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Supporting a new vegetarian

4 replies

NorksAkimbo72 · 04/05/2017 21:04

DD, aged 9, has decided she wants to try being a vegetarian. It's not a surprise, she has never been all that keen to eat meat, and often leaves it, or eats around it. My issue is that I've always just done one family meal in the evening, and now I'm faced with cooking the family meal plus something just for her, and I don't have a lot of ideas. Obviously, it's straightforward when we're having roast dinner and things like that, it's only an issue when I'm doing a casserole or stew. She loves most vegetables, which is good, but is not a fan of meat substitutes.
Can anyone point me in the direction of recipe pages or books you've found useful for quick, easy dishes to make?? I want to keep her dinners tasty and interesting, but I also want to make sure she's getting everything she needs nutritionally (the girl would live on pasta alone if she could!), and I want to make sure it's stuff I can make relatively quickly while I'm doing dinner for the meat eaters. She is a keen cook, so I know she can offer some help, but it may be another year or so before I can let her start preparing her own meals.
Thanks!

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AtleastitsnotMonday · 04/05/2017 23:15

Can you batch cook and freeze some veggie stews that dd could have when you do the meat version. Then she could have with the same sides. Things like sweet potato, spinach and butter bean stew, Moroccan vegetable, chickpea and apricot tagine, veg and bean chilli, lentil dhal, butternut squash and red pepper curry. Also batches of simple pasta sauce could come in handy. Maybe have a few really quick meals in mind too, things like frittata or stir fry with cashews. Stuffed peppers can be rustled up quickly (stuff with couscous, veg herbs and cheese).
Do you not eat any veggie meals as a family? I think i would be looking to provide more veggie meals that everyone will eat rather than having to prepare two dishes each night.

NorksAkimbo72 · 04/05/2017 23:20

Ah...thank you...these are excellent ideas to get me started! We do have a few veggie dishes that we all enjoy, but I think I was stuck in the mindset that because I always cook for 4, I would struggle cooking for 1! Batch cooking is a fab idea, and means that she and I can cook together and freeze things in portions.

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Blondie1984 · 05/05/2017 00:30

In terms of nutrition, I would really recommend you consider getting her a Vitamin B12 supplement - it is commonly found in meat and fish and so if she is cutting those things out then she might become deficient

NorksAkimbo72 · 05/05/2017 07:54

That's great advice, blondie, thank you.

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