Sticky Vegetarian Situation ( NEED your help!)?!
Sticky Vegetarian Situation ( NEED your help!)?
I'm thirteen, my sister is eleven. We have been vegetarians since last January, and we've grown to like it a lot. I could never stand the cruelty animals face, and it has made me feel so much better. The hard part is...the rest of my family is vegetarian, and my mom has just had a baby. She no longer has time to cook two meals and is becoming worried for our nutrition. Most of the time we just make pasta or a salad, worst case scenario we microwave a veggie meal. My mom has said that she's sick of us being vegetarians, and it's very hard for her. I want to make things as easy as possible for my mom right now, but I also want to stay vegetarian.
What can I do????
1 month ago
If anyone has any easy recipes that don't require much cooking, please tell me!
Answers:
1 month ago
If anyone has any easy recipes that don't require much cooking, please tell me!
Just tell your mom you will make your own dinners. This is great for you and your sister because when you go to college (long time, I know) you will be prepared to cook for yourself.
Tell your mom that you want to remain vegetarians and stand up for what you believe is right. As long as you're fine making your own food, then you should be fine.
Good luck :]
And congrats to your mom on the new baby.
First off, it's great that you're eating pasta, salad, or a microwave veggie meal instead of junk food.
I would recommend looking online at some easy vegetarian recipes (that you and your sister could make). Also, there are many healthy vegetarian meat alternatives, such as Quorn, which taste like chicken (they have chicken breasts, or chicken nuggets, fake of course) and are a lot healthier than real chicken! You just put them in the oven for 12 minutes and make a salad and another side dish and you have a meal!
Most of the time I eat Amy's frozen meals when I have nothing else to eat. They are very healthy and actually test very good : ]
Good Luck!
Go to the library and get a vegetarian cookbook. Learn how to cook, and prepare foods for the family, you can always allow her to cook her meats seperately. Learn how to make several nutritious meals, cook on the weekend, and freeze some of it in ziplock bins or ziplock bags. Have plenty of nuts, dried fruits, veggie juices, boiled eggs, or other healthy snacks around.
Your mom is tired and busy, so chip in, help the family, by cooking for you and your sister, clean the kitchen for her, help with the baby, clean your room, don't whine or complain, be cheery and positive!
i think that you should stop being a vegitarian for like a half a year. or until your mother figures out her schedule. (am i making ANY sense?) then, when she can go back to normal cooking and everyday life, go back to your awesome vegitarian diet.
or you could make the meals yourself. i know that is what you have done, but maybe make like bread, or soup, or something like that for YOU and your family.
GOOD LUCK! ^_^
You can and should help out with the cooking, even more so if your mother has just had a baby!
Another thing you could think about, though, is going over to eating free-range meat (organic if possible) certified from freedom farms. I don't at all want to force this on you, because I believe it's your right to eat whatever you choose. But by all means do some research into this type of meat. If you dislike the killing of animals full stop, it won't suit you. But, if your problem is mainly with the inhumane techniques of farming, and the unpleasant deaths that some such animals suffer, you might find that free-range meat solves some of your problems.
Just a suggestion - as I say, I think you should eat what you are comfortable with. But I also definitely think you should be prepared to make it yourself!
At thirteen and eleven, you girls should be learning how to prepare your own meals. It is very easy to steam vegetables and rice. You can also find ways to make the food that your mother is preparing for the rest of the family vegetarian for yourself. Everyone should eat more fruits and veggies. See if your mom can cook the meat seperately and replace it on your own plate with tofu or canned beans. Maybe you could even designate a vegetarian night for the entire family.
I'm fourteen and a vegetarian, and I know what you mean. I know of some quick and easy sandwiches/meal options.
1) Tofurky bagel. On a plain bagel, layer tofurky (my life saver), mustard, and any other vegetables that you enjoy. This takes about 5 minutes to make, and is very satisfying.
2) Wraps. In a tortilla (I like the tomato ones the best), chop any type of vegetarian "meat" (gardenburgers, or fake chicken). Add avocado, tomato, mustard, lettuce, onions, or any thing else you can think of. Roll it up, like a burrito. (as a substitue, I often spread hummus on a flour tortilla, and add 2 - 4 slices of tofurky. Roll that up, add an apple, some peas, and some granola, and you have a delicious lunch!)
3) Pita pocket. in 1/2 of a piece of pita bread, spread some hummus, add gardenburger, and lots of sprouts. yum. ;
Snacks:
- apple w/peanut butter. slice an apple in 1/2. cut out the core, and in place of it, put a spoonful or so of peanut butter. this is amazing w/oatmeal! (also, instead of peanut butter, it is good with cream cheese)
ok, I know that this isn't that much, but i hope this helps! best of luck to you!
ps. and congrats on the vegetarianism!
--WARNING. watch out for the brand Quorn. their products have some meat substances in them. be careful!--
what I used to do when i was living with my parents was tell her to make all of the side dishes that are for a normal meal, so if she made meat and potatos and vegetables I would eat the vegetables and the potatos and not eat the meat. I would instead open a can of beans, or eat some tofu.
I also offered to help her in the kitchen while she was cooking, if you are in there with her helping it really takes some of the challange off of her to make meals, and she might be more ok with you being vegetarian, or offer to help in other ways, like holding the baby.
13 and veg! Congrats! Your poor mom sounds a little overwhelmed... so good of you to want to ease the pressure she feels... you are a good person!
This is a great opportunity to impress your family and yourself! There are so many great veggie dishes to make that even hard core meat eaters would love them! Hopefully you'll have some time to find these recipes that suit your tastes and kitchen/cooking confidence level.
Along with the other helpful suggestions... I'd like to add that you could look up some cookbooks on line at like Amazon.com that are more for your age group. I did a brief search on "Kids Can Cook" and there was one with Vegetarian Recipes. Or of course search for recipes on line that are "Kid Friendly".
Stir fries are easy and nutritious...only thing is all the prep work of cutting veggies... Find marinated tofu, either teriyaki or szechwan... it'll help with the flavoring so you don't have to have the spices on hand to mix yourself.
Vegetarian Lasagna can be easily assembled and placed in the oven to cook. (There are so many different kinds, you'll have to find one that sounds good to you.)
Crock pots are another "easy" method... a little time consuming though.
Soups aren't that hard either... very nutritious too.
Pizzas on 'premade' whole wheat dough. (Load up on the veggies).
Hot sandwiches with cheese and veggies.
You may have to do some "homework" by researching what your daily nutritional requirements are and devise a plan to maximize the veggie use during your day.
Canned beans are nice to use in soups, salads and chili (use TVP or prepared veggie ground round instead of ground meat).
Try to use whole wheat pasta...prepare a meal with half brown pasta and half white pasta until you can get used to the texture of the whole wheat... just a little note...cook the different pastas separately... the brown takes a little longer to cook.
Definitely check out your local library too for cookbooks...Besides Vegetarian take some time to check out Thai, Japanese, Indian, Mexican, Italian, Vegan, Whole Foods or Macrobiotic. Keep in mind when looking at recipes that the meat in some of them can be left out or substituted.
Juices and Smoothies would also help give you guys vitamins for snacks at home.
When you start out, some time is needed to prepare...just to ensure you are getting all your daily requirements. I have every confidence in your ability to take charge of your meals and help out your mom!
Good Luck you guys!
I find this interesting WHY she feels she has to cook 2 meals. What does she eat?
I am Vegan my husband is not. I cook with lots of veggies & just add his meat dish. It is very easy.
EXAMPLE: Fresh Salad, Steamed or oven roasted Veggies, or Rice, then what ever meat/fish/chicken he is having grilled or baked etc.
You are not too young to start help prepare food, you could make salads for your dinner every night, that would save her 1 step towards a good meal.
Cajun Vegetable Kebabs (vegan)
You will need:
250g firm tofu-cubed
165gm jar cajun flavour base
2 baby eggplants - sliced
2 small zucchinis - sliced
1/2 red capsicum - cut into 2 1/2cm chunks
1/2 green capsicum - cut into 2 1/2cm chunks
250g cherry tomatoes
1 small pineapple - cubed
1 tbsp olive oil
Method:
1 Marinate the tofu in the cajun flavour base for a few hours, even overnight.
2 Soak the skewers in water for about 20 minutes (you'll need about 12).
3 Thread the vegies, pineapple and tofu onto the skewers allowing at least 3 cubes
of tofu per skewer.
4 Lightly brush the kebabs with oil, then BBQ or grill them until lightly browned on
both sides and cooked through.
5 Serve the kebabs with any remaining sauce and rice or cous cous.
Carrot & Cashew Loaf (vegan)
This recipe was sent in by Greg Barnacle. "This loaf goes down very well at Christmas, even with meat eaters."
You will need:
1 kg carrots
300g cashew nuts
1-2 crusty roll(s)
1 medium-sized onion
1 green capsicum
1 red capsicum
3-4 mushrooms
1 green chilli
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp soy sauce or vegemite
sunflower oil
Method:
1 Steam carrots for 30 mins or pressure cook for 5 mins. Mash.
2 Chop onion, green chilli, mushrooms and capsicums finely and fry in 1 tbs of the oil.
3 Add chilli powder and soy sauce or vegemite to onions.
4 Add carrots.
5 Blend roll(s) and cashews to a rough powder and add to mixture.
6 Oil a 25 cm loaf tin with sunflower oil and line the bottom with foil.
7 Push the mixture into the loaf tin, cover with foil and cook in a medium-high
(180-200 degrees Celsius) oven for 25 minutes.
8 Remove foil and cook for a further 25 mins.
9 Keep in foil if eating cold.
Notes:
1 Pushing the mixture down hard into the loaf tin means there's absolutely no need
for egg.
2 Greg has found that multiplying the amounts by 1.5 means the first 0.5 can be
used for large-golf-ball-sized patties baked on a tray and eaten the same night,
and the remaining 1.0 made into the loaf & eaten cold, "which is the better way to
eat it for mine."
Cheesy Macaroni Casserole (vegan)
You will need:
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup vegetable broth/stock
Up to 1 & 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 4-ounce can tomato sauce
2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions
Method:
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2 Combine the yeast and the flour in a medium saucepan.
3 Place the mixture over low heat, stirring until lightly toasted.
4 Slowly add the broth, stirring to make a thick batter.
5 Add water 1/4 cup at a time until the sauce is smooth and slightly thick.
6 Add the remaining ingredients except the macaroni, and stir well.
7 Place the cooked macaroni in a casserole dish and stir in the sauce.
8 Bake for 30 minutes, or until sauce bubbles.
Note:
Add cooked or canned peas or hot sauce if your taste calls for them.
Express Vegetable Pie (vegan)
You will need:
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 tbsp Nuttelex margarine
2 celery sticks, diced
3/4 cup cashew nuts
4 cups mixed frozen vegetables
2 tsp tomato paste
2/3 cup stock
1 tsp yeast extract
3-4 large potatoes
a little soymilk
Method:
1 Sauté the onion in 2 tbsp of margarine together with the celery and a little water
until just tender.
2 Add the remaining ingredients apart from the potatoes, soy milk and remaining
margarine.
3 Simmer for 3-5 minutes, adding a little more water if the mixture seems too dry.
Keep hot.
4 Cook the potatoes until soft, mash with margarine and a little soy milk, adding salt
and pepper to taste.
5 Turn the vegetable mixture into a casserole dish and cover completely with the
mashed potato.
6 Fork over the top roughly and broil for 3-5 minutes until golden brown.
Here are some recipes are the web sites are below.
Hopefully you and your sister can stick by your guns and your mom respects your decision. Bravo for you wanting to make things easier for your mom. I am a vegetarian (almost vegan), my children are not. I cook separate meals all the time. I eat a lot of Amy's meals. I also steam veggies and add some flavoring (soy sauce + other ingredients depending on my mood). I mix pasta with veggies and my soy sauce. Veggie broth with cans of veggies thrown in for a veggie soup (italian seasoning also). Try looking online for some simple recipes. My recent favorite thing is tomatos/asparagus/artichokes marinated in red wine vinegar.
If you mom is concerned about your health, you can always take a vitamin supplement. GNC carries a vegetarian multi-purpose vitamin.
Good luck !!
Simple veggie meals can be:
bean burritos
a can of black beans and some instant rice
pasta
pasta salad (just cooked shells, a bag of frozen veggies and something like mayo or vegan mayo, some oil and vinegar, etc.)
chili made with boca burger crumbles
pb&j
wraps made with fresh veggies alone or with veggie deli slices
bagels with cream cheese (tofutti makes a good vegan one)
smoothies, just some fresh fruit and some juice or soy milk
cereal with soy milk
baked potato stuffed with steamed veggies and drizzled with soy sauce
also, below is a link to a website listing common things found at the grocery store that are vegan. You will be surprised at how much is listed there.
Hope that helps out a little, and good luck.