I need some meatless meal ideas

United States
May 25, 2010 4:13pm CST
My husband's cholesterol and blood pressure are too high and the doctor has him on medicine. He is a little overweight so we are trying to work on eating better, drinking more water, and exercising. I read that if you make at least 2 meals a week that are meatless that will help too. My husband is the kind of man where he thinks he needs meat at every meal. I found a vegetable lasagna recipe online that I'm going to make. I need more ideas of what I can make though where I can try to do at least 2 meatless meals a week.
2 people like this
7 responses
@TeamCholent (2832)
• United States
25 May 10
If you want to convince him he is eating meat try cooking some Ahi Tuna steaks, its fish and a great source of protein and not meat even though it might taste like it. You can also do things like tuna pasta, I cans end you a recipe if you want. Fish and salads, maybe Turkey as its a great source of nutrients without the fat and can make a salad on the side.
1 person likes this
• United States
25 May 10
He likes fish but I am not a fish eater so I don't know that I could make anything dealing with fish. I could do turkey though and we eat a lot of chicken too.
• United States
25 May 10
You can do soups, pastas and homemade pizza. Soya burgers are always a great source of protein, low on cholesterol and tastes good and served with a salad on the side.
@rebelmel (1386)
• United States
26 May 10
You can also try making meals that call for ground beef - only with boca ground "beef" instead. It tastes A LOT like the real stuff. If you make it in a lasagne or a shepherds pie or a sauce for pasta, I bet he might not even know the difference if you dont tell him. When I was vegetarian my father thought I was gross for eating fake meat. I tried an experiment - I made hamburger helper with the fake meat and he didn't even notice! He was just happy that I made dinner for the whole family! When I told him it wasn't real meat he didn't believe me!
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
26 May 10
If you are trying to lower cholesterol, try replacing starchy foods like potatoes, pasta and white bread with whole grain versions of the same thing. If he resists, try mixing it in a little at a time, and eventually replacing all or most. For example, when you cook pasta, mix in just a little of the whole grain kind with the kind he is used to, then next time mix it half and half, and so on. A good meatless idea is beans. I found a great 15 bean soup mix at the grocery store, where the dry beans are sold. It has the recipe on the package, but basically it is all of the beans and you just add the veggies, seasonings and broth. Also try the leanest versions of meat you can find and fish. Broil, bake or grill whenever possible. Avoid pan frying or breading. If you need to use oil, use just a little bit of olive oil.
• United States
7 Jun 11
We use the whole grain wheat noodles. I acutually like the taste of them now but could tell a big difference when we first started eating them.
@rebelmel (1386)
• United States
26 May 10
The whole grain pastas are much more filling than the regular pasta, too. I eat much less pasta and become much more full. So if you are looking to lose weight, this is a great start.
@rebelmel (1386)
• United States
26 May 10
Oh I am a WHIZ at making meatless meals! I used to be vegetarian and vegan, not so much anymore, though. I have been incorporating a few meatless meals into my diet per week because I had recently found out that I had High Blood Pressure. One of the best things I make is a Mushroom Gravy and pour it over broccoli and whole wheat pasta. It's easy to make (I promise!) and very filling. Tastes amazing! I wrote a blog post about how to make it, if you'd like me to direct you to that recipe, just shoot me a PM and I will give you the link! You might want to try to give him maybe an egg and cheese sandwich for breakfast, only without the yolk. It may be a little flavorless, so I like to add scallions and jalapenos to the egg before cooking. Soup and salad is great on hot days. On really hot days the body doesn't feel as hungry, so the soup and salad will be filling enough, and keep you hydrated. I post a lot of recipes on my blog, mostly fridays, and since I recently found out I have high blood pressure, this weeks recipes will be pretty healthy! If you're interested in anything that I have suggested, let me know and I can come up with some more ideas and send you over to my blog!
• United States
7 Jun 11
Thanks for all the ideas. You sound like you know how to do the meatless meals.
@epicure35 (2814)
• United States
30 May 10
A hearty salad with the addition of some protein source, like fish, some cheeses, or beans and a good vinaigrette dressing makes a great meal. There are many ways to make a good "vegetable plate", e.g. beets, carrots, green beans, asparagus, etc. or just roasted veggies with olive oil. A pasta meal can omit meat as well. Also veggie based soups can be meatless, hearty, and filling.
• United States
7 Jun 11
I love salads. I also love eating veggie plates but my husband doesn't like just veggies all the time. But he will eat veggies.
@sallyj (1225)
• United States
26 May 10
How about spaghetti. I have made goulash with bullion and tomato soup. Potato soup. Beef and noodles with bullion and mushroom soup. I have cut down on meat, but the bullion is high in salt.
• United States
7 Jun 11
I do make a meatless spaghetti...just use the noodles and sauce and spices.
@manousina (117)
• Greece
27 May 10
you can cook a lot of things without meat. as fish at grill with salad , a variety of pulses and grains. now it's summer and there is a variety of vegetables you can makes "gemista" which means "filled" . if you want the recipe send PR or look my blog. don't hesitate to ask if you need help
@stealthy (8181)
• United States
25 May 10
You say you are not a fish eater. So try canned salmon. I am not a fish eater either but I eat a lot of canned salmon(and tuna) because it is healthy and cheap(the pink on sale is anyway). I prefer the canned white albacore when it comes to tuna but some say it isn't as healthy as the darker versions but it is still better than meat.