help with vegetarian inspiration

Howdy guys. Last month my mom found out that she has issues with her liver. They told her to lose the weight and all will follow. Now excerise is not the problem (my dog makes sure of that). But its the meals I am having trouble with. I am a damned good cook, but I always have issues with what to make for dinner. So I come to you with a mission. Can you guys help me with finding vegetarian/mostly veggie meals. Its ok to have some meat in there. I can make anything as long as I put my mind into it so don't worry about skill level.

~Thanks <3

If i had to start eating a more "vegetarian" diet, I wouldn't jump directly into all vegan stuff, but tread more along pescetarian diets(fish) or ovovegetarian diets(egg).

Hi! I was a vegetarian for 3 years.

Is there anything specific you're looking for? The first thing I can recommend is stir-fry, since there's not much thought to put into that and you can cover all the bases with it. Seitan (wheat gluten/protein) can be used as a substitute to chicken/other bland meat. Black beans and lentils are very fibrous and are okay sources of protein as well, and can make up the bulk/focal point of a lot of meals. Most East Asian-style cooking is vegetarian or features fish as the only protein in a dish, so I would look into those too.

Fajitas are always good. Bell pepper, red onion, etc are all incredibly healthy food. There also super simple to make.
Grilled salmon with rice and any assortment of vegetables would be great too.

(Mostly) Vegetarian because that's been your family's preference all along, or because you think that is what your mother needs?
Just pointing out that meat isn't particularly bad for weight-loss, as long as it's lean.

What you do need to cut out is fat, empty carbs, and alcohol.
Fat means oil, butter, shortening, etc, and also cream and high-fat (over 5%) cheeses. Good fats include avocado, tahini (sesame paste), other seeds or nuts(whole or as paste/butter), and deep-sea fish oil. Don't overdo them, though.
Empty carbs are sugar and starch in forms that don't have any other useful nutrients. That means sugar (including brown sugar, cane sugar, honey, maple syrup, and whatever other "healthy" substitutes - they're all way more calories than they're worth) and also white flour (including white bread and white pasta), white rice, and to some extent potatos and corn. Fruit and whole grains are ok, but again, don't overdo.
Alcohol is all empty calories, and bad for the liver besides, so if your mother consumes it she just needs to stop.

If you're talking about dinner, replace any starchy sides with vegetables, and you've already saved a couple of hundred calories out of a typical meal. (Even more if those carbs used to be soaked with fatty sauce/gravy...)

I do feel that calories need to be counted. Or Weight-Watchers' "Points". Or something. Otherwise it's too easy too eat too much of "legal" foods and fail to lose weight. And there are so many apps and websites out there now that can help you do it, including allowing you to put in your own recipes, so there's really no excuse not to. The websites usually have support group forums and recipe boards too.

After this long lecture, I should offer a recipe, though I'm not much of a cook, myself, so this is very simple: Cauliflower.
Cauliflower makes a great starch substitute for dinner. It's a basically calorie-free way to add bulk and some fiber to a meal that would otherwise fail to fill the stomach.
So:
Get a head of cauliflower, clean off all leaves, wrap it in microwave-safe plastic wrap, and microwave for about 10 minutes (time varies with the size of the cauliflower and the power of the microwave, obviously).
For a rice replacement, cut the steamed cauliflower in big chunks and put in a mixer. The mixer will flake off the flowerettes.
For mashed potatoes replacement, put it in a food processor and puree.
Add spices or sauce to taste (but mind the fat). I like to keep things simple so I just add salt, pepper, and some sauteed onions.

Bon appetit and good luck.

I have been a pescitarian for 10 years, though I eat mostly vegetarian.

Link

Link

Many good suggestions ^^