My Boyfriend/Husband Wants Meat at Every Meal
If your significant other is not as thrilled as you are about leaving the animal products behind and eating the Beauty Detox way, there are still ways you can enjoy dinners together without cooking two entrees every night. With only a little extra effort, you can each eat to satisfaction. Cooking ahead for the week will make your evenings much easier, but it’s not necessary.
On the nights he wants to eat a steak or some chicken, cook up some quinoa for yourself. You can mix in the seasonings you like and mix in some of the vegetables you make as a side for your guy. Make a big batch at the beginning of the week and another mid-week so you always have something available for yourself.
You can still eat a big salad together beforehand.
Make enough animal protein (preferably hormone and steroid-free of course!) for a couple of nights and cut up and/or cook some vegetables that will last for a few nights. You can cook some vegetables and leave some raw and ready to go in the fridge so you can build your own meals as you’d like for lunches and dinners. He can have chicken on his salad, for example, and you can toss some extra vegetables and nuts or seeds onto yours. Or you can mix the cooked vegetables with quinoa, rice, or other pasta, and he can eat that exact meal, with meat on top of his.
If it’s the texture or savory flavor he’s craving, try to mimic it. The walnut mixture in my Raw Taco Mexican Salad and the Raw Taco Gorilla Wraps is so full of flavor, and it has a texture similar to that of ground beef.
Hearty mushrooms, like portobello, can be used in place of meat, too. You can make burgers with them that even look like the real thing. And they’re so good for you! They’re full of antioxidants, and they’re anti-inflammatory. There’s a portobello mushroom burger recipe your guy might love in The Beauty Detox Foods.
Encourage him to try the recipes to get a feel for the texture and flavors and see what he thinks. You may be very pleasantly surprised, as I’ve heard time and time again! Depending on your man, maybe you can tell him what it was after he tries some, for a truly unbiased opinion, without him turning up his nose at “veg” food.
Make Him a Protein Smoothie
If he’s worried about not getting enough protein as a “manly man” (especially if he works out a lot) let him sample the Power Protein Smoothie after a workout. With the amount of protein in the smoothie (it will depend on the protein powder you use, but they’re usually around 20+ grams per serving, plus you’ll have the protein, omega fats and antioxidants from the chia seeds), he shouldn’t worry too much about whether he’s getting enough protein on the days he drinks it. Maybe he’ll be more interested in trying vegetarian meals on those days, since he’s getting so much protein from a snack.
Try asking for a compromise, especially if he’s enjoyed the Beauty Detox snacks and smoothies you’ve made for him (and those random bites of your meals). Ask if he’ll commit to one Beauty Detox Solution dinner per week. Just one! Make some of the heartier meals that don’t really work within the “build your own meal” or “add-on” framework on those nights to introduce him to the foods you enjoy eating. He’ll feel full and he may start to change his mind about having animal protein at every meal over time. Since it’s just one meal per week, he shouldn’t feel like he’s missing out on too much protein. Eventually, he may feel so good, those veg dinners can increase, to 2 or 3 or even more!
Even if he doesn’t change his mind and decide he wants to give up any more meat, that’s okay! The goal isn’t to push the Beauty Detox way of eating onto him if he’s not interested. There are other ways you can meet in the middle and still eat together. Things happen in their own time. Hey, it took my dad a over 4 years to really give up meat, but now he is about 80% vegan. People change in their own time.
Keep an Alternative Available for Yourself
On the nights he wants to eat a steak or some chicken, cook up some quinoa for yourself. You can mix in the seasonings you like and mix in some of the vegetables you make as a side for your guy. Make a big batch at the beginning of the week and another mid-week so you always have something available for yourself.You can still eat a big salad together beforehand.
Make Meals with Add-on Options
You don’t have to go full-on buffet-style here, but if you cook up your vegetables, pasta, meat, sauce or dressing, etc, separately, you can both pick and choose what you want on your plate and each of you can build your own meal.Make enough animal protein (preferably hormone and steroid-free of course!) for a couple of nights and cut up and/or cook some vegetables that will last for a few nights. You can cook some vegetables and leave some raw and ready to go in the fridge so you can build your own meals as you’d like for lunches and dinners. He can have chicken on his salad, for example, and you can toss some extra vegetables and nuts or seeds onto yours. Or you can mix the cooked vegetables with quinoa, rice, or other pasta, and he can eat that exact meal, with meat on top of his.Make Some of Your Meals into Sides for Him
If you’re making yourself a salad or soup for dinner, why not make a huge batch of it (you can eat the leftovers the next day for lunch!) and give him a smaller portion as a side? He can have the meat he wants to eat and you’re not going too far out of your way to make him a separate meal.Give Him Fish and Eggs More Often
If you still eat animal products from time to time and he’s not picky as long as he has some kind of animal protein, have fish and eggs instead of land animals as part of your last meal of the day (no more than two dinners per week, though). I don’t personally eat either of these, but several of my clients still enjoy having them, and it’s one way you and your husband or boyfriend can share the same meal without the need for any extras, add-ons, or serious tweaks to the meal. Since fish and eggs may not be as acidic as some other meat products, you’ll be doing your significant other a favor and he may not even realize it! Be sure to check my safe fish list in The Beauty Detox Foods.Mimic the Flavors and Textures of Meat
If it’s the texture or savory flavor he’s craving, try to mimic it. The walnut mixture in my Raw Taco Mexican Salad and the Raw Taco Gorilla Wraps is so full of flavor, and it has a texture similar to that of ground beef.Hearty mushrooms, like portobello, can be used in place of meat, too. You can make burgers with them that even look like the real thing. And they’re so good for you! They’re full of antioxidants, and they’re anti-inflammatory. There’s a portobello mushroom burger recipe your guy might love in The Beauty Detox Foods.
Encourage him to try the recipes to get a feel for the texture and flavors and see what he thinks. You may be very pleasantly surprised, as I’ve heard time and time again! Depending on your man, maybe you can tell him what it was after he tries some, for a truly unbiased opinion, without him turning up his nose at “veg” food.
Make Him a Protein Smoothie
If he’s worried about not getting enough protein as a “manly man” (especially if he works out a lot) let him sample the Power Protein Smoothie after a workout. With the amount of protein in the smoothie (it will depend on the protein powder you use, but they’re usually around 20+ grams per serving, plus you’ll have the protein, omega fats and antioxidants from the chia seeds), he shouldn’t worry too much about whether he’s getting enough protein on the days he drinks it. Maybe he’ll be more interested in trying vegetarian meals on those days, since he’s getting so much protein from a snack.
Ask for a Compromise
Try asking for a compromise, especially if he’s enjoyed the Beauty Detox snacks and smoothies you’ve made for him (and those random bites of your meals). Ask if he’ll commit to one Beauty Detox Solution dinner per week. Just one! Make some of the heartier meals that don’t really work within the “build your own meal” or “add-on” framework on those nights to introduce him to the foods you enjoy eating. He’ll feel full and he may start to change his mind about having animal protein at every meal over time. Since it’s just one meal per week, he shouldn’t feel like he’s missing out on too much protein. Eventually, he may feel so good, those veg dinners can increase, to 2 or 3 or even more!Even if he doesn’t change his mind and decide he wants to give up any more meat, that’s okay! The goal isn’t to push the Beauty Detox way of eating onto him if he’s not interested. There are other ways you can meet in the middle and still eat together. Things happen in their own time. Hey, it took my dad a over 4 years to really give up meat, but now he is about 80% vegan. People change in their own time.