Protein sources for those with sensory issues around food

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Dd is very limited on what she will eat. She's veggie but has tried meat and fish and doesn't like it. We are a veggie household anyway. She has gone off quorn products that she used to love and doesn't like tofu. She doesn't like things mixed together apart from my soup. Doesn't like eggs. She will sometimes eat half an egg mayo sandwich but it's rare. She loves potatoes especially mash and roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and sweet corn with veggie gravy. Pizza is a one slice and that's it thing. Loves pancakes. Philadelphia sandwiches, homemade bread toast, some veggie burgers. Loves cauliflower but won't touch cauliflower cheese or things like lasagne. Loves the veggie bacon from the health food shop. Beans and pulses not very much. Gone off pasta. I'm really struggling as we are all particular about what we will eat and I feel like I'm running a cafe. She would live off crisps, mash, Yorkshire puddings, cucumber and cereal bars. She's healthy and active but we all need better diets. Help please!

She gets complete understanding on this and is not made to feel difficult or awkward about it. It's just the way she is. She likes macaroni cheese too but that's the only pasta she will now eat. Loves baguettes and tzatziki but not hummus. Will have a veggie roast dinner of Yorkshire puddings, stuffing, roasted carrots and parsnips, mash, roast potatoes, gravy and a little broccoli if I ask nicely. Tempura vegetables and noodles are a favourite.

Other family members on her dad's side make her cry over her not liking things. Bastards.

Sorry to hear your DD is struggling. Hopefully someone with experience of this will come along soon!

Just a thought from me - have you tried looking at vegetarian/vegan recipe ideas for 'low carb' dieting? There are some long-running threads on MN such as 'low carb bootcamp' with lots of healthy vegan/veggie recipes which are protein-based - and obviously you can ignore the 'low carb' bit for your purposes and serve protein alongside whatever you like.

Greek yoghurt? The 5% fat is 9g protein per 100g

Vegan protein powder in a smoothie or milkshake

How is she with nut butters, nuts, pumpkin seeds etc? All good with yogurt and honey.

Your doing great, fuck the idiots who made her cry!

What about baked halloumi, baked camembert, cheese cubes, or nut butters? She could have cashew nut butter and jam on toast, cheese toasties, paneer cheese in place of tofu or quorn. You can also buy dried soya mince which can be added to things. Otherwise I would look for carby meals with a relatively high protein content such as mushroom risotto, as well as milkshakes/ smoothies with greek yoghurt or protein powder. I have had success with chia pudding too, its just chia seeds soaked in milk overnight.

When you say she has tried meat and fish, which ones has she tried? For example I don't like white fish or things like mackerel very much but I like tuna steak, salmon steak, hot smoked salmon, or loch trout.

I’m not sure what age she is but have you checked the recommended daily intake of protein? I know I assumed it was a lot higher and worried about ds’ diet for this reason until I consulted with a dietician. Also I was only counting protein in obvious foods and missing it in things like bread.

Thank you. I will see if she will have high protein yogurt based smoothies. We are starting a health kick on Monday as our diet has been dreadful lately. I've been living on toast mainly, ds on primula sandwiches and crisps, and Dd on mash and Yorkshire puddings 😩 I'd forgotten about porridge being high in protein so I'll start doing that for breakfast. Or smoothies as she is t a fav of breakfast and often feels sick first thing.

Dd wouldn't eat fish or meat now anyway. She's been forced to try it at her dad's but won't eat it for ethical reasons as well as taste and I wouldn't cook it.

Does she drink milk?

Milk in mash. Wholemeal bread?

Nuts?

Bean burgers?

How much protein in cheese spread?

Have you looked up how much she actually needs and calculated how much she is getting? You may be surprised.

Oomph soya mince is much nicer than quorn. Better texture and flavour. I have food issues too and have been veggie for 31 years. One of my safest, go to foods is quorn deli ham and butter on thick white bread.

How old is DD? Could she be involved in the cooking, look up recipes and make food suggestions herself?

I'd speak to a dietician to check she is getting enough protein/calcium etc and they might have further food suggestions.

Is it the whole egg she dislikes or the yolk? What about things made from just the egg white?

More soups but use a stick blender and add in chickpeas/pulses which can be blended smooth

How about mashed up chickpeas, they go a bit like mashed potatoes if you cook them first

This website has some good recipes

www.sanitarium.com.au/recipes/vegetarian-recipe-collections

I have one just like this.

She will eat nuts, so l put nuts in everything. Also those powdered seed things. I use those to add protein.

She does my head in tbh😭

I make three ingredient American pancakes from oats, plant milk and mashed banana. They're great for protein.

If she likes noodles you could try lentil based noodles. M&S for example sell noodles made from lentils which are high in protein.

You can make some good chocolate mousse type desserts with silken tofu.

What about a cashew based mac and cheese sauce? I do one with butternut squash and it's delicious.

For snacks how about sweet potato thins? Basically little biscuits made from oats and sweet potato.

Replace some of the flour in the pancakes with unflavoured protein powder.

Does she like nuts? If she likes macaroni cheese, add some nut butter or ground nuts to the cheese sauce or as a topping. Add nuts to stuffing when you make a veggie roast dinner.

Also don’t forget that some veg are relatively high in protein. Such as fresh, frozen or tinned peas. If you are making several different dinners, a side of peas for everyone is quick and easy.

It may be worth investing in a modern vegan cookbook for tips and techniques. Would your family be up for making their own seitan? It is made from vital wheat gluten and you can flavour it with what you like. Use it in place of meat.

Red lentils also good because they are quite protein rich but practically dissolve in stews, soups and sauces if well cooked.

She doesn't like nuts at all and the texture of chick peas is not tolerable to her. She does like cooking.

Tell me more about this butternut squash macaroni cheese please.