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Ideas needed please - vegetarian, complex carbs, low sugar meals

jesscole1986
jesscole1986 Posts: 2 Member
edited June 2018 in Recipes
Hi all,

I'm vegetarian (not vegan, fine with dairy/eggs etc, but don't eat fish) and over the last couple of years I lost 70lbs using a local trainer and calorie counting/macro counting. Over the past 6 months or so (due to various holidays/living abroad for a bit) I put about 20lbs of that back on. I started with my trainer again and I'm finding it hard to stick to it this time around, mainly because I'm so bored with the meals I used to eat (I didn't really vary them, apart from when I had 'cheat' meals/ate out etc).

My macros change but are generally about 50-60% complex carbs, and we try and keep my sugar intake down as much as possible. I've been mainly eating wholewheat pasta (with a bit of cheese on top, usually a babybel light!), brown rice and potatoes along with veg and normally quorn chicken pieces (as they're pretty low in calorie and easy to cook!) with a bit of sauce.

I was wondering if anyone had any (not too complicated) ideas for low cal, low sugar vegetarian meals that feature quite a bit of complex carbs (I'm not asking much, am I?!) that would give me a break from the above? I've played around with other quorn stuff/tofu but some of it's higher in cals than the chicken pieces (as are other things like nuts, eggs etc) so I always just revert to the chicken pieces... and while I love rice and potatoes, I need a break (or to do something different with them). Oddly, I'm not that bored of the pasta yet, but again different things would be good to mix it up a bit.

Any pointers would be really helpful, thanks! :) I'm in the UK if that makes a difference, product-wise.

Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    Vegie omelette on toast...
  • lmbecker12
    lmbecker12 Posts: 46 Member
    This Greek chickpea salad is my ultimate favorite and is between 200-300 calories for a 1/4 of it...I make it at least 3 times a month for my work lunches. I will add a single serve tuna pouch to it for more protein, but it isnt needed...

    https://pin.it/z534mevstqqcan
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,855 Member
    If you are bored with your food I would look outside geographically. The poor of the middle east eat a lot of lentils and beans. Mejadra, vegetable cous cous, and hummous come to mind.

    In SE Asia, there will be more sugar but there are Indonesian tempeh recipes, as well as Gado Gado.

    It sounds like you haven't explored tofu (there are different forms and textures varying from dried sheets to soft cakes), never mind tempeh, seitan and quorn which are all vegetarian sources of protein that could add variety to your diet.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,855 Member
    Also check out Indian food for a wide range of vegetarian options. Tarka dahl (lentils with fried onions), sag panner (spinach with cheese) are staples though I don't know much about the food there.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    My favourites:

    Baked tofu and baby bok choy. Num yum yum. You can save a lot of time by just buying the Teriyaki sauce. https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/361132463848164122/

    Chickpea casserole. There's something in here that hits a crave. It still makes my tummy growl in anticipation. https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/361132463852746056/

    Black bean chili. A big hit at office potlucks. https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/361132463865154995/

    Red lentil and butternut squash. This also hits my mysterious crave. https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/361132463863240347/

    There you have it. Tofu, chickpeas, black beans, and red lentils. A variety of vegetarian proteins to play with.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    I make a barley and sweet potato pilaf which is pretty good; high carb
  • jesscole1986
    jesscole1986 Posts: 2 Member
    Thanks everyone! These all sound delicious - I'm going to start experimenting more and will definitely try the ones you've mentioned. Thanks again :smile:

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