Need some vegetarian lunch ideas

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kcdrake
kcdrake Posts: 512
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm trying to come up with a meal plan for when I get back from NY. I'm sure no matter how good I do I'm going to have a ton of sodium and other bad stuff in me. I'm putting myself on a no meat, low sodium diet when I get back to help get the bad stuff out and help get rid of my cravings. Please don't lecture me on anything, I'm doing a short term thing that works for me and keeps me within my calorie goals.

I have my breakfasts, snacks, and dinners planned out. Breakfast generally consists of eggs, fruit, and some sort of bread with peanut butter. Snacks are generally fruit and yogurt. Dinner will be red beans and rice (made on the first day and then leftovers). My problem is I don't know what to do for lunch. Usually I do something like Morningstar when I do my "detox" but I really don't want the sodium that comes with those.

Can anybody suggest something that would be good for lunches? I figure I'm already getting a good amount of starch with the rice at dinner, so I don't want to do anything too heavy on starch. What I really want is something with protein and is filling. I've eaten tofu before, but I've never cooked it myself and I feel like that would be expensive for someone who will have been without work for 2.5 weeks. But I could be wrong... I've never bought it.

Replies

  • badrianne
    badrianne Posts: 101
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    sorry i don't have any specific suggestions. i am in the process of transitioning meat out of my diet. i may still eat fish once in a blue moon, however. maybe you could check out vegcooking.com. they have have a ton a recipes and could possibly give you some ideas.
  • roylawrence87
    roylawrence87 Posts: 970 Member
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    Ive always just snacked through work on almonds, though this can get kinda pricey. But this only works on the light days. If you are out and about, McDonalds side salads are a dollar and I usually eat 3 to 4. Or pack a salad. Done that too. Other than Boca or Morningstar, I'm fresh out of ideas!
  • AutumnPEagleston
    AutumnPEagleston Posts: 1
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    Avocados would be good. I like to dice a tomato and avocado together and eat it.
    The avocado is filling and packed with good stuff and good fat that helps a body feel full longer.
  • Leaf
    Leaf Posts: 5
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    How about hummus in a pita pocket with shredded carrots and baby greens. That works for me.
  • kellycrow
    kellycrow Posts: 140
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    I love to have tomato sandwiches. Just whole grain bread, vegenaise (i am vegan so regular mayo won't cut it), tomato and then either sprouts or avocado. YUMMY!! And this is portable - just package the tomato by itself and build the sandwich when ready to eat!

    Also, try a wrap with hummus, cucumber and tomato slices.

    Cedar's has a great edamame salad (45mg sodium) and a fantastic chickpea salad (110 mg sodium). I get it at my local BJs and haven't seen it anywhere else but maybe you can find it... I bring one or the other to putlucks when I don't have time to cook and it is always a hit!!

    I hope this helps. I have honestly never felt better since removing meat and dairy from my diet! My digestion is sooooo much better now!! Good luck and I hope removing meat helps you feel better and work with your weight loss goals!!

    Kelly
  • amelia_atlantic
    amelia_atlantic Posts: 926 Member
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    100 calorie everything bagel
    1/2 avocado
    1 slice of swiss cheese
    tomato
    lettuce

    Or 100 calorie sandwich thin
    hummus
    tomato
    cuke slices
    lettuce
    raw tofu
    salt and pepper

    Quick and easy!
  • skdilks
    skdilks Posts: 1
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    Tofu is actually not pricy - I can occasionally find it for $1/box (14 oz), and generally not more than $2. Given that you can get 3 or 4 good servings out of a brick, that's pretty good. This page has good instructions on how to make marinated baked tofu, which is great tossed in salads or pita sandwiches or whatever http://www.ehow.com/how_2102570_bake-marinated-tofu.html - time intensive but not hard. The most important step is getting as much of the water out of the tofu as you can. I like to wrap the brick in paper towels, set it on a plate with raised edges, then set another plate with a heavy can or bottle on top of that to hurry the process up a little. Good luck!
  • gibbal
    gibbal Posts: 1
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    I eat a chobani yogurt and an apple, sometimes with some soy crisps or baby carrots for crunch-- it gets me through a day of work without craving/snacking!
  • pinbotchick
    pinbotchick Posts: 3,904
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    Make your own peanut butter by grinding up until as smooth as you want it and eat on apple slices.

    Joseph pita bread (60 cal) with sprouts, lettuce, tomato, avocado, cucumber, spicy mustard, etc.
  • shmilla
    shmilla Posts: 19
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    A couple of my favorite things: Pastaless Primavera - chop and steam some fresh vegetables and add 1/2 cup of your favorite tomato sauce. Or take Trader Joe's eggplant and zucchini and top it with tomato sauce if you're in a hurry. I also add half a bag of spinach to a can of vegetable soup to up the calories and the nutrition. My very favorite lunch is a banana and 2T of peanut or almond butter and a cup of almond milk. All fast and easy and packable in a cooler.
  • tcac
    tcac Posts: 211 Member
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    I am a vegetarian and refer to 2 sites a lot of ideas the first is Allrecipes and the secong is Wholefoods. They have so many great ideas. One of my favorites is using eggplant as a pizza crust you just add sauce and cheese which is you protein. I also like Subway I get a veggie hoagie which includes spinach and every veggie they have. I use the fat free sweet onion dressing. The 12" is only $5.00 and it lasts me 2 days. I also eat a lot of spinach salad and I put nuts and dried fruit in it so there is plenty of protein.
    Hope this is helpful, but look up those sites. Wholefoods is a grocery store but when you get on their site you will find a recipe section. My youngest daughter is getting married this summer and has made every meal from their site and loves it.
    linda
  • scotty_81
    scotty_81 Posts: 59
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    I am a vegetarian who doesn't eat much tofu so I can't answer that question for you especially as I am in the UK!

    I tend to have left over dinners for lunch the next day or soup, jacket potato and baked beans. A couple of really good recipes for left overs are these:

    http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/11682/potato-spring-onion-dill-and-cheese-frittata

    http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/9795/mushroom-and-rice-onepot

    and if you want some more ideas there are some here http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/search.do?filterItem=dietFat&keywords=&y=4&x=12&filters=cal2&filters=dietVegetarian
  • foxyforce
    foxyforce Posts: 3,078 Member
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    i am just starting to learn how versatile salads are

    i mix greens with:

    fruit
    any kind of nut
    any kind of veggie

    for example, i am obsessed with putting orange chunks in my salad with almonds...or blueberries...or grapes and walnuts....so delicious!

    also...if you are down with proteins that aren't meat persay, eggs, tuna, cheese...mmmmm
  • Lisamarie1226
    Lisamarie1226 Posts: 335 Member
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    My new favorite thing right now is the Morningstar Farms CHIPOTLE spicy black bean burger... O....M....G!!!!! So yummy! I had lap band surgery in '08, so some meats are kind of hit or miss; the same thing with bread. So, I heat mine up and sprinkle a bit of feta on top for an extra kick without adding the calories of regular cheese (no bread for me but I did try those sandwuch thins, those are good too!). I can only eat half (one patty is 1/4 lbs and has 17 g of protein!!).

    I also recently fell in love with edamame. I sprinkle a tad of garlic salt and lemon and herb seasoning after I've steamed it...

    I love sauting zuccini and squash and mushrooms.... Sometimes I make chicken with it, other times I just find myself filling up on the veggies!

    I'm not a vegiterian, but I really just don't eat a ton of meat.

    Good luck!!!
  • slim4lyf
    slim4lyf Posts: 33 Member
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    Here is the wholefoods website for you, might help. One of my daughters converted to vegetarian a few years ago, and since she is pre diabetic, she takes medicines that counter react with soyfoods. Too much Soy is not healthy, you need to watch that. There are many great recipes and websited outthere, just google vegetarian or vegan and you most likely have more than you can handle without having to rely on frozen foods.
    Just make sure you have one protein with every meal, and that is straight from her Nutritionist. One of my favorites is grilled vegetables , especially Portabella Mushrooms. Tastes like beef if you ask me :-). (and we do eat meat in this Household, but cut down on Beef).


    http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/
  • jbwegner
    jbwegner Posts: 254 Member
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    Ummm, edamame is so good!

    Here is my favorite soup recipe. It is soooo easy, yummy, and healthy!

    1. 3 cans of any kind of bean-black, red, pinto, kidney...use a variety. (rinse them to get rid of salt). You could also use dried beans and cook them beforehand.

    2. 1 can of corn (again, rinse)

    3. 2 cans of diced tomatoes (get low salt)

    4. 1 packet of taco seasoning

    5. 1 packet of ranch salad dressing dry mix

    6. You may need to add some water to get the consistency you prefer.

    Put everything in a big pot, heat, stir and serve!

    **We don't do packet seasonings anymore, so now I use garlic powder, red pepper, cumin, and fresh cilantro. Still yummy, but not quite as seasoned. Haven't figured out how to replicate those flavors yet.

    This is super fast, filling, easy, and lasts for days....
  • slim4lyf
    slim4lyf Posts: 33 Member
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    You got the calories per serving by any chance? Sounds really good !
  • TheMaidOfAstolat
    TheMaidOfAstolat Posts: 3,222 Member
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    Check out www.vegweb.com it is full of recipes! I love this site.

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