Thursday, January 10, 2013

Cooking for Two Diets

Now that I'm back to attempting vegetarianism, I'm back to the challenge of what to cook for dinner in my house.  I get home first, so I cook.  It's just how it is.  (Except last night when I was exhausted, and we weren't home until the same time, and I threw a hissy fit that I didn't want to cook, and Chris made pierogies.  Thanks hun.)  The issue is that my husband is decidedly not a vegetarian.  He doesn't have a problem doing vegetarian meals about 1/2 the time, but the other nights, he'd really prefer to incorporate meat.  That's fine, it's his decision.  Even if it makes things a bit more difficult.

What does that usually mean?  It means that I make meals that have an "optional" meat component.  Stir-fry with meat and tofu on the side, to be added by the respective person.  Taco fixings that you can put whatever in your shell that you prefer.  And sometimes?  I just end up eating the sides.  That option hasn't proved to be a very balanced method for me, though.  It's also time consuming!

For example.  One day this week I did baked chicken, twice-baked potatoes, and at the last moment because I realized that while it had taken forever, it was missing vegetables, green beans.  The chicken and potatoes were pretty compatible, since everything got thrown in the oven together, and I made massive quantities with the ideas that then I wouldn't have to worry about meat the rest of the week.  The chicken's still in the fridge.  :/  May be my fault for cooking other things that were appealing.

One of the hits this week was Shrinking Kitchen's Fragrant Chick Pea Stew.  Just do it.  It is phenomenal   I did use sour cream instead of greek yogurt to top it, but otherwise I followed it exactly.  Amazingly, both Robby and Chris ate it, and ate well, so I had no leftovers!  Boo!  I seriously would have enjoyed leftovers ever day of the week if I could have.  Doubling it next time.

Long and short of it...I need to start planning again.  I am so much less stressed, more on budget, and we eat healthier when I do, but WHINE, WHINE, WHINE.  

2 comments:

  1. When my daughter was very little she had an aversion to meat (she does not now!) and I had to learn to prepare foods that would give her the iron and calcium she would need....started us all on a path to healthier eating....although tonight it is sausage and peppers..
    good luck!! have fun too.

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  2. I am trying to get back into meal planning. It saves sooo much money. I like meat, but I am Big into vegetarian meals :) so I will check out this soup!

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