Self Imposed Vegans

[rubicon]

My wife and I are your typical capitalist striving to achieve that delicate balance between a willing buyer and a willing seller. While price is the focus the real objective of course is value. So while a consumer could well afford something doesn't necessarily mean s/he is willing to purchase the item.

Of late the cost of meat and in particular beef has risen so that it gives one pause as to reconsider alternatives.

My wife and I sat together and discussed this dilemma and concluded for the time being we need to adjust our buying habits;albeit not a drastic change,and our meals accordingly.

In our case we decided that perhaps more meatless meals were warranted.

As many older Catholics recognize planning vegan meals is something with which they are all very familiar.

So my wife and I listed all the meatless meals we shared on meatless Fridays over the years. It surprised even us as to how many delicious, nutritious and economical meatless meals we accumulated over the years.

Our experiment begins and yes recipe are welcome

[casita37]

Sounds like you aren't really going vegan......no animal products of any sort, ever! Just more vegetarian, less meat meals. I, personally, think that's the healthiest way of eating. You can google recipes, pick up Vegetarian Times magazine, etc. Herbs and spices are a great addition to the menu, too. Do be careful about adding too much pasta, rice, potatoes, etc. The "fake" meats are not a healthy choice, plus they are even more expensive than the real thing.
Good luck and enjoy. Keep us posted on how you're doing, please.

[kittygilchrist]

Israel has fabulous veggies as well as dairy dishes...

[Aandjmassage]

Good time to eat the high price things when going out. Restraunts don't charge more when prices up.

[graciegirl]

I understand and agree with your post about the price of meat these days.

I now know why we had so many casseroles with noodles and leftover vegetables when I was a kid. Meat was expensive then too.

Tonight with a little bit of ground meat we will have Shepherds pie, with some leftover mashed potatoes and peas.

I think cutting down on meat and upping the fruits and vegetables is healthy, but who knew that fresh produce would be so expensive here????

Three lemons for $1.99?? Fix that, you two gubernatorial candidates! lol

[Schaumburger]

Sounds like you aren't really going vegan......no animal products of any sort, ever! Just more vegetarian, less meat meals. I, personally, think that's the healthiest way of eating. You can google recipes, pick up Vegetarian Times magazine, etc. Herbs and spices are a great addition to the menu, too. Do be careful about adding too much pasta, rice, potatoes, etc. The "fake" meats are not a healthy choice, plus they are even more expensive than the real thing.
Good luck and enjoy. Keep us posted on how you're doing, please.

Wondering about Boca Burgers and their Chik'n products? Are they healthier than red meat and real chicken?

[asianthree]

Wondering about Boca Burgers and their Chik'n products? Are they healthier than red meat and real chicken?

It's the additives that are a problem. Make your own

[Schaumburger]

It's the additives that are a problem. Make your own

Thank you for the information about the additives.

[2BNTV]

I always found that eating healthier is more expensive. IMHO

[rubicon]

Castia37 you had me on a roll until you said watch out for too much rice potatoes or pasta. I am a sinner those three food products are essential to me I love rice and suspect in one of my previous lives I was Chinese. I love potatoes anyway every way. I would beg my wife's Polish grandmother to make me potato and cabbage soup. I love pasta figioli pasta with an assortment of vegetables and tomatoes.

Now I have to re-think what my wife and I just re-thought.....I think :D

[Patty55]

I love soups and stews, especially on a cold rainy day.

[Schaumburger]

Castia37 you had me on a roll until you said watch out for too much rice potatoes or pasta. I am a sinner those three food products are essential to me I love rice and suspect in one of my previous lives I was Chinese. I love potatoes anyway every way. I would beg my wife's Polish grandmother to make me potato and cabbage soup. I love pasta figioli pasta with an assortment of vegetables and tomatoes.

Now I have to re-think what my wife and I just re-thought.....I think :D

Me too - I love rice, potatoes and pasta. I know I was Italian in a previous life. A new Polish restaurant recently opened up near my home in suburban Chicago. I had their cheese and potato pierogies last week; they were to die for. I also had borscht which I had never tried before -- yum, yum.

[rubicon]

I love soups and stews, especially on a cold rainy day.

i do too but my wife keeps say that she will make beef stew, boiled dinner,etc when the weather gets cold but the problem as she reminds me is that cold days in Florida are infrequent and so I go begging from April until December...

[Patty55]

Israel has fabulous veggies as well as dairy dishes...

Did you try Matzoh Brie or Kasha Varnishkas(with mushroom gravy)? I cheat by putting bacon in the kasha.

[asianthree]

5 tbs chia seeds
1c water
1tbs coconut oil
1 onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 tbs cumin
11/2 tbs chili power
1 tsp oregano
1/2 cup almonds & sunflower seed (chopped)
3 cups breadcrumbs
1/2 cup soy sauce
2cups carrots grated

Mix chia with water until absorbed

Sauté onion,garlic in coconut oil, cool. Add chia mix and remaining ingredients , mix well . Shape into 12 patties

Brown in coconut oil, if you want more spice add chile oil

May be frozen for quick meal later

[CFrance]

Potato cabbage soup sounds like one of the healthier ways to eat potatoes--no sour cream or butter. Go for it!

[CFrance]

Do you ever make pizza at home? You can load it up with lots of meatless items.

[Patty55]

Potato cabbage soup sounds like one of the healthier ways to eat potatoes--no sour cream or butter. Go for it!

Colcannon:icon_hungry: I throw some ham or bacon in it, there goes the meatless part. You can also put kale and spicy sausage and it's Portugese green soup.

[CFrance]

Colcannon:icon_hungry: I throw some ham or bacon in it, there goes the meatless part. You can also put kale and spicy sausage and it's Portugese green soup.
Colcannon is great, but I make it with bacon. I was thinking more of a soup with cabbage, onions, carrots, celery, broth, chunks of potato.

I have a very good vegetarian lentil soup recipe that my family prefers to the old recipe made with ham hocks.

[Nursebarb1]

rubicon, I totally agree. Never will be vegans, but increasing the meatless meals suits us just fine. We love an omelet with fresh veggies for dinner. Graciegirl, $1.99 for 3 lemons in the citrus state? WTH.

[ConeyIsBabe]

I always found that eating healthier is more expensive. IMHO

IMHO eating healthier is less expensive than spending money on cheaper processed food that does little to support optimal health in the long term, and may actually do harm.

Besides, the results of a diet on poor quality "food" leads to lowered immune system, more visits to the doctor, spending money on prescribed drugs, dealing with the side effects of the drugs and feeling poorly! Just my humble opinion :shrug:

[rubicon]

Me too - I love rice, potatoes and pasta. I know I was Italian in a previous life. A new Polish restaurant recently opened up near my home in suburban Chicago. I had their cheese and potato pierogies last week; they were to die for. I also had borscht which I had never tried before -- yum, yum.

Schaumburger: My wife is polish and also makes pierogies and an assortment of other polish/german dishes. She learned to cook Italian from my mother and she has my mother's recipes down to a fine sciene.

Life is good

[rubicon]

Do you ever make pizza at home? You can load it up with lots of meatless items.

Cfrance my wife makes pizza from scratch. Love it all meat meatless white with veggies but no chicken and no pineapple my favorite is Neopolitan pizza very simple elegant and tasty

[rubicon]

rubicon, I totally agree. Never will be vegans, but increasing the meatless meals suits us just fine. We love an omelet with fresh veggies for dinner. Graciegirl, $1.99 for 3 lemons in the citrus state? WTH.

Nursebarb: I came across an omelet recipe a number of years ago. It is a combination of slice apples and potatoes that you sautee with butter and brown sugar. You add diced ham. Its made with a French omelet vis a vis the American way.....placed in oven to rise

Eggs another of my down falls

[rubicon]

IMHO eating healthier is less expensive than spending money on cheaper processed food that does little to support optimal health in the long term, and may actually do harm.

Besides, the results of a diet on poor quality "food" leads to lowered immune system, more visits to the doctor, spending money on prescribed drugs, dealing with the side effects of the drugs and feeling poorly! Just my humble opinion :shrug:

ConeyIsbabe: I agree. As we age our ability to absorb nutrients lessens. It is important for us to eat less but more often to keep up our energy.

Preparing meals is one of life's joys in our household and we find that there are many 30 minute meals and endless upon endless recipes. God did well by us in letting food fuel our bodies because its all so good

[Bonanza]

Castia37 you had me on a roll until you said watch out for too much rice potatoes or pasta. I am a sinner those three food products are essential to me I love rice and suspect in one of my previous lives I was Chinese. I love potatoes anyway every way. I would beg my wife's Polish grandmother to make me potato and cabbage soup. I love pasta figioli pasta with an assortment of vegetables and tomatoes.

Now I have to re-think what my wife and I just re-thought.....I think :D

Me too - I love rice, potatoes and pasta. I know I was Italian in a previous life. A new Polish restaurant recently opened up near my home in suburban Chicago. I had their cheese and potato pierogies last week; they were to die for. I also had borscht which I had never tried before -- yum, yum.

Be careful with too much rice. Did you know that arsenic was in rice?

FDA Data Show Arsenic In Rice, Juice, And Beer | Food Safety - Consumer Reports (http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/01/fda-data-show-arsenic-in-rice-juice-and-beer/index.htm)

Arsenic in rice: how concerned should you be? (http://chriskresser.com/arsenic-in-rice-how-concerned-should-you-be)

[rubicon]

Be careful with too much rice. Did you know that arsenic was in rice?

FDA Data Show Arsenic In Rice, Juice, And Beer | Food Safety - Consumer Reports (http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/01/fda-data-show-arsenic-in-rice-juice-and-beer/index.htm)

Arsenic in rice: how concerned should you be? (http://chriskresser.com/arsenic-in-rice-how-concerned-should-you-be)

Bomanza: Thank you for the info. What a great idea for a detective story. Man kills wife and detective discovered his clever scheme to hide the deadly weapon and cause was feeding her excessive amounts of rice. He almost got away with committing the perfect crime but this detective knew his methods.

[CFrance]

Cfrance my wife makes pizza from scratch. Love it all meat meatless white with veggies but no chicken and no pineapple my favorite is Neopolitan pizza very simple elegant and tasty
Easy to have a pot of basil growing out on the lanai too. Not so easy to grow the mozzarella...:sigh:

[casita37]

Castia37 you had me on a roll until you said watch out for too much rice potatoes or pasta. I am a sinner those three food products are essential to me I love rice and suspect in one of my previous lives I was Chinese. I love potatoes anyway every way. I would beg my wife's Polish grandmother to make me potato and cabbage soup. I love pasta figioli pasta with an assortment of vegetables and tomatoes.

Now I have to re-think what my wife and I just re-thought.....I think :D

I know, I know....I love my carbs, too. One way to cut down on the "bad" carbs is to switch to brown rice, rice, or some other non-wheat, pasta and sweet potatoes instead of white. If you like mashed potatoes, sub some, or all, of the potatoes with cauliflower....surprisingly good. You could start to ease into the healthier carbs, so maybe not too painful!! :)

[rubicon]

Easy to have a pot of basil growing out on the lanai too. Not so easy to grow the mozzarella...:sigh:

CFrance Yep my wife has her little herb garden chives, basil parsley rosemary etc I water them along with her plants and flowers because that is the natural order of things

[rubicon]

I know, I know....I love my carbs, too. One way to cut down on the "bad" carbs is to switch to brown rice, rice, or some other non-wheat, pasta and sweet potatoes instead of white. If you like mashed potatoes, sub some, or all, of the potatoes with cauliflower....surprisingly good. You could start to ease into the healthier carbs, so maybe not too painful!! :)

Casita: sweet potato fries with ranch dressing OOps my forked tail and horns just showed up.....but don't you just hate being a slave to willpower

[plimit56]

I would highly recommend the books, Forks Over Knives The Plan and there book on recipes. They have great recipes and use rice pasta, veggie broth, lots of veggies, cannellie beans and so on. I feel so much better and our food shopping bill as been much less. No box foods or meats.

[Patty55]

I know, I know....I love my carbs, too. One way to cut down on the "bad" carbs is to switch to brown rice, rice, or some other non-wheat, pasta and sweet potatoes instead of white. If you like mashed potatoes, sub some, or all, of the potatoes with cauliflower....surprisingly good. You could start to ease into the healthier carbs, so maybe not too painful!! :)

I love potatoes and cauliflower I put a little horseradish in it.

How about mashed celery root? Try it, you'll like it.

[jimbo2012]

I would highly recommend the books, Forks Over Knives The Plan and there book on recipes. They have great recipes and use rice pasta, veggie broth, lots of veggies, cannellie beans and so on. I feel so much better and our food shopping bill as been much less. No box foods or meats.

We have been following Dr Esseltyn lifestyle or diet 4 years, it really works.