Me, a vegetarian = ALL THE CARBS AND DAIRY

OliveSalt

I would love to link up with any fellow vegetarians who find themselves just eating some form of bread and cheese for every meal. Anyone have any daily meal suggestions that do not include heaps of carbs smothered in dairy?

AnnPT77

One of my favorites is an Ezekiel tortilla with mustard, thin-sliced onion, smoked tofu, and I do use a bit of cheese (but that's optional). Heat that, then add some raw sauerkraut. Fold over, and eat.

Earlier today, I ate some red-lentil spaghetti with spinach, roasted cauliflower, chopped onion, spaghetti sauce. I added a bit of parmesan, but again, that's optional. Some browned tempeh would be good in it, too, for more protein.

Do you eat eggs? Right now, I'm eating a pumpkin custard/puff made with canned pumpkin, some lowfat cottage cheese (yeah, I know, dairy), eggs, sage, onions, garlic, all mixed together then baked. It's kind of airy/light in texture, but tasty.

I like edamame fettuccine mixed with stir-fried veggies, with a sauce made from almond or peanut powder (semi-defatted), chile sauce, and rice wine vinegar. Vary the sauce by subbing miso for chile sauce. To the sauce, add whatever seasonings you like, such as minced garlic, grated ginger root, chopped scallions, etc. A bit of toasted sesame oil is good, if I have the calories. Sometimes I like to top with minced raw sweet onion.

Another option is "creamy" soup made by blending sweet potato or Winter squash with silken tofu, white beans, some unsalted pepitas or sunflower seeds if you have the calories, onions, garlic and seasonings (something with a bit of kick, like ground chipotle peppers, is nice; or smoked paprika).

Black bean & sweet potato tacos are tasty, maybe with some roasted sweet corn, onions, and tomatillo salsa?

ETA: There's nothing wrong with high-nutrient-density foods that have some carbs, IMO. Many vegetarian protein sources - like beans and other legumes - have carbs. They're also full of great nutrition. If carbs were doom to weight management, I'd still be obese, like I was for around 3 decades until 5 years ago, instead of thin like I've been for 5 years. If carbs were doom to health, I'd still have high blood pressure and high cholesterol/triglycerides like I did when I was obese, instead of healthy levels now. Carbs are not the devil. IMO, neither is dairy, but admittedly some people are sensitive to it or intolerant. I seem to tolerate it quite well. I know not everyone is so lucky. I think I could get decent nutrition without dairy, but I don't particularly want to.

OliveSalt

Thanks for the reply. I dont think carbs and dairy are essentially bad things either, I just am super aware of the patterns I fall into when I go to make dinner every night. Starch and cheese sound amazing when I'm hungry, but feel terrible when I'm full.

AnnPT77

OliveSalt wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. I dont think carbs and dairy are essentially bad things either, I just am super aware of the patterns I fall into when I go to make dinner every night. Starch and cheese sound amazing when I'm hungry, but feel terrible when I'm full.

My experience is that it's hard for me to get enough protein if I over-rely on most grain-based starches plus cheese. There are a few somewhat protein-efficient cheeses, but most are relatively high in fat for the amount of protein. The grains, though they have a role in good nutrition, are relatively high in carbs (even if high-fiber complex carbs) for the amount of protein. Though I eat both, overdoing either tends to use up calories before I hit my desired protein goal (100g daily, in maintenance). Nuts and seeds are nice, too, but have that same "high fat for amount of protein" profile.

On the dairy side, I tend to use proportionately more plain nonfat Greek yogurt, nonfat milk, cottage cheese, and include smaller amounts of cheese (I do eat some daily - tasty!). Usually the basis of meals is legumes (including things like chickpea, lentil, pea or edamame pasta) or soy foods (regular tofu, smoked tofu, tempeh, primarily, in my case), as the primary protein component, with maybe some cheese as a pleasant add in, as in the meals I suggested.

I'm not a huge bread person, generally. Most of the time, I'd prefer to include heaps of veggies in a meal (even frozen ones at times) vs. something like rice or bread (just a taste/satiation preference on my part). I don't enjoy most faux meats, nor protein powder/bars, so I don't eat them. Again, that's taste preference, not that I think there's anything wrong with them in theory. Many vegetarians use seitan regularly, and it's a potential good protein source, but I've never quite found a happy niche for it in my eating, so I rarely buy it.

It also helps to use tasty things in other roles that have some protein, like the peanut/almond powders, nutritional yeast, miso, and that sort of thing. That's also where small portions of nuts and seeds come in, for me, too: Adding some crunch, some MUFA/PUFA and Omega-3 fats, some rich flavor, with a tiny bit more protein riding along.

Have you been a vegetarian for long? I found that it took me a while at first to find a happy groove that got me good variety, plenty of protein, and that I enjoyed. (I've been vegetarian for going on 47 years, so there's been time for some adaptation. 😉)

Best wishes, and bon appetit!

AshHeartsJesus

Check out running on plants on youtube she has lots of yummy ideas and I am not a veggie or vegan 😄 She taught me I could sautee my onions and veggies in just a little bit of water it is great for me because my gallbladder is weak and to much oil really bothers it.

LORD JESUS bless 💟

OliveSalt

Ive been a vegetarian for 16 years now, and honestly the reason why I havent sought out a better balance until now is because Im pretty content just having the relish tray . I'm a low maintenence veggie...

AnnPT77

OliveSalt wrote: »

Ive been a vegetarian for 16 years now, and honestly the reason why I havent sought out a better balance until now is because Im pretty content just having the relish tray . I'm a low maintenence veggie...

Take it from a li'l ol' lady (who has a few scars): Sooner or later, it's pretty likely that nutrition will become important. Sometimes, nutrition a few years ago suddenly becomes important, but there's no fixing it retroactively. 🤷‍♀️

CinnamonSnap

OliveSalt wrote: »

I would love to link up with any fellow vegetarians who find themselves just eating some form of bread and cheese for every meal. Anyone have any daily meal suggestions that do not include heaps of carbs smothered in dairy?

Hi, I am pescatarain I am also trying to figure out how to avoid carbs and a bunch of dairy lol I would like to let you know that most cheeses are not vegetarian such as cheddar, parmesan etc I only found this out a short while ago and it really surprised me, a lot of cheeses are made with animal rennet which is taken from an animals stomach lining.. it can be really hard to not eat a bunch of dairy and bread I've found it helps to add a lot of things like avocado, eggs, and veggies. One of my personal favorites breakfast is scrabbled eggs with a bunch of veggies tossed in its really helped me I wish u luck 😁

AnnPT77

skye9916 wrote: »

OliveSalt wrote: »

I would love to link up with any fellow vegetarians who find themselves just eating some form of bread and cheese for every meal. Anyone have any daily meal suggestions that do not include heaps of carbs smothered in dairy?

Hi, I am pescatarain I am also trying to figure out how to avoid carbs and a bunch of dairy lol I would like to let you know that most cheeses are not vegetarian such as cheddar, parmesan etc I only found this out a short while ago and it really surprised me, a lot of cheeses are made with animal rennet which is taken from an animals stomach lining.. it can be really hard to not eat a bunch of dairy and bread I've found it helps to add a lot of things like avocado, eggs, and veggies. One of my personal favorites breakfast is scrabbled eggs with a bunch of veggies tossed in its really helped me I wish u luck 😁

These days, it's often on the labels (whether it's animal rennet or not, I mean). There's a good local maker here who sells at my favorite farmers market, uses only vegetarian-friendly rennet.

CinnamonSnap

AnnPT77 wrote: »

skye9916 wrote: »

OliveSalt wrote: »

I would love to link up with any fellow vegetarians who find themselves just eating some form of bread and cheese for every meal. Anyone have any daily meal suggestions that do not include heaps of carbs smothered in dairy?

Hi, I am pescatarain I am also trying to figure out how to avoid carbs and a bunch of dairy lol I would like to let you know that most cheeses are not vegetarian such as cheddar, parmesan etc I only found this out a short while ago and it really surprised me, a lot of cheeses are made with animal rennet which is taken from an animals stomach lining.. it can be really hard to not eat a bunch of dairy and bread I've found it helps to add a lot of things like avocado, eggs, and veggies. One of my personal favorites breakfast is scrabbled eggs with a bunch of veggies tossed in its really helped me I wish u luck 😁

These days, it's often on the labels (whether it's animal rennet or not, I mean). There's a good local maker here who sells at my favorite farmers market, uses only vegetarian-friendly rennet.

That's really cool and yes it often doesn't tell you whether it's made with animal rennet or not thats why I've started researching the cheeses and brand before I but them 😊 at my local farmers market they don't sell any vegetarian cheese sadly I would love to buy some tho its always nice to buy from local companies.

33gail33

I cut out bread for breakfast by putting half a cup of black beans, with chopped spinach (and sometimes another vegetable) with two eggs and scramble it. I eat that almost every day, usually with an avocado with lime juice on the side. I open a can of black beans and keep them in the fridge to use all week.
Thats one meal anyway.

OliveSalt

33gail33 wrote: »

I cut out bread for breakfast by putting half a cup of black beans, with chopped spinach (and sometimes another vegetable) with two eggs and scramble it. I eat that almost every day, usually with an avocado with lime juice on the side. I open a can of black beans and keep them in the fridge to use all week.
Thats one meal anyway.

Thats my go-to weekend breakfast! I love it!