Vegetarian / Vegan Menu Thread .. November 2010

[TaDa!]

Is anyone interested in a menu thread to list your vegetarian or vegan meals daily .. or whenever you have one to post? Not everything I eat is a "recipe", hahahaaaa, in fact, very few could be considered that, lol!

Anyone reading this, please remember each person is doing different versions of Vegan or Vegetarian, or maybe just some meals that way. Some people will post highcarb stuff probably, so just keep that in mind if you are reading out of interest at trying some meatfree things ...

[TaDa!]

I will probably not have daily menus to post, as I go through weeks at a time of the same meals (it makes my life easier!). I am on Atkins Maintenance but tend to keep from eating the higher rungs of the Carb Ladder on a daily basis ... keep it more for meals out and holidays .. that's me:

Today:

Breakfast
Coconut Nut Flax Oil "bar" - homemade
Coffee and Milk

Snack:
Nut butter whey protein bar - homemade

Lunch
Ramen Soup with Tofu and Sour Cream (using Sheratake noodles!)
Coconut Nut Flax Oil "bar" - homemade
Coffee and Milk

Snack:
flax muffin and whipped cream
herbal tea

Dinner:
Fried eggs with cheese and salsa
Coconut Nut Flax Oil "bar" - homemade
herbal tea

[hay]

i like this idea tada

today for me-
b: banana
l: veggie sandwich w/lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, honey mustard, light mayo + baked chips
d: veggie stew over rice, green beans, carrots
s: green apple

[toomuchbooty]

For the time being I am doing vegetarian low carb until goal...when I will switch to vegan.

Our stove is broken so I'm winging it today.


Coffee with almond milk
Yogurt
Mock danish (cream cheese, egg, splenda)

Protein shake with almond milk
Salad with blue cheese dressing
Pecans

Dinner is undecided...I really need to get some groceries.

[Strawberry]

When I saw that silly fad term "flexitarian" I realized it fit me! I do eat meat sometimes, but a lot of my meals are vegetarian, just out of food preferences. So I will post the veggie parts here.

Yesterday:
No breakfast - diet soda (ahem)
Lunch:
From Whole Foods salad bar: raw kale salad with balsamic grilled tofu
The kale salad was surprisingly good and simple! I found this very similar recipe online, except the one from Whole Foods did not include parm cheese.
Green Kitchen: Kale and Balsamic Tofu Salad
Snack: a pickle
Dinner: that nutloaf I posted about! with cooked green beans

Today:
skipped breakfast as always
lunch: minestrone soup (homemade to be similar to Olive Gardens, minus the pasta and only a few beans) with a warmed up slice of nutloaf. - heats well in microwave btw
Snack: a pickle
Dinner: Salad with romaine lettuce, tomato, celery, zucchini, raw butternut squash cut in thin sticks, cucumber, broccoli, a sprinkle of garbanzo beans, and chopped hard boiled eggs, with ranch dressing.
Coffee with milk and sweetner

[toomuchbooty]

Strawberry, I use the term flexitarian too...even when I was eating a vegan diet. I am not a purist. There are times when I feel okay with consuming meat or fish. For example, my friends and I went to stay with one of my friend's dad. He is Japanese and manages a Japanese grocery. When we visited him, he prepared amazing salads and sashimi. I'm not turning down sushi made with love by my friend's dad. I was with 2 other vegans and we all enjoyed the meal.

[Strawberry]

Wow... I bet that was some of the best sushi ever! How cool to have a friend with a father like that!

[TaDa!]

Strawberry that Kale Salad looks unbelievable .. I swear I was a cow in my past life .. My love of the green is just not natural, lol!

I also have trouble with all the labels that keep popping up over the years!! I do not want a label! lol! I do what I do and I do best to follow my beliefs and that is it .. I do not need labels as I know where I might improve or feel tendencies toward change, etc!

TooMuchBooty, I totally respect each individual's choices! But even more, those who do whatever they do mindfully as you do!

I actually came in to post a meal I just ate, which was good! between today and yesterday I am having a newfound love of sour cream .. I keep it in the fridge for pierogies I make for my highcarbers, lol!

Lunch:
Cheddar Cheese Quesadilla with sour cream and salsa
Roasted Brussel Sprouts

yum!

I used half of a Joseph's lowcarb pita to make it ... I have been eating them for a few years - and even was able to lose weight eating them. They make sandwiches very easy. I altered the Atkins carb ladder and added a stage just below whole grains, called lowcarb grain foods to test them out .. because I was into being methodical .. anyhow .. lunch!

[hay]

today was not so good. i went on a 9 hour date...food was...weird.

b- toast w/honey and peanut butter, banana
s- apple
l- a cupcake and a bite of a scone w/afternoon tea
d- pita bread, 1/3 of a chocolate chip cookie
s- rum and diet

just strange. oh well!

[toomuchbooty]

TaDa- I am a professional at making homemade perogies...it was my job when I was in highschool. It's a skill that is sure to win me a husband one of these days. lol!

I don't even want to talk about my diet today...it was pitiful. I was caught off guard with some work I had to take care of and only nibbled on food all day. It was protein shakes, yogurt and celery sticks...and coffee. A very bad day for nutrition.

[sadie_adriana]

I also try each day to eat Vegan, I feel SO much better when I do.
Occasionally I enjoy wild salmon or a little tuna. Here's what I ate today

Breakfast
Oatmeal, bowl of green salad with a yummy vinaigrette (strange breakfast combo) a small piece of a leftover bagel

Lunch
red lentil soup I made (fast and easy)
small amt jasmine rice with tbsp red veggie curry leftover from last night YUM

snack apple

Dinner
cup of above soup, more salad, boca burger, no bun
small amt delicata squash, bite of bean combo I cooked, black, kidney,pinto

I also have days when I eat too much or just not so healthy, this way of eating is so much easier for me, I snack on vege/fruits, dont ever go hungry

[wifey]

Hi all!! I caved and had some bacon the other day. I felt bad after and I was going to eat the pork I made for my husband for dinner but couldn't do it. This is my menu for Thursday and my menu for tomorrow. I am still going to eat seafood because for some reason it doesn't gross me out.

Breakfast: Sugar free pumpkin spice latte

Lunch: small piece of cheese pizza and a side salad

Snack: Calcium OJ and 5 wheat thins

Dinner: I was going to have shrimp but changed my mind and had: Homemade guacamole, beans and little sour cream with a handful of tortilla chips

Tomorrow:

Breakfast: 2 Morning star veggie sausage patties 1 hard boiled egg

Lunch: Large salad with feta, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, fresh grated Parmesan with a little Italian dressing

Snack: calcium OJ and a yogurt

Dinner: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Soy-Gin...on/Detail.aspx and Brussels sprouts cooked till crispy in garlic butter

I'm breastfeeding and pumping so I am burning a TON of calories plus I walk about 1 mile a day

[TaDa!]

The last two days .. Same meals as in my first post .. except for lunch ..

Lunch:
Veggieburger - Morningstar Grillers Original, Cheese, Onion, Heinz lowcarb catsup on half a Joseph's lc pita
brussel sprouts - half a pound, lol!

Originally Posted by toomuchbooty

TaDa- I am a professional at making homemade perogies...it was my job when I was in highschool. It's a skill that is sure to win me a husband one of these days. lol! ....

OMG!!!! Making pierogies for me = taking them out of the freezer, boiling them, pan frying with onions, sprinkling some parm cheese and serving with sour cream, lol!!!!!

Hay LOL! on the long date and weird food .. my first date with dh was like 7-8 hours long, was the worst date of my life too, lol! 17 years later .... lol!!

[hay]

LOL, that's too funny. i had a great, great time though...i really like him! we hung out all last night too, and...he stayed at my place. no hanky panky though.

yesterday-
b- piece of toast w/honey
l- banana
d- tortilla chips w/some salsa, guac, and sour cream; a few bites of challah bread
s- lots of cocktails

today-
we went to borough market, so we just ate lots of samples of things (breads w/jam, nuts, salsas, etc); then i got the BEST veggie burger from the veggie tablel. haven't eaten anything else yet, just not hungry.

[toogood]

Hay, I love your menu but would starve! I also cook for 3 kids and a hubby too. Making a HUGE pot of veggie chili with 16 types of veggies right now. Pot of brown rice cooking too. GOing to sautee some swiss chard I bought from the farmers market. Making a big spinach tofu lasagna tonight. Trying to cook up a big batch of food today so we can at least eat some left overs tomorrow. Want to also grill some zuchinis today to make it into a quick ciabatta sandwich with roasted garlic spread. What else can I make ahead?

[TaDa!]

Again, food as usual except for lunch, lol!

Lunch
avocado sandwich and roasted brussel sprouts
(half avocado. slice melted cheese, sliced onions)

toogood .. how about making a couple of Strawberry's nut loaves (using the soy "parmesan" instead of the regular one to make it vegan). I have a number of freeze ahead casseroles, etc .. but they are lacto-ovo vegetarian. The only other thing I do is like your chili (in fact I have one in the crockpot right now, lol!)

One other thing I like to do .. is use the same ingredients as the crockpot chili (or similar ones) and instead of a chili-style sauce, I throw in a jar of "Indian" Sauce (these often have butter and milk though) and a can of crushed tomatoes .. or a jar of "Thai" style sauce .. You could use your own spice mixtures and actually make the sauce and it would be vegan

Sometimes I do fried tofu instead of beans (but I do that immediately before serving, so not really a make-ahead one .. I wonder how tofu would keep in one of those dishes??!! Since you do not worry about lowcarb .. I bet you could google vegan freeze ahead casseroles and come up with a lot! I wish I lived in your house, lol!!!

Happy cooking!

[toomuchbooty]

Re: Vegan Cheese

If you are looking for a good vegan cheese, I have to recommend Daiya brand. It comes shredded and doesn't contain soy. It melts really well. It's not super low carb though...7 grams per 1/4 cup serving.

[hay]

Originally Posted by toogood

Hay, I love your menu but would starve! I also cook for 3 kids and a hubby too. Making a HUGE pot of veggie chili with 16 types of veggies right now. Pot of brown rice cooking too. GOing to sautee some swiss chard I bought from the farmers market. Making a big spinach tofu lasagna tonight. Trying to cook up a big batch of food today so we can at least eat some left overs tomorrow. Want to also grill some zuchinis today to make it into a quick ciabatta sandwich with roasted garlic spread. What else can I make ahead?

i've really been trying to get in more proper meals lately. i've been losing weight and i'm sure its because of my lower calories, but i'm just SUPER busy and stressed and...yeah, not much more to say about that. :/

today-
brunch: 2 pieces toast w/LOTS of honey, banana
d: a few small fried potatoes w/ketchup, carrots, corn, broccoli, and tomatoes
s: banana, apple

[wifey]

Hi ladies! I hope you are all having a great weekend! Here is my menu for today:

Breakfast: Coffee

Lunch: 2 slices of thin crust cheese pizza and salad

Snack: Bag of Steamed Green beans with garlic

Dinner: Veggie burger with some veggie chili and avocado on top
big salad with feta, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers

[jezzie]

I have used that term Flexitarian for a while now.
To me a good idea is a good idea, regardless of where it originated.
The term, silly fad or not, fits my 80% vegetarian style of eating.
(I was publicly reprimanded for saying I was a semi-vegetarian. lol.)

Per TaDa's original post - I'm not low carb.

I eat the same breakfast about 27 - 28 days a month.
(pick 'n stick)

1 egg
old fashioned or Irish oatmeal w/cinnamon & buckwheat honey
an orange
6 walnuts/2 Brazil nuts
------------------------------------------------------------
Lunch alternating sandwiches

3 days - sardines or mackerel on whole wheat sandwich thins
4 days - either portabella cap or PB&J on whole wheat sandwich thins
sometimes with green vegetable & sweet potato instead of bread
an apple
--------------------------------------------------------------
Dinner at home is 'usually' one of three options

large salad: vegetables, fruits, nut (sometimes shrimp and/or cheese)
or pasta w/vegetables
or some variation of: brown rice, beans, Tobasco
(including chili, jambalaya)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Dinner out - two or three times a month

seafood: example, Asian-Miso salmon w/rice pilaf and asparagus
--------------------------------------------------------------

[TaDa!]

Hi everyone

My lunch today was amazing, lol!!!

Trader Joe's Punjab Eggplant (300 calories, 22 net carbs) ... it's vegan!
1 oz feta cheese (just because I was too lazy to fry up some tofu)
~heated in the micro so the cheese got melty~

I think it may be a new warm favorite for cold days!! I use the various Indian meals on occasion. Originally it was the Tasty Bite brand, but now I buy Trader Joe's and other brands. I limit the lentil and chickpea meals, but like the ones like Palak Paneer (spinach and cheese) and the eggplant one ..

Anyhow, just another idea! I'll probably eat the same ole same ole the rest of the day.

Pauline

[hay]

sounds yummy tada!

me today-
b- banana
l- nutrigrain bar
d- LOL. total assortment. rice, a couple roasted potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, some fruit salad, and a roll

[wifey]

I'm writing down all these yummy ideas!! I'm not very hungry today this is my menu for today.

Breakfast: Coffee

Lunch: Veggie burger with lettuce and ketchup no cheese

1 cup of tomato soup with a sprinkle of shredded parm

Dinner:Veggie stir-fry and brown rice

[LJB]

I'm definitely a "flexitarian" and I would love to move towards back to basics. My appetite has gone down the last few days because of the flu but my energy is returning. I do not have much of a menu set up.

So far I ate today:

Breakfast: Chicken breast slices on whole wheat bread w/mayo and some leftover jalapeno Monterey Jack cheddear

Lunch: 2 hard-boiled eggs, lettuce, tomato, and 2T of Cain's French dressing.

Pre-workout snack: 1/2 grapefruit and 1/2 toasted wheat bread with some peanut butter schmeared on it.

Dinner: Not sure as yet.

[toogood]

Made a "meat" substitue dinner last night. Used veggie chicken cutlets from Gardein and fried it up like fried chicken. Green bean casserole with cheese (for the family), roasted cauliflower, sauteed swiss chard, then homemade vegan pumkin pie. Yes, it was finally cold in San Diego last night and everyone was out at their dance/basketball practices so I had time to just cook! The vegan pumkin pie was the easiest thing ever! 1 can of pumpkin. 1 box of silken tofu. 1 cup brown sugar. 4 tsp. pumpkin spice. Blended in the food processor and baked it in a pre-made shell. That's it. I liked it and it hit the spot. 2 kids liked it and hubby and 3rd child was just okay. Still a good alternative without animal products.

[TaDa!]

making a lovely tofu stirfry right now for the kiddies that happens to be lowcarb ...

Stirfry tofu, red pepper, onion,
Boil or steam carrot, broccoli, and cauli*, then stirfry as well.
Add Teriyaki sauce and serve!

My kiddos actually request that I serve it without rice, lol! Weird .. but lowcarb like me, lol! DH will be getting the same with chicken, served over brown rice ...

If big dd were not allergic to sesame, I'd like throw in a dash of sesame oil, and maybe some sesame seeds for visual interest .. hot red pepper flakes are nice too!

* all just the fresh veggies I happen to have in the fridge! I like to use mung beans too but forgot to get any.

[hay]

today was super boring.

b- i slept through it. it's reading week here so i've been sleeping in.
l- banana, nutrigrain bar
d- rice w/all kinds of veggies (broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, onions, green beans)
s- rum and diet ("date" with the boy )

[hay]

i must say, i am truly enjoying being vegetarian. i feel really good and don't miss meat one bit!

my ex boyfriend, who likes to put me down as it is, was teasing me last night about my decision to no longer eat meat. he said "who decides they're going to become vegetarian at 22??" well, i did. that's just when it clicked for me.

[TaDa!]

Hay, I think 22 is a perfectly good time for self-exploration .. and very very normal! Just ignore any of the naysayers. I remember my father used to call me every week at college and ask "Are you still a vegetarian?" even though I had been one (lacto-ovo) for 6 years or more at that time!

As a mom to 2 vegetarian girls, not a naysayer by any stretch of the imagination!!, I have to say your menu is lacking a few critical things you will want to change in order to preserve your health .. I think you are likely too low in protein, iron, calcium and vitamin Bs. I checked the Nutrigrain bar to see if that helped even things up, but it only provides a paltry 2 gm of protein, 10% iron, 25% of some of the Bs.

Nutri-grain Bar Nutrition Information | LIVESTRONG.COM

You can easily make that up by choosing another bar that is a protein bar, or adding some of the vegetarian proteins below. The medical community's take on how much protein a person needs has changed a lot since I was younger. It is actually quite low! and it does not have to be a "complete protein" like they once thought.

I did some research on this for a talk I gave .. and here is some very specific info on how to get your protein to the right levels! Vitamins and Iron, etc can probably be improved with a vitamin tablet ...

Don't let your ex be right about vegetarians, lol lol!!!!! Keep yourself in fighting form .. my 2 cents!!! Also, Vegetarianism is known as a "warning sign" to health educators in the high schools as something often signifying eating disorders in young people who look for means of socially acceptable food restriction. I have seen it in some of my teen dd's friends. I know some of the girls who were able to nip it (the start of an eating disorder) in the bud when they caught on to what the thought processes were behind their eating, etc.. I realize this is not the case for you, but if you do not get the right nutrients, etc, your doctor may suspect this at some point!!! Nothing worse than being accused of that when you actually just want to eat vegetarian!

Excuse any preach-iness that might have come over the wires ... I am a Mom!!!



Pauline


From the handout I did for my talk:

RECOMMENDED PROTEIN LEVELS
Based on the “Reference Nutrient Intakes for Protein” which replaced the RDA

Women (age 15-49) ~45 gm
Women (age 50+) ~50 gm
Women (pregnant) 51 gm
Women (lactating) 53-56 gm
Men (age 15-49) ~55 gm
Men (age 50+) ~53 gm
Children (age 7-10) ~28 gm
Children (age 11-14) ~42 gm

VEGETARIAN PROTEINS
Nuts and Seeds – Almonds, Sunflower Seeds, Peanut Butter (technically a legume)
Dairy – Eggs, Cheese, Yogurt, Milk, Whey protein powder (and shakes)*
Beans – Lentils, Chickpeas, Beans of all kinds, Hummus Spread
Grains – Bread, Rice, Wheat Seitan (a/k/a “Wheat Meat”)*
Soy and Vegetable Protein –Veggieburgers, Soy Crumbles, Tofu*, Tempeh,* Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)*

VEGETARIAN PROTEIN VALUES

Soy, Nuts, Beans
Almonds (1/4c) 6 gm
Peanut Butter (2T) 8 gm
Veggieburger (soy) 15 gm
Red Beans (1 cup) 12 gm
Hummus (1/4 cup) 4 gm

Dairy
Milk – all kinds (1 cup) 8 gm
Yogurt (1 cup/8 oz) 12 gm
Amer. Cheese (slice) 4 gm
Cheddar Cheese ( 1/4 c) 7 gm
Eggs (2 large) 12 gm
Egg Whites (2 large) 8 gm
Grains
Special K Cereal (1 c) 6 gm
Whole Wheat Bread (2 slices) 8 gm
White Bread (2 slices) 4 gm
Rice (1 cup) 4-5 gm
Pasta (2 oz dry) 7-8 gm

Veggies
Broccoli (1 c chopped) 6 gm
Peas (1 cup) ~8 gm
Spinach (a salad bag) 6 gm
Corn (1 ear) 4.5 gm

Vegetarian Proteins*
Soy Tofu (4 oz) 10 gm
Soy Tempeh (4 oz) 16 gm
Wheat Seitan (4 oz) 23 gm
Quorn (4 oz) 23 gm
Soy TVP (1/4c) 12 gm

[hay]

thank you very much for all of that info, pauline! i know i'm not taking care of myself as well as i need to be...it's something that i'm struggling a little bit with and am working on. i just never imagined being this busy and running around all of the time. i also don't have as much control over my food as i would like to. but i've been doing a lot of reading up on those things and am trying to find ways to tweak what i'm eating to get what i need. i really, really appreciate your input though, it helps so much. i don't want you guys to think this is just normal eating for me...it's not. i'm just trying to do the best i can for right now.

for brunch today i had a nutrigrain bar, a banana, and a cherry yogurt.