Well, i normally do give up something in honor of lent, something small but regular that makes me pause and think a little more deeply on life and how it should be lived, on what i am giving back to my community.
However Miss R kindly shared that she will be going meatless for lent, and i am not even sure she is going to allow fish, which with my upbringing was allowed. This is going to be a challenge for me as the main household cook.
40 days of making sure there is a shelf filled with pre-cooked/prepared high quality vegetarian protein sources, thankfully she is open to our farm fresh eggs (and we have 6 new ready to lay hens arriving to increase our flock size, as our older hens are coming three this year) arriving in mid march. The duck hens will start laying in march as the daylight hours get longer!
There is no way that Dear Hubby will go meatless, so i am trying to figure out rules yet, can i make her soups with bone broths or does the bits of meat that comes in them count and no and if not, i will need to make veggie only soup broths.
I have a full grasp on all the amazing ways to add protein to her diet menu, rice and beans, cheese/yogurts, spinach greens, Potato’s and so much more.
My plan at the moment is to create her a shelf in the fridge filled with different things that can be restocked, some homemade and some store gotten, a big salad style bar will be a very good thing indeed.
I do have a few cookbooks but not many that are meatless and i will dig them out, then i just need to decide if i am going to do some larger batch cooking with meat for hubby to make a choice on and or if it makes sense that i batch cook a roast, chicken breasts and so on a heat and add on can easily be done at the main meals.
I am sure the time will pass quickly and yet coming into it 40 days seems like a lot while its staring me in the face as i try and sort things out. With the respect given to this amazing young adult, i will show her my support by making these changes in our household menus.
Got a favorite meatless dish, you just adore? I am open to hearing about it! share the link to your own blogs site, or to a favorite cooking site or recommend a cookbook i just have to get, i am all ears, got a book on lent an meal plans???
Just another Day on the Farm 
Meatless cabbage roll casserole? My dad used to make his with seasoned rice and tomato sauce. Probably a recipe or two online these days
Oh, i like that, she loves rice and could do it into a rice and bean mix, thank you
Up until a few years ago, my kids loved old fashioned macaroni and cheese. then they decided they were too cool to have ‘kid’s food’. A meatless meal that I enjoy is egg drop soup with big bites of tofu in it. My biggest love however is hot and sour soup. I think the Taste of Home website has some pretty good recipes for these Chinese restaurant staples.
She loves her homemade pasta and cheese, she makes a mean cream sauce, one of her favorite make for herself meals for sure. I love egg drop soup, not sure if she has had it much but i will see if i can find a version she will like, i personally love a good egg drop soup for breakfast. Good ideas, thank you
If she will eat eggs then vegetable quiches with crust or without are good.Shepherd’s pie with lentils instead of meat are very good as well as lentil sloppy joe’s.Bean burgers,veggie burgers and oatmeal burgers as well as tuna or salmon burgers if she eats fish.Hand pies with lots of veggies and vegetarian gravy are very good also.Stir fry veggies without meat and rice on the side.You can even make “meat” balls with cooked oatmeal,breadcrumbs,minced onion & spices,brown them and add to pasta sauce ,vegetarian gravy(bisto) or mushroom soup.
Thank you, all of those are a good lists, i have not thought of shepherds pie with lentils, and i really like that one I will look up the oatmeal meatballs and give them a try as well, i use oatmeal to stretch minx meat but have never just done them.