Help needed!

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emmabakercooke
emmabakercooke Posts: 37
in Recipes
I need some urgent inspiration!
I'm veggi, and I really need some good recipies/ meal ideas for vegi food under or around 300 cals, but it has to have no mushrooms! I hate the damn things!
Please give me some ideas, I'm really stuck :(
Thank you xxx
«1

Replies

  • Aged_Lace
    Aged_Lace Posts: 1 Member
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    I generally have a nice salad for lunch and dinner ... generally using whatever veggies I have in my fridge at the time. The basic salad is:

    Romaine
    grape tomatoes
    mini cucumbers
    green onions
    radishes
    [whatever other veggies you like / have on hand]

    then I make my own dressing using red wine vinegar and whatever healthy oil I have on hand; season as desired.

    Variations: top with seeds / nuts / cheese / fruit / olives or a combination thereof.

    While the base salad is pretty much the same, it can also be varied sufficiently depending upon what veggies and/or toppings you add, or even what kind of dressing you use.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
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    Lentils! Great source of protein and they taste like whatever you cook them in so you can get creative. I love this recipe:

    Lemony Ginger Red Lentils

    2 tablespoons coconut oil
    1/2 large onion, diced
    3 carrots, peeled and chopped
    3 stalks of celery, peeled and chopped
    1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
    3 cloves of garlic, minced
    2 tablespoons of fresh grated ginger
    3-4 tablespoons of lemon juice
    2 teaspoons lemon zest
    1 1/3 cups red lentils
    1-2 teaspoons of sea salt [to taste]
    3 1/4 cups of water

    Heat the coconut oil over medium high heat and add the onions, cooking for about 8-9 minutes until they begin to cook and tenderize and then start to caramelize.

    Then add the garlic, carrots, celery, jalapeno, ginger, and lemon zest and cook for 6-7 more minutes until the veggies become soft. Add your lentils, water, and salt and bring to a boil.

    Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the lentils become tender, but not mushy. You still want them to hold their shape but be soft when you eat them. Add more water 1/4 cup at a time if needed. Stir in the lemon juice and serve over your favorite grain!



    I also like this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad to bring for lunches:

    1 (15 oz) can low sodium chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
    1/2 small red onion (I soak it in ice water while I'm preparing the salad - don't like the onion overpowering the other flavors)
    1/2 cucumber (seeded and chopped)
    3-6 plum tomatoes (chopped)
    2 TBS chopped parsley
    2 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
    1/4 cup reduced-fat feta cheese (can leave this out if you don't like feta)
    3 TBS fresh lemon juice
    2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
    1/4 tsp salt (can leave out if you're using feta since feta is pretty salty)

    In a large bowl, combine everything and toss to mix ingredients. Let stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

    Makes 4 servings (1 cup is a serving).

    Nutritional Facts:

    Calories - 160
    Carbs - 23 grams
    Fat - 6 grams
    Protein - 8 grams
    Fiber - 6 grams
    Sodium - 312 grams (if you don't add extra salt, you'll need to adjust this number)
  • emmabakercooke
    emmabakercooke Posts: 37
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    Thank you! what grain do you recommend? I only usually use rice.
    Any other filling main meal ideas out there??
    :happy:
  • hayleysuel
    hayleysuel Posts: 46 Member
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    Thank you! what grain do you recommend? I only usually use rice.
    Any other filling main meal ideas out there??
    :happy:

    Quinoa!!! :)
  • emmabakercooke
    emmabakercooke Posts: 37
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    Cool - I'll give it a try xxx
  • jlshea
    jlshea Posts: 494 Member
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    What about some sort of egg white scramle/omelet? With tomatos, potatoes, or spinach sounds good.

    A spinach salad with apples and walnuts is also good.
  • bigbyrdie
    bigbyrdie Posts: 18 Member
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    If you are really trying to lose weight, lose the rice. It is super high calorie dense. A very small amount of rice adds up to 300 calories easy, and if you are eating rice to "fill you up," then you are consuming a huge amount of calories. Good "filler" foods are broccoli, kale, cabbage, and lettuce. You can fill up on those with very few calories consumed. I am not a big fan of veggie diets, but there are a lot of soy based "meat-like" products on the market that taste good. Unfortunately, any sort of pre-packaged processed food will contain chemical preservatives, high sodium content, hidden sugars, artificial flavorings, etc. to get it to taste like "meat." Personally, I think it is better to choose high quality meat protein such as salmon, buffalo, and free range chicken. But hey, if you think the veggie thing will work for you, then go for it.
  • psmd
    psmd Posts: 764 Member
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    Go for some vegetarian chili! You can use whatever kinds of beans you like (I like black beans, chickpea and great northern mixed together), a tomato base, some spices (I like cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper, and a dash of cayenne), and add some veggies (carrots and green peppers are easy), and let it simmer over the stovetop. Healthy, filling, vegetarian, and super easy to make, and keeps well in fridge or freezer!
  • psmd
    psmd Posts: 764 Member
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    Also if you are having a hard time giving up rice, try a mixture of half rice, half quinoa (or all quinoa!), it cooks the same way as rice but it's better for you.
  • suncluster
    suncluster Posts: 539 Member
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    i make bean enchiladas quite often.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/edit/38691424

    warmed black beans and corn inside a tortilla,
    spiced generously with cumin, pepper, etc
    smothered with a 2:3 food processed mixture of marinara and salsa
    with melted cheese

    Serves 8 (1enchilada)
    215 calories each
  • emmabakercooke
    emmabakercooke Posts: 37
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    Hi,
    the chilli sounds good, I've never tried that before. Are beans low calorie then? I love beans!
    I havent had rice for quite a while, but I've never considered putting anything else with curry or dhal berfore :)
    I've been vegi for 25 years now, and I love whole food cooking, generally without soya or other meat replacements, as I dont like them. the problem is tring to find meals that are low calorie/ low carb, as everything I cook seems to have bread pasta or flour in it! I guess I'm just a carb addict!
    I've gone from 25 stone to 17, so I'm not doing too badly, but I did all that before I was dissabled, so now I need to really adjust my food. Another problem is that during my last pregnancy, most of my tastes changed, and alot of foods I used to love make me feel sick now :(
    As you can see, it's all a bit complicated and I'm bang out of ideas.
    Thank you for the sugestions so far, I'm really looking forward to trying them out :)
    I hope to see loads more yummy ideas on here!
    Onwards and downwards!
    Emma xxxx
  • emmabakercooke
    emmabakercooke Posts: 37
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    Lentils! Great source of protein and they taste like whatever you cook them in so you can get creative. I love this recipe:

    Lemony Ginger Red Lentils

    2 tablespoons coconut oil
    1/2 large onion, diced
    3 carrots, peeled and chopped
    3 stalks of celery, peeled and chopped
    1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
    3 cloves of garlic, minced
    2 tablespoons of fresh grated ginger
    3-4 tablespoons of lemon juice
    2 teaspoons lemon zest
    1 1/3 cups red lentils
    1-2 teaspoons of sea salt [to taste]
    3 1/4 cups of water

    Heat the coconut oil over medium high heat and add the onions, cooking for about 8-9 minutes until they begin to cook and tenderize and then start to caramelize.

    Then add the garlic, carrots, celery, jalapeno, ginger, and lemon zest and cook for 6-7 more minutes until the veggies become soft. Add your lentils, water, and salt and bring to a boil.

    Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the lentils become tender, but not mushy. You still want them to hold their shape but be soft when you eat them. Add more water 1/4 cup at a time if needed. Stir in the lemon juice and serve over your favorite grain!



    I also like this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad to bring for lunches:

    1 (15 oz) can low sodium chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
    1/2 small red onion (I soak it in ice water while I'm preparing the salad - don't like the onion overpowering the other flavors)
    1/2 cucumber (seeded and chopped)
    3-6 plum tomatoes (chopped)
    2 TBS chopped parsley
    2 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
    1/4 cup reduced-fat feta cheese (can leave this out if you don't like feta)
    3 TBS fresh lemon juice
    2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
    1/4 tsp salt (can leave out if you're using feta since feta is pretty salty)

    In a large bowl, combine everything and toss to mix ingredients. Let stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

    Makes 4 servings (1 cup is a serving).

    Nutritional Facts:

    Calories - 160
    Carbs - 23 grams
    Fat - 6 grams
    Protein - 8 grams
    Fiber - 6 grams
    Sodium - 312 grams (if you don't add extra salt, you'll need to adjust this number)

    Do you have a recipe link on MFP for these reipies, or would I need to input it all seperately?
    xxxx
  • csherman527
    csherman527 Posts: 1
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    you should check out PINTREST. You will find a ton of healthy and tasty recipies. It has been a lifesaver for me.
  • alfiedn
    alfiedn Posts: 425 Member
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    I love making a huge pot of chili and eating it through the week. Other ideas:

    lentil salad (hot or cold)
    cook the lentils and then chop up a bunch of veggies to put in

    I recently made a recipe for slow cooker vegan corn chowder. I decided that the portion I would normally eat is about 200 cals, but you can decide how much you would normally eat after you make it. It's so yummy!
    veggie stock
    onion
    garlic
    celery
    potato
    green beans
    corn (of course!)
    seasonings--the recipe I used recommended jalapeno, chili powder/paprika, basil, oregano. I didn't use the jalapeno and went light on the spicy. I wanted something comforting.
  • emmabakercooke
    emmabakercooke Posts: 37
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    Thank you xxx
  • emmabakercooke
    emmabakercooke Posts: 37
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    Bump! cause I still need more ideas!
  • marybethmesser88
    marybethmesser88 Posts: 2
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    There's a vegan cookbook you can order on amazon. The CHIP COOKBOOK is great. CHIP stands for continuous health improvement program. The book is authored by a cardiologist Dr. Diehl and dietitian Darlene Blaney. I've used this cookbook in coordination with the Mayo Clinic Diet book and have lost 10.5 lbs. in 5 weeks. Lots of recipes and you can expand your menu's.
    Also check out vegan Chef Jason Wrobel, he's hilarious too. Have fun.
  • loconnor466
    loconnor466 Posts: 215 Member
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    I made a yummy eggplant rollatini from skinnytaste the other night, delish!

    http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/09/best-skinny-eggplant-rollatini-with.html

    I also second and third the recommendations for quinoa! I can't believe I never had it before starting on this journey of being healthier, now it is a staple! Don't use water, use a low sodium veg broth. I also toast mine a little before adding the liquid. I also want to try a breakfast one where you use almond milk for the liquid and then add fruit.

    I also just grabbed a great cookbook called the Happy Herbivore and have been pretty happy with a couple of recipes in there
  • beerey05
    beerey05 Posts: 80 Member
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    Quick and filling--brown rice, green beans with slivered almonds, chunks of avocado with a splash of soy sauce. Yum,

    And when I meal prep I use cous cous steamed veggies and Morningstar grillers!
  • IIIIISerenityNowIIIII
    IIIIISerenityNowIIIII Posts: 425 Member
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    Mushroom hating vegetarian here, too!! :D

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