A bag of Bob's Red Mill bulgur wheat can be really helpful here, and you can make variations on tabouleh and it requires ZERO cooking. The package has a recipe, which is a good one. And it's totally versatile. Sometimes I put two cups of it in a pyrex, cover with two cups of water, and let it sit for at least an hour. Then I mix in a can of chick peas, chopped peppers, scallions, diced carrots, and a ton of either dill, or parley, cilantro - whatever I have around. I add either lemon juice, or a variety of vinegars (white, balsamic - whatever I have around). If I am serving it to others, I add some olive oil but hwen it is just for me I often leave the oil out. It's healthy and easy and totally versatile and keeps for a while. My husband likes to take it on top of greens and and throws a dollop of hummus on top.

Pasta salads are your friend! You could make a large batch of pasta, toss it with some olive oil to keep it from sticking, and store in the fridge to make salads out of whatever inspires you. I love mixing with roasted vegetables, feta, nuts, herbs, etc, inspired by Ina Garten's awesome recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/orzo-with-roasted-vegetables-recipe/index.html

I also love mixed roasted root vegetables; you can make a large batch and it will call you from the fridge for a few days. I use some combination of potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squashes (I know, they aren't root veg, but they are heavenly), radishes, purple onions, garlic, beets, turnips, rutabaga, carrots, parsnips....

My kids love Jamie Oliver's caramelized carrots, and so do I: http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2007/12/05/sticky-saucepan-carrots/

Trader Joe's has these delicious baked tofu packages, flavored with teriyaki. You can cut it up and throw on a salad, or throw it in the Trader Joe's Asian stir-fry.
When I have little time I mix together a can or two of beans, some jarred salsa and shredded cheese...you can also add sour cream and avocado and even brown rice...and eat it over lettuce or wrapped in a soft tortilla.
I also make "burger bowls"...veggie burgers over a salad. You can also make good old-fashioned beans and rice with some cut-up veggies on the side (I like to dip them in hummus that I have mixed with horseradish, yum).
Also - the cookbook "Six O' Clock Scramble has lots of vegetarian or vegetarian-adaptable recipes that are quick and easy (as well as kid-friendly meat recipes) - I make bean dishes constantly from that book.

One solution. You can prep for a stir fry and prep both a veg and a meat main element. For example, prep your favorite assortment of veggies (red peppers, onions, broccoli, yellow squash, etc). Then prep some chicken, shrimp or beef. Then prep some tofu (press to get water out, coat in cornstarch, then pan fry until golden brown)--set aside. Put some rice on. Now, heat the oil, precook the meat and set aside. Take the same pan you did both veg and meat in. Heat up half or more of the veggies, add the meat. Add stir-fry sauce of choice (I like a mix of soy sauce, hoisin sauce, a touch of sesame oil, chicken broth and a little bit of slurry). Put in a serving bowl. Heat up more oil, cook the rest of the veggies, add the tofu, add sauce (you can get mushroom based vegetarian stir fry sauce, add a little soy sauce, some chicken broth and a slurry). The prep will take about 20 minutes. The cooking will take about 10 minutes per pot. For about 40 minutes start to finish, you'll have one meat stir fry and one veggie stir fry. The rice goes with both. You can prep the veggies a day or two ahead and cook the rice before hand and this becomes an under 30 minute meal. To reheat rice, put in a bowl, cover with dripping wet paper towels so that all exposed surfaces are covered, the microwave until rice is hot (about 3-5 minutes depending on your microwave). The water on the paper towels will re-steam the rice so that it doesn't dry out.

I also make oven roasted eggplant and chicken parmesan together. I slice eggplant and chicken. I coat both with flour, egg wash, then crumb of choice (I use crushed W/W ritz crackers, but any crumb will work). I put a cooling rack in a baking sheet, put the chicken and eggplant on the rack, spritz olive oil on both sides of ever piece (I used to use an olive oil pump mister, but now I just get Pam Olive Oil spray). Bake at 400 for about 35-40 minutes (or until chicken is 160 on a meat thermometer). While the entree is baking, make pasta of choice, make sauce of choice, I usually make a mixture of garlic (I buy minced in the jar), chopped onion, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and carmelized tomato paste, basil and oregano to taste. Put a side of pasta with entree of choice and cover in tomato sauce. You can prepare the pasta and sauce ahead of time and then this becomes a pretty easy meal to make for a weeknight (it does take about 45-50 minutes which you can't get around because of the baking time).

There are other combinations of recipes that you can make where you have the main element of meat/veggie that you make separate and then add at the last minute. This allows you to cater to the omnivores and the vegetarians without too much extra work.

We're not veg, but I try not to use a lot of meat. Easy family favorites include fritatas, veggie-stuffed quesadillas, huevos rancheros, pad thai, tofu or chickpea curries, spinach ravioli, and bean or until burgers. Sometimes I'll make and freeze calzones or a big batch of empanadas that I can defrost as needed. I really like Moosewood Cookbook's Cooks at Home - lots of 30 minute meals. If you aren't up for real cooking, try a bottle of Trader Joes curry dumped over chickpeas and frozen peas with some kind of grain. Our kids (4 and under) will at least eat some of all those things, especially any kind of bean. They have become a lot more adventurous since we started serving them what we were also eating, so why not try making some yummy veg only meals to share with them before your husband gets home? Oh, and I used to do baked potato topped with cheese, salsa, and plain yogurt a lot.

Fabulous ideas here, thank you. (this is OP).

DH and kids are not vegetarian; DH does not eat beans, which is the mainstay of my diet these days. And my 3 little ones (1.5 - 6) are not great eaters, but I'll keep tossing things in front of them with the hope that something will stick. I would love to find more vegetarian meals that we can all eat. Quinoa may be the answer. Part of my problem is that DH is biglaw and is gone until 8 or 9 pm most days.

More ideas definitely welcome!

I like Sara Moulton. Her daughter is a vegetarian and she has a good variety:
http://saramoulton.com/?s=vegetarian&x=24&y=17

Looking forward to more ideas as our DS just decided to go vegetarian and I"m pretty much one.

You need to think in terms of side dishes with protein with a side meat dish for your meat eaters.

Also buy yourself a pressure cooker to quickly cook beans and brown rice.

Here are a few to feed the whole family: cook a box of cous cous (flavored is best), drain a can of garbanzos, throw in some chopped tomatoes, crumbled feta, chopped kalamata olives and toasted pine nuts, basil and or parsley. You can squeeze some lemon juice over it too.


Black bean/corn salad. Open and rinse a can of black beans and a can of unsalted corn, toss in chopped carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, whatever you have in your veggie drawer, onions, cilantro. Make a vinigarette of oil, fresh lime juice, cumin (a lot) and some sea salt. Toss in and stir.

Heat a can of pinto beans with a can of chopped tomatoes with jalapenos, sprinkle cumin, cinnamon, chili powder, dash of red sauce. Add to a bowl of brown rice, grate cheese on top, add sour cream, sliced avocados and a squeeze of fresh lime and chopped cilantro - super yummy.

Buy some chia seeds and toss into yogurt, onto salads etc for added oils and protein.

Use quinoa instead of rice for more protein in any dish. Cook it and throw in nuts and chopped cranberries and a dash of cinnamon.

If you eat eggs, make a veggie quiche every Sunday and you have 6 lunches if you add a salad. Buy prewashed lettuce at Costco etc so you can spin and eat without having to cut it up.

Buy frozen stir fry veggies, tofu fresh garlic and fresh ginger, soy, brown sugar, peanut butter and add to high protein spagetti style pasta (Barilla in the yellow box).

That's all I can think of right now.

Three of my new faves:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/heathers-quinoa-recipe.html

http://iowagirleats.com/recipes/superfood-salad-with-lemon-vinaigrette/ (skip the shrimp, obviously)

and

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/double-broccoli-quinoa-recipe.html

You are a vegetarian and you are cooking meals with meat for your family--and you don't have time to cook/prep foods you can eat? Am I understanding right?

Could you just make vegetarian meals for your family? Or you could make your own meal and your husband could make a meal for himself/the kids, if they are set on eating meat?

Felafel - you can refrigerate uncooked dough about 3 days. You can cook it and keep it about a week in the fridge, longer in the freezer (both uncooked and cooked).

Tofu - you can keep it about 3 days uncooked in fridge in water. Change water and you can keep about another 3 days (total about 1 week). Press out water, coat in cornstarch and pan fry and it will keep about 3-5 days in the fridge, a couple of weeks in the freezer.

Both of the above can be added to salads, over rice/quinoa or put into a pita with your sauce of choice.

Make a pot of meatless chili, separate into individual portions. Put a couple in the fridge and the rest in the freezer. Microwave for a portion, move move servings from freezer to fridge when you use the last one in the fridge. Beans/legumes are very filling.

Help me eat more, please! I'm a vegetarian and I'm just dropping weight because I can't cook for the kids/DH and myself in the same night. Any relatively easy (i.e. reasonable number of accessible ingredients, not terribly long prep time) ideas of foods I can put in the fridge for meals & snacks and just grab when I'm hungry? Something like chick pea salads -- i don't have a recipe, just pick it up every now and again. Am already doing a decent amount of guacamole, hummus, carrots and dip.

Thanks!