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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Struggling for vegetarian meal ideas

17 replies

sunnyfields25 · 17/11/2021 08:21

Hi all

Mealtimes are becoming such a nightmare in our house and I wondered if anyone has any vegetarian recipes that have proved a hit in their households?

We've got a 6-month-old DD who is just being introduced to food, and a 4-year-old DS who is becoming increasingly fussy by the day. I also can't be in the kitchen cooking for very long on the days when DH isn't around until later as it's a tiny kitchen that doesn't have enough room for both children (really didn't think that through when we bought the house!).

Trying to think of quick, tasty meals that are suitable for a baby (blended if necessary) and that DS might eat is proving a challenge.

We've got a slow cooker which I'd love to make use of, but when we tried making veggie meals in there previously they all turned to slop. I don't know if we're missing a trick there though because the idea of bunging stuff in and having a meal ready later on is great.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated Smile

OP posts:
sunnyfields25 · 17/11/2021 08:37

Sorry I don't know how to turn voting off Confused

OP posts:
Ilovefriday · 17/11/2021 09:13

In the slow cooker I have made, veggie sausage casserole, lentil dahl and lentil chilli which all work well but my kids are older and I'm not sure how lentils would be for a baby. We also like chickpea burgers, the "burgers" could be made into any shape which might appeal to your four year old.

sashh · 17/11/2021 09:30

Only cook things in the slow cooker that you would cook for a long time anyway so baked potatoes, dhal etc.

A tray bake, I use chicken but leave that out.

Put a bit of oil in a bowl with salt, pepper, paprika, and what ever spices you like, add par boiled new potatoes (or don't boil but you need to start them 10 mins earlier) sliced peppers, sliced onion, other veg of choice. Leave overnight, when you are ready pour it all onto a baking tray, add cherry tomatoes and put in the oven for 20 mins - I use it to fill tortillas but you could put in another bread or just eat as is.

Good old fashioned beans on toast is quick, as is anything else on toast eg cheese if you eat it.

Rice cooked in 50/50 water and orange juice makes a nice base, I add smoked fish but something else smokey would work, maybe chick peas with some smoked paprika.

Rice, cocoanut milk, water and cashew nuts with a little water works well, I use a rice cooker, it cooks then keeps warm so you can cook it early or prep something else to go with it.

Don't be scared of tins and cans, you have 2 small children you don't have time to organically grow and harvest fresh produce.

A packet of mixed frozen veg and a tin of curry sauce makes a vegi curry, or you could use another sauce or a tin of Campbells condensed soup - the mushroom has some milk in.

Actually looks in condensed soup and crème fraiche with some peas and sweetcorn makes a good meal and you can also use it to make a pie.

notacooldad · 17/11/2021 09:34

Loads of suggestions on this thread
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4395476-I-m-going-to-go-vegetarian-for-a-week-as-a-test

PingedPotato · 17/11/2021 09:35

Veggie curry

PingedPotato · 17/11/2021 09:35

Obviously make it mild for baby. Can stir yoghurt into theirs.

MeetMeAtOurSpot · 17/11/2021 09:49

I make a potato topped dish in a white sauce.
Sauté leeks, make a white sauce & season. I do Chuck some quorn pieces in to up my protein but sometimes do mushrooms instead. I mix in some birds eye petit pois then put it in a dish and top with mash and brown in the oven. Very simple and tasty.

Mushroom risotto in around 20 mins
Sauté an onion, add pepper & mixed dried herbs
Sauté 350g mushrooms
Tip both into an oven proof casserole dish
Stir in 125g risotto rice
Dissolve a veg stock cube in 350mls of boiling water and add to the casserole dish
Cook in the oven on 200 degrees for 10 mins then stir
Cook for a further 10 mins then add 70g birds eye petit pois and stir then cook for a further 2 mins.
It serves 2 adults so double the recipe then you have a left over meal for lunch the next day.

This is nice but I don’t like puy lentils so I soak red split lentils and use those instead. I use dry herbs and, mostly, leave the garlic out as I have to work in a mask all day and don’t want to smell my own garlic breath all day!
realfood.tesco.com/recipes/vegan-shepherds-pie.html

motherofcatsandbears · 17/11/2021 09:55

Quick risotto

Cook rice until it’s nearly done, chuck in a tin of soup (mushroom is nice), drain a can of sweetcorn, add some frozen peas and stir in. Cook until the rice is done. I also add tuna as I’m not veggie but you could add other things you and DC like.

Perching · 17/11/2021 10:32

This is a brilliant recipe and I always have a bowl of it in the fridge
www.recipetineats.com/lentil-curry-mega-flavour-lentil-recipe/

This is the best veggie chilli recipe in the world ever. Follow the recipe to the letter the first time you make it. I also add big chunks of sweet potato when it’s cooking through my baby lives munching on them. Adding avo as a topping ups the calories for the kids

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/double-bean-roasted-pepper-chilli

Delia’s baked mushroom risotto

EnidFrighten · 17/11/2021 10:39

I feel your pain, DD is nearly 5 and won't eat anything mixed up or with a sauce. We used to be vegetarian but I cannot get my head around feeding her the amount of veggie sausage it would take.

Stir fry (with bits kept separate if need be)
Jacket potatoes
Burgers and wedges
Sausage and mash
Savoury pancakes
Tomato pasta
Quesilladas with refried beans

It's a nightmare. You can work things out a bit with batch cooking - eg I sometimes do a plain korma type curry for kids and a spicy interesting one, then the kids have the dull stuff, DH and I have a bit of both.

sunnyfields25 · 19/11/2021 10:40

Thanks all, there are some great ideas on here, and also on that other thread that a PP linked. I'm going to be trying some of these when we do the food shop next week. It's actually made me feel a bit more enthusiastic about meal planning. I used to love cooking and eating, but lately it's all become such a chore!

OP posts:
lunarlandscape · 19/11/2021 10:50

If you make a big batch of good, slow cooked sofritta, tomato, peppers and mushrooms etc sauce, you can use it as a base to make
pasta bake with mozzarella
veggie chilli with lentils
enchilladas or tacos with sweetcorn, grated cheddar and avocado salsa

if you are in a hurry filled tortelloni with pesto and salad is fine.

Egg and chips (esp oven baked sweet potato fries) with peas and carrots is a quick, easy, balanced dinner.

Egg fried rice with chopped toasted cashews, and stir fry veg
Risotto with peas, leeks, herbs and cheese or mushrooms and cream cheese
paella with sweetcorn, peppers etc
kedgeree with fresh parsley, peas, egg and cream

TheFuckingDogs · 19/11/2021 10:57

Monday - meat free nuggets, beans & oven fries (it’s Monday make life easy)

Tuesday - scrambled egg on toast

Wednesday - pasta and veggie sauce

Thursday - jacket potato, beans, cheese

Friday - veggie Mexican wrap with rice, tortilla chips on the side

Add as much veg as you can get your dc to eat into all these combinations- sometimes the set routine of certain meals on certain days helps kids as well

TheFuckingDogs · 19/11/2021 10:57

Mine is based on a pretty fussy kid so is fairly neutral foods

Notimeforaname · 19/11/2021 11:10

Chickpea and lentil stew in slow cooker.

Tin of chickpeas
Tin/dried green lentils
Potatoes
Onions
Carrots
Veg stock

DCINightingale · 19/11/2021 11:15

I use my slow cooker to make a pasta sauce - loads of veggies and a few tins of chopped tomatoes. Blended up after cooking for about 6 hours, it just tastes like tomato sauce. Great for our 11 month old, me and DH. Fussy toddler DS not so keen and just prefers plain pasta at the moment. But thats easy to accommodate.

Jacket potatoes in the slow cooker - revolutionary.

sunnyfields25 · 30/11/2021 20:23

@Ilovefriday Bit of a delayed reply, but I don't suppose you can tell me how long you cook your veegie sausage casserole for in the slow cooker? And do you put the veggie sausages in for the whole time or just cook them separately to avoid them going mushy? I would just experiment but can't face going to all that effort only to produce an inedible meal! Smile

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