I've been a healthy vegetarian for 30 years, so I have some knowledge of vegetarian nutrition. Overall, when it comes to protein, vegetarian nutrition involves a different mindset than meat eating. Meat and other animal protein sources have highly concentrated, complete protein. A relatively small amount of those foods can fill you up and meet your protein needs because of this concentration. That's why for meat eaters, good nutrition actually involves eating smaller portions of meat, and balancing that with whole grains, fruits and vegetables. On the flip side, vegetarians get a little bit of protein from a lot of sources, generally it is less dense, more fiber, etc., so vegetarians eat more food, hence the whole idea behind Dean Ornish's "Eat More, Weigh Less." Over the years, I've become more moderate on that, because constant grazing isn't good I think, it is too easy to fall into the trap of junk foods that are so readily available everywhere in our society. So the challenge for the mother of a picky 12 year old vegetarian is twofold, the way I see it--to make sure she gets enough protein if she will only eat a limited amount of foods, and to make sure she's not filling up on junk. What I see very often with picky eaters is they like plain foods. They are absolutely loathe to eat any type of casseroles, mixed salads or complex soups. As a picky eater friend of mine once said, "I don't do bits." My brother is very picky but in his adult maturity realizes he as to eat healthy. He likes plain steamed vegetables, plain rice, whole grain bread, salads with just salt, pepper and vinegar and oil dressing, raw crudites and plain fresh fruit. My vegetarian best friends have very picky kids, and they resorted to giving them chicken breast meat and turkey sandwich meat out of desperation for them to get enough protein. They didn't eat much else but noodles and cheese, as my friend said. Plain nachos with cheese, which seemed very dry to me. Tofu dogs. Years ago, I read one dietician say not to eat a carbohydrate without complementing it with some type of protein. That helps keep your blood sugar level. Carbohydrates alone break down quickly into sugars in the bloodstram, not good. Eating carbs with fiber and protein allows for a more gradual blood sugar rise. This had been a good rule for me. So that means a cheese sandwich with tomato soup, peanut butter and jelly with a glass of milk, apple with peanut butter and/or cheese, bannana muffin with walnuts and non-fat yogurt. You get the idea. Things I'd try: Have chopped fresh veggies in the fridge for snacking--carrot, celery and green pepper sticks, broccoli, cauliflower, sugar snap peas. Then make a dip with lowfat sour cream mixed with tofu and dip mix, or servie with peanut butter or hummus for dipping. Also apples and bannanas go good spread with peanut butter. Get the NO SUGAR kind of peanut butter. Ants on a log, which is PB spread onto celery boats topped with raisins. Show her how to make pita or english muffin pizzas. Amys natural brand has frozen pocket sandwiches and pot pies, both good quick snacks to make in the microwave. You can make your own pocket sandwiches using refrigerator pie dough. Mix potatoes with lowfat cottage cheese and lowfat cheddar cheese. Throw in broccoli, carrots, cabbage, zuchinni, marinated baked italian tofu, peas, etc. Fantastic brand sells soup cups, find a kind she likes. There are also great soups that come in paperboard containers--squash, tomato varieties, black bean, cream of mushroom, split pea, etc. Also bean dips to go with nachos, which is a great snack. You can make lowfat cheese dip out of lowfat cottage cheese mixed with cheddar cheese in a food processor. Add a can of chopped mild chilis or roasted red pepper or sundried tomatoes if you want to jazz it up. There are some lowfat processed cheese dips which taste like glue to me but a kid might like them. Have her learn to make sandwiches out of whole grain bread, bean spread (hummus, white bean, pinto, etc.), lowfat cheese spread, fake sandwich meat, tofu salads (I make Tuno salad, Hamless salad, and Eggless salad out of tofu). In a pinch, peanut butter and jelly with all-fruit jam. Whole wheat crackers and pretzels can be dipped in PB and lowfat cheese dip, or bean dip. Also, toast and grind sesame seeds and keep this ground seed sprinkle in the fridge, can be added to all kinds of dishes to boost protein. As for nuts--sunflower, peanut, cashew and soy have the most protein. Make a trail mix from these nuts plus almonds for magnesium, raisins, dried cranberries, and sesame sticks. Have that on hand for snacking. Use chopped nuts and sunflower seeds as a topping for salads and other dishes. Also there are some kinds of protein bars you can buy, but I would make them, or healthy cookies made from whole grains with soy flour or powedered milk thrown in. Below is a recipe to get started with. Here is a link that might be useful: Michael Chiarello's Energy Bars

I too am having a big party on Christmas Day (now over 190) and do not cook like you all do. I have to have help. I like to have a cleaned up kitchen at all times so things move easily through to the party. Garbage and dirty dishes need to go away. My tips are: Start with an empty disihwasher and garbage cans. Have a covered tub or tubs that you can put the rinsed off dishes in that can't go in the dishwasher and keep it off to the side. Keep the dishwasher going the whole party and empty it and add. At the end of the party, if this works, you have a lot less to do. That's what I have to offer.

LOL! Here's the latest picture of our little man. I feel like an honest to goodness adoptive parent, getting updates on the baby until the process is finalized! We have another month to go, right after he's neutered. (Sorry bout your balls, bud.)

I consider my gift giving personal meaning to each INDIVIDUAL. I spend approximately the same amount on my son, my daughter, and my son-in-law. Son is now divorced, but I did the same for her. One grandchild is 18, one is 7. I spend the same on each, regardless of the age difference. Little kid toys can get expensive😜. Of course, sometimes it can’t work out exactly, but I don’t sweat that. They know about how much I spend on each and I tell them early to be thinking about what they NEED and what they might LIKE. Occasionally in the past, they have SUGGESTED a larger COUPLE gift they might NEED and i go by that suggestion. One year my son and his wife needed a TV as theirs had gone bad. That was their gift which equaled to about what I would have spent individually. Another year, my daughter had just installed new wood floors in her family room and was really wanting a rug from Pottery Barn. That was their couple gift. Even if it put me over my set limit, I would throw in a little something personal. My family communicates well and appreciates everything we do for them and no jealousy if it appears that one might get more than the others. Now that hat my son is divorced and lost a chunk of the household income, I try to focus on his needs more.