Here we are at Week 5 of Five Weeks of Flexitarian Eating! We’ve discussed how to use beans to replace meat, talked about tofu, increasing the amount of grains and greens and whether or not to include dairy and eggs in our regular eating plans. This week we’re going to talk about Making the Transition to Full Flexitarian.
The key to eating the flexitarian way is to make sure you have ingredients, seasonings and equipment on hand that will help you succeed. This is true for any eating plan, whether it’s Clean Eating, Low Carb, Paleo, SeeFood (ha!), whatever.
To help you stock your pantry, create a list of five flexitarian meals your family likes and use them as your go to meals. Make sure you have the ingredients on hand and be diligent about restocking. On nights when everything conspires against you, you’ll still be able to pull together a meal that doesn’t compromise your principles. Check out this post on Methods for Successful Meal Planning for more information.
Finding balance is extremely important. Personally, I have to work at it to make sure I don’t fill up on bread and potatoes (and let’s face it, wine) at the expense of eating enough veggies. The following examples all use at least one staple ingredient. While not all of them are my go to meals, they serve as examples of some of the many items to be made from a well stocked pantry.
For example, the potatoes pictured above makes use of potatoes, onions, bell peppers and a little chorizo. They’re awesome topped with a fried egg and on most days of the week we have the ingredients available.[Staples: eggs, onions, peppers, olive oil. eggs]
Roasting vegetables and serving them over rice is a great way to use up the oddball bits of veggies that seem to accumulate in the fridge (it’s not just me, is it?). This particular batch was eggplant, onions and tomatoes seasoned with smoky paprika and cumin and served over lemon scented rice. I threw in a handful of chopped dates at the end of the cooking time, but I could have easily added raisins instead because I keep them in the pantry. [Staples: rice, seasonings, onions, dates/raisins, lemons]
Since we keep a variety of fresh and dried pasta on hand, pulling together a pasta dish like this lemony ravioli and asparagus is easy. If I’d rather have a tomato sauce, I can still make any number of pasta dishes from simple ingredients I keep on hand. [Staples: pasta, crushed tomatoes, block Parmesan cheese]
In general, the staples we keep on hand are the ones we’ve discussed for the last five weeks: beans, eggs, grains (including pasta, flour and bread), and vegetables; leafy, root and otherwise. In addition, we use a lot of olive oil and a wide variety of herbs and spices both dried and fresh.
From these items I can make the vast majority of our meals. The choices expand greatly with the occasional addition of meat. As you can see, all it takes to Go Full Flexitarian is a well stocked pantry and a set of core recipes. Of course, a resource like this website helps a bit, too!
See these links for the rest of the series:
Week 1: Beans
Week 2: Let’s Talk Tofu
Week 3: Grains and Greens
Week 4: Dairy or No?
Week 5: Going Full Flexitarian
After reading some of your ideas for meal planning, I’d say that we are sisters from different mothers. Your approach is so sensible. Now if only I could get my portions under control!
I think portion control is a challenge for many of us! Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to comment.
I just found your blog. I want to go full, the thing that I have a problem with is that I am a picky eater and I only like certain veggies. I don’t know how to get over this hump. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Tammy, thanks for reaching out! I’d suggest starting with the vegetables you already like and try one or two new ones every month. When you make your new selections, choose something similar to the veggies you already like. If possible, buy and cook small portions of any new vegetable you try so you’re not stuck with several servings of something you might not like. For example, if you like green beans try broad beans (the wide flat ones). You can cut them into bite sized pieces and cook them. I like them steamed better than boiled. It’s easy to do in the microwave. You could also try cooking the vegetables you aren’t crazy about but will still eat in a different way. Roasted vegetables often have a different texture and slightly sweeter taste for example. Finally, don’t forget to season your vegetables. Salt, pepper, herbs, butter and cheese (if you decide to use dairy) can make a big difference. Good luck!
Hi Lydia! I’m stopping in from Let’s Get Real today, but as you know I have been following this series closely. What I want to say to you is “Thank you.” My 8 year old daughter has been going through a phase where she doesn’t care to eat meat. I’ve told you that before. She hasn’t made any declaration or stated any reasons……..she has just quit eating it. You have made this so much easier for her and I. In addition, I have found that this flexitarian way of eating is actually what my body prefers. Thanks for always being here for my family. You have made a difference in our lives.
Wow Christina, thank you so much for the kind words! I’m so pleased to have joined a community of like minded people. I admire your mindful approach to feeding your family and I’m sure others do as well. It’s exciting to me to think how we are helping each other without having met. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing at Whatever Wednesday on Thank You Honey! Hope to see you again this week!
Lydia this sounds amazing! It is true, we should have go-to meals that can be of help to keep us on track with healthy eating. I love your tips and ideas for this. I made eggplant for the first time and I didn’t love the way I did it. I will have to try it another way before I would attempt to make anything else. A friend had a lot of veggies on hand and that was in the bag she gave us. So glad you’ve been linking up to share your tips with us at Countdown in Style! Don’t forget to stop by Friday to see if you are featured! xo
I love the tips that you shared! Even though I can’t convince my whole family, I have made changes to their diet and it helped my budget as well!
I’ve noticed the same budget improvement. Just cutting out my morning stop at the convenience store saved major $$$. Thanks for stopping by and commenting 🙂
I’ve never heard of a Flexitarian. Looks yummy! I’ll have to check out the other posts to find more about it. Thanks for sharing and linking up with Countdown in Style! Don’t forget to come back on Friday to see if you were featured!
~~April~~
100lbCountdown.com
Thanks, April. I enjoy sharing with Countdown in Style 🙂