HOT food for a lazy vegetarian bachelor?

adriammmm

I'm a girl but I'm putting bachelor in the title because I need single-serve meals that don't require too much effort. I live with my family but I'm on my own food-wise because I'm vegetarian and calorie-counting and they aren't.

since I've gotten back into MFP I've done a good job losing weight with green smoothies, salad, yogurt and fruit. Easy to make, not bored with them because you can vary those up...but its winter. I want hot food! I want comfort food! Savory food! Oatmeal and eggs are only hot things I'm eating that are easy and single-serve for a lazy bachelorette like me! Does anyone have suggestions? I want to stay away from processed microwave meals if I can.

Docbanana2002

I'm a single person and vegetarian. When I cook a meal, I make enough for 3-4 servings and eat off it for a few days. Often I will freeze a portion too, to eat another week. A big pot of beans or lentil soup with a side of some type of grain and a salad is a nutritious go to meal for me.

Melmo1988

Last night I made rice, black bean and corn burritos. I put individual servings in containers in the fridge so tonight when we have leftovers, all I do is dump the contents of the container (once warmed up) on a tortilla and roll it up. My 5 year old loved it!
(edit to add, I add salsa to it, and I even put dairy free cheese in mine. Soo good.)

Rachel0778

2 words: slow cooker. Best investment I ever made in grad school. Hot meal waiting for me when I got home and tons of recipes online to choose from. Plus glorious leftovers to use for lunches or freeze for later.

MelaniaTrump

Vegetarian chili. If you like beans. High protein.

sullus

Pasta. Takes 10 mins and can be cooked in single serve portions.

SusanParker365

Vegetable Soup in the crock pot. Low calorie, 168 per serving, hot and filling!

lululapagaille

Lentil soup. 250g lentils + 200ml Coconut milk + 30g curry paste + fresh ginger + 900ml water. Yumz, and takes 25 minutes to make.

Docbanana2002

Looking back over the other replies after mine, I think there is a theme here.... Instead of searching for super easy single serve meals that you fix for one day only, focus instead on things that take a little bit more time (but not lots more) that can reheated and eaten on multiple days. That has been my approach for my "bachelorette" life.

If you don't like eating the same thing for a few days in a row, then just freeze portions and you have your own homemade microwavable frozen meals on hand for those days you aren't in the mood to cook but want something hot. Soups make good frozen dinners. I also keep around homemade veggie sausage and veggie burgers and freeze them for reheating later. They are a lot better (and healthier for me) than most of the ones in the store. Breads can be frozen and thawed in the microwave, so I always have tortillas, english muffins, hamburger buns, sandwich bread, etc in my freezer to make a sandwich/wrap/etc.. If I don't freeze them, they tend to go bad before I can eat the whole container.

I also have enjoyed making several things that can be mixed and matched. For example, beans, rice, taco toppings can be eaten as a salad with beans on top today... then turned into a beans/rice burrito the next day... then fry the rice chinese-style on the next day with a side salad.... and so on.

kshama2001

adriammmm wrote: »

I'm a girl but I'm putting bachelor in the title because I need single-serve meals that don't require too much effort. I live with my family but I'm on my own food-wise because I'm vegetarian and calorie-counting and they aren't.

since I've gotten back into MFP I've done a good job losing weight with green smoothies, salad, yogurt and fruit. Easy to make, not bored with them because you can vary those up...but its winter. I want hot food! I want comfort food! Savory food! Oatmeal and eggs are only hot things I'm eating that are easy and single-serve for a lazy bachelorette like me! Does anyone have suggestions? I want to stay away from processed microwave meals if I can.

I don't like cold food in the winter either, so now I make smoothies with freshly brewed tea for the liquid so the smoothie comes out a little warm.

adriammmm

thanks for all the replies, guys! I love beans and soup is perfect for this weather. I got the stuff to make bean and lentil soup tomorrow night. it'll only rake 10 minutes and I can get a lot of meals out of it. can't wait to try it out :9

I also found these frozen steamfresh protein packs and they're wonderful. a little pricey, 2 dollars a pack...but each pack has two servings. and I figure you could make it stretch by sticking them in vegetable broth and making a soup out of it.

I guess I'll be adding more beans in my diet! not a problem because I love beans. question though - canned beans vs packaged dry beans? canned food is full of junk and gunk and I wanna stay away from that but its easier to just rinse them and throw them in a pot when you're hungry and in a rush.

girlinahat

You can always batch cook dried beans and freeze them. I use my slow cooker for this. Oh, and read up on no-soak beans, way more flavour, and less prep!

MarvelGrrl

adriammmm wrote: »

thanks for all the replies, guys! I love beans and soup is perfect for this weather. I got the stuff to make bean and lentil soup tomorrow night. it'll only rake 10 minutes and I can get a lot of meals out of it. can't wait to try it out :9

I also found these frozen steamfresh protein packs and they're wonderful. a little pricey, 2 dollars a pack...but each pack has two servings. and I figure you could make it stretch by sticking them in vegetable broth and making a soup out of it.

I guess I'll be adding more beans in my diet! not a problem because I love beans. question though - canned beans vs packaged dry beans? canned food is full of junk and gunk and I wanna stay away from that but its easier to just rinse them and throw them in a pot when you're hungry and in a rush.

I keep both on hand. The canned beans are a back up in case I need some in a hurry. I'd also recommend checking out the Happy Herbivore books, most if not all recipes can be made in under 30 minutes, and the recipes are usually only a few servings which can be handy if you're only cooking for one. If you'd like more variety vs eating the same thing for a few days you could also batch cook up a few different recipes and freeze a portion of them for later or just to have on hand for nights you can't be fussed to cook.

SWellz

I love black beans. I just made some last night. Sautee onions and peppers, once they are soft add some canned black beans and frozen corn. Season with cumin/chili powder/crushed red pepper if you like it spicy, some lemon juice, and throw in tomato towards the end. Let it simmer so the fluid cooks off.

rainbowbow

lentils, tortilla soup, beans and rice, roasted veggies/potatoes, grilled cheese w/fried egg, pasta, etc.?

ARGriffy

Omlettes!!!!

aportz

My dayghter is a vegetarian. When we want to go easy, we pop a morningstar farms griller in the toaster. Serve on whole wheat sandwich thin with lettuce tomato and a slice of avacado. Yummy and soooo easy. You also can't beat a baked potato topped with cottage cheese and cherry tomatoes.

mpat81

Tofu and vegetable stir fry with rice, Spinach pie.

Queenmunchy

Soup, stew, chili, curry in single serving frozen portions.

cavewoman15

I make big batches of food and freeze it then I can take out 2-3 servings of a couple different dishes for the week. Chili, curry, tortilla soup, rice and beans, and spaghetti sauce are in my normal rotation. I also like enchiladas and quesadillas and I prep salads and then throw them together. For me.. speed is key! I also love breakfast tacos. I don't mess around with prepackaged stuff. It's totally possible with a little sunday prep.

jeebieheebies

I am vegan and in college and in Montreal!! Hope this helps! I think the first time I make dishes it takes me awhile because I don't know which order to do things, have to keep referring to recipe, don't know what exactly to prep and how long things will take, am unsure, etc. So I really recommend, on nights you have some extra time (like 40 mins), you go through a new recipe. Then when you want to make it again, it will take 30 minutes. And you can keep cutting down the time, and also learn which ingredients are ok to substitute out, and be more estimating with the measurements, because you get familiar with how you want the end product to be.

These recipes are all flexible and really forgiving. Too dry, add some water. And everything is supposed to be mushy so don't worry about overcooking. Also really good for making extra portions for tomorrow's lunch/dinner.

1. Chilli -- Put quinoa in water, boil water. While boiling, cut sweet potatoes and carrots, throw in same pot. Add chili powder, a lil cumin, salt, something to make it spicy if you want (cayenne, red pepper flakes, hot pepper cut up). About 2-3 mins from the veggies being to your softness-liking, add canned (drained and rinsed) black beans (and kidney beans if you have them!). Mix together and keep boiling until most of the water is absorbed into quinoa or evaporated. It will thicken a bit while it sits. This takes me about 20 mins from start to end.
Good recipe to base it off of : http://www.simple-veganista.com/2013/03/sweet-potato-quinoa-chili.html

2. Curry -- I'm bad at Indian food cooking, and this probably isn't authentic at all, but whatever! Do the same process as above, but use red lentils instead of quinoa. Use sweet potatoes and carrots (also cauliflower is good). Don't add black beans. For spices -- garam masala (cheap Indian spice, it'll be at your normal grocery store), cumin, something spicy, tumeric. If you have coconut milk on hand use that (but it is high-calorie so I usually skip it, but it is tasty). I also add in coconut flour. Add a bit of almond or cashew milk to make it a bit creamier and opaque looking. Cook some rice at the same time and serve the curry on top. This takes me 25 mins from start to end.
Recipe: http://detoxinista.com/2014/08/vegan-lentil-sweet-potato-curry/

3. Mashed potatoes -- Might be obvious, but I've been sooo into them lately. Make about 300-400 cals worth of any white potato. Add a tiny bit of almond/cashew milk to make it easier to mash. Mix with salt and a generous amount of nutritional yeast (~80 cals). Ends up being a huge serving and so filling and warm and comforting!!

4. Rice noodle dish --- SO EASY AND FAST though not as tasty. Get big pot, put into it chopped veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms, snap peas, bok choi, zuchinni...basically whatever you have on hand. Cut up and put into the water the ones that take longest to cook first (usually carrots). Once it is all in the pot, add some veg buillion, and then about 300 cal of rice noodles (dirt cheap, I buy mine at the dollar store). Noodles take about 1-2 mins to cook. Dump all into a giant bowl. Top w siracha. EAT LIKE A KING -- takes like 15 mins.

For a treat ....
5. Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine 1tbsp ground flax seeds w/ 3 tbsp water - whisk and set aside. Take a very brown and spotty banana, mash it with a fork in a bowl. Add vanilla and cinnamon. Add a tablespoon or two of almond/cashew milk. Add the flax seed mixture. Add a few tablespoons of rolled oats. Add whole wheat flour until it makes a wet batter. Add in frozen berries (or fresh, but frozen are cheaper and I always have them on hand). Add to cupcake tins -- this usually makes me 2 to 4. Make in same cup as flax seeds : coconut oil or vegan butter (about 1tsp), and add brown sugar until it gets crumbly -- combine with some cinnamon, nutmeg, a few oats, and sprinkle on top of muffins. Bake until it is a texture you like -- 20-25 mins or so. These are really sweet from the topping, the banana, and the berries! Like surprisingly sweet and delicious, with healthy ingredients! Also an EXTREMELY forgiving recipe and you basically can't go wrong with any combination of these things hahaha. Could probably also whisk this in a mug and make it a mug cake in like 2 mins (I don't have a microwave at home and never tried this, but 95% sure it would work fine).

Really hope you find these helpful and let me know if you have any questions!!



Oh one more basic one is veggie soup. Usually starts w sauteeing onions and garlic, then add a harmonious veg/legume/grain combo (kale+tomatos+chickpeas ;; spinach + yellow squash + corn + rice , green lentils + celery + carrots + leek .... etc). Add the veggie broth into the water. Choose a part of the world for your spices (Indian, Thai, Italian, Southern US, etc). I eat with toast dunked in! ^_^

ElizabethOakes2

When I lived alone, I had one of the little personal crockpots and would toss in rice, veggies, beans, lentils etc, before I went to work. Instant hot noms when I got home. Leftovers freeze well and can be pulled out and microwaved for a quick hot meal later. (I lived in the mountains where it snowed a lot and hot food was a MUST).

My favorite:
1 cup green lentils (I think they're called French Lentils?)
chopped onion
chopped garlic
frozen green beans
And whatever I had fresh in the fridge- I lived in the mountains so it was often limited. Winter it usually came down to broccoli and zucchini.
I'd throw in a bunch of seasonings, just whatever I had on hand, and when I came back that evening, hot lentil soup! I'd top it with nonfat yogurt for a little extra creamy flavor.

klove808

Soups and sandwiches and stir fried rice .... All different flavor a and concoctions, whatever is in the fridge. And I usually make a batch of rice blended with quinoa at the beginning of the week to use throughout.

samgamgee

When I was vegan I liked to fry up chickpeas with onion, garlic, spinach and plenty of harissa paste. Meat free bolognese is easy to batch cook.