How many vegetarian meals do you eat a week?

[Indadhanu]

Ok, so for vegetarians the answer will obviously be all meals...


But for the non-vegetarians among us... how many vegetarian meals DO you eat? (dinner / night meals)

I worked it out for us, and ours is... maybe one a fortnight I have always been of the opinion that we ARE meant to eat red meat, we have incisors AND molars which means we're meant to be omnivores. Thats just my opnion anyway and I'm not wanting to debate that here (feel free to start another thread if you need to comment :P). But basically, I'm not trying to become a vegetarian, but looking at our meat intake (most of the is red meat, with two or three nights of white meat a fortnight) I think it would be good to start eating a few more vegetarian meals a week...

So, how many do YOU eat?

I'm thinking 2 or 3 vegetarian meals a week is probably a good amount? I'm thinking of doing my own "Vege Challenge" to try and learn more recipes too... anyone else

[Indadhanu]

Oh, and by vegetarian I mean completely meat free, but not necessarily vegan.

[Arimeh]

We have fried rice once a week - and I don't put any meat in it, just egg, and the vegies and then sauces and rice.

But other than that...

[Indadhanu]

LOL Mel, even my fried rice is meaty, I use bacon oooops

My vege night are usual I can't be stuffed cooking nights, so we have toast LOL Or the odd occassion I make a potato bake with no meat to go with it...

[Fleur]

We were 'supposed' to do meat-free Monday every week. Errr, hasn't gotten off th ground just yet...

My mum is vegetarian & I was for a few years so I have no excuse other than the fact that DH isn't really that keen, & I feel bad if I don't give him some thing he likes

[briggsy's girl]

LOL Mel, even my fried rice is meaty, I use bacon oooops

My vege night are usual I can't be stuffed cooking nights, so we have toast LOL Or the odd occassion I make a potato bake with no meat to go with it...

we add chicken and bacon to fried rice lol


i love vege only meals - but they don't happen since DH has been living at home again!

[ss_storm]

none...oops....lol. I know you're supposed to have one or two meat free days a week? I just don't know what to cook! Normally the only time we have meat-free is when I forget to take something out of the freezer! But then I use a tin of tuna or have fried rice (with bacon) so generally not meat free anyway.

[Indadhanu]

Dunno if I can post this but my vege sister gave me this link to the Australian Vegetarian Week Healthy Eating Tips and Recipes.....

National Vegetarian Week - Recipes

Some YUMMY recipes on there. I'm making those koftas on Monday I think

[Fleur]

That's just it, there ARE some really yummy proper vegetarian meals, I like my mum's cooking... I think though with DH he kind of feels if it doesn't have meat, it's not really 'dinner' kwim?

[Phteven]

We vary. Some weeks we eat vego 5 nights and other weeks we only eat vego 1 night.

[briggsy's girl]

my DH is a bit the same - raised on meat and three veg, so that's what dinner should be

i have been able to get him to eat a lot of things that aren't as cut and dried as that - but getting him to go completely meat free is pushing it. i don't mind as we dont' eat a lot of heavy meat meals - we might have chook fillets with vegie bake (of chook IN the vegie bake), a grilled steak with stirfry veg - but we always have meat

for me - i can (and do) eat meat free when DH isn't home - but i feel better in myself if i have the protein load. am not a fan of egg, can't do soy etc - so, due to the PCOS and the impacts it has on my insulin levels - if i don't have meat, i find i get very dizzy a few hours later and then have to eat again (which annoys me!) or risk blacking out. pre pg, i'd risk it - now, with me primary carer for DD - not a chance

[Phteven]

Beans are an awesome source of protien and so are chickpeas.
I'm sooo making the bean burgers on that link you posted Leasha and the mexican rolls.

[AnyDream]

Not enough!

I'm really trying to boost my veggie intake and lessen saturated fat (anticancer measure) so trying for smaller portions of meat when we do have it, and trying to buy leaner cuts of meat but goodness it's expensive.

So I've started trying to have more veggie-based lunches as a start - replacing "lunch meat" with veggo ideas - tho I admit it's hard work thinking it up to start with. A lot of the yum veggo food my sister makes is actually pretty high in fat so I'm trying to find the middle path.

BG - I worry about the soy thing too - I know it's supposedly a good source of protein but a bit of a problem deciding since there is conflicting evidence about its effects on breast cancer. So I'm happy to eat it occasionally but I don't think it's a good idea for me to plan regular meals around it.

[Indadhanu]

Yeah, definitely then bean, and the lentil, burgers here too! We actually eat a lot of beans and lentils, but usually with mince, but I always think when I'm adding the beans that I shouldn've tried it without meat but I never realised until I'm already cooking

My sis reckons the satay right at the bottom is great too. Does anyone know if tofu is ok for kids? What is tofu? I don't even know! LOL! Is it soy?

[Fleur]

Yep tofu is soybean curd. I'm pretty sure it's ok for kids. It's a bit bland on its own though, but you can marinate it just like you would meat.

[Phteven]

blerk, I can't stand tofu. Even marinated it tastes of cardboard.
I'm pretty sure that it would be ok for older children but soy is a pretty common allergen so you might want to introduce it around the same time as nutty stuff.

[Lisa]

We have it a few times a week as my 15 yr old DS is a vegetarian.

[Fleur]

blerk, I can't stand tofu. Even marinated it tastes of cardboard.
I'm pretty sure that it would be ok for older children but soy is a pretty common allergen so you might want to introduce it around the same time as nutty stuff.

Ahh yeah didn't think of the allergy thing
I'm not a big fan either but you can buy some already marinated that's not so bad.

I prefer lentils...mum makes this thing which is just sauted veges - she uses whatever is in the fridge, (good for a clean out) - with a vege stock cube & lentils, then wraps them in pastry. So kind of like vege parcels, is a lot nicer than it sounds...
ooh & lentil pie with potato, zucchini, mushrooms cheese cream & garlic (and no pastry). Bit fattening though, but very yummy