I'm trying to help my family out by planning the meals. The thing is, I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian, and they... aren't. I need some meals that are easy to make, healthy, and easy to add meat to. My parents think that fish counts in a vegetarian diet, which generally means that the food they cook I can't eat, or they'll buy food for me, that I can't eat.

With this in mind, I want to help by planning out meals that everyone can enjoy, that are healthy (my mom and I are trying to lose weight, while my brother is trying to bulk up.) balanced, affordable and easy.

If you wouldn't mind posting your favorite recipes? ? Also, any meal planning tips?

We tend to eat a lot of stir fry and modified indian food. The best suggestion I could have is to browse vegweb.com or fatfreevegan.com - there are some absolutely amazing recipes on those sites, and for the most part your family won't likely miss the meat at all!

I plan meals and snacks a week in advance and post it on the fridge. That way there's no last minute scrambling around to make dinner. Sometimes we have a "theme week" - where everything is Mexican, Indian, Asian, etc. I do the big cooking on the weekend when I have more time and freeze whatever I can for nights when I'm not motivated to cook. I always cook dinner for 4 so there's lunch ready for both of us the next day.

You were probably looking for more specifics, but since everyone's tastes are so different, hopefully you'll find some yummy stuff on the sites above!

Thanks lotses.

The thing is, I don't have a choice about the meat intake. My family is a firm set of meat eaters. I'm just hoping that they take my meal plans, given that I plan on adding meat to their portions. I really want to take the stress off my mom when it comes to meal planning. Having a renegade vegetarian in the family can't be easy when it comes to making sure everyone gets fed.

My family is the same way, they think I'm insane for not eating meat. My suggestion is to take over dinner one or two nights a week - you plan it, you cook it. Let someone else clean up! Make it a completely vegetarian meal, something you think everyone will enjoy. On the other nights, help plan so there's stuff for you to eat.

When I lived with my parents, I ate so many Morningstar farm patties I can barely stand to look at them now, because my family's dinners always revolved around meat. I feel your pain, I really do.

My husband's family was the opposite, he was the only meat eater growing up. Usually the main meal was vegetarian, and he had a grilled chicken breast or fish to go with it.

Does your mom usually cook meat into the meal, or is it separate? Like a casserole, or a piece of fish with a side of veggies?

It's either a sauce with meat, a casserole, or the meat is the main portion of the meal, and the vegetables are basically minced to flavor the sauce until our meals essentially consist of meat and a side of starch.
(Think smothered chicken, spaghetti with meat sauce, nachos, fried chicken, etc.)

I'm hoping to get recipes that meat is a topping instead of the centerpiece, or it is a part of the entree but the meal won't be terrible without it.

What about spaghetti with keilbasa or meatballs for the fam?

You could make a veggie loaded sauce and serve meatballs on the side for them to add. WW pasta and yum. For my spaghetti i add puree'd spinach and carrots (Frozen spinach thawed, and lightly boiled carrots with a bit of the broth from the carrots and 1 can tomato sauce dumped into the sauce), then I add bell pepper chunks, and if we have them zucchini chunks,and diced tomatoes. But really you could add whatever veggies you like!

Then you could make meatballs or cut up a keilbasa and lightly fry it in just a pam sprayed pan and serve on the side for them to add at the table.

You could do taco salads too! Either buy baked chips or take tortillas (we use ww/low cal ones but shh don't tell my husband) and put them on a baking sheet and bake so they crisp up. Lettuce, tomato, salsa, onions, black beans, you could get veg crumbles for yourself and someone could cook up taco meat as usual then you can build your own salads as you all like.

Hrm I'll keep thinking and try and come up with some ideas for you!! I'm not a vegetarian but my son eats very little meat so I try and make the meat "addable" for the hubby and myself!

How about portabello mushroom pizzas?

Take portabello mushroom caps and brush with a tiny bit of olive oil, top with pizza sauce (store bought or homemade) 2% or other lowfat shredded cheese, veggies for you maybe some bell peppers, pineapple, zucchini, tomatoes etc, and then the fam can do crumbled sausage or pepperoni on theirs.

You could do flatbread pizzas too instead of the mushroom caps.

Breakfast for dinner:
Make your own omeletes (if you eat eggs, or use egg substitute? not much help here )

Scrambled egg skillet, like above just use a pan for yourself and do veggies and then they can have a big pan with meat and veggies.

I'm still thinking!

Is your family open to mock meats? You might want to try incorporating TVP or frozen veggie crumbles (like Boca or Morningstar) into soups, stews, and sauces. My omni husband actually really likes TVP, and it is super cheap from the bulk bins at our co-op. Even if they aren’t willing to try that soups and stews might just be your best friend. It’s easy to reserve your portion, adding mock meat or beans or whatever to yours, and let them add meat to theirs.

When I went vegetarian my mom’s idea of vegetarian cooking was to put a portion of whatever aside before adding the meat. I cringe to think of what I lived off of in high school and college. Primarily processed starches covered in fatty dairy. :yuck:

I think things made individually are a great idea... like pizza, burritos, quesadillas. You would do the prep and have options and people can just add whatever they want in theirs.