I Was Then I Wasn't

[Veggie_Queen]

I was vegetarian for a month, and I'll admit it was hard. I craved meat and could hardly find vegetarian options anywhere. So I ended up quitting. I still feel the same way I did when I went veggie, but I have too much trouble doing it.

Both my parents are avid meat eaters and they both work. So preparing two different meals was hard. Not to mention my mom had no idea of what to cook me and I had trouble finding recipes and time to cook my own meal. Bringing my lunch to school got harder too. I couldn't live off of PBJ for a year.

I need advice on how to go vegetarian stay vegetarian and still keep a variety of foods in my diet without needing to go back to meat.

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

I craved meat and could hardly find vegetarian options anywhere.

I understand the cravings part, we all have cravngs for things, but you couldn't find "vegetarian options anywhere"?

I'm not sure where you live/go to school, but I can't imagine not being able to find basic salad ingredients, grilled cheese sammies, french fries, burritos; veggie, olive or just cheese pizza; bagles; onion rings; baked potatoes; mac-n-cheese, veggie "wraps", pretzels, etc... true, these aren't the most healthy foods on the planet, but they are all probably going to be vegetarian and most high schools, lunch rooms, cafeterias and fast food places have these options...

As for bringing your own, no - PB&J would get very boring. Try hummus, white bean spread, olive and cheese spread, cheese sandwich, egg salad sandwich, bean burritos, bagle and cream cheese, veggie wraps, PB and banana, tofu 'salad' sandwich, cream cheese and pineapple, cinnamon-raisin-peanutbutter, grated carrots and mashed garbanzos, ahhh... the list in endless. PLUS there are a ton of "lunch" thread here on VB.

If you're lacto-ovo, the "no food options" excuse isn't usually very valid in most places.

[froggythefrog]

Sometimes it does take time to change your mindset and be able to see vegetarian options around you. They're definitely there, though. When I first was trying to go vegetarian, my then gf and I often went to this country buffet type place. Chicken, roast beef, and other meat-based main dishes abounded. I often gave in and ate the chicken because the main dish just did not seem to be there. I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian at the time and there were really only a few sides that I couldn't have had -- and they were willing to make sides without ham for me. I did not know that part becaus e I never asked. The desserts were free game too.
Looking back, it's a sure thing they had garbanzo beans on the salad bar. I could've actually had the filling type of salad -- not the wimpy kind and macaroni and cheese and mashed taters and greens to boot.

I ended up at the place over the holidays years later as a vegan. I was actually able to make it on sides and asked them to make me some green beans without ham. My meal was not the best meal I ever had, but it was far from being the worst meal I ever had.

Asking waiters and waitresses to recommend dishes that don't have meat or modify dishes to leave out the meat may surprise you: some of them will be very helpful. You'll even find the occasional understanding one who is vegetarian too. A little creative thinking goes a long way. It gets easier with time. If you slip, just let it roll off and keep on going. The wagon does stop for people who fall off. ;)

[juno]

If there's a will, there's a way!

Where are you from? My personal experience is that it can be hard to eat out sometimes, especially when with carnivores. BUT. I've discovered that most places have meat-free options. If not, you can ask the waiter/waitress to take the meat out of a dish.

There are lots of recipes here on VB - head on over to the recipes forum. Another good resource is vegweb.com. Bookstores also have a lot of vegetarian cookbooks. You can ask your mom to cook you a veggie dish, then your parents can just add meat to that same dish.

Other options that you can put in your sandwich aside from peanut butter and jelly: potato salad, mock tuna spread (there's a recipe for this on here), or scrambled eggs. You can also bring rice with veggies or pasta to school for lunch. Snacks, too - fruits and nuts are easy to find and bring.

[michael2]

bread pasta rice nuts vegetables fruit grains beans cereals with sauces nondairy milk etc:chef: would be the staples of any healthy diet

did you try vegetarian for health or ethical reasons?

[Byzantea]

It will be cheaper to cook fresh produce, rice, grains, and pastas than it will to store and cook meats. You don't have to be an awesome cook to win at vegetarianism. The will to prepare beats the will to win, any day.

[snowbunny11]

I don't think your parents should have to cook two meals. Ask them to make the side dishes with the entree vegetarian, such as green beans and mashed potatoes, and encourage them to make a salad. Then you can help out by making your own entree. If they both work and cook perhaps you could find time to help out too, since it sounds like they are doing a lot!

I'm new to this, and notorious for eating tons of sides since I am a very lazy cook, but I know there are vegetarian cookbooks with recipes, and you could always just go my route and make pasta, rice, couscous, soup, or a yummy salad. Bean and cheese quesadillas are easy to make too. You could also just have your family get a ton of those Morningstar farms/tofutti meat substitutes, so if they make hotdogs, you can make a smart dog, if they have hamburgers, you can have a boca burger. That shouldn't be too much extra effort!

Also, ground soy in casseroles tastes pretty much the same, my family even uses that and they are very anti-vegetarian. (Yes, they actually think it's morally wrong.)

[Veggie_Queen]

Thank you so much for all your help. I'm going to start cutting back on the meat I consume. One of the hardest parts for me was I don't really like most veggies so it was harder to find food. I'm going to train myself to like them though and find new ways to prepare them.

BTW I became veg*n for environmental and ethical reasons the health benefits didn't hurt.

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

The following are all vegetarian food blogs written by teens (most about 15 - 18) who cook their own vegetarian or vegan food. Some of them started well before they were 13, so don't be discouraged; use their ideas to refer to, or maybe let your Mom read them for ideas.

http://teenvegan.blogspot.com/
http://theflyingvegan.blogspot.com/ (written by VB's own Misq17)
http://veggiegirlvegan.blogspot.com/
http://veggout.blogspot.com/
http://themetalvegansrealm.blogspot.com/
http://teenagehealthnut.blogspot.com/
http://veganteencuisine.blogspot.com/

[SOFcowgirl]

Buy tons of beans, that's how I started. If you cook up kidney beans with a bit of taco seasoning, it makes great nachos, tacos, and wraps. Mixing kidney beans, black beans, lima beans, etc... with Italian dressing makes an incredible dip/snack thing. Go by a cook book, I love slow-cooker recipes. They are REALLY easy; you pretty much cut the stuff up, throw it in a slow cooker, leave it for a few hours, and BANG! yummy meal!
If you're having a hard time with it, maybe try to make the transition slower. Maybe cut out red meat first, then chicken, then fish... and then anything else. Some people can't make the jump all at once, so little steps help.

[Veggie_Queen]

Thank you again for all the suggestions. Being 13 does make things a little more complicated. The teen veggie blogs are great thank you!

[LucidAnne]

good for you veggie queen!!
are you able to go shopping w/ your parents?
often, just a simple substitution of brands will keep things veggie *like buying veggie broth vs. chicken broth, marinara vs. meat sauces, etc.

try having one day a week totally veg for the whole family. make a veggie lasagna (a great way to sneak in veggies like zucchini, mushrooms, etc) or a big batch of mac and cheese (throw in some broccoli or puree butternut squash to replace some cheeses).

i hated alot of veggies when i was younger, too...you may find your tastes change as you go totally veg. try new preparations, dont swear em off if at first you dont like em! seasoned green beans, roasted asparagus, veggie pizza w/ a ton of vegs are so easy and delish!
zucchini is an easy one to add to your diet, imo, b/c its not strongly tasting... i love it seasoned w/ italien seasoning and breadcrumbs.

good luck!!
i second the "tuna salad" recipe *made w/ chickpeas* ...sooooo good!!