Hi, Emily.

I will eagerly watch this post. Although I have been a vegetarian since 1985, I have never known what rules of thumb to follow. I will be eager to hear what those in the know have to say.

Did you become a vegetarian in response to your fibro?

Congratulations on reaching your goal!

Lamb

Have you tried the vegetarian support group?

http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Vegetarians-and-Vegans/support-group

I am a lifelong vegetarian.
My personal... First rule of thumb? If you can't get local organic fresh? Frozen is next best and nicely quick. Stores sometimes have 10-for-$10 on frozen veg where I live, so you can stock up on things like cauliflower, broccoli, stir-fry veg (unseasoned) and so on.

Pair tomatoes with legumes (except peas). Lentils in tomato soup is amazing yummy. And if you're shy about a new food (quinoa is a staple in my diet, but not everyone knows what to do with it), add it to soup first. Then move on ot using it as the "star" of the show. I use quinoa to make tabouli in summer, instead of wheat. Way yummy, and quick-cooking.
Indian food. Vegetables are the star of the show. Learn a few quick Indian sauce recipes like Masala (good with nearly any veg with rice, or over chickpeas). This way you dont' fall into the trap of "boring" veg food that my friends are sure I eat. Nope!

Vary cooking methods. A lot of people have no idea you can roast veggies other than potatoes. You can roast broccoli, caulifloewr, onion, string beans, asparagus, corn, bell peppers, succhini, squash, carrots, mix it up.... So it's not all boiled or stir-fried. (I rarely boil a veg outside of a soup or stew.)

Never be afraid to play with sbustitutes. I use pre-cooked quinoa instead of meat to stuff peppers, for example.

A lot of it depends on what cuisines you already like. I find Indian and Mediterranean are very vegetarian friendly, and I like those, but some vegetarians I know can't stand Indian so they prefer Japanese, or go heavy on spicy Medican-Central-American, and use corn tortills instead of wheat if htey hvae wheat issues.

Veg are usually quicker to cook than most other things in my experience, and while you can definitely go the cook-beans-and-freeze route? I *personally* think rRice, lentils and quinoa are more forgiving. I cook a week ahead, tho', rarely more than that, so beans don't come up much.

No idea if that was useful, but I've been at this my whole life so I really don't know where to start... It's just how I live. My challenge was learning to cook for a carnivore when I got married! (He went veg 10 years ago. No regrets on his end.)

Good luck:-)

Sorry, Ishould've added, my rule of thumb---and it's kept me out of nutrition trouble----is to make sure I have soluble and insoluble fiber both in the diet, and to get protein daily as well, so supper is typically my veg-with-protein-rich grain-or-legume (lentils and quinoa are biggies), or, since i do dairy, I might make a cheese omelette for a treat sort of thing. I also get nuts every day. I also try to balance raw with cooked. I nibble raw veg lik ecelery, cukes, carrots, and/or a leafy salad, for example, with my daily nuts (almonds, usually); Then supper is all-cooked for that day-end comfort food. So figure one-fourth to one-third of my food is raw. Depends on breakfast. Somtimes I eat trail mix, sometimes I eat oatmeal.

OK, shutting up now, lol!

Lambsy... Killing has always bothered me. In the 80's when the research on red meet started to come out I decreased my consumption. Over the last few years, as we know more about the treatment of animals and the health effectsof antibiotics and hormones, I have kept cutting back so much that I figure it's time to learn more so that I don't shortchange myself on essential nutrients. At this point, I am ready to cook exclusively vegetarian and eat chicken or turkey if I feel like it when I go out. Oh, and yes, the fibro has contributed to the decision. Or maybe it's aging. I notice that I digest much better when I don't eat meat. With fibro, anything that is bothersome is so much more burdensome than before fibro! Also, I figure my needs have changed. Premenopausal I needed more iron. Now, I seem to need more vitamins. Then the fibro support group on Thursday with my doc saying meat is poison (I know, she was exaggerating) sort of sealed it.

Leo, thanks for your detailed input. I love quinoa, black rice, buckwheat, beans, and every veggie out there except kale :). I make savory dishes with steel cut oats (sort of like risotto), love Asian flavors and stir fry techniques, and roast veggies of all kinds. So, i really just have to drop the occasional chicken. Will read your tips again. All great.

Have you tried Morningstar Farms brand foods? Their breakfast strips are sooooooo good! The flavor I missed most by becoming a vegetarian was bacon (the only pork I ate before), and then I discovered Morningstar's substitute. It's better than the real thing!

We've made tacos with their crumblers (mimics ground beef), and their veggie burgers--particularly the black bean--are really yummy.

Food for thought. ;-)

Lamb

Emily, I can't stand kale, either. I tried. I can't do it, LOL! Spinach, yes. Kale? Ugh.

The biggest challenge with vegetarianism really is avoiding the "boredom" factor---my hubby couldn't believe I had such fun eating, he assumed meatless meant flavor-less. Nope:-)

And oddly, yes, trail mix makes a good breakfast. Without milk. I like it for those days when my body is achy and appetite is absent. I can nibble my breakfast. And homemade trail mixes are fun!

I recommend "Just Tomatoes" brand dried veggies. Last forever, awesome flavor and good nutrition, no sodium or sulfides, and great for making "instant" soup mixes ahead. (They do ust Peas Just Corn Just Veggies, Just Tomatoes... check 'em out on Amazon. Cheaper than Whole Foods.) That way you can have soup mixes on hand that just require water. A huge shortcut for a veg-head!