Help! My Spouse is a Carnivore!

[LimeRiot]

Image from http://www.carnivoreandvegetarian.com/

I stopped eating meat about 8 or 9 months ago. My husband is very supportive and is willing to indulge in the vegetarian dishes I've been cooking. However, he's also an athletic guy who needs plenty of calories and protein to keep up with his workout regime. He craves meat and sometimes tofu just doesn't cut it for him. 

I'm hoping we could share some recipe ideas for satisfying the meat eaters in our lives. I'm still building out my list of go-to veggie recipes but here are some of the things that my hubby and I have both enjoyed.

- chickpea tacos
- tofu lettuce wraps
- chili relleno
- bbq tempeh
- morning star buffalo style chicken nuggets

Also, I'm curious about how you handle cooking meat for carnivore spouses. Do you do it? If you don't, how do you work out meal prep?

I usually cook a couple of big roasts so that he can pick on those throughout the week and then he eats whatever veggie dish I've made as a side.

[mods - if a similar topic exists, please feel free to merge. I didn't see one when I did a search]

[tiffi_333]

Depending on what the side dish is, it could actually be your meal while he has meat as well. risotto makes a filling meal on its own, but it could also be a side dish for your husband. If you make pasta, you can make it then add meat (cooked separately) to it for him when yours is served. quinoa is higher in calories and great for protein as well. There are lots of dishes that use it which could work well for both of you. Theres also a cauliflower "buffalo wings" recipe going around pinterest which is quite good. if you dont like buffalo wing flavour you can use bbq or any other wing sauce you like. It also works well as a sweet and sour chicken sub you just switch the sauce.

[LimeRiot]

Thanks for your thoughts, tiffi! Risotto is something I've never cooked much of but that's a great suggestion. I've been playing around with quinoa salads and desserts. I really want to try quinoa patties for something a little more filling. That reminds me that I also want to give falafel a shot! I LOVE cauliflower. We eat it roasted all the time. I'm going to have to see if I can track down that buffalo wings recipe.

Thanks again for the great ideas!! Much appreciated.

[tiffi_333]

http://cleangreensimple.com/2012/03/vegan-buffalo-wings/ this is the one that i found, though there are a few out there. If you like cauliflower, you can also rice it...you either use a food processor or a blender (top it up with water if using the blender and pulse a few times) it turns into bits the size of rice. I find rice too heavy personally so i use this method alot instead, or mix the two. you can use it for risotto as well, and stir fries.  I think the veggie/meat eater can be worked out easily...it would be alot harder if you were vegan. my pinterest has plenty of veggie/vegan recipes if you'd like some extra ideas...not all are veggie since i had to start including meat for health reasons, but the ones that aren't can be altered. There are plenty of things on there that i had my meat eater bf eat and he's always enjoyed the stuff i made. http://pinterest.com/tiffi333/recipes-to-try/  I also have a veggie soup board and a few others that you might be interested in. It's easy to add meats to lots of these meals for your husband if you want to.

[PerfectlyBohemian]

I'm not personally vegetarian, but I have a few friends in similar situations. One of them will just buy a rotisserie chicken each week or two so that her husband can add bits to meals here and there to get his meat fix. That way she doesn't have to handle the meat, and he doesn't have to cook a separate dish every meal. He's also a really good cook, so he cooks meals too and keeps the meat separated. 

[p.kok]

I'm not a vegetarian but I try to not eat meat a few times a week. I realised that cooking two or three things separately, adding different spices (like some mixed veggies, some lentils and then some kind of starch) makes me and other meat eaters around me feel more satisfied then just one risotto for example. But it could just be me. I think adding legumes in general to meals is a great way to add a lot of proteins and make the meals more satisfying.
Another great meat substitute is also seitan, which you can make yourself out of regular flour and then make it taste anyway you like. (http://www.eatingrules.com/2011/10/how-to-make-seitan/).

[bambam91]

There is a great wild mushroom risotto on the continental Australia website. I also make tempura vegetables. My partner enjoys vegetarian stir fry. Where we use noodles and whatever vegetables I have ready in the garden or in the fridge.
We also eat a lot of vegetarian curries!!

We also make veggie bakes!! With pasta.

We are not vegetarian/vegan, but I try not to eat to much meat. (My partner is a massive carnivore) but he is slowly adapting. I tell him there is meat in there and he eats it not to hurt my feelings.

Hope this helps

Sorry about my spelling its 9.40pm at night and I have been sitting in traffix since 9pm.

[LimeRiot]

I need to remember to pick up a deli chicken when I'm shopping!! It is a really easy thing that he can supplement our veggie meals with. I also don't really like cooking meat anymore so that's a good way to avoid it.

I know that pastas are a great filling option but we're not big pasta people. I LOVE pasta and could probably eat it for every single meal but we try not to make it a regular dinner. I do want to try a risotto though!

[SunflowerSmiles]

Hey Lime!

I'm in the same boat as I would much rather not eat meat at all but my husband wants it for every meal. He's runs everyday and needs the protein but he says veggies don't fill him up. This guy can eat a lot! I would love to cook strictly veggie meals and not sure how to deal with the meat sitch in my family. My son can take or leave meat as well. This thread will be great advice for me too!

What about cooking up some ground turkey with seasonings and put them in individual bags for tacos and freeze them?  Or cook up some chicken breasts and freeze them after you shred them to add to meals you prepare for the hubs? You could actually do this once a month since freezing meat can keep for 3-4 months. Then you don't have to really mess with it but once a month.

 

[LimeRiot]

Oh yeah! It's a great idea to cook just some plain meat and freeze it. There are a lot of veggie meals I make that Jake really likes but will add "this would be even better if it had some meat in it." I supposed I could throw some chicken boobs in the slow cooker for him.

I also want to look out for some good meals that use eggs - things like quiche or frittatas. Those can be filling and also protein rich.

SunflowerSmiles, will your family eat tofu? I know that some people really have an aversion to it.

tiffi, thanks for the links! I'm following your board on Pinterest now .