Need vegetarian high protein lunch ideas

jcarline

Hey,

I'm a vegetarian and I'm looking to change my lunch so that it is quite high in protein, I work in an office so I need something that I can either heat up in a microwave and eat cold. I have eggs for breakfast so I'm reluctant to have them for lunch as well.
I'm not allergic to nuts as such but they don't really agree with me so I steer clear!

Anybody have any ideas?

Thanks in advance

KeepRunningFatboy

Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, kale, soy beans, asparagus. Lentils, miscellaneous other beans, potatoes. Many, many sources.

Hi_hayley

I just made myself a list of the very same type of thing just this morning!

- Quinoa, black bean, peppers, corn, avocado & fresh salsa
- Quinoa fried rice with vegetables & tofu
- Spaghetti squash vegetable pad Thai with tofu
- Lentil/bean soups
- Salads with vegetables/beans
- Veggie burgers with veggies and hummus
- Sweet potato filled with veggies, beans, salsa and avocado
- Mushroom & pepper fajitas with bean, avocado & salsa
- Veggie & bean wrap with hummus

sarko15

I make a lot of lentil curries. My favorite is with chickpeas and cauliflower.

Also, sometimes I make ahead black bean and veggie enchiladas and bring a couple with me to work each day.

In a pinch, I make some quinoa, toss in some veggies, a little bit of oil and lime juice and refrigerate it and it makes a pretty good cold quinoa salad.

darkenergie

Lentil and bean soups/chilis(sometimes with textured veggie protein which adds 6g protein per serving) quick soaked soybeans(220 cals w/ 21g complete protein), adding nutritional yeast flakes in my savory dishes(9g protein per serving), and my favorite - seitan(unless you can't eat gluten, but this is probably the best protein source I've come across).

ddeliciosa

If you're not opposed to whey protein - I like to mix a scoop into my yogurt along with some fruit. It's a quick and easy high protein snack or side to your lunch.

yayamom3

A MFP user recommended this in another thread. I'm having it for lunch today. It meets all my criteria for a great recipe: Cheap Easy Nutritious Delicious

The serving size I'm having today has 9 g protein and 17% RDA for iron.

And did I mention it's delicious?!

violetta5345

Seitan, aka wheat meat. 29 g protein in 4 ounces.

Ck103084

I've been having the same issue to increase my protein while being a vegetarian. I started drinking Whey Protein with milk (which has a nice dose of protein). Good luck!!

jbirdgreen

@yayamom3 What is it? Sorry, it's not clear to me.

Teamhynes

I made Tuscan Bean Soup the other day from a Pinterest recipe. Was really good and nicely portable for work.

nerdsubtype

If you're not sensitive to gluten, Seitan (which is gluten) makes a nice base, but it isn't a complete protein (I think it's Lysine decificient). If you drink milk, consider looking into Fair Life Ultra-Pasteurized, which has 13g of (complete) protein per serving, as opposed to regular milk or soymilk which both clock in at about 7g per serving. Also, whey based protein shakes are a good source of complete protein. On days when I lift, my post workout shake consists of 1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk, 1 cup Pasteurized Egg Whites, and 1 scoop (37g) of Whey Protein Isolate. Put it in a shaker bottle or blender, give it a good jostling, and chug it. Nearly 60g of protein in there (although, if you subscribe to the "body absorption" theory, that is likely more than you need in a single serving).

And, of course, Quinoa and Soy are both complete vegetable proteins. You can also combine items to get complete proteins, such as the vegan classic Rice & Beans, or a simple Peanut Butter Sandwich (the wheat and peanuts complement each other, making a complete protein).

yayamom3

jbirdgreen wrote: »

@yayamom3 What is it? Sorry, it's not clear to me.

Oops! I forgot to paste the link. Sorry!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/curried-split-pea-soup-recipe.html

janejellyroll

nerdsubtype wrote: »

If you're not sensitive to gluten, Seitan (which is gluten) makes a nice base, but it isn't a complete protein (I think it's Lysine decificient). If you drink milk, consider looking into Fair Life Ultra-Pasteurized, which has 13g of (complete) protein per serving, as opposed to regular milk or soymilk which both clock in at about 7g per serving. Also, whey based protein shakes are a good source of complete protein. On days when I lift, my post workout shake consists of 1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk, 1 cup Pasteurized Egg Whites, and 1 scoop (37g) of Whey Protein Isolate. Put it in a shaker bottle or blender, give it a good jostling, and chug it. Nearly 60g of protein in there (although, if you subscribe to the "body absorption" theory, that is likely more than you need in a single serving).

And, of course, Quinoa and Soy are both complete vegetable proteins. You can also combine items to get complete proteins, such as the vegan classic Rice & Beans, or a simple Peanut Butter Sandwich (the wheat and peanuts complement each other, making a complete protein).

My understanding: it's a good source of lysine, but it's low in tryptophan.

Anyone who wanted to use seitan as a major source of protein could make up for the lack of tryptophan by eating chia seeds, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, flax seeds, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, tofu, tempeh, oats, beans, or lentils (in other words, things that most vegans are already eating -- and we don't require a ton of tryptophan to meet our needs either).

http://jacknorrisrd.com/seitan-a-high-lysine-food/

leanjogreen18

Can you supplement with cottage cheese or greek yogurt both high in protein.

nerdsubtype

janejellyroll wrote: »

My understanding: it's a good source of lysine, but it's low in tryptophan.

Anyone who wanted to use seitan as a major source of protein could make up for the lack of tryptophan by eating chia seeds, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, flax seeds, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, tofu, tempeh, oats, beans, or lentils (in other words, things that most vegans are already eating -- and we don't require a ton of tryptophan to meet our needs either).

http://jacknorrisrd.com/seitan-a-high-lysine-food/

I have conflicting information, but am not versed enough in nutritional science to know which is correct. It's worth looking into, though, and I appreciate your input.

http://urbanvegan.net/seitan-complete-protein/

janejellyroll

nerdsubtype wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

My understanding: it's a good source of lysine, but it's low in tryptophan.

Anyone who wanted to use seitan as a major source of protein could make up for the lack of tryptophan by eating chia seeds, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, flax seeds, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, tofu, tempeh, oats, beans, or lentils (in other words, things that most vegans are already eating -- and we don't require a ton of tryptophan to meet our needs either).

http://jacknorrisrd.com/seitan-a-high-lysine-food/

I have conflicting information, but am not versed enough in nutritional science to know which is correct. It's worth looking into, though, and I appreciate your input.

http://urbanvegan.net/seitan-complete-protein/

I'm aware the sources are mixed, but overall I've found Jack Norris to be an excellent source of information, careful in his conclusions and sourcing. I appreciate you sharing your links and information though.

cloverdaisy

Tofu & quinoa

Drueru

yah quinoa is great! Hemp seeds and chia seeds are also high protein items. I love adding hemp seeds to soup, salads and pasta!

littlechiaseed

Vegetarian chili or burritos you can diy or buy ready made I like Amy's chili and sweet earth burrritos for easy lunches and they are cheap at target. Sweet earth often has bogo coupons on their fb too

jgnatca

My first thought is tofu because it is portable and concentrated protein. You may get a silken tub and eat it like a dessert, or have extra firm cubed on a bed of veggies or in a warm broth.

Timberla82

Corn fritters and salad! Make them at the beginning of the week, eat them cold or warm them up in the microwave. 18g protein and yummo! http://www.healthyfoodguide.com.au/recipes/2014/february/corn-and-zucchini-fritters, bulk out the salad with cucumber, tomato, capsicum and a (little!) bit of avocado. That recipe serves 4 so if you're not keen on corn fritters all week, just halve it

aneedforchange

I eat alot of chickpeas and tofu which ups my protein quite a bit. I have a physical job and I feel like I'm dying otherwise lol