Need help cooking meat for family

[NewDayT]

Hi, I'm brand new (2 days) and feeling so good about myself. I watched Meet your Meat by accident and it has made a profound impact on me. My question is how can I continue to cook meat and look at it for my family every nite? My husband said I will NEVER convert him of course, and I have 2 teens at home also. thanks for any advice.

[*AHIMSA*]

:hug: :up: Congratulations on making the change.

I suggest you get your teens and/or husband to do it, or have things that are already prepared that they can easily assemble so you won't feel like you need to do something you feel really uncomfortable (or morally opposed to) doing.

Have you watched "Earthlings"? It's a really good film too.

[NewDayT]

thanks for that advice.. they don't mind preparing their own most of the time...but I just feel like I need to have dinner ready some nights. Also how do I change my avatar? I am new using forums also. thanks

[*AHIMSA*]

You can have dinner ready, if they insist on eating animals, have ready made things that you don't have to cook.

To change your avatar, go to "User CP" on the upper left hand corner and you can locate the place to do it there and upload an image from your computer.

[codemonkey]

My teens aren't vegetarian, but they eat vegetarian at home all the time. I don't cook meat at home and I've told them if they want it, they can cook it themselves, but their laziness is greater than their desire to eat meat.

[Hamry]

Firstly welcome and congratulations on making the change. I second that Earthlings is a good film to watch as well, I preferred it to Meet Your Meat.


thanks for that advice.. they don't mind preparing their own most of the time...but I just feel like I need to have dinner ready some nights. Also how do I change my avatar? I am new using forums also. thanks

If you want to cook some nights then perhaps you could do an omni friendly veggie meal? You could do something like pasta, stir fry or a bean chilli, they're not unusual and it's unlikely they'll miss the meat. Otherwise cook something you can all have a little bit of and then get some ready prepared meat and put it in the oven to go with it.

Your husband may not want to be converted but surely he won't mind having a veggie dish now and then. A lot of people do and don't even realise there's no meat!

Good luck :D

[taraf]

I think it's great that you're making positive changes in your life! I've faced similar challenges with my boyfriend. After a while they get used to it, I've tried to cook a few meat meals for my boyfriend and he's tried to 'go vegetarian' which lasts all of five minutes, lol. I've found the best way is too make the base of the meal something we can both eat and then I'll make my veggie-friendly part and he'll make his meat thing. Sometimes we just eat just veggie food, or we get 'matching' snacks. He'll get icecream bars, I'll get tofutti bars and spend my time trying to convince him they taste the same.

Hope this helps!!

[codemonkey]

My husband declares that he's vegetarian about once a month. It lasts until it becomes ever-so-slightly inconvenient.

[*AHIMSA*]

He'll get icecream bars, I'll get tofutti bars and spend my time trying to convince him they taste the same.

Hope this helps!!

I think this is a common mistake people make that creates problems, even though the intent behind it is good. :)

Vegan cheeze does NOT taste *exactly* like dairy cheese. Mac and cheese can be made vegan, and it can be delicious, satisfying and rich, but it isn't the *same* at all. Same goes for milks, ice creams etc. Coconut milk ice cream is every bit as rich, decadent and delicious as Hagen Daas or Ben and Jerry's, but it doesn't exactly "taste the same".

[Tyness]

^^^ agreed. I realized this when I first tried soy milk. I told myself it is not what I am used to, it is its own thing. Appreciate it for what it is. comparing only makes it harder to get used to.

[Porffor]

I'd refuse to cook anything and let 'em fend for themselves, but I suppose that might be a bit rough going.
I guess the only thing you can do is pride yourself on YOUR meal and do what you can cope with on the others.. I can't STAND the smell of beef raw - makes me want to heave, so would never cook that, or get hands on with meat.. not my thing. My hubby does our cooking so I guess i'm not best placed to comment but I can and have cooked regularly in the past and before my hubby and I met was the sole cook in my life after I left home. My hubby and daughters sat eating meat tonight at the table with me, but my pasta in tomato, herb and veggies was Soooo good as I didn't have to think about meet your meat!

[Mr. Sun]

If you want to cook some nights then perhaps you could do an omni friendly veggie meal? You could do something like pasta, stir fry or a bean chilli, they're not unusual and it's unlikely they'll miss the meat.

...


Your husband may not want to be converted but surely he won't mind having a veggie dish now and then. A lot of people do and don't even realise there's no meat!

Good luck :D

Yeah, that's what I was going to say. There really are a lot of "normal" meatless meals that people don't regard as veg*n.

[Ninav]

My husband still eats meat. I don't want to force my decision on him. I told him that I think he should eat organic and free range meats. And I cook it for him and he eats what I eat as a side dish. I try to make sure there is always something available for him. Many nights it seems that he is happy with what I am having and doesn't eat the meat. But it is always his choice. Secretly yes I hope he gives up meat but if not at least he is not resenting my decision.

[Veggily]

Hi, I'm brand new (2 days) and feeling so good about myself. I watched Meet your Meat by accident and it has made a profound impact on me. My question is how can I continue to cook meat and look at it for my family every nite? My husband said I will NEVER convert him of course, and I have 2 teens at home also. thanks for any advice.
This is a question that you are going to have to decide for yourself. If you are totally opposed to cooking meat for your husband and sons, I don't see how you can continue doing it. For me, I was married quite a long time when I stopped eating meat, and my husband works long hours, so I decided I could cook meat for him and the rest of the family. I don't cook it every day. Some days, I cook meatless for me and meat for them, usually cooking the meat separately and adding the it at the end of the cooking process, if it is something like pasta sauce or a curry or stew. Sometimes, I don't feel like cooking meat or I think the meal is complete and they don't. Those days, they are free to cook it and add it themselves. Other days, I cook a veg meal for everyone. I've tried a lot of new dishes since becoming meatless, which I think has been good for my family. My husband now often tells others that he is grateful for how my diet has influenced him to eat less meat. He still does not want to go veg, but is now always open to at least trying veg options in restaurants and at home. My kids usually will try the veg food when it's an all-veg night. Some dishes are not appetizing to them, and they choose to go to the kitchen the next time it shows up, but at least they try it. I am really glad they do that. I don't think that would have happened if I had them cook their dinners for themselves every day. They'd just be eating it all the time, then. So, that works for me and I feel that even though I am touching and cooking meat sometimes, it has made a positive impact on my family's eating. I might change my mind someday - who knows? But for now, this works for me and the rest of the family has SLOWLY but steadily moved away from meat every day every meal to meat often, and my husband meat sometimes. One son is experimenting with eating mostly veg and has given up red meat and dairy completely.

[TigerLover]

NewDay, Welcome to VB!

Yes, as some suggested, these questions you'll have to decide on. Maybe they are something perhaps you and your family could have a family meeting about. In the end, it's up to you as to whether or not you will cook any meets at all for your family, or if they should learn to cook the meats for themselves. We can't force our beliefs on others, but as you learn healthier ways of eating, cook these items for your family too to include them, even if you must put meat on the table. The thing that bothers me is when people - especially us US Americans - look at veggies like their something from outer space! My family is just strange. :whack:

I am not married, nor do I have kids, but at my family's BBQs, I have placed raw meat on a dish and brought it to the grill for my brother or whoever's cooking. Why? Because the rest of this sorry bunch won't help the guy. I do it because I love to cook and I love to host. But, I think I too would have trouble now if I had to do it on a daily basis for a family - I'd have to wear gloves.

After 9 months of being vegetarian - I find that I cannot "replace" items. Things are different. I am finding meat smells (especially raw) are not pleasing as they used to be (raw was never pleasing, it's just getting worse as I can really detect that aweful odor). There are only a few things that still seem appealing to me but one by one they are fast becoming myths, and I think the appeal in my head. For instance, cooked hamburger meat. I still thought that if I bit into one now, it would taste the same to me. I had a revelation when my mom was making two pots of food, one with hamburger meat and one with soy crumbles. I licked the wrong spoon and found this god-aweful bitter taste in my mouth. I yelled to my mom asking the heck she put in my food? She told me I licked the wrong spoon. I thought there was something wrong with the crumbles but it was the HB meat residue on the spoon & was disgustingly bitter, not as I remember cooked HB meat to be. I doubt I'll ever bite into a hamburger again. yuck!

I agree with Ahimsa on her opinion. And my opinion is - No, veg*n items don't taste like dairy items, etc., and we have to learn to forget trying to compare them. I finally gave in when I realized - hey, i'm tasting NEW stuff, and I have to like these things (or not) for what they are, and not try to use them to "replace" items I used to consume.

For instance, Soy Dream or Rice Dream "ice creams" do not taste like Breyer's vanilla bean, and never will. So I found that I liked the Rice Dream for what it is, just like I like real dairy ice cream for what it is. Like mac & cheese... there's other ways to make a creamy vegan noodle substance called mac & cheese, or you can make the stuff out of the box or homemade with real cheese - the thing is, we have like something about the vegan mac & cheese or one can't eat it. We can't compare it to the Kraft, it won't work.

I just had to learn to explore and I found things I like for their own sake and stopped trying to compare. I find when newbies get deep into comparing, is when we fall off the wagon - when we miss meat. Sure Quorn came close to chicken, but I still feel it's all in the batter. I do not think that the Quorn company's items taste like real chicken, but have come close to fast-food patties you might get at McDonald's or where ever. I am glad that the mock meats don't taste like meat. They really don't. As a veg-head, we have to find things that we can savor and enjoy the tastes of. New things, new grains, new veggies, and just give up comparing.

As for our families... Don't try to convince them the stuff is the "same" or "as good as", try to get them to try a product for what it's worth and see if they like that product as an individual taste. No it's not Breyer's, it's Tofutti... Will they like the Tofutti or Soy Dream itself, not in comparison to real ice cream, but for it's own qualities & for what it has to offer?

New Day, don't let these small difficulties defer you from your path or get you down - this is your choice alone. If they don't want to join you, just keep doing what you're doing and once you've committed for awhile, maybe the family will become more accepting and join you in more healthier meals even if they don't cut out meat completely. :)

Good luck!!!!! :bobo:

[ripvanfish]

Why is there this notion that if there isn't meat in it, omni's can't eat it? Where did this idea of "omni friendly vegetarian food" come from? This kind of thinking just furthers the myth that vegetarians live lives of deprivation. That's crazy! If it's good enough for you to eat, why wouldn't it be good enough for them?

My family loves when I cook dinners, and it's almost always not only vegetarian, but vegan. It's a treat for them--my dishes are always way more flavorful and and exciting than their same-old same-old meat-n-potatoes.

You've really got to shake this idea that it's not "real" food if it doesn't have a dead animal in it.


EDIT: And, just a thought. If you had a good friend who came from a culture where it was normal to eat cats or dogs, would you be willing to cook that for them?

[jenni-anti-fur]

Congrats to you:bobo::bobo:

For me personally I help out sometimes with meals that have meat draw the line at cooking it for the most part cause it makes me sick the smell ect....but I do it because my Family are very supportive and My Mom and My Fiancee Cook and eat Veggie all the time...and my family/friends check labels and on and on....so if i need to carry meat to the grill i will just to help out.

[NewDayT]

I am so thankful for all the support on this website! I never thought this "world" even existed! ha. I have talked to everyone in my family about my decision to go vege and only a few have made the usual snide comments. Other than that they all agreed to try new dishes other than our same old things every night. I feel so good about myself on day 5 of converting. I tried to get Earthlings at Blockbuster but they don't carry it. Can someone tell me where to find it? thanks.

[Tyness]

I watched it you tube. It was separated into part 1,2, and 3

[born2shoplc]

On google videos its all in one part: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1282796533661048967&ei=FR2ySIyFFZDuqwLwsMTqDA&q=earthlings&hl=en

It's a great video I definitely recommend it.