Every.single.meal. was a debate when we started this vegan journey back in 2010.

Most of the heat came from Elijah....but Eric, Brandon & Jason didn't hesitate with the side eye action.

I already wasn't the most confident about cooking this new way, so listening to chatter from the peanut gallery made me even more insecure.

I won't lie. There were times when I wanted to just give up.

Here's the best way to introduce new meals...

On nights when there are leftovers to fall back on.

I know. I know.

The whole point of leftovers is so you don't have to cook anything else.

I promise this method has worked well for our family though.

When you're ready to introduce a brand new meal or ingredient (like tofu) to your family, make sure you have leftovers in the fridge to fall back on.

Taking this step will reduce the complaints (because you can just serve the leftovers) and it will make you more confident to experiment with new recipes and ingredients.

Case in point....this cauliflower Alfredo dish in the picture below. We love Alfredo sauce made of cashews (like this recipe), so I had some anxiety about making it using cauliflower.

The results of making Alfredo sauce using cauliflower?

My family hated it!

Instead of getting all in my feelings about it, I served them leftover vegan pizza and beans & rice and went about my business.

One last thing....

Just because they don't like a meal today, it doesn't mean you shouldn't try it again in a couple of months (I talked about that is in this video). As your family gets used to eating more vegan meals, their tastebuds will adjust and they will be more open to trying new dishes.

Be gentle. Be patient. Have fun and enjoy the journey!