sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on May 13, 2014 12:38:23 GMT -5
I don't need meat at every meal... but my husband usually needs meat at lunch and dinner, the only exception he makes is on occasion for pasta.
Protein? I have that at every meal, for sure.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on May 13, 2014 12:38:26 GMT -5
In my family I grew up on what the diet world now calls "the Mediterranean Diet" (my family immigrated here from Sicily in the 1920's). We eat lots (and lots) of fruits and vegetables, moderate amounts of eggs, dairy, cheese, grains (pasta/bread), beans, nuts and seeds, and small amounts of meat (all kinds - land and sea animals). So we've never subscribed to the American notion that meat is the centerpiece of every meal and everything else is just a "side dish." Meat is pretty much just another component or ingredient in various dishes. But I usually eat 4-8 oz (or so) per day. Not every meal needs to have meat, but like others I have some sort of protein at every meal.
I think the notion that meat is a centerpiece comes from the Midwest beef industry . . . and continues to be fueled by the fast food industry . . .
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on May 13, 2014 12:58:04 GMT -5
We rarely ate meat and potatoes type meals. Meat was always treated as a side growing up, rather than a main meal. It was a cost saving measure. Pea soup, bean soup, and chili are all cheap foods (as they still are today)
We also had lots of salad type dishes in the summers. We didn't have air conditioning growing up. Have a heavy meal of steak and potatoes when it's 90 and the humidity is 80% isn't all that appetizing.
We eat red meat about 4 times a month or so. I wish we had it a little more. But whatever.
I make sure the kids eat protein in the morning. Usually it's peanut butter if they eat a bagel, cottage cheese, yougurt, eggs, or turkey sausages...
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swamp
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Post by swamp on May 13, 2014 13:01:17 GMT -5
I grew up very meat and potatoes, but now I find that too heavy.
I have to have protein with a meal, but I'm ok with it not being meat. |
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kcladyjane
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Post by kcladyjane on May 13, 2014 13:03:40 GMT -5
My husband and I both eat meat for every meal. I worry the food won't hold me over long without meat.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 13, 2014 13:07:16 GMT -5
I haven't had meat in 17 years. I've managed. Really? You should try it sometime.  Just go out and order a big, juicy steak. You'll thank me later. |
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on May 13, 2014 13:09:43 GMT -5
I haven't had meat in 17 years. I've managed. Really? You should try it sometime. Just go out and order a big, juicy steak. You'll thank me later. I won't and I've ignored that "advice" for 17 years. It stopped being funny years ago. I don't tell you to go eat a vegetable. |
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milee
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Post by milee on May 13, 2014 13:10:04 GMT -5
Not huge meat eaters in our house, but that's mainly because I do all the cooking and shopping. If I am struck by a bus tomorrow and DH and the boys start feeding themselves, it will be meat three times a day with a side of gravy and junk food. 
We rarely do meat at breakfast (I get a package of bacon maybe twice a year for a recipe and for a couple of days after that, we'll have a slice at breakfast), but we do make sure everybody eats some protein. Mostly protein powder, cottage cheese, greek yogurt or nuts/nut butters at breakfast.
Lunch always includes a protein and that protein is meat maybe 50% of the time.
For dinner, for main dishes, I try to do a bean main dish, a fish main dish and a vegetarian salad (with beans and other nonmeat toppings) at least once a week. For the other 4 nights, it's usually a smallish portion of meat with lots of veggies and a fruit. Last night was a pretty typical example - approx. 4 oz. yogurt/curry/harissa marinated chicken breast, side salad of lemony herby quinoa, veggies were broiled corn and broccoli. |
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on May 13, 2014 13:12:17 GMT -5
It stopped being funny years ago. I don't tell you to go eat a vegetableHonestly, I think more people could stand to hear that than "eat more meat". 
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2014 13:22:25 GMT -5
Meat once a day is fine for us and sometimes we don't even manage that. I have fruit and maybe a piece of toast for breakfast, a salad with no protein at lunch during the week, and generally have meat at dinner. If it's DH's wonderful bean soup, it's only indirect from the ham hock he used in it. (Ham hocks are fatty so not good to pry the meat off.) On the weekends I might have meat at lunch depending on what leftovers are sitting around. We laugh at the size of pork chops sold as (apparently) individual servings. We can share one and sometimes still have leftovers because DH is such a light eater.
ETA: on business trips to India, I went without meat completely and never missed it. They really know how to do vegetarian. I once sat next to a Westerner cutting into a nice steak (large chain hotel that catered to mostly Europeans and Americans) and it looked sacreligious- and I'm not even Hindu.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 13, 2014 13:29:40 GMT -5
Really? You should try it sometime. Just go out and order a big, juicy steak. You'll thank me later. I won't and I've ignored that "advice" for 17 years. It stopped being funny years ago. I don't tell you to go eat a vegetable. Get defensive much? You're a big girl, you can make your own choices. Don't take it personally. I have eaten vegitables in the last 17 years. |
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swamp
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Post by swamp on May 13, 2014 13:31:25 GMT -5
. Last night was a pretty typical example - approx. 4 oz. yogurt/curry/harissa marinated chicken breast, side salad of lemony herby quinoa, veggies were broiled corn and broccoli. I want to have dinner at your house. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2014 13:34:33 GMT -5
. Last night was a pretty typical example - approx. 4 oz. yogurt/curry/harissa marinated chicken breast, side salad of lemony herby quinoa, veggies were broiled corn and broccoli. I want to have dinner at your house. Yeah no kidding. Last night was leftover mac and cheese, yogurt and a bagel for the young one and I had a drumstick (as in ice cream, not chicken). |
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swamp
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Post by swamp on May 13, 2014 13:38:05 GMT -5
last night I had DS's leftover birthday cake for dinner.
It's been a rough week. And it's not getting better. |
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on May 13, 2014 13:40:29 GMT -5
I won't and I've ignored that "advice" for 17 years. It stopped being funny years ago. I don't tell you to go eat a vegetable. Get defensive much? You're a big girl, you can make your own choices. Don't take it personally. I have eaten vegitables in the last 17 years. I just can't get behind dumb jokes. It's unoriginal. Har har, eat a steak! Haven't heard that one before! Also, vegetable. Not vegitables or vegtible. |
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on May 13, 2014 13:47:25 GMT -5
I generally go without critter at meals - I've expanded my protien sources to include things like Tempeh, seitan, quinoa -- just to shake things up alittle (have a stuffed pepper recipe that uses tempeh that's delish!!). I define salad as a first course consisting of only veggies. I rarely have a salad that's got all the 'dinner' parts in it.  I generally manage to get a vegetarian type protien in with lunch/dinner every day. I'm a flexitarian so I do usually have a couple of meals a week that have critter in them (usually when I'm eating out or eating at someone else's home). Have you ever noticed how most 'american' meals are a protien, with another protien, and a side of protien? So a burger with bacon/cheese and fries on the side? Potatoes are a source of protien (as is corn). |
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on May 13, 2014 13:57:20 GMT -5
last night I had DS's leftover birthday cake for dinner.
It's been a rough week. And it's not getting better. I've been craving cake for 2 weeks... GIMME! |
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on May 13, 2014 13:57:23 GMT -5
(is spellcheck not working today?) |
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swamp
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THEY’RE EATING THE DOGS!!!!!!!
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Post by swamp on May 13, 2014 14:00:24 GMT -5
last night I had DS's leftover birthday cake for dinner.
It's been a rough week. And it's not getting better. I've been craving cake for 2 weeks... GIMME! come on over. |
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Chocolate Lover
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Post by Chocolate Lover on May 13, 2014 14:20:06 GMT -5
I generally have meat with most meals. I have not been using as much meat because it costs too much and I'm really REALLY tired of chicken..... but I just feel like it's incomplete without some meat. I try, but that's how I am.  |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2014 14:44:48 GMT -5
Meat once a day is fine for us and sometimes we don't even manage that. I have fruit and maybe a piece of toast for breakfast, a salad with no protein at lunch during the week, and generally have meat at dinner. If it's DH's wonderful bean soup, it's only indirect from the ham hock he used in it. (Ham hocks are fatty so not good to pry the meat off.) On the weekends I might have meat at lunch depending on what leftovers are sitting around. We laugh at the size of pork chops sold as (apparently) individual servings. We can share one and sometimes still have leftovers because DH is such a light eater.
ETA: on business trips to India, I went without meat completely and never missed it. They really know how to do vegetarian. I once sat next to a Westerner cutting into a nice steak (large chain hotel that catered to mostly Europeans and Americans) and it looked sacreligious- and I'm not even Hindu.
how can you not eat any protein at lunch and not be gnawing on your arm by 3 pm? |
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 13, 2014 15:22:53 GMT -5
Get defensive much? You're a big girl, you can make your own choices. Don't take it personally. I have eaten vegitables in the last 17 years. I just can't get behind dumb jokes. It's unoriginal. Har har, eat a steak! Haven't heard that one before! Also, vegetable. Not vegitables or vegtible. I don't know who pissed in your tofu cheeros this morning, but your attitude is not endearing. If you don't find what I said amusing you didn't have to respond. |
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imawino
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Post by imawino on May 13, 2014 15:28:04 GMT -5
For lunch and dinner I usually have meat. However, I consider chicken and seafood to be meat, because - aren't they?? There seems to be a contingent that thinks they are not, but I find that weird. It's an animal protein, from a living thing. I can't see a distinction.
Breakfast I don't usually eat but if I do it's yogurt or a piece of quiche or something. Unless we are talking late morning weekend diner breakfast. Then it's a big, delicious breakfast! |
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 13, 2014 15:33:07 GMT -5
Yeah, I always thought of fish and birds as meat, it would be strange not to. They are material that came from a living thing, so it's meat.
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milee
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Post by milee on May 13, 2014 15:44:23 GMT -5
I want to have dinner at your house. Yeah no kidding. Last night was leftover mac and cheese, yogurt and a bagel for the young one and I had a drumstick (as in ice cream, not chicken). You guys are welcome to come over for dinner any time. We have a tiny little house, but we'll squeeze you all in and have drinks by the water.
FWIW, though, people who haven't spent much time around young boys would probably not want to eat here. A snippet of the dinner conversation:
Me: Go wash your hands. DS2: I did! Me: Then dirt has attacked you between the sink and the table - I can see it on your fingers. So go wash again. DS1: What IS this stuff? Me: Quinoa. You like it. And we have this same discussion every time we eat it. So it's red/brown quinoa this time; it's still the same as that whitish kind we had last time. DS1: Huh. It's actually pretty good. Who knew? Me: I did. Eat your quinoa. DS2: Hee hee hee! DS1: Why are you giggling? DS2: I farted. Me: 
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jeffreymo
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Post by jeffreymo on May 13, 2014 15:49:10 GMT -5
I don't require it, and I wouldn't say I do it because I like it with every meal, moreso it's a habit.
I'd like to limit meat to one meal a day, but my wife is fairly picky so we'd have to plan separate meals.
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on May 13, 2014 15:55:45 GMT -5
I just can't get behind dumb jokes. It's unoriginal. Har har, eat a steak! Haven't heard that one before! Also, vegetable. Not vegitables or vegtible. I don't know who pissed in your tofu cheeros this morning, but your attitude is not endearing. If you don't find what I said amusing you didn't have to respond. It's Cheerios. :-) |
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on May 13, 2014 15:56:32 GMT -5
If Milee had mentioned the husband not putting down his video game to eat dinner while it's hot that would be our house too.
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on May 13, 2014 15:57:25 GMT -5
Yeah no kidding. Last night was leftover mac and cheese, yogurt and a bagel for the young one and I had a drumstick (as in ice cream, not chicken). You guys are welcome to come over for dinner any time. We have a tiny little house, but we'll squeeze you all in and have drinks by the water.
FWIW, though, people who haven't spent much time around young boys would probably not want to eat here. A snippet of the dinner conversation:
Me: Go wash your hands. DS2: I did! Me: Then dirt has attacked you between the sink and the table - I can see it on your fingers. So go wash again. DS1: What IS this stuff? Me: Quinoa. You like it. And we have this same discussion every time we eat it. So it's red/brown quinoa this time; it's still the same as that whitish kind we had last time. DS1: Huh. It's actually pretty good. Who knew? Me: I did. Eat your quinoa. DS2: Hee hee hee! DS1: Why are you giggling? DS2: I farted. Me:
Hmm. Make him 35 and blame the fart on the cats and this could be dinner with my husband! |
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milee
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Post by milee on May 13, 2014 16:28:46 GMT -5
If Milee had mentioned the husband not putting down his video game to eat dinner while it's hot that would be our house too. Note how none of the discussion, cooking, facilitating, making sure nobody eats while being covered with visible dirt, etc. are attributed to DH?
He's not a gamer, but he completely zones out at dinnertime. It's like one has to physically poke him to "wake" him to get his attention to tune in. Maybe I should try that. Who cares if the house burns down around us?
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