Child Friendly Vegetarian Recipes?

For easy, simple vegetarian recipes using relatively familiar ingredients, I recommend the cookbook "Lean, Luscious, and Meatless." Also, if you PM me your email address, I can send you a word file of a family-friendly vegetarian cookbook I made for my sister for christmas last year--my fam went veggie when DD was 9 mos old, for health reasons, and my 2yo is now a FANTASTIC healthy eater. Just this morning, she asked if we could have tofu curry (fofoo cooey?) for dinner. I also like the recipe section on the yoga journal website. You can search by vegetarian entree, or by a particular ingredient. In addition to being healthier, you'll also save money by not buying meet. GL!

you can up the veggie intake by varying how you cook them. some veggies my kids won't touch roasted, but will covered in sauce. others, only boiled. then add healthy grains and lean proteins. beans are easy to fix. if your child likes salad, then add some beans on top of the salad. is the child opposed to eggs or cheese? if not, those are great sources of proteins. no my children aren't vegetarian, but i am as of recently, thus they eat alot more now than ever have, with a side of meat.

For kids especially I think fruit and vegetables in their simplest form is great. Raw carrots for a snack. A little smart balance margarine on any cooked vegie at dinner.

Go online and find recipes for tofu. It's very healthy and you can make almost anything you make with chicken, but using tofu. Also, if you buy pinto beans and cook them yourself by boiling them stove top (no frying) you can create some healthy meals that are simple. A burrito for example! You can mash and freeze the beans easily.

I give my kids protein shakes, protein bars, etc...and a good vitamin.

Last, I wouldn't stop serving "animal." Your 7 year old may just change her mind!

I would talk to her pediatrician about any supplements you may need to give your child--some of my vegetarian friends who are adults have had problems not getting enough of certain minerals and vitamins through their veggie diets, and they have to choose their foods thoughtfully to get enough protein.