Well, what do you know? My carnivorous, steak-loving, bacon eating 9yr old has decided that she will become a vegetarian! Now what do I do???
I think that this may be a phase and I love my kid, so I am indulging this request for now. I have spoken to her doctor who gave us the okay and have set out to find delicious, nutritious meat-free recipes and meal ideas. I have a pretty good repertoire of quick, easy meals that I can make that most of the family will eat – but, guess what? They all contain some form of animal protein. I have three kids who are growing and constantly hungry. I worried that a non-animal protein diet would not be satisfying enough and that they would be eating ALOT of peanut butter and eggs to make up for it. Fortunately, fish was still on the menu – apparently not a ‘meat’ according to my girl. And, since everyone liked virtually any kind of seafood, I was in luck. Don’t get me started on the fears and concerns about sustainable seafood and mercury…I try not to think about it!
When her father went off meat and dairy for dietary and health reasons, I largely ignored him when considering WFD. I made sure to buy him things that he could eat; veggie cheese, veggie dogs and veggie anything else they make. I would make our dinner, then he would come home and fend for himself. I have three kids, a dog and I AM BUSY DAMN IT! It’s hard enough to consider the various food preferences and “I don’t like’s” of the kids, let alone whip up healthy vegetarian meals for a 40 yr old man who can now eat NOTHING!
So now that one of my darlings has jumped on the bandwagon, I figure we may as well all hop on. I make a concerted effort (my husband may disagree somewhat) to put at least one meal on the table each night that satisfies everyone. I have reached out to vegetarian friends and family, spoken to chefs (okay, well just the one that I know) and been all over the internet in search of yummy meals that fit our current non-meat-eating status.
I have adapted some favourite meals such as Shepherd’s Pie, tacos, and have tried new ones…some worked, some failed miserably. We have all come to appreciate quinoa, the super grain. We eat more vegetables than ever before. And (don’t tell anyone) I actually feel pretty good without a daily dose or two of meat. Don’t get me wrong – I have eaten meat – sorry but Thanksgiving without turkey? No way! Even the little miss had a nibble of dark meat…
I will continue to support my girl and my husband (finally) in their choices to not eat meat. My other two? They don’t seem to miss it one bit. Instead of “Oh, not meatloaf again“, now I hear “Didn’t we just have quinoa 2 days ago?” Some things never change…
