If you are vegetarian or vegan - what do you eat ?

[Pisssssedofff]

DD 1 has gone veggie and gone up a dress size, basically because she's having pasta at every meal, cereal for breakfast and nothing for lunch, far too much fruit juice and scoffing 6 apples a day too.
She won't eat eggs - any suggestions it's driving me insane, I don't think she really likes vegetables if we are honest.

How old is she? Will she way quorn or tofu?

Eat*

Being a vegetarian isnt rocket science. You just need to replace meat with a different non animal based protein. Like quorn or tofu or lentils etc. Apart from that her diet should be the same as a non vegetarian.

She's 16 - I've made spag Bol - I won't lie with quorn and mince - I couldn't be arsed and she wolfed it down like she'd never been fed, which she hasn't really for a month

Will she have jacket potatoes/lasagne made with quorn mince/shepherds pie/chilli & rice etc?

sounds like youre not taking it very seriously then. If she's sixteen then maybe she should cook her own meals if you cant be arsed

Sounds like a fad she's on. What are her reasons for suddenly decide to change? As she's 16 she can get involved in preparing her own meals. There's a wealth of recipes online, she can have a look and get inspiration.

She doesn't like rice, doesn't like sweet potatos, my worry with the weight gain is that she's gone very very carby lately

What humble said. Being vegetarian isn't a pasta diet! The only challenge is that getting protein from non-meat sources sometimes involves more work/preparation, soaking or cooking - she needs to be eating pulses and beans, tofu, eggs, leafy green vegetables and vegetables of all kinds.

You made it with meat and told her it was veggie? Seriously?

Why on earth couldn't you just have done the quote and the mince separately?

Is she vegan or veggie? Not sure quorn is vegan is it?

Assuming she's veggie, then veggie proteins which avoid eggs would be quorn, soya, lentils, chick peas and other pulses, quinoa, cheese, and nuts.

I work full time and have other kids, I can't be arsed no I won't lie, a veggie, who doesn't like vegetables and if I say cook your own food she won't, which I don't like. It's tricky

She won't eat eggs or diary so I guess that's vegan or heading that way

Veg risotto - I do several versions including butternut squash, asparagus with runner beans, peas and spinach and one with an array of mushrooms. Any of these can be made with bulgur wheat instead of five which is a bit less of a glycemic load.
I have a lot of salads in this weather, with feta or haloumi or bulked out a bit with pulses.
For something a bit easier, there are loads of 'ready meal' type things that can be added to vegetables and sweet potato or celeriac fries, things like Tesco risotto burgers, haloumi spring roll type things etc.
I also make an awesome break and pepper chili which can include as much veg as you like all mixed up with cannellini beans, kidney beans, haricot beans and any other pulses you want to add.
What does she like?

I won't lie with quorn and mince ...well aren't you a treat?

As pp have mentioned, for ease you can just swap the meat for another protein - I'm not vegetarian but eat a low-meat diet, and often swap mince for mushrooms + green lentils, or chicken for haloumi, or ham in a salad for goats cheese. It's not tricky.

And there are plenty of vegetarian dishes which are delicious for non vegetarians... if you could just get into it a bit...

She won't eat rice risotto is out which is annoying because we'd all eat that !
I'm not sure about chilli that might be an option, I think I need things I can batch cook ideally.

Right, so you fed her meat. What a shit thing to do

I've been vegan five or six years, currently seven months pregnant. I eat a varied diet, am a healthy weight, and I'm not sure I understand the problem you're describing. You could try looking on websites like Vegan in the Freezer or Deliciously Ella etc for ideas.

I would get her a vegetarian cookbook and get her involved in meal planning and encourage her to start making her own. She will have to soon anyway. I love cooking for my veggie mum and sister and cook stuff very similar to DoJo.

I'm not sure I understand the problem you're describing.

My brother is a vegetarian, and when he first stopped eating meat he gained a ton of weight because he didn't really like vegetables. So he ate tons of pasta, bread, cheese, etc. I think that's the same problem the OP is describing.

He now eats lots of vegetables and has slimmed down quite a bit.

I fed her meat because she hadn't eaten a meal that didn't contain pasta, veg and cheese for nearly a month ! And she rarely finished them so clearly not a fan.
It was affecting every aspect of her life.

If you don't want to support her dietary decisions by providing appropriate balanced meals, without resorting to tricking her into eating meat (gobsmacked) .... then don't. 16 years old is plenty old enough to learn more about food, cooking, eating healthily and planning meals she will like. If she is really dedcated to being vegetarian or vegan then she will put in that effort. She will of course still need some support from you in terms of being taught how to cook things, what is healthy and what isn't.

I turned vegetarian at he age of 7 and Mum made me go along and do the shoppig with her from a young age, with me eventually helping to plan and cook my meals from about the age of 12/13.

At sixteen she is old enough to cook for herself and if she wont then she will have to eat what you offer. But dont lie about whether there is meat in the dish.

Try a small spiriliser to make courgette 'spagetti'.
Use spinach and onions and spices instead of the carb side of a main meal.

Try replacing some milk or yogurts or cheese with vegan versions (low fat, higher protein ones).

Try 0 fat yogurts.

More salad, less bread/pasta.

Have crispbread and low fat soft cheese, celery to dip in low fat houmous, as quick snacks instead of bread or fruit snacks. Banish smoothies and crisps and. ration cheese!

The soy worries me too Madam, I'm sure I've read it's not good

Did you tell her there was meat in the meal you made??

If she eats no veg she's not going to get a particularly varied diet. What did she eat before?

I would suggest a simple vegetarian cookbook, at 16 she would benefit from learning to cook meals by herself if she isn't already. One I was given that is really naff but would probably go down well if she's not into that much veg is 'the new student veggie cookbook' by Carolyn Humphries. My other favourite is the BBC good food 101 vegetarian meals. Although that one has a lot of vegetable based meals.

I often 'hide' veg in my meals by chopping it up really small. Mushrooms make a great substitute for meat. I love jacket potatoes with homemade chilli, I eat a lot of tuna in salad (tomato, sweetcorn, olives, avocado, that kind of thing) I eat a lot of eggs, on their own or in omelettes or homemade quiche, cous cous is a nice alternative to pasta.

Another good idea might be visiting a vegetarian or vegan restaurant. Seeing what other people order and experiencing tastes and smells might spark her imagination.

A change in diet always takes some getting used to. I think adding some variation is what's going to help both the weight and exasperation issues