Recently, was there was a story in the news about cruelty to animals at a farm? Was your child grossed out by dissecting an animal at school? Was your child disgusted by a documentary about slaughter houses? Or does your child simply cringe at the sight of meat or thought of eating meat? Whatever the reason, your child has decided that they are not going to eat meat anymore. And, now you as the responsible parent are trying to figure out what to feed your child.
Two easy transitioning vegetarian techniques can be referred to as "The Wrap" and "The Watch and Adapt":
The Wrap: Burritos and Spring Rolls
The burrito can be used for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And, it can be used while the rest of the family is eating meat. For example, scrambled eggs, diced tomato and bacon may be the breakfast for the family. For your new little vegetarian, you can wrap the scrambled eggs with the diced tomato, add some cheese and there is a nice healthy breakfast for the new little “Veggie.” Many times for lunch children eat vegetarian without thinking about it (ex. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, grilled cheese, tomato soup, etc).
For dinner (or lunch), you can still serve a balanced meal. You just have to think a little differently. For example, you can embellish your dinnertime salads. Add a few more items to your salad to make it heartier. Try grilled/broiled eggplant, asparagus and/or boiled eggs. For added nutrients, you may want to think about adding some other leafy greens such as kale or arugula to the family salad.
With that said, you can take the ‘beefed up’ salad and add some beans to your vegetarian munchkin’s burrito. And, there you have a nice dinner for your new vegetarian. Varieties of burrito meals for breakfast could include egg-and-cheese; tomato-and-mozzarella; and egg, mushroom and spinach. Lunch or dinner varieties could include cucumber-and hummus; bean and 'beefed-up' salad; and rice with 'crumbles' and salsa.
“Crumbles” are a meat substitute that have the consistency of ground beef. For a simple and fun hands-on dinner, try spring roll wraps with creative sauces. These usually take under a minute to prepare. The family can chop up a bunch of vegetables into matchstick size, and everyone can build their own spring rolls.
Watch and Adapt
The bottom line is you know what your family’s favorite meals are. You know their likes and dislikes. Try making some of their favorites using meat substitutes. For example, try a vegetarian lasagna, pizza, chili, stir fry and/or soup. You can also try adding an additional side of vegetables to your family dinner. If your dinner is roasted chicken, macaroni & cheese and broccoli, you can add another non-meat side dish like rice pilaf, sweet potato mash, a salad, roasted potatoes, etc. Like many other parenting adventures, this too can be a learning experience and fun!
Talia Aikens-Nunez - Talia wears many hats: mother, wife, worker, daughter and now writer. Talia is new to freelance writing. Her articles are centered around ...
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