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Help for a vegan in a meat eating family
Started
by Elle Gallatin
on April 4, 2012
My husband and 10 yr. old step daughter love their meat. I perfer not to eat meat, but with our budget how do I satisfy their meat and potatoe tastes buds,whie satisfying my vegan desires? I just don't know what to do. Any suggestions?
I personally used to just subsititute things and not say anything and my husband and daughter rarely noticed a thing. I can't eat them anymore because I have a gluten allergy but I used to use meat replacements a lot. Boca 'meat' crumbles in our chili or spaghetti sauce. The faux chicken patties are yummy!! Quorn products are also really good. My (10 year-old) daughter loves the Morningstar corn dogs and their black bean burgers are to die for (and I HATE red meat)!!! I've found that if you don't make a big deal out of things then it's a whole lot easier. If they try it and they don't like it, then just move on, no biggie. Now obviously you don't want to be using meat substitutes at every meal but they're nice options when you're first starting out or have a family full of carnivores. Good luck!
Hi
Im a vegetarian, I know its not the same, but giving up a way of life that you've practiced for years (although its not a kind life) is hard. I would suggest to gradually begin. Like Alicia says you can flirt with the idea of being a vegan and if you slip one day dont beat yourself about it, try again. Eventually it will become easier and eventually will be a nautural thing to you. I would also recommend trying out different vegan restaurants and then going home and trying to make your own spin on the foods that you ate! Its really fun, gives you ideas for cooking reciepes and allows you to see what things you can subsitute into your family's diet. Also try talkin to your family i'm sure theyll be supportive of you so that you'll have a percentage to spend on you. And last but not least the power of the internet! Research vegan products. Most website provide fun and easy receipes that can be made using their products.
You can do it! :)
My mom has to cook for me (vegan) and my dad (not so vegan), so she'll make things like spaghetti, but with two sauces. She has also made dishes that involve a grain and vegetables, and cooked the meat (chicken or fish) separately so that my dad could eat that. My dad, who grew up eating and loving his meat and is nearing 60 years old, actually likes a lot of vegan food that I make, so maybe your daughter and husband won't mind it once in a while. You don't have to say it's vegan, just make it and see if they like it. One book with great vegan recipes that even non-vegans like is Vegan Yum Yum. She even has a website, veganyumyum.com, where she shares some recipes. Seitan is a clever little product that when dressed properly can go undercover as an animal product pretty well! (;
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