Vegetarians: Any out there?

[nebe]

So in an effort to live a healthier lifestyle (I am currently the poster child for the "unhealthy American"

) I've decided, after much debate, to become a veggiesaurus. FH is none thrilled about this, but I'm sure he'll live because I'm not enforcing it as a "I'm doing it you have to too!" rule. So, I've been pretty much living off veggie burgers and salads for the past month or so. Then it dawned on me: ...uh, that's not healthy either. Finally I bit the bullet and tried tofu. (collective gasp

) Now, I will say, it's definitely different, but I have discovered that there are good ways to cook it, and very very very bad ways. (I don't recommend Johnny Rocket at Mohegan Sun, btw.

)

So being the amateur I am, I was quite delighted to actually cook a meal tonight that was. actually. GOOD. (gasp, again

) And since I have discovered that it is slightly difficult to eat as a nonmeatysaurus, I wanted to share!

I've even got a greal little pictoral for the visual ones out there!

Here goes...

1 Box of Smart Strips (I got the chicken flavored ones because I'm still a novice, but I'm sure you could use regular tofu strips)
1 Cup of Egg Noodles (whole wheat everyone!)
2 TBSP Apricot Jam
1/2 Handful (very precise, mind you) Dried Cranberries
1/2 Handful Chopped Almonds
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 Piece Whole Grain Bread, Toasted w/ Butter

Everything takes under 10 minutes and has under (guesstimate from boxes) 400 calories!

 

[nebe]

Heat up your olive oil in a pan over med-high heat, add your apricot jam and half your box of strips and mix to coat. Throw in your almonds and cranberries, stir a little bit and then let em sit! Stir every few minutes while you're boiling your egg noodles. Once your egg noodles are done, toss em with some butter and serve with your tofu strips and a piece of toast with a little bit of butter. You're done! Whoa, that was difficult!

Tofu (edit: the kind I used) has no fat, so it's a good idea to add a little bit with the butter, but you don't have to. The Smart Strips I used also have 14, yes 14 grams of protein per serving. That's more than chicken! My goodness was that good, and good for you!

 

[nebe]

Nummy nummy nummy!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Cool recipe, thanks for sharing

FYI though, tofu actually does have a pretty respectable fat count - its lower than many animal proteins, but its definitely not zero.

Congrats on trying to make the veggie transition - I hope it works out well for you

(I''ve been one since age 5, and while I understand its not for everyone, I definitely am a fan

)

 

[Miscka]

I am a veggie also, thanks for the idea! My favorite meat-like veggie meal is Morning Star Farms veggie beef strips with BBQ sauce and mushrooms all heated in a skillet over rice. Yummmm. FYI I think all things Morning Star are fabulous. Good luck with your BF, that is what I have found the hardest. Mine is a pretty typical man (read: loves burgers, steak, potatoes, almost nothing green) and I struggle to find things we can eat together.

 

[xapora]

Ooh that sounds yummy! I was actually sitting at work an hour ago thinking I need to find a new veg meal to make. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Elmorton]

DH and I are both carnivores (sp?) but we looove the morning star farms meatless bacon and meatless sausage patties for breakfast sandwiches. Neat recipe!

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I think it great you are wanting to get healthy, but I do want you to be aware there are certain helth risks to being a veggie. My brother was one for 10 years; he just sort of decided it was a good idea and didn't give it a lot of thought. What ended up happening is that he had serious health problems, so bad they he started eating meat again.
So here are my 2 cents. Most people get their iron from meat or seafood which is high in it. So by being a veggie you may be cutting off your previous source of iron. This is not usually a big deal, but soy protein prevents the body from abosrbing iron properly so you, like my bro, could end up with very bad anemia, just be aware.

The other is vitamin b-12. A lack of it causes Korsikov's (sp) disease where the person can form no new memories. It only happens in life long alcoholics and life long veggies since almost all sources of it come from animals. There are suppliments and I highly reccomend you take them because by the time it is a problem for people, it is too late.

Don't be scared off, for someone who is aware and takes care of themselves, it can be a very healthy lifestyle with a lot of advantages.

Also, try Amy's products. They are all vegia and they are the best.

 

[Rhea]

I''ve been veggie since I was 11 and DH has been veggie all his life. As DH knew how to eat and cook because he was brought up in a veggie household he does fine. Me, on the other hand, I didn''t do so well. I was anaemic for a bit in HS and finally learned to cook for a truly veggie diet at age 21 when I met DH. I too would warn you to be careful to make sure that you have a balanced diet. Of course, opinions on what''s balanced vary from doctor to doctor.

Good job though!! I''m always up for new ideas and recipes. Please continue to share them! And, of course, to let us know how you''re doing.

 

[Miscka]

Good points-Nebe make sure to take a MVI, I take a womens one with iron, as I was bordering on anemic for awhile. Apparently very common for female veggies.

 

[monarch64]

I''ve been veggie for about 2.5 years now. No health problems thus far, but I wasn''t a big meat eater before I cut it out anyway. I do a lottttt of beans, and I eat fish of some type probably three times a month (I didn''t eat fish at all the first year). Nuts, typically sprinkled on a salad, and natural PB round out the proteins for me. I like tofu as long as I don''t have to prepare it...I''m not a bad cook but my repertoire is really limited. Tonight for dinner I had a fresh spinach salad with strawberries, mandarin orange segments, some walnut pieces, and shredded mozzarella cheese with honey dijon dressing, yummo. Your dinner looked really tasty, Nebe!

 

[surfgirl]

If you''re serious about becoming veg, I''d recommend a funny book with great recipes - Skinny Bitch in the Kitch. There''s a first book that preceeded this one called Skinny Bitch. The Kitch one is basically how to eat veg, or vegan, I cant remember, yeah, it''s vegan. Anyway, we''re lacto veg - no meats of any kind but milk dairy (no eggs, they''re not dairy and I have no clue why they''re lumped into dairy!). Anyhoo, it''s got terrific recipes. I made "Beef Stew" last week and it was to die for. Then I took the leftovers and put them into bowls, topped with pie crust and made veg pot pies, SO good! I highly recommend this book to get you started...

A typical dinner for us when I dont want to cook something more time consuming is:

Garden Burger Riblets (you''d never know they''re not real ribs)
Steamed green veg like broccoli, green beans, peas or brussel sprouts
Baked potato with salsa

Healthy and delish!

There''s a veg recipe thread around PS somewhere, maybe in the Hangout?

 

[Sparkster]

 

[Independent Gal]

The first thing I notice about the meal you posted is.... NO VEG!! Sweety, you have GOT to eat your fruits and veg if you want to be healthy. You should be having at least 5 servings a day in different colours (colours = code for nutrients... so eat your orange carrot, your yellow beans, your green broccoli)

I''ve been a (not 100% strict) veg since I was a teen. My father, aged 60 (and still a champion athlete, who looks 15 years younger than he is) has been a veg since he was 16.

We are both extremely healthy, but this is partly because we are both extremely conscious of what we''re eating.

Too much of anything is NOT GOOD FOR YOU, Nebe! You need variety in your diet, and, as Brazen pointed out, you need to be extra careful that you''re getting your nutrients.

Protein comes from lots of places and you should be getting a good range of sources, NOT just soy (both tofu and veg burgers are made with soy). In fact, if you are eating too much soy each day, it can mess with your hormones (though you need to eat a LOT of soy for that to happen).

Here is your new motto: MODERATION IN ALL THINGS

Other sources of whole proteins:

eggs
milk (VERY high in protein! and good for your bones too)

or, your body can make whole proteins out of grains (rice, wheat, whatever), which are a partial protein PLUS

beans (chickpeas, all kindsa beans, peas, all manner of pod dwellers!)
nuts
soy


If you''re serious about this, you should get a book on vegetarian nutrition. It can be done, and done deliciously too! But you have to be conscious about what you''re doing, become familiar with the nutritional contents of food, and eat a variety of different nutrient sources.

My fave veg cookbooks are the Moosewood series. That can help you diversify too.

Good luck!

Take good care of your body, hon.

 

[nebe]

Date: 3/20/2008 9:09:30 AM
Author: Independent Gal
The first thing I notice about the meal you posted is.... NO VEG!!

I'm aware there was no veg in my meal last night, but that was (believe it or not) a conscious decision. I do need to do more research but I think I'm doing better already. I actually have an appointment with a dietician to work out a good meal plan.

Thank you for the tips everyone!

 

[cellososweet]

hi. I posted a vegetarian recipe thread last year and got pretty good response.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/vegetarian-vegan-recipes.64237/

i''ve been a vegetarian for a year but it''s not my first time ''round. I was vege for four years as a kid. I also love love love to cook. It''s a passion and if I can serve a vege or vegan meal to a meat eater and get compliments i''m more than satisfied.

if you need any tips, let us know.

 

[cellososweet]

oh yeah, on a ps tip. my favorite 5 minute lunch is from Trader Joes (i''m more of a whole food fan, but love TJ''s for variety).

they have chicken-less strips that are great at have 20g protein. the sodium is pretty high, so you have to watch that and counterbalance it throughout the day. but, those with stir-fry veges (1-2 cups) in a wok with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil (yes. teaspoon. you don''t need a tablespoon for a 5 minute wok stir-fry). serve over 1/2-1 cup of their frozen organic brown rice. it''s the quickest thing that i make and pretty much my only prepackaged meal, hence the sodium. it is really goo though and keeps me satisfied.

and for protein, egg-whites are good, nut butters, yogurt and cottage cheese, hmmmm. . . . .i''m sure there are a ton more i''m forgetting.

 

[nebe]

Date: 3/21/2008 1:49:04 PM
Author: cellososweet
oh yeah, on a ps tip. my favorite 5 minute lunch is from Trader Joes (i''m more of a whole food fan, but love TJ''s for variety).

they have chicken-less strips that are great at have 20g protein. the sodium is pretty high, so you have to watch that and counterbalance it throughout the day. but, those with stir-fry veges (1-2 cups) in a wok with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil (yes. teaspoon. you don''t need a tablespoon for a 5 minute wok stir-fry). serve over 1/2-1 cup of their frozen organic brown rice. it''s the quickest thing that i make and pretty much my only prepackaged meal, hence the sodium. it is really goo though and keeps me satisfied.

and for protein, egg-whites are good, nut butters, yogurt and cottage cheese, hmmmm. . . . .i''m sure there are a ton more i''m forgetting.

Thank you very much!! I''m starting to get a teeny bit antsy about the veg thing, but a few of my friends are so I''m hoping I can stick with it. Thank you so much for offering your help as well, I''ll probably need it around the 10 week mark!

 

[scarlet16]

Date: 3/19/2008 9:51:07 PM
Author: surfgirl
If you''re serious about becoming veg, I''d recommend a funny book with great recipes - Skinny Bitch in the Kitch. There''s a first book that preceeded this one called Skinny Bitch. The Kitch one is basically how to eat veg, or vegan, I cant remember, yeah, it''s vegan. Anyway, we''re lacto veg - no meats of any kind but milk dairy (no eggs, they''re not dairy and I have no clue why they''re lumped into dairy!). Anyhoo, it''s got terrific recipes. I made ''Beef Stew'' last week and it was to die for. Then I took the leftovers and put them into bowls, topped with pie crust and made veg pot pies, SO good! I highly recommend this book to get you started...

A typical dinner for us when I dont want to cook something more time consuming is:

Garden Burger Riblets (you''d never know they''re not real ribs)
Steamed green veg like broccoli, green beans, peas or brussel sprouts
Baked potato with salsa

Healthy and delish!

There''s a veg recipe thread around PS somewhere, maybe in the Hangout?

Surfgirl- Your beef stew sounds sooo good. Can you post the recipe?

 

[ladypirate]

If you're doing it mainly for health reasons, have you considered not going completely vegetarian, but eating mostly vegetarian and occasionally having chicken or fish? That's what we eat (Kris was raised vegetarian and I was one for 6 years, although I enjoy a good steak now and again these days) and it seems to work for us. There's a great book called "The Omnivore's Dilemma" that looks at what we eat that I found fascinating. It talks about eating in terms of environmentalism and health. He also has a book called "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto". It's not pro-vegetarian, but it does suggest that you eat everything in moderation and go with mostly plants.

Granted, both those books have a slow food movement bent, so if you're not into that it may not be for you.

 

[LegacyGirl]

Date: 3/19/2008 6:42:29 PM
Author: brazen_irish_hussy
I think it great you are wanting to get healthy, but I do want you to be aware there are certain helth risks to being a veggie. My brother was one for 10 years; he just sort of decided it was a good idea and didn''t give it a lot of thought. What ended up happening is that he had serious health problems, so bad they he started eating meat again.
So here are my 2 cents. Most people get their iron from meat or seafood which is high in it. So by being a veggie you may be cutting off your previous source of iron. This is not usually a big deal, but soy protein prevents the body from abosrbing iron properly so you, like my bro, could end up with very bad anemia, just be aware.

The other is vitamin b-12. A lack of it causes Korsikov''s (sp) disease where the person can form no new memories. It only happens in life long alcoholics and life long veggies since almost all sources of it come from animals. There are suppliments and I highly reccomend you take them because by the time it is a problem for people, it is too late.

Don''t be scared off, for someone who is aware and takes care of themselves, it can be a very healthy lifestyle with a lot of advantages.

Also, try Amy''s products. They are all vegia and they are the best.

Same thing happened to me.

I now eat meat but have been recently trying to eat more raw veggies. It''s making me feel really good eating like that.