Vegetarian Diets

Tigz

I'm a vegetarian, not by choice, it makes me very ill if i ingest fish or meat, even cooking vege items were meat has been makes me ill =s.

therefor a live on a hell of alot of cheese and eggs and pastas.
Can anyone suggest some healthy meals??

Thanks

jolene1

I'm not a vegetarian...but I'm not much of a meat person either. I would love to hear some ideas from our fellow MFP friends.

lighttekkie

I don't know if its the most healthy veg dish, but I have issues with some meats too and have been experimenting. I take a can each of blackbeans, corn and tomatoes fry them up with taco seasoning (I don't use oil just the water the seasoning requires and try to find the can of each with as little salt as possible). While that's going I put in 2 cups of wild and brown rice blend in the rice cooker. Once everything is done I combine them all. I usually put them all in a tortilla (or sometimes in a bowl). If I'm feeling adventurous a little soy cheddar cheese is added. I love the whole grain ancient grains tortillas from Demptster's (9 grams fiber). Try a few veg and vegan cookbooks at the library. They are a huge help!

bjberry

How about this web site:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Healthy-Cooking/Low-Fat/Main-Dishes/Vegetarian/Main.aspx
Their veggie burgers and the toppings for them sounded good.
Enjoy.

dragonfly__

Beans are a good source of protein. Black, pinto, garbonzo etc. Also, don't forget your veggies and fruits and well as other dairy possibilities like yogurt.

robinsonmsn

Check out Kevin from the Renegade Health Show or Gillian McKeith from You Are What You Eat.. The both have great books.

cmurphy04722

I'm a strict vegetarian so I don't eat eggs or dairy. All this for health reasons also, casein (dairy protein) gives me headaches. I was really upset at first because I loved cheese but now I'm off the addiction (hehe no really, casein has opioid qualities or something, actually addictive) and feel really good. I work out regularly and eat lots.

Here are some websites to check out recipes:

http://www.goveg.com/

http://www.theppk.com/

http://www.vegcooking.com/

http://www.recipezaar.com/ (can search for vegetarian recipes)

http://www.eatingwell.com/ (again, search for veg stuff)

And there are lots, lots more!

Some breakfast ideas: sweet quinoa, oatmeal, scrambled tofu, wheat toast with peanut butter, veg pancakes, etc.

Snack ideas: veggies with hummus or other dip, chips and salsa, raw fruits/veggies, trail mix, baked sweet potato fries, etc.

Lunch ideas: bean salad, salad in general, sandwiches with fake meat and veggies, and dinner leftovers hehe

Dinner ideas: veggie burger, pasta with veggies and tomato sauce, roasted tofu with crispy kale and shredded coconut over brown rice (mmmm), veg pizza (no cheese for me), quesadillas, tacos (fake chicken or beans with taco seasoning, layered in with chopped tomatoes and spinach, maybe some cheese (I use Daiya fake cheese), onions, etc.), tostadas, roasted veggie quinoa, Thai food (most Asian foods, I'm just a huge Thai fan), etc.

There are tons of recipes out there, find what works for you!

silican

I'm a vegetarian and I travel a lot for work and so eat out usually. But when I'm home, I make this Power wrap for breakfast.

Mash up half a banana and some berries.
Mix it with little Granola and dried cranberries
Heat a corn tortilla and spread a little fat free cream cheese
add the banana filling and drizzle of honey and roll it up.

That keeps me full for a good 4-5 hours.

jackierogers

I am mostly vegetarian. We eat a lot of stir frys with tofu or tempeh, and cook a lot of other ethnic (esp Asian) food. I also keep multiple cans of beans in the pantry so that we can make burritos and taco salad (with beans, onions, fresh peppers, salsa, lettuce, tortilla chips). We also do a lot of crock pot soups with beans and/or lentils. Grilled veggie sandwiches are great too.

velvetechos

Just be careful with sodium when you're eating fake meats - I was shocked by how much sodium is packed into things like Boca burgers!

I was a vegetarian for a number of years, and now I'm just "low-meat" (got pregnant craved chicken, what can I say? :P have a 6 month old now, and while I don't *not* eat meat I don't eat much of it, and don't do red meat at all).

Greek yoghurt w/berries is a favourite of mine. I also love peanut butter with apples (just watch the serving size - peanut butter is very healthy but packs in the calories. I opt for unsweetened/all natural)

One of my favourite dishes is vegetarian chili I get a can of spicy chili beans and a can of black beans, mix them together. Add some chunks of onion, carrots, green bell peppers, tomatoes, pretty much whatever veg you think would go in there. I cook until the veggies are tender (added the bell pepper last, because I like those slightly undercooked) and then serve with a bit of cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. It's cheap and easy and leaves tons of leftovers as well!

jodi_bannister

These recipes sound great even if you aren't a vegetarian. Yummy!!!

lighttekkie

Someone suggested Amy's to me yesterday. They even have a diet plan (though I'm not sure how sustainable it is and I'm sure expensive), their plan is similar to Jenny Craig or Nutra Systems. They even have vegan entrees, I think they try to use as little preservatives as possible. I also hear everything is organic and vegetarian... they are frozen dinners so you might want to check the salt content and such... but I'm going to try a few of the frozen entrees for the days where I work both jobs... would be very nice! www.amys.com

Tigz

Thanks for all the great advise guys =]