Vegan foods/meal prep suggestions????

xvhailey
xvhailey Posts: 15 Member
edited November 21 in Food and Nutrition
I've recently went fully plant based and i want to hear from vegans only about the types of foods and meals they eat throughout the week. I've been eating mostly vegetables, fruits and pastas. I just feel I'm more snacking here and there rather than eating meals. I get most of my protein from protein shakes and smoothies

Replies

  • xvhailey
    xvhailey Posts: 15 Member
    edited August 2017
    Awesome, thank you!
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
    Sorry i'm not a vegan, but I LOVE vegan food! Sweet Earth Curry Tiger Burritos are really really good (even done in the microwave!!!) and could make a quick and healthy lunch/dinner in a pinch.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    <-- Not a vegan at the moment.


    I love all things lentil!
    Here is a recipe for a lentil burger
    http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/foolproof-mega-lentil-burger/
  • Skipjack66
    Skipjack66 Posts: 102 Member
    @janejellyroll can you please share your seitan recipe? I made it once and it turned out terrible. My family couldn't stand it either so I threw out the whole thing. I was scared off after because it tasted so bad. I think I may have ruined it because I used besan flour instead of chickpea flour? However I'm really missing the Gardein beefless tips for stirfrys and fajitas. Gardein stopped supplying Canada with this product last year, and I have no substitutes!! Thanks!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Skipjack66 wrote: »
    @janejellyroll can you please share your seitan recipe? I made it once and it turned out terrible. My family couldn't stand it either so I threw out the whole thing. I was scared off after because it tasted so bad. I think I may have ruined it because I used besan flour instead of chickpea flour? However I'm really missing the Gardein beefless tips for stirfrys and fajitas. Gardein stopped supplying Canada with this product last year, and I have no substitutes!! Thanks!

    I have several that I like. Overall, I find that steaming it produces better results (for me) than boiling. Here is one of my favorites: http://www.food.com/recipe/steamed-white-seitan-fake-chicken-or-pork-446028
  • shipleyamye
    shipleyamye Posts: 54 Member
    The Veganomicon is an excellent resource. The Mediterranean Lima Beans are out of this world good. This veggie burger is the best I have ever tried http://ohsheglows.com/2011/07/13/our-perfect-veggie-burger/
  • BYRobinson777
    BYRobinson777 Posts: 2 Member
    I follow a plant based diet as well and find the Pinterest is the best and Google. In both just put in whatever you like and put vegan in front of it and recipes will pop up. Trial and error will teach you what works well with what you like. That was he easiest way for me to get variety and ideas. I didn't read all the other posts so sorry if this is a repeat. Oh and you can Google meal plans as well.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited August 2017
    I have some awesome vegan meals that I found on Pinterest...my favorite I think is coconut curried lentils and potatoes with roasted cauliflower...

    I also like black bean burgers to change things up from time to time...from my beef burgers...

    Not a vegan, but I do enjoy quite a bit of vegan food...I do lots of things with beans and lentils.
  • hoffman2300
    hoffman2300 Posts: 104 Member
    I'm an aspiring vegan and most of my meals would easily fall into the vegan category. A few things I do:
    1. huge salads
    2. lots of rice and beans in various combinations.
    3. buddha bowls with rice and all sorts of veggies and tofu
    4. Tasty Bites has packaged Indian Food and a lot of their varieties are vegetarian.
    5. Stir fries with veggies, tofu noodles (or any other form of tofu)
    6. Veggie burgers - Trader Joe's has two new varieties (broccoli/cauliflower and carrot/pea) that are good and you can eat the whole package for only 200 calories!
  • Aubrie_Johnson
    Aubrie_Johnson Posts: 1 Member
    Thanks for posting this ! I do fruit smoothies in the morning with plant based protein, hemp & chia seeds, homemade nut butters, coconut milk. Lunches are prodominately large salads with dried fruit/nuts/homemade dressings or leftovers. Dinners I do a lot of corn tortillas with different mixes of rice, beans, grilled peppers/onions/veggies ... added in guac / hummus. I'm OBSESSED with edamame noodles - mixed that up with almond milk/veggie broth and any veggies/seasonings you want - amazing!

    I have a HARD time hitting my protein macros and going over carb macros as a vegan. I've been contemplating adding chicken back in, but have been trying to exhaust all plant proteins I can first... I've replaced rice/noodles with veggie/quinoa based noodles.

    I welcome any thoughts/suggestions anyone has around my macro challenges!
  • gazplowm
    gazplowm Posts: 1 Member
    Aubrie, I have just started with a quest into the same problem. My reading suggests that protein should be above the average of 16-20% which I would normally get on my vegetarian meal plan. I am really struggling to raise daily protein above this % without shakes and even with them only seem to get towards 20-25%.

    Today for example I ate a peanut soup, 3 boiled eggs and a soya soup. With 2 shakes I am still only at 21% protein. I have read up and found that legumes seem to be the best source but you cant just eat legumes. I am interested to see what macro %s jane had with this typical day?
    janejellyroll wrote: »

    I only have protein shakes sometimes, typically I find beans, tempeh, seitan, and tofu more enjoyable sources of protein.

    Sample menu today:

    Breakfast: Tempeh sandwich on sourdough with vegan wasabi mayo and pickled vegetables

    Lunch: Shredded cabbage, jalapeno peppers, chile sauce, and seitan chorizo sausage

    Dinner: Elbow macaroni with pine nuts, fennel, and lemon.

    Snacks: 2 Oreos, roasted seaweed.

    Sample menu tomorrow:

    Breakfast: 2 corn tortillas, avocado-tomato salsa, seitan chorizo sausage

    Lunch: Shredded cabbage, jalapeno peppers, chile sauce, and blackberries

    Dinner: Vegan ranch dressing, shredded cabbage, mustard greens, radishes

    Snack: Peanut butter crackers

  • xtacy33
    xtacy33 Posts: 2 Member
    My family and I are a month into a mostly whole foods, plant based diet with probably a serving of shrimp and one evening of sushi since starting. My macro is 70/15/15 although I have difficulty keeping the fats down and go over most days. My protein typically reaches the 80g/day. We've found a couple books helpful in our options. As for the protein I get my extra kick from legumes daily and of course if we had tofu, tempeh, or seitan at all in that day I know the protein macro will be met. I think if your truly eating a whole food, plant based diet and leaving out the processed or bleached grains then nature will provide you with the protein you need in the calories you eat. If your adding a lot of oils or grains that have been stripped then your calories will go up without much nutritional value. Great advice on these replies and really hope you reach your goals!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    AubrieHackathorn wrote: »
    Thanks for posting this ! I do fruit smoothies in the morning with plant based protein, hemp & chia seeds, homemade nut butters, coconut milk. Lunches are prodominately large salads with dried fruit/nuts/homemade dressings or leftovers. Dinners I do a lot of corn tortillas with different mixes of rice, beans, grilled peppers/onions/veggies ... added in guac / hummus. I'm OBSESSED with edamame noodles - mixed that up with almond milk/veggie broth and any veggies/seasonings you want - amazing!

    I have a HARD time hitting my protein macros and going over carb macros as a vegan. I've been contemplating adding chicken back in, but have been trying to exhaust all plant proteins I can first... I've replaced rice/noodles with veggie/quinoa based noodles.

    I welcome any thoughts/suggestions anyone has around my macro challenges!

    What is your protein goal? As long as you're getting sufficient protein and you don't have a medical reason to limit carbohydrates, there's no reason why you can't have a higher carbohydrate vegan diet.

    When I need to boost my protein, I tend to limit things like dried fruit, tortillas, and rice and replace them with more beans, tofu, tempeh, and seitan. Although they still have some carbohydrates, they're denser in protein (like the chicken you're thinking of adding back to your diet).
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    gazplowm wrote: »
    Aubrie, I have just started with a quest into the same problem. My reading suggests that protein should be above the average of 16-20% which I would normally get on my vegetarian meal plan. I am really struggling to raise daily protein above this % without shakes and even with them only seem to get towards 20-25%.

    Today for example I ate a peanut soup, 3 boiled eggs and a soya soup. With 2 shakes I am still only at 21% protein. I have read up and found that legumes seem to be the best source but you cant just eat legumes. I am interested to see what macro %s jane had with this typical day?
    janejellyroll wrote: »

    I only have protein shakes sometimes, typically I find beans, tempeh, seitan, and tofu more enjoyable sources of protein.

    Sample menu today:

    Breakfast: Tempeh sandwich on sourdough with vegan wasabi mayo and pickled vegetables

    Lunch: Shredded cabbage, jalapeno peppers, chile sauce, and seitan chorizo sausage

    Dinner: Elbow macaroni with pine nuts, fennel, and lemon.

    Snacks: 2 Oreos, roasted seaweed.

    Sample menu tomorrow:

    Breakfast: 2 corn tortillas, avocado-tomato salsa, seitan chorizo sausage

    Lunch: Shredded cabbage, jalapeno peppers, chile sauce, and blackberries

    Dinner: Vegan ranch dressing, shredded cabbage, mustard greens, radishes

    Snack: Peanut butter crackers

    The first day I was at 178 grams of carbohydrates, 78 grams of fat, and 69 grams of protein.

    The second day I was at 103 grams of carbohydrates, 93 grams of fat, and 65 grams of protein.

    My days are all a little different because I focus on a rolling week for macros, but I'm averaging about 70 grams a day. My TDEE is about 2,220 calories so I find it easier to focus on grams for protein and fat rather than percentages.

    Legumes are a great source of protein, but I find that tofu, seitan, and tempeh are also fantastic ways to boost my protein intake.
  • Skipjack66
    Skipjack66 Posts: 102 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Skipjack66 wrote: »
    @janejellyroll can you please share your seitan recipe? I made it once and it turned out terrible. My family couldn't stand it either so I threw out the whole thing. I was scared off after because it tasted so bad. I think I may have ruined it because I used besan flour instead of chickpea flour? However I'm really missing the Gardein beefless tips for stirfrys and fajitas. Gardein stopped supplying Canada with this product last year, and I have no substitutes!! Thanks!

    I have several that I like. Overall, I find that steaming it produces better results (for me) than boiling. Here is one of my favorites: http://www.food.com/recipe/steamed-white-seitan-fake-chicken-or-pork-446028

    Thank you!!!
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