Let's talk! What kind of plant-based proteins do you use? So far I haven't included tempeh or seitan in a meal plan, for instance, but I certainly could...
2 adults, 2 kids. Not vegetarian. We've been happy with these lighter meat meal plans though. The kids and I have been satisfied but my husband sometimes wants something more. We'll grab a rotisserie chicken or heat up some random cut of meat from the freezer. Beans are a huge hit around here. I think if there were a meat substitute suggestion, we'd just get the real meat version of it without issue.
Veggie family -- well, vegetarian who does all the cooking and family who would rather eat vegetarian than cook. We don't do a lot of meat substitutes -- occasional veggie burgers (only the Trempealeau Hotel walnut burgers will do!) . Mostly beans and cheese and eggs for proteins. I love tofu and tempeh, but the picky kid won't eat them, so I have to have something else on hand if we're having those, or pretty much anything except crepes, really.
"Family who would rather eat vegetarian than cook" is an awesome way to put it. So your kid would live on crepes? For mine it's hot dogs, which is decidedly worse.
New subscriber - just started this past week. Family of two adults & one kid, with challenging protein issues. We eat "kosher style" (no pork, don't mix meat and milk, but we're flexible about poultry being "meat"); my daughter doesn't eat chicken & is picky about fish; I'm trying to cut down on red meat; my husband often needs animal protein to feel satisfied. Oh, and he and I have some issues with lactose intolerance, so cheese isn't a great substitute for us. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Love that there's a vegetarian option each night, so we can sub proteins in and out for people individually.
We don't do a lot of faux meats but use them occasionally for ground meat (especially in meat & cheese paired dishes), and tofu is a go-to for us. (I don't consider tofu a faux meat). I'm open to others, altho I haven't been a big fan of tempeh in the past, but maybe that was the preparation? IDK - you got me to eat olives last night. I'll try it.
I grew up kosher! I think you'll find that I don't often do stuff that relies on mixing milk and meat--it's still not the way I cook in general. I do occasionally call for pork products (bacon/prosciutto, yum) and sometimes shrimp, but it's usually easy to just leave out that stuff--or go with the vegetarian option.
They were... OK. I don't mind salty/briny but there was a little bitterness that I didn't care for. I probably should have cut them up & mixed them in a little better. :)
Vegetarian with optional meat has been the easiest way I've found to feed us all happily, so this is a god-send. Meal planning has been a real struggle the last 6 months or so (since the No Chicken Revelation of Aught-19).
2 adults, eating more vegetarian (and even vegan) meals these days. I tend to save tofu for breakfast adaptations, rather than for dinner. We're perfectly content with beans as main dishes. We haven't really tried the meat substitutes yet. I tend to prefer real foods over processed ones, but like for breakfasts we do like the morning star patties (bought in bigger Q from costco).
We liked the falafel recipe from a couple weeks ago, so I've been making 2-4X batches of that and the tahini dressing for quick / easy lunches.
We do still sometimes have meat, though. Like this week, I made the salmon, and we had that for a couple of nights, then 1 night of the salad, before moving onto the risotto (without the pancetta). I could have used veg stock instead of chicken, but I didn't.
I'm super excited about this week's meal plan. Sweet potato nachos?!?!! Awesome! And I'm also excited to try the lentil carrot pulled 'pork.' Not vegetarian, but love the options! I might make both, as Jim and Stuart love pulled pork.
Hey, vegetarian family of 4 here, with one adult who needs substantial protein at dinner, one adult who is happy with beans or whatever (me!), one good but light eater kid, and one super picky kid. Our solution is typically to saute up some Beyond Burgers or Beyond Sausage/Brats (my partner and kids love them, I hate them) and add them on the side of our veg dishes. We don't do this every night, but a few times/week. The Pizza Beans were such a hit with all of us, and my partner easily added some veggie sausage to it.
Let's talk! What kind of plant-based proteins do you use? So far I haven't included tempeh or seitan in a meal plan, for instance, but I certainly could...
2 adults, 2 kids. Not vegetarian. We've been happy with these lighter meat meal plans though. The kids and I have been satisfied but my husband sometimes wants something more. We'll grab a rotisserie chicken or heat up some random cut of meat from the freezer. Beans are a huge hit around here. I think if there were a meat substitute suggestion, we'd just get the real meat version of it without issue.
Veggie family -- well, vegetarian who does all the cooking and family who would rather eat vegetarian than cook. We don't do a lot of meat substitutes -- occasional veggie burgers (only the Trempealeau Hotel walnut burgers will do!) . Mostly beans and cheese and eggs for proteins. I love tofu and tempeh, but the picky kid won't eat them, so I have to have something else on hand if we're having those, or pretty much anything except crepes, really.
"Family who would rather eat vegetarian than cook" is an awesome way to put it. So your kid would live on crepes? For mine it's hot dogs, which is decidedly worse.
New subscriber - just started this past week. Family of two adults & one kid, with challenging protein issues. We eat "kosher style" (no pork, don't mix meat and milk, but we're flexible about poultry being "meat"); my daughter doesn't eat chicken & is picky about fish; I'm trying to cut down on red meat; my husband often needs animal protein to feel satisfied. Oh, and he and I have some issues with lactose intolerance, so cheese isn't a great substitute for us. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Love that there's a vegetarian option each night, so we can sub proteins in and out for people individually.
We don't do a lot of faux meats but use them occasionally for ground meat (especially in meat & cheese paired dishes), and tofu is a go-to for us. (I don't consider tofu a faux meat). I'm open to others, altho I haven't been a big fan of tempeh in the past, but maybe that was the preparation? IDK - you got me to eat olives last night. I'll try it.
I grew up kosher! I think you'll find that I don't often do stuff that relies on mixing milk and meat--it's still not the way I cook in general. I do occasionally call for pork products (bacon/prosciutto, yum) and sometimes shrimp, but it's usually easy to just leave out that stuff--or go with the vegetarian option.
So how were the olives?
They were... OK. I don't mind salty/briny but there was a little bitterness that I didn't care for. I probably should have cut them up & mixed them in a little better. :)
Vegetarian with optional meat has been the easiest way I've found to feed us all happily, so this is a god-send. Meal planning has been a real struggle the last 6 months or so (since the No Chicken Revelation of Aught-19).
I feel you on the No Chicken Revelation.
2 adults, eating more vegetarian (and even vegan) meals these days. I tend to save tofu for breakfast adaptations, rather than for dinner. We're perfectly content with beans as main dishes. We haven't really tried the meat substitutes yet. I tend to prefer real foods over processed ones, but like for breakfasts we do like the morning star patties (bought in bigger Q from costco).
We liked the falafel recipe from a couple weeks ago, so I've been making 2-4X batches of that and the tahini dressing for quick / easy lunches.
We do still sometimes have meat, though. Like this week, I made the salmon, and we had that for a couple of nights, then 1 night of the salad, before moving onto the risotto (without the pancetta). I could have used veg stock instead of chicken, but I didn't.
Off topic a teeny bit: I grew up kosher and Morningstar Farms breakfast sausage was my favorite thing ever.
I'm super excited about this week's meal plan. Sweet potato nachos?!?!! Awesome! And I'm also excited to try the lentil carrot pulled 'pork.' Not vegetarian, but love the options! I might make both, as Jim and Stuart love pulled pork.
Let me know how that goes if you make both!
Hey, vegetarian family of 4 here, with one adult who needs substantial protein at dinner, one adult who is happy with beans or whatever (me!), one good but light eater kid, and one super picky kid. Our solution is typically to saute up some Beyond Burgers or Beyond Sausage/Brats (my partner and kids love them, I hate them) and add them on the side of our veg dishes. We don't do this every night, but a few times/week. The Pizza Beans were such a hit with all of us, and my partner easily added some veggie sausage to it.
That’s a really smart solution, Shannon!