How do you cut down meat...

[Teacher12345]

With kids who don't eat beans or veg?

Any ideas on how to do it without substitutes?
Meal ideas welcome!

Broccoli chopped up small and mixed with pesto and cream cheese makes a pasta sauce that I have never known a child refuse yet.

I started making a lot of sauces out of roasted veg, garlic, tinned tomatoes and wiz up. Makes a lovely bolognaise sauce with no lumps for them to moan about but with 5 veg in it.

I also started doing a 50/50 mince, 50% meat mince and 50% veggie mince

Reduce the portion size ie in a bolognaise increase the veg or stretch chicken further by increasing the veg.
Fish more than once a week ( I know DH not keen but it is so varied) so, breaded fish, prawns in any curry type sauce, smoked fish, salmon baked, fish fillets fried, tinned tuna with pasta etc.
Pasta with tomato sauce or alla Norma.
Mushroom risotto
Salad with grains and seeds and those who like eggs can have a poached egg.
Shakshuka and non egg lover can dip.
Vegetable soup eg minestrone or leek and potato or pumpkin , cheese on top of wished
Quesadillas

Thanks everyone.

I think you maybe are looking in the wrong places. But I've never paid attention to the cost of meat to I'm the worst person to compare! Although my dp ears meat and we've been buying it in our shop for 15 years!

All substitutes are not created equally! I'd stick with own brand items to keep costs down. Tesco and sainsburys are decent. Perhaps have a quick search on their websites to see what the prices are like. Also I stock up when they're on offer and I have room in the freezer!

What I got from your posts, is not so much cutting out meat, but reducing costs, plus upping veg intake.

Don't buy ready made. Linda McCartney meatballs are far more expensive than making your own.

Add lentils to beef mince to reduce meat intake.

Use cheaper cuts. A whole chicken. Roast one day, boil the carcass for stock, make a stew next day adding left over meat and beans / pulses. If they won't eat a chunky stew, blend it, serve with buttered bread.

Dinners here would be meat pie, mash, one, maybe 2 veg. Not everyone likes the veg that day but will eat it with mash. Peas, carrots, brocolli, cabbage.. All do the rounds here.

My opinion is that simple meals are good. Plus no crap!!