operated, nowhere even close. We would have been shur down by USDA inspectors long ago if that were the case. They are trying to scare you, becuase that is what sells, and it looks like they succeeded.

 

[lovemygoofy]

We have greatly reduced our meat meals though we do still crave a burger on occasion.

Tonight I'm making fish tacos with a spicy slaw and fresh pineapple on the side

I also make a great veggie lasagna with diced whatever veggies mixed in with drained chopped spinach. I use whole wheat noodles and a white sauce since I can splurge a few calories.

Make bean/cheese burritos with a spanish brown rice or some form of veggie enchiliadas.

Don't forget that eggs are your friend as well. Make an egg bake or quiche and serve with hashbrown and fruit.

Make a sloppy joe with diced chunks of squash, tomatoes, carrots and whatever else makes you happy.

This weekend I'm making corn chowder with shrimp and homemade biscuits.

Last weekend for football food I made spinach mushroom and black bean quesdillas served with a spicy sour cream.

Make a baked potato bar and serve with broccoli and cheese or veggie chili or a spicy veggie sauce.

Grill up some portabello mushrooms and stuff them with cooked chopped spinach, cheese and garlic.

Saute up portabellos with a sauce and serve in a hoagie bun with grilled peppers and onions.

I suggest if you or your husband have always been meat eaters that you start subbing slowly using smaller portions of meat and bigger portions of veggies. I've always had the rule of if my food has a sauce it has lots of veggies and it made have less meat easier.

 

[williamson_ja]

Something we do about once a month is a make your own pizza day. I make whole wheat crusts (one small crust for each person) and put out a bunch of different topping for everyone to choose from. It makes my dh happy because i put out pepperoni and sausage. But, I also put out grilled veggies to put on my pizza. We sit at the table and put them all together and I pop them in the oven for 5 minutes to finish up and melt the cheese. We usually have a salad on the table as a starter to eat while the pizzas finish up.

Frankly, I ended up making a deal with my dh that I could cook healthy vegetarian (mostly vegan) meals most of the week if he could have a big pot roast dinner on Sundays. He's very picky about Sunday dinner. I do some of the more hearty things listed above: lots of mexican food using beans/rice/corn, soups, whole wheat pasta, falafal, etc. My whole family LOVES falafel. If you haven't tried it, that's a good one!

I will do regular hamburgers for the whinier kids and dh when I make my veggie burgers. That's an easy substitution. I absolutely refuse to make 2 meals though. I don't get off work until 6:00 and I feel pretty good to be making dinner at all. Besides the fact that I think it is good for husbands and kids to be grateful for the meal that has been set before them. On the strange occasion that I have had someone even suggest that I cook something different for them because my dinner looks too healthy for their liking, I tell them that this is not a restaurant and I will not be taking orders. For the most part, they really are pretty good about it.

 

[hpfan100]

You doe realize that "documentaries" like Food inc are PURE propoganda, right? Very little of what you see there is standard industry practice. They put the worst possible examples they can find on film, and intend for people to believe the whole industry operates that way. Belive me, they DON'T. I was a chemist for a mjor chicken company for years, and what I see in that video is NOT the way my company operated, nowhere even close. We would have been shur down by USDA inspectors long ago if that were the case. They are trying to scare you, becuase that is what sells, and it looks like they succeeded.

actually that is totally not true. Most animals raised on factory farms are treated inhumanely. Regardless, it is the right of the OP to make the decision that is right for her moral compass.


OP- get yourself a small crock pot and you can easily make yourself a little pot of goodies
The bulk of my dinners include some bean, veggie and rice/pasta. The meat eaters get the same veggies and rice with their meat selection. Lentils cook very fast even from dry beans and taste pretty fabulous! If you plan to eat rice often you might want to get a little rice cooker too.

vegcooking.com is a good website for easy meals...good luck to you!

 

[mistysue]

http://happyherbivore.com/
http://fatfreevegan.com/

Don't forget about lentils. You can use the brown or green ones in place of hamburger in a lot of recipes, but it takes a slight bit of experience to adjust for differences in texture and moisture levels.

 

[princessmom29]

actually that is totally not true. Most animals raised on factory farms are treated inhumanely. Regardless, it is the right of the OP to make the decision that is right for her moral compass.


OP- get yourself a small crock pot and you can easily make yourself a little pot of goodies
The bulk of my dinners include some bean, veggie and rice/pasta. The meat eaters get the same veggies and rice with their meat selection. Lentils cook very fast even from dry beans and taste pretty fabulous! If you plan to eat rice often you might want to get a little rice cooker too.

vegcooking.com is a good website for easy meals...good luck to you!

Respectfully, having actually worked and spent large amounts of time on said farms I totally disagree. In 5 years I never saw anything I would consider inhumane, quite the contrary. Every effort was made to see that the animals suffered as little as possible. REPUTIBLE companies don't do business anything like you see on food inc. Sirry to burst your bubble, but I have actually been there and seen how they do things.
T op of course has every right to do what she feels is right, but I think she has a right to the truth as well. What you see in food inc is FAR form the truth about meat industries.

 

[pigletto]

This poster asked for ideas on meals. Once again, a thread on the budget board is turning into "Let's shove my agenda down someones throat". She didn't ask what anyone thought of her beliefs, her reasons for vegetarianism, or what she eats. I don't know why it so hard to either answer the questions asked or move the heck on around here.

 

[Sagginit]

i find veggie chili, veggie lasagna, and egg based meals to be very filling vegetarian style foods- all budget friendly. as others posted the easiest thing to do is base a meal without meat and then add it in for him. my mother is a pescatarian so we try to do fish based meals or just omit the meat for her. i often stir fry tofu separate from the veggies to keep it from getting mushy. in that case you can do veggies in one, then tofu/meat in anther pan and add together.

good luck with your new diet. i tried vegetarian this year and had disastrous results. i ended up putting meat back in as i was dangerously thin. my mother however is really happy with her new diet and never wants to eat most meats again.

 

[SplashMo]

Fish, eggs and dairy are a great compliment to vegetables. I would encourage these in your diet if possible. If no fish than 1-2 grams of fish oil in supliments will do wonders. This will help keep autoimmune away from you.

For meat. Grass fed meat from small farms aleviates a lot of the issues. It is actually some very big chains that push the meat thing too far.

The cheapest grass fed meat is leg of lamb from costco. Not advertized as such but it is.

I precook a dozen hard boiled eggs at a time and eat them through out the week.

I also precook meat 3-4 days at a time and place it in ziplocks freeezer bags in the freezer. Quart size. I place the 3-4 quart size bags in a larger gallon size freezer bag. Very nice and I only cook meat twice a week.

Then you make your meal and serve a side of meat with it for DH.

 

[sillyjodes]

Regardless of convictions, everyone can benefit from a few meatless meals a week. We are in our first week of Vegan January which we implemented last year. My husband's cholesterol was astonishingly high. To get it lowered as quickly as possible, we started a low fat vegan diet, E2. He had great success and we just like eating healthier foods that make us feel better. Some of our family favs:
Beans n rice --any combo of dried beans and brown rice you like with your favorite accompaniments. We like black beans, salsa, avocados, etc
Homemade hummus--rinse a can of chickpeas, process in blender or food processor with veggie broth, add spices of your choosing. We like garlic, braggs aminos, and sea salt. Sometimes, I just throw in a roasted red pepper. Serve with veggies
Baked potatoes with steamed frozen veggies make a great fast meal.
Hope that's helpful!
Jodie

 

[Princesca]

This is the site we've been using. She has provided two sets of vegetarian recipes for a month, so two months in all. I went looking for it after reading Joel Salatin's books about the benefits of pastured livestock, and we started wanting to eat more whole, unprocessed foods.

http://eatclosetohome.wordpress.com/2008/03/29/vegetarian-menu-and-recipes-for-a-month/

The first month even has a shopping list included. We have made some substitutions, because I really can't do tofu or tempeh.

That said, you can get humanely-raised meats if you want them. It just takes some looking. I think it's localharvest.org (maybe?) where you can see who's producing pastured beef and poultry in your area. We still eat meat now and then - I just made a to-die-for beef stroganoff, but we used pastured beef from a farmer that relies on good animal husbandry rather than dosing his animals out the wazoo with antibiotics. Since we started using the recipe plans a year ago, I have lost about 40 lbs and have seen other results, like persistent breakouts clear up. Can't say for sure they're entirely connected, but I definitely think there's no harm to eating a little less meat and swapping in some beans.