Recipies for a new, 11-year-old vegetarian

[Anonymous]

My DD became a vegetarian around age 9 or 10, and my husband and I eat much healthier now because of that. The cookbook "Weekday Vegetarian" has been great for our family. Fairly easy recipes that she can make with us, and it also includes options for adding meat to recipes.

[Anonymous]

Honestly some people are acting like this would impose a big inconvenience for the family when it comes to meal planning. I just don’t see it that way. I’m not a vegetarian- but my daughter is and its easy to accommodate- I prefer vegetarian meals actually!! You don’t need to eat meat all the time even if you aren’t adhering to a vegetarian diet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly some people are acting like this would impose a big inconvenience for the family when it comes to meal planning. I just don’t see it that way. I’m not a vegetarian- but my daughter is and its easy to accommodate- I prefer vegetarian meals actually!! You don’t need to eat meat all the time even if you aren’t adhering to a vegetarian diet.

Of course it doesn’t seem like an imposition if you prefer vegetarian food.

[Anonymous]

Lentils are a great substitute for most ground meats and healthier then the fake stuff. You can use them in shepard's pie, tacos, sloppy joes, bowls, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly some people are acting like this would impose a big inconvenience for the family when it comes to meal planning. I just don’t see it that way. I’m not a vegetarian- but my daughter is and its easy to accommodate- I prefer vegetarian meals actually!! You don’t need to eat meat all the time even if you aren’t adhering to a vegetarian diet.

Of course it doesn’t seem like an imposition if you prefer vegetarian food.

DP

You are being silly. PP’s point was it isn’t an all or nothing thing. Once you start accommodating a vegetarian you will start finding more vegetarian dishes you like as much as (or more than) typical meals with meat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Why would you allow an 11 year old to become a vegetarian?

Why wouldn't you? Mine have been vegetarian since birth. Oh the horror. Our pets are vegetarian too.

JFC. Your pets are vegetarian?
Vegetarian here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Why would you allow an 11 year old to become a vegetarian?

Why wouldn't you? Mine have been vegetarian since birth. Oh the horror. Our pets are vegetarian too.

JFC. Your pets are vegetarian?
Vegetarian here

Yes, of course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Why would you allow an 11 year old to become a vegetarian?

Why wouldn't you? Mine have been vegetarian since birth. Oh the horror. Our pets are vegetarian too.

JFC. Your pets are vegetarian?
Vegetarian here

Maybe they have rabbits?

[Anonymous]

I would support but this is a good time to get her involved with meal prep, reading/selecting vegetarian recipes and learning a bit about nutrition- so her entire diet is not simple carbs.

[Anonymous]

My non-vegetarian family has a few great vegetarian meals in our rotation. Some have already been mentioned here, but there’s one I want to add called “Carl’s Salad” (as in my nephew.

Basically, it’s heat up some vegetarian “chicken” patties, then cut them into strips/chunks, then make a big bowl of romaine and a smorgasbord of possible toppings: sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, bleu cheese, cherry tomatoes, diced red peppers, anything you like. It’s very easy and kids love it because you can customize!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Why would you allow an 11 year old to become a vegetarian?

I am not the OP, but I have never forced my kids to eat anything, and I certainly wouldn't start with forcing a child who doesn't want to eat meat to eat meat. It's psychologically not the same as "disliking mushrooms or broccoli."

+1, I went vegetarian at 11 and am so glad my mom was fully supportive and cooked for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is great! I was 12 when I made the decision to become vegetarian. My mom happily adapted recipes for me but thought it was a phase. I am still in that phase 50 years later!

Among my DD friends around 11 or 12 years old there are so many brand new vegetarians! I wonder what it is about this age?

This is really interesting. I started at age 11 but this would have been in the late 90s. Seems like an extremely common age to start

[Anonymous]

Ignore all the “make her find her own recipes” and “why let this happen” posters. Geez, I hate cooking, but I would not stop my kid from wanting to be healthy.

I suggest trying different types of vegetarian chili. A lot of them are easy to make, and they can be frozen in individual portions for when you need something for other nights.

We often do pasta with a meat on the side. We do not even have vegetarians in our household, just different preferences for pasta/ meat ratio

Stir-fry can be pretty kid friendly. You could just cook the meat separately.

My son will eat yellow Goya rice and black beans (I add cumin, onion, and garlic). It’s the side I use when I know he might not like the main dish. Very easy and hearty enough to work as a main dish.

Look at the post for a mezzo menu. That would work well, as a lot of those items are or can be vegetarian.

You might also want to start looking at protein content of breads, pastas, even snacks. They can range by a lot, so buying a higher protein content version will help ensure your kid gets enough protein.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ignore all the “make her find her own recipes” and “why let this happen” posters. Geez, I hate cooking, but I would not stop my kid from wanting to be healthy.

I suggest trying different types of vegetarian chili. A lot of them are easy to make, and they can be frozen in individual portions for when you need something for other nights.

We often do pasta with a meat on the side. We do not even have vegetarians in our household, just different preferences for pasta/ meat ratio

Stir-fry can be pretty kid friendly. You could just cook the meat separately.

My son will eat yellow Goya rice and black beans (I add cumin, onion, and garlic). It’s the side I use when I know he might not like the main dish. Very easy and hearty enough to work as a main dish.

Look at the post for a mezzo menu. That would work well, as a lot of those items are or can be vegetarian.

You might also want to start looking at protein content of breads, pastas, even snacks. They can range by a lot, so buying a higher protein content version will help ensure your kid gets enough protein.

I was one of the posters that said "encourage your dd to help plan" not as a punishment but, as a learning tool. If the dd found some recipes they could cook it together and bond. What's wrong with that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ignore all the “make her find her own recipes” and “why let this happen” posters. Geez, I hate cooking, but I would not stop my kid from wanting to be healthy.

I suggest trying different types of vegetarian chili. A lot of them are easy to make, and they can be frozen in individual portions for when you need something for other nights.

We often do pasta with a meat on the side. We do not even have vegetarians in our household, just different preferences for pasta/ meat ratio

Stir-fry can be pretty kid friendly. You could just cook the meat separately.

My son will eat yellow Goya rice and black beans (I add cumin, onion, and garlic). It’s the side I use when I know he might not like the main dish. Very easy and hearty enough to work as a main dish.

Look at the post for a mezzo menu. That would work well, as a lot of those items are or can be vegetarian.

You might also want to start looking at protein content of breads, pastas, even snacks. They can range by a lot, so buying a higher protein content version will help ensure your kid gets enough protein.

I was one of the posters that said "encourage your dd to help plan" not as a punishment but, as a learning tool. If the dd found some recipes they could cook it together and bond. What's wrong with that?

DP Here. It’s just annoying when OP asks for recipe ideas and people hassle her about how she should parent her kid. Why can’t people just be satisfied with offering recipes in the food forum?