Happiness is a full refrigerator.

[Tobin S.]

I decided to try to be a vegetarian. I didn't exactly know how to shop for it and plan meals. I just went through the grocery store grabbing vegetables and fruits. I think I got way more than we needed for the week, but a lot of the stuff was frozen or canned so it will last for a while.

My wife will eat meat, but she naturally prefers vegetables.

Our bill was a bit higher, but we got a lot more food than we usually do when we buy meat. And I think if I'm able to stick to this I'll be able to plan for it better and our weekly grocery bill will be lower than when we buy meat.

[red dog 1]

1. I have a suggestion for you.

Since you're just starting out being a veggie, try "Morningstar Farms" products in the frozen food section of your local supermarket.
I love their frozen Vegie-burgers called "Grillers"...I eat them a couple of times a week, heated up in the microwave.
They also have very tasty vegie Sausage links & patties, which go well with eggs, if you're gonna be a Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian.
They have other products as well, including Vegie chicken products, but I've never tried them.

Also, it's very easy to have delicious, non-meat entrees that are easy to cook, such as:
"Garlic-cheese spaghetti" made with very little tomato sauce (or Marinara sauce)
Use thick spaghetti, and after it's cooked & drained, spoon out a little tomato/marinara sauce into a saucepan, add chopped garlic, and cook it for a 1 or 2 minutes, then add the cooked spaghetti, stir it up a little, then add your favorite cheese, sliced into small pieces, than take it off the stove to let the cheese melt, stir it a little, and Voila, you have a very tasty vegetarian dish, which can be made to last several days as "leftovers" (heated up in microwave)

Good luck & enjoy all the fresh Summer fruits & vegetables available now.

[Tobin S.]

3. Thanks. I appreciate the suggestions.

Yeah, I'm still going to eat eggs and cheese, at least here in the beginning. I don't know if I'll ever be able to go vegan, but I think this is a good start.

[UniteFightBack]

12. I put the grillers in the toaster oven and they come out crispy and great! nt

[red dog 1]

15. I prefer "Grillers Prime"

[yonder]

2. Congratulations and good luck.

[Tobin S.]

4. Thank you.

[procon]

5. I'm trying to eat more vegetarian meals too.

Not really by any conscious planning on my part, or desire to do anything especially prompted the switch, it just suddenly occurred to me that almost all my groceries were from the produce section.

I don't know how it happened, so gradually that I never noticed, and I'm not 100% there. Maybe I'll never be fully vegetarian, it's a big change for me, but I like it so I'll still work on improving.

Love the variety of color, flavor and aroma, and trying out fresh veggies and new fruits is a delicious adventure. Lots of dried beans and peas, fragrant herbs, spices from exotic places, have mostly replaced the meats. I love crusty breads, and my biggest weakness is everything dairy.

[Tobin S.]

6. The shift is more purposeful than that with me,

I wish I found myself sort of gradually going that way naturally like you, but it's going to be more a jolt than that for me. I'm doing it because I've been told that it's better for me- body, mind, and soul- by someone very important to me.

I've known that for a while, but I didn't really attach too much importance to it or realize how much better I'd feel by eating a plant-based diet.

[ProudLib72]

7. You can get a lot of bulk items to make vegetarian meals

Like red lentil soup. You would never guess how many red lentils you can buy for $5!

Someone already mentioned Morning Star Farms products, but there are others. Quorn is probably my favorite. Be sure to check for sales on the vegetarian faux meat. They are usually $4.50 a bag, but they often get marked down below $4.

Always, always, always have a good supply of small yellow onions on hand!

[Tobin S.]

8. Thank you. I appreciate the tips.

[Karadeniz]

9. I could live on sliced apple with peanut butter. Also almonds and raisins. Also M &Ms!

[in2herbs]

10. Just posted about this vegan dish on another post but the Gardein brand Italian saus'age & pasta

bowl is really, really good. Microwaves in 4 mins, 16 gm protein. In the freezer section of my grocery store. The Gardein brand has a lot of good, ready to eat meals. They also have a pork (meatless) bites with BBQ sauce meal which makes a good pulled pork sandwich.

[irisblue]

11. Google meatless Monday meals

There are hundreds of thousands of plant based meals on the web that you'll enjoy. Also check out Cooking &Baking as well as tbe Vegetarian, Vegan and Animal Rights groups.


Also I love the Beyond Beef 'burgers' and am 'meh' on their brat like links. YMMV

[UniteFightBack]

13. This is great! Welcome! I encourage everyone to eat zero meat or less of it. In addition to the

great suggestions of here definitely search online for inspiration there is much of it.

Here is a list of vegetarian cheeses. The Tasty app is also great.
https://vegetatio.com/content/joyous-living-full-vegetarian-cheese-list

[PennyK]

14. Black bean burgers!

My husband doesn't like veggie burgers from the store but he loves my homemade black bean burgers! They're simple to make and you can top any which way you like. I got my recipe from the Pioneer Woman's site.

[Marthe48]

16. My adult kids are vegetarian

One of my kids joined a farm co-op. Each week during the growing season, they get a variety of fresh produce. The co-op offers different sizes and prices. Even if you don't join, maybe you can look up a CSA and get an idea of how much food you'll need. And check out FDA food chart and also tips for getting all of the nutrition you and your family needs. Summer is a good time of year to make some healthy choices. Lots of fresh produce out there!

I am not a vegetarian, but I go meatless several days a week. I've adapted several meals so they taste good without meat. Try not to rely on salt, fat and sugar to make your new menu taste like your old one. I look at all the processed food labels before I buy and even 'healthy' choices are too high in those categories. I make almost everything from scratch, and try to save really rich food for treats.

Have fun with it.