Hi! It is me, your bff
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I’ll smuggle some for you 
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That makes sense! It’s like the first time I saw someone keep nuts in their fridge. Blew my mind.
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For a second I wondered if it was how we decided to cat proof all the bags
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Lent has started which means we don’t eat meat on Fridays in our family. In the past we have really struggled with this because we are a meat-heavy family and my husband doesn’t like beans or lentils. Fish is ok. Usually our food spending goes up a lot during lent because we meet the requirement by eating things like sushi that are super expensive. Since there are so many vegetarians/vegans/pescatarians here, do any of you have any ideas for budget friendly meal ideas? Another struggle we’ve had in the past is around calories. Lots of vegetarian recipes are also very low-calorie recipes which leave us starving.
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Does your husband like chickpeas? I think of them as a gateway to vegetarian meals.
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I can sometimes sneak them in along with other things. Like, when I make tikka masala I add a can of chickpeas along with the chicken. The problem is that it has the same beany texture as other beans. His problem with them is a texture issue. I personally LOVE chickpeas.
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What if you crisped them up, like in the first idea in the article for a crispy chickpea Caesar?
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I have a quinoa/chickpea/artichoke heart recipe from budgetbytes that I LOVE, but I can really only use it as a side dish for things because by itself it isn’t enough calories.
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It’s worth a try!
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We usually make the pork version of BB dragon noodles but we’ve made the egg version in a pinch:
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OOoh we do the pork one too. I didn’t know there was an egg version! Will definitely try this.
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There’s a shrimp one too, I just learned today! But shrimp is my personal texture issue 
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Ooo what about patatas bravas with an egg on top?
I also love fish tacos.
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Is fake meat allowed during Lent / will you and Ry eat it?Tacos or burritos using the Morningstar ground beef crumbles are usually a good bet for filling, meat and bean free entrees for folks who usually eat meat. I use the crumbles in all sorts of Italian things from just basic meat sauce to lasagna.
What about tofu? Tofu in stirfry, tofu curry (possibly with paneer or egg or both).
Since he sometimes is ok with chickpeas, what about falafel? I also just plop hummus on salads and sandwiches. The same with scrambled or fried eggs.
Huevos rancheros, breakfast sandwiches with eggs with or without fake sausage, a big think of super rich homemade Mac and cheese.
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Fake meat is totally allowed! We buy the morning star farms sausage patties at Costco. That’s a great idea. We also tend to make vegetarian pasta dishes. I totally forgot about those when I realized it was lent this morning.
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Another suggestion is to make a meal plus smoothies.
Or eggs and toast. Growing up my dad always made Friday supper and his dad before him. Beans and toast, sometimes with egg.
Grilled cheese.
Maybe go heavier on dressings or eat more than normal? I am so long into being veggie it all feels normal.
Veggie pizza
Homemade veggie ground meat or pate from mushrooms and walnuts
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Cheesy pasta bakes seem like a good/easy option! Pasta + tomato sauce + ricotta whipped with egg + mozzarella mixed in + any veg you want to put in or veg on the side.
Mediterranean Wraps- tortilla or pita, hummus, yogurt, cucumbers, frozen falafel, feta cheese, lemon, tomatoes. (for the girls you could just do it platter style with plenty of yogurt and hummus to dip)
Cashew coconut milk stir fry - cashews, carrots, peppers, jar sauce of choice + can of coconut milk, rice. Frozen veggie dumplings for an easy side.
Creamy corn chowder (with heavy cream) serve with biscuits or rolls and butter
Bisque of any kind (sweet potato, squash, etc. with heavy cream) serve with biscuits or rolls and butter
Some good general tricks to bulk out vegetarian food:
- when you can add nuts to a recipe, add nuts
- any bean can be pureed, combined with spices and oil, and used as a dip (surprisingly high calorie)
- serve every meal with a salad (can be just mixed greens and dressing) or soup or bread
- whole grains are usually more filling than refined (bulgur, millet, brown rice, etc.)
- you can put anything in a wrap with a spread to add calories. stir fry? wrap with peanut sauce. huge salad? wrap with ranch and cheese inside. roasted veggies? wrap with white bean dip and cheese. random grain salad leftovers? wrap with tomatoes, hummus, cheese.
- avocados, coconut milk, nuts, are all calorie dense
- serve your meal with a quesadilla or other quick flatbread “pizza”
Also! You can often replace beans with diced potatoes, so a bean and mushroom skillet becomes a potato and mushroom skillet. It works in tex mex too, potato tacos and burritos are delicious when topped with salsa, cheese, etc. I know it sounds weird but it works, lol.
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I love these ideas! Thank you all! I knew you guys would have great ideas
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LMK if you need more or more specific things! 
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