Being a vegetarian in a mixed family...

From time to time, people who know that I am a vegetarian say that they would be vegetarians but that their family is comprised of all meat eaters and, well, they just sorta go with it. They have to cook it so they may as well eat it.

I have a husband, son, and a dog. All are meat eaters. And I do cook meat. I would prefer to not cook meat, but I do. I purchase meats for the guys from small farms, not factory farms or grocery stores. I purchase eggs from a farm where the hens are free range. What produce that I do not grow, I buy from the farmers' market.

As our son gets older, he eats the majority of his meals away from home in the evenings, due to work or school activities. The times that he is home, I try to make a homemade pizza with veggies (our current fave is a spinach and feta pizza), or a pasta dish with homemade marinara sauce from tomatoes grown in our garden.

Hubby began eating some of the things I was eating and has come to prefer meatless chili, and prefers marinara sauce over meat sauce. He remarks how much better he feels for not eating ground beef, and so I have not had to buy ground beef in over a year! I do not, ever, cook bacon for any reason. If hubby and son want it, they have to get it at a restaurant. Bacon smell is one that I cannot tolerate.

He still likes chicken, and fish. But as he gets more of an idea of things that are tasty and filling, he's becoming more accepting of the vegetarian meals I fix. When I first went cold turkey (pun intended), I just ate whatever didn't contain meat. But our diet had become pretty much the same old same old, all the time, and was boring.

I thought back to the book that I first read in the 70's, Diet for a Small Planet. I bought the updated version and got lots of ideas. I hit the bookstores and began reading vegetarian cookbooks and magazines, such as Vegetarian Times. I learned about so many different foods and ways of preparing them that I will never get to all of the recipes that I'd like to try!

I love Mexican food. So I have been experimenting with making enchiladas and quesadillas without meat. Even my teen son liked the vegetable quesadillas (photos soon).

The health benefits of eating vegetarian have been amazing...I lost 30 pounds, and my blood pressure, at age 52, is 112/80. I feel better, I have more energy.

Eating vegetarian in a family of meat eaters is possible...nothing is perfect tho and there may be times when you have to prepare 2 meals. I try to plan meals ahead according to our schedules and plan as many meat free ones as I can. When I do have to cook meat, I make sure that there is plenty available that I will also be able to eat. Tofu is amazing because it takes on the flavors of whatever you are cooking with and flavoring with. A vegetarian friend made an avocado/tofu sushi that was out of this world.

Planning meals ahead of time is key to being able to make sure everyone is happy at mealtime. I am currently researching vegetarian comfort foods for the fall and winter months (the Almanac is predicting a frigid winter for most of the USA). They have to be tasty, filling, and healthy as well as vegetarian. While I do watch the fat content in many foods, there's nothing like a big bowl of homemade mac and cheese (not from the little blue box!).

If you've read this far and haven't become bored to tears, thank you! This blog will be evolving over time. I hope it helps.