dad don't want me to be vege

I've been vegetarian for 5-6months, i did it for animal rights and also for my health, i don't take iron or protein supplements..

but the one thing i've found really annoying whilst i've been vege is that my step dad who cooks meals doesn't even try to make an effort for my dinner, lyk on sunday 2 weeks ago we had a roast dinner and he just gave me the vegies and nothing that would actually fill me up. It makes me kind of sad cause even though i detest the smell of meat I still help him in preparing the dinner and everything but he doesn't make me vege burgers or anything like that.

I could basically count as vegan, i don't eat anything that had a heart (incl. fish) and i don't eat eggs or drink milk, but i eat cheese, mainly chedder cuz i need to keep my protein up but i have animal fat free cheeses to.

If anyone's got any tips on getting my stepdad to be more openminded about my vegetarian/vegan ism it would be greatly appreciated.

Love Charley Alekz XxX

maybe he doesnt go by your vegetarianism, but doesnt make you eat the meat.

maybe he wont go to all the trouble to make you "special" meals, when the rest of the family are eating the same thing.

some people just dont agree with some people not eating certain foods. you just sometimes carnt change there minds :/

sorry If that didnt make sense o_o

hm.. maybe when u help him prep, do a lil cooking for yourself??

i always feel bad when ppl have to make something different for me when everyone else is eating the same thing, so i try to either accept the things i can eat that they made, or make something extra myself.

since he doesnt seem to force you eat the meat, and does give u veggies, maybe he doesnt realize that its not enough for you?

hey, yeah i'm not the best cook, and i find it difficult finding foods i like in the vegetarian section as everything is just vege burgers and vege sausages and i can't just live off them. I love quorn but you can't find it in Sydney.. so i live mainly off stir fry, tofu and pasta.

I've made dinners for him that have had meat in it, and made seperate things for myself, or cooked the meat seperately. I understand what you're saying though, it's just annoying. He's not open minded about anything anyway and we don't really get along but whatevs.

He strictly lives off meat so i can't cook something for me ma and him, cause my ma eats things like tofu..

sorry if this sounds like i'm complaining, i want to figure out how i can tell him that vege's without him getting annoyed and angry at me..

i discovered morningstar recipe starters burger crumbles and introduced them to my family. well they liked them in my sloppy joes so much that now my mom buys them when we all eat together instead of real ground beef. who knew that a simple "hey try this tell me what you think?" could become a real turn around.

cool, i'll try that, i'm not the best cook but i'll give it my best shot.. we're having pizza tonight so i'll make it maybe next week, i'm working all weekend :(

thanks heaps..

 

Love Charley XxX

I understand that it can be frustrating when it seems like certain people don't take your vegetarianism seriously, especially if it's someone close to you. But yeah, the best thing you can do is cook for yourself. That you way you never have to feel like your being an inconvience or feel left out by your family- you need to eat too! Plus it will help prepare you for whenever you move out sometime. Just go to the library and check out some vegetarian cookbooks. The teen cookbooks are usually pretty easy. You can also go to vegcooking.com and search for recipes. There's no real need to write down 120393 different new recipes but just save about 7-8 of your favourite ones. Try to make a dinner menu plan a week or two ahead, that way whenever you go grocery shopping, you'll save way more money. It's not hard- it just takes some getting used to. Good luck!

I don't think there is anyway for you to get him to be more open minded.  He's going to do what he does.

I think you'll need to take a little more initiative.  There are other things to eat besides processed vegetarian foods and fake meats.  You could buy some hummus and whole wheat pita and make yourself a sandwich to go with supper.  It's really good with a slice of tomato and some sprouts and lettuce.  In fact, if he makes tossed salad, you could stuff that into your sandwich.

Or make a bean soup or chili and put it into meal size containers in the freezer and heat them in the microwave. 

Or microwave a potato and have it with a vegan spread or salsa. 

Another way to go is to fix a smoothie to drink with the meal.

If you need cooking tips or easy recipes, I'd be glad to help you out if you PM me.

I'm sorry, but this is a slightly annoying question. i'm vegetarian, and I make sure I don't make other people jump trough hoops for me because of it. It would be one thing if he served you meat every single day (although if that's how he is used to eat then I could accept that too), but this was a sunday roast dinner. For you to expect other people to make even more of an extra effort simply because you don't want to eat meat, is very selfish. When I have a meal with family or friends that's meat-based, I make my own thing on the side and proceed to eat with them. If you want extra food, make it yourself.

Remember: you made the choice, you knew it would entail paying extra attention, and maybe spending some extra time preparing food. Your family didn't make the choice. They shouldn't be forced to do extra work because of it.

Your dad prepares the food for the family.  He is allowwing you to choose whether or not to eat it, good for him.  If you choose not to eat what he prepare then you should expect to prepare your own food.

ok, lyk i've said before, i can't cook very well. as i've also said, i make things for him when i can..

most nights i'm out doing something that causes me not to eat at home.. and when i am home, its usually because i've just got back from a 9 hour shift at work, i get sleepy and stressed easily cuz of some personal problems but i make an effort to cook for him..

so yeah don't give me a talk that says i'm selfish, i help when i can, and i pay for the food i eat.. i thought forums were to help people not to make them feel worse about something they choose to do..

so to trhawley and yepa, before u post something next time actually read what the forum says..

 

I don't think your question was selfish or annoying at all, Charley. It's a common problem for vegetarians in meat-eating families. Sometimes things improve once everyone gets used to it, but for now maybe you could offer to put a veggie burger or nut cutlet on the grill when he cooks so that at least you're getting some protein with your veg?

My brother is one of the most committed and enthusiastic carnivores I know. He is cooking Christmas dinner this year and yesterday he emailed asking in detail exactly what I could eat, did I mind butter being on the veg, should he make separate mince pies without suet, etc. I thought it was really sweet of him! He doesn't agree with or respect my reasons for not eating meat, but he's making an effort to cater for my needs so I can enjoy dinner, instead of facing a plateful of carrots as my punishment for being 'difficult'. :D

charley, you are making a good effort in learning how to cook and taking control of your own life, as well as learning to deal with other people in a sensible, productive way.  Good for you!!! 

thanks heaps cats and claire.. u seem to understand.. claire i tried one of ur recipe's.. i'll pm u bout it..

I just wrote you a huge post with suggestions, but for some reason about 1/2 the time I post on here I get an error message.  PM me if you want any recipes or time-saving tips :)

I can relate. I'm the only vegetarian in my family, so I cook my own dinner.

Like others have suggested, on days when you want to eat together, prepare a vegetarian dish to go along with dinner, like a hearty soup, a casserole (who doesn't love lasagna? :D), pizza, pasta, etc. If you're short on time, make chili with beans and tomatoes in a slow cooker, rice in a rice cooker with any beans or veggies you like. When you make pasta, make a large batch of it to keep in the fridge - that way, you could just heat in the microwave with some tofu, frozen veggies, canned beans, whatever. You can also freeze soups!

You'll learn that not everyone in the world accomodates for vegetarians, or any food preference, for that matter. In return, you just have to make things work for yourself. :)