Motivation-Free Vegetarian Meals
August 25, 2011 3:48 PM Subscribe
Would you suggest some motivation-free vegetarian meals?
Two years ago, I was really good at feeding myself. I'd plan what I was going to eat that week, buy the stuff and execute the plan. Fast-forward to now and I can't get myself to make lunch to take to campus and end up eating out more than I should. God only knows what I eat for dinner. I lack motivation to make a meal plan, never mind actually following through.
What can I make that's a) reasonably healthy, b) requires little preparation (and cleanup, as doing the dishes is a big problem as well) and c) is vegetarian? Bonus points if it easily makes leftovers, to help solve the lunch problem. If I could, I'd live on Trader Joe's Indian Fare or Tasty Bite Indian packet meals. (And, yes, a lot of Indian food is pretty easy, though requires planning and cleanup.) I realise this is not actually a food problem, but a motivation/mental problem. But maybe getting into the habit of making simple things will have a cascade-effect.
Given that I'm going to be on campus every day shortly, how can I get myself to make lunch that I'll actually want to eat? (I have access to a microwave and refrigerator for lunch. I'm thinking about returning to the standard of cheese sandwich and yogurt, as I can usually manage that. But I seem to have gone off sandwiches (the horror) while in the actually cooking phase. Or maybe just off sliced bread. I do better with rolls and baguettes.)
Constraints: I absolutely hate cooked spinach, don't like cooked mushrooms and am not a big tomato fan (unless chopped small or in a sauce). Also not a green bean fan, but that's not absolute. No allergies. I have slightly mysteriously high blood sugar and got told, I quote, to 'eat less white stuff', which did stop me eating pasta four nights a week. But right now, pasta sounds like effort (hence the rice noodles--I boil water in the kettle and just dump it over).
For reference, what I can remember eating this week:
Today
greek yogurt and granola (this is not actually enough food to sustain me until lunch)
half a cheese and Branston pickle sandwich
rice noodles, tofu, green onion, teriyaki sauce and a fried egg
Yesterday
greek yogurt and granola
no idea about lunch--might not have eaten it (I was busy at midday)
same tofu concoction, but with rice (Uncle Ben's microwave--I've failed at cooking rice even)
Tuesday
greek yogurt and granola
pizza (bought a slice)
pizza (made with ready-made crust)
Monday
greek yogurt and granola
lunch at department event (pasta salad and an awful vegetable wrap, for the record)
rice, miso soup, fried egg (I think, that might have been Sunday, but actually made the rice)
Two years ago, I was really good at feeding myself. I'd plan what I was going to eat that week, buy the stuff and execute the plan. Fast-forward to now and I can't get myself to make lunch to take to campus and end up eating out more than I should. God only knows what I eat for dinner. I lack motivation to make a meal plan, never mind actually following through.
What can I make that's a) reasonably healthy, b) requires little preparation (and cleanup, as doing the dishes is a big problem as well) and c) is vegetarian? Bonus points if it easily makes leftovers, to help solve the lunch problem. If I could, I'd live on Trader Joe's Indian Fare or Tasty Bite Indian packet meals. (And, yes, a lot of Indian food is pretty easy, though requires planning and cleanup.) I realise this is not actually a food problem, but a motivation/mental problem. But maybe getting into the habit of making simple things will have a cascade-effect.
Given that I'm going to be on campus every day shortly, how can I get myself to make lunch that I'll actually want to eat? (I have access to a microwave and refrigerator for lunch. I'm thinking about returning to the standard of cheese sandwich and yogurt, as I can usually manage that. But I seem to have gone off sandwiches (the horror) while in the actually cooking phase. Or maybe just off sliced bread. I do better with rolls and baguettes.)
Constraints: I absolutely hate cooked spinach, don't like cooked mushrooms and am not a big tomato fan (unless chopped small or in a sauce). Also not a green bean fan, but that's not absolute. No allergies. I have slightly mysteriously high blood sugar and got told, I quote, to 'eat less white stuff', which did stop me eating pasta four nights a week. But right now, pasta sounds like effort (hence the rice noodles--I boil water in the kettle and just dump it over).
For reference, what I can remember eating this week:
Today
greek yogurt and granola (this is not actually enough food to sustain me until lunch)
half a cheese and Branston pickle sandwich
rice noodles, tofu, green onion, teriyaki sauce and a fried egg
Yesterday
greek yogurt and granola
no idea about lunch--might not have eaten it (I was busy at midday)
same tofu concoction, but with rice (Uncle Ben's microwave--I've failed at cooking rice even)
Tuesday
greek yogurt and granola
pizza (bought a slice)
pizza (made with ready-made crust)
Monday
greek yogurt and granola
lunch at department event (pasta salad and an awful vegetable wrap, for the record)
rice, miso soup, fried egg (I think, that might have been Sunday, but actually made the rice)
My latest find - warm spiced milk. Add 1/4 spoon each of penzeys ground cinnamon and garam masala, optionally grind one pod of cardamom, heat .5-1 cup of milk up to about 125F.
Or you can just eat raw almonds or other raw nuts with cucumbers or romaine.
Other than that I find it easier to settle into a routine of spending about 40-50 minutes to sautee mixed vegetables, kale, zucchini, peppers, etc with tofu or edamame beans. Once you get used to doing that almost every day, it becomes very easy because you just have to repeat the same sequence of steps every time.
posted by rainy at 4:12 PM on August 25, 2011
Or you can just eat raw almonds or other raw nuts with cucumbers or romaine.
Other than that I find it easier to settle into a routine of spending about 40-50 minutes to sautee mixed vegetables, kale, zucchini, peppers, etc with tofu or edamame beans. Once you get used to doing that almost every day, it becomes very easy because you just have to repeat the same sequence of steps every time.
posted by rainy at 4:12 PM on August 25, 2011
I will often cook up a large pot of black beans, and a pan of rice, then basically eat beans and rice for dinner one night, and lunch the next several days. I top them with grated cheddar cheese, sour cream and cilantro, and it's a pretty good meal, that way.
It takes a while for the beans to cook, but you can be an absentee pot-watcher for the most part, and you don't need much of anything out of the ordinary. I season the beans with lots of cumin, sage and garlic, Tabasco, and a little bit of brown sugar.
posted by Devils Rancher at 4:40 PM on August 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
It takes a while for the beans to cook, but you can be an absentee pot-watcher for the most part, and you don't need much of anything out of the ordinary. I season the beans with lots of cumin, sage and garlic, Tabasco, and a little bit of brown sugar.
posted by Devils Rancher at 4:40 PM on August 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
2nding slow cooker! I have a full time job and an 8-month-old and the slow cooker has meant actually having real food again!
posted by rabbitrabbit at 4:59 PM on August 25, 2011
posted by rabbitrabbit at 4:59 PM on August 25, 2011
as has been mentioned, the trick is cooking once a week.
as it gets cooler outside, my quick, week long standby is a goulash/chili thing...
all amounts are to taste, but this is what i do.
some tomatoes (sauce, diced, pureed, whatever strikes your fancy) - 30oz
some canned beans (black and kidney are my go-tos) - 30oz
some tvp or morning star crumbles (i use half a bag of crumbles or handful of tvp - use way less than you think unless you use it a lot)
a short can of corn - 8oz i think?
cumin
chili powder
throw it all in pot except the corn, cook it as long as you'd like (just until hot-until the beans are mush), add corn. turn off heat, let sit for 10 minutes to warm the corn.
eat it in a bowl, over chips, with eggs, over potatoes, as a chili mac.
it freezes really well, so you can immediately put it away in individual portions.
posted by nadawi at 5:04 PM on August 25, 2011
as it gets cooler outside, my quick, week long standby is a goulash/chili thing...
all amounts are to taste, but this is what i do.
some tomatoes (sauce, diced, pureed, whatever strikes your fancy) - 30oz
some canned beans (black and kidney are my go-tos) - 30oz
some tvp or morning star crumbles (i use half a bag of crumbles or handful of tvp - use way less than you think unless you use it a lot)
a short can of corn - 8oz i think?
cumin
chili powder
throw it all in pot except the corn, cook it as long as you'd like (just until hot-until the beans are mush), add corn. turn off heat, let sit for 10 minutes to warm the corn.
eat it in a bowl, over chips, with eggs, over potatoes, as a chili mac.
it freezes really well, so you can immediately put it away in individual portions.
posted by nadawi at 5:04 PM on August 25, 2011
This isn't a specific recipe, but I've found that one trick for making lunches is to make it the night before, even if it's something as a sandwich. I find that I am much better at making/taking a lunch (instead of eating out) if I prepare it the night before.
posted by asnider at 5:38 PM on August 25, 2011
posted by asnider at 5:38 PM on August 25, 2011
I don't know how easy it is to get hold of nowadays, but A Taoist Cookbook by Michael Saso is my go-to book when I want something simple, but satisfying and nutritious. All but one of the recipes in it are vegetarian, and most of them have relatively few ingredients and short cooking times.
posted by Perodicticus potto at 5:42 PM on August 25, 2011
posted by Perodicticus potto at 5:42 PM on August 25, 2011
I second Devils Rancher's suggestion. I eat some variation of beans & rice several times a week, or sometimes just beans. I used to find preparing beans to be a hassle until I bought a pressure cooker. Seriously, it saves a lot of time! Most kinds of beans can be fully cooked in 20 minutes start to finish, mostly unsupervised. Some need to be soaked overnight first, which is no big deal. Best of all, beans are cheap and very good for you, and there are zillions of recipes to help stave off boredom. Cuban-style black beans and rice, Mexican-style pinto beans, Indian dals, chana masala (a real favorite around here), hummus, etc. Basmati rice cooks quickly on the stove, too, and it ends up being ready at about the same time.
To help with your lunch problem, get one of those Indian or Japanese-style lunch sets that have the round, stacking containers that fit into a bigger container, like Mr. Bento here. It's pricey as lunch boxes go, but I got one last year and it has paid for itself many times over. You can pack leftovers into it directly after dinner and stick it in the fridge for the following day. Then pop the containers into the microwave and reheat lunch.
posted by Maximian at 6:50 PM on August 25, 2011
To help with your lunch problem, get one of those Indian or Japanese-style lunch sets that have the round, stacking containers that fit into a bigger container, like Mr. Bento here. It's pricey as lunch boxes go, but I got one last year and it has paid for itself many times over. You can pack leftovers into it directly after dinner and stick it in the fridge for the following day. Then pop the containers into the microwave and reheat lunch.
posted by Maximian at 6:50 PM on August 25, 2011
Tonight we:
1) Opened a tin foil bag of black beans & rice and poured it into an oversized pot of boiling water.
2) Sprinkled in some sea salt and slopped in some olive oil.
3) Peeled an entire bulb of garlic (pick the big one that is mostly pulling apart for easy peeling) and put it all into the boiling pot.
4) Peeled then chopped the single parsnip. Chopped the single crown of broccoli.
5) Added parsnip earlier, because it is harder, then broccoli towards the end. This is the hardest step to get right.
6) Chopped a single cucumber. (Chopped a single tomato.)
7) Sprinkled feta on beans & rice. Sprinkled sea salt on (tomatoes and) cucumbers.
-8) Forgot balsamic vinegar.
The rice is replaceable with most starches. The beans are replaceable with most proteins. The vegetables are interchangeable with most other vegetables. The cheese is changeable and optional (nutritional yeast fits well here too). The sea salt is mostly necessary (and tastier than manufactured salt, I find).
posted by iurodivii at 7:07 PM on August 25, 2011
1) Opened a tin foil bag of black beans & rice and poured it into an oversized pot of boiling water.
2) Sprinkled in some sea salt and slopped in some olive oil.
3) Peeled an entire bulb of garlic (pick the big one that is mostly pulling apart for easy peeling) and put it all into the boiling pot.
4) Peeled then chopped the single parsnip. Chopped the single crown of broccoli.
5) Added parsnip earlier, because it is harder, then broccoli towards the end. This is the hardest step to get right.
6) Chopped a single cucumber. (Chopped a single tomato.)
7) Sprinkled feta on beans & rice. Sprinkled sea salt on (tomatoes and) cucumbers.
-8) Forgot balsamic vinegar.
The rice is replaceable with most starches. The beans are replaceable with most proteins. The vegetables are interchangeable with most other vegetables. The cheese is changeable and optional (nutritional yeast fits well here too). The sea salt is mostly necessary (and tastier than manufactured salt, I find).
posted by iurodivii at 7:07 PM on August 25, 2011
I'm in a similar predicament except that I just started eating 100% vegetarian and have no refrigerator/reheat method for school...
My plan is to make wraps and bring them in an insulated lunch bag. I got whole grain wraps (I wanted spinach but the store didn't have them), an avocado, vegan mayo, baby spinach, a green pepper, and a cucumber. This is my plan for this week anyhow... it's fairly easy and not too expensive.
posted by DoubleLune at 7:23 PM on August 25, 2011
My plan is to make wraps and bring them in an insulated lunch bag. I got whole grain wraps (I wanted spinach but the store didn't have them), an avocado, vegan mayo, baby spinach, a green pepper, and a cucumber. This is my plan for this week anyhow... it's fairly easy and not too expensive.
posted by DoubleLune at 7:23 PM on August 25, 2011
Hippie stew:
1. Turn on ABC Radio National to establish the necessary background time distortion field.
2. Put about a litre of water in the bottom of your bucket-sized stainless steel pot and whack that on the front burner of your feeble electric stove. If you have a non-feeble stove, set it closer to simmer than furious boil.
3. Drop in three chicken-style vegetarian stock cubes and three bay leaves.
4. Put about twenty whole black pepper kernels in your mortar and crush the hell out of them with your pestle. Dump all the resulting powder in the pot. Yes, that's a hell of a lot of pepper; that's why it's going in early (takes the bite out, leaves the delicious warmth).
5. Throw in a good handful each of dried red lentils, dried mung beans and dry soup mix (the barley plus assorted legumes kind) and give the pot a quick stir.
6. Go out to the garden and pick about eight stalks of celery. Bring them inside, wash them, and chop them into chunks maybe 20mm big. Dump them in the pot, which should now be just about boiling.
7. Chop three carrots into 20mm chunks. Make sure they're clean, but there's no need to peel them.
8. Skin a couple of onions, cut them in eight pieces each and throw them in the pot.
9. Cut up three or four tomatoes and throw those in as well. Or you can cheat and use a can of chopped ones. Cast an eye over the pot and turn it down a bit if it's running at more than a gentle simmer.
10. Cut up one big, two medium or four small washed potatoes into 20mm chunks and throw them in the pot.
11. The pain-in-the-arse step (there's always a pain in the arse somewhere if hippies are involved): grab that little pumpkin that's been sitting on the bench for the last couple months (or half a standard supermarket one), cut it open, scoop out and discard its innards, carve off the peel, and cut the flesh into generous chunks. Put the chunks in the pot. Give the whole thing a good stir and clap on the lid.
12. Take the scraps out to the compost heap, rinse the knife and the chopping board and put them in the draining rack.
In about five more minutes, the pumpkin will be soft and your hippie stew is ready to serve. Top servings with a generous handful of shredded cheese if you like. Don't eat the bay leaves.
Freeze the leftovers in portions.
This stuff will cure what ails you.
posted by flabdablet at 8:38 PM on August 25, 2011 [5 favorites]
1. Turn on ABC Radio National to establish the necessary background time distortion field.
2. Put about a litre of water in the bottom of your bucket-sized stainless steel pot and whack that on the front burner of your feeble electric stove. If you have a non-feeble stove, set it closer to simmer than furious boil.
3. Drop in three chicken-style vegetarian stock cubes and three bay leaves.
4. Put about twenty whole black pepper kernels in your mortar and crush the hell out of them with your pestle. Dump all the resulting powder in the pot. Yes, that's a hell of a lot of pepper; that's why it's going in early (takes the bite out, leaves the delicious warmth).
5. Throw in a good handful each of dried red lentils, dried mung beans and dry soup mix (the barley plus assorted legumes kind) and give the pot a quick stir.
6. Go out to the garden and pick about eight stalks of celery. Bring them inside, wash them, and chop them into chunks maybe 20mm big. Dump them in the pot, which should now be just about boiling.
7. Chop three carrots into 20mm chunks. Make sure they're clean, but there's no need to peel them.
8. Skin a couple of onions, cut them in eight pieces each and throw them in the pot.
9. Cut up three or four tomatoes and throw those in as well. Or you can cheat and use a can of chopped ones. Cast an eye over the pot and turn it down a bit if it's running at more than a gentle simmer.
10. Cut up one big, two medium or four small washed potatoes into 20mm chunks and throw them in the pot.
11. The pain-in-the-arse step (there's always a pain in the arse somewhere if hippies are involved): grab that little pumpkin that's been sitting on the bench for the last couple months (or half a standard supermarket one), cut it open, scoop out and discard its innards, carve off the peel, and cut the flesh into generous chunks. Put the chunks in the pot. Give the whole thing a good stir and clap on the lid.
12. Take the scraps out to the compost heap, rinse the knife and the chopping board and put them in the draining rack.
In about five more minutes, the pumpkin will be soft and your hippie stew is ready to serve. Top servings with a generous handful of shredded cheese if you like. Don't eat the bay leaves.
Freeze the leftovers in portions.
This stuff will cure what ails you.
posted by flabdablet at 8:38 PM on August 25, 2011 [5 favorites]
Buy a bunch of firm / extra-firm tofu. Cut into slabs. Marinate. Bake (~375 F, ~20 minutes -- until it's "done" by your own standard). Freeze what you won't consume in a week. Make the rest into sandwiches, made extra attractive by using fresh, ripe tomatoes, lettuce, sprouts, soy/other mayo, mustard of your choice, BBQ sauce, cranberry sauce, sliced roasted beets, etc. Oh, and use really good bread, too. You'll look forward to lunch more than ever.
You can also buy pre-baked flavored tofu and make sandwiches out of that. It's also good.
posted by amtho at 8:58 PM on August 25, 2011
You can also buy pre-baked flavored tofu and make sandwiches out of that. It's also good.
posted by amtho at 8:58 PM on August 25, 2011
I've been on a quesadilla kick recently-- if you make sure it's nice and cheesy and use one of those crazy tortillas or flatbreads they now have that have less net carb than protein, it's actually quite protein-laden. Throw in some vegetables, and it's pretty darn balanced. And about two minutes from start to finish.
posted by threeants at 10:50 PM on August 25, 2011
posted by threeants at 10:50 PM on August 25, 2011
Just FYI -- rice noodles, rice, and pizza crust count as "white stuff" as far as "mysteriously high blood sugar" goes. Are you diabetic or pre diabetic? Don't mess around with that. Either strictly control carbs or get on medication. (Adult diagnosed type 1 here.)
posted by kestrel251 at 11:06 PM on August 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by kestrel251 at 11:06 PM on August 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I'm a big fan of a food blog called The Stone Soup, which has a series called "5 ingredients | 10 minutes". Not all the recipes are vegetarian, but quite a few are, and many of the meaty ones contain advice on how to make them vegetarian. Jules, the blogger, leans towards "Slow Carb" (eating mostly foods with low glycaemic index, whose sugars are released more slowly into the blood stream) which could be ideal for you if you have issues with high blood sugar.
There's a list of 10 minute meals here, including 19 vegetarian dinners. There's also a downloadable (free) cookbook in pdf format here.
On an unrelated note, I've also used this article as inspiration for making easy meals out of a tin of beans.
posted by Cheese Monster at 6:04 PM on August 26, 2011
There's a list of 10 minute meals here, including 19 vegetarian dinners. There's also a downloadable (free) cookbook in pdf format here.
On an unrelated note, I've also used this article as inspiration for making easy meals out of a tin of beans.
posted by Cheese Monster at 6:04 PM on August 26, 2011
Response by poster: @kestrel251 Yeah, definitely. I'm seeing figuring out how to feed myself like an adult as step one to resuming the campaign to eat less white stuff (as it was going really well for quite a while). It's an issue that has never been entirely properly followed up. I moved and when I tried to follow up with a doctor here, I just squeaked into the high end of normal in the blood test, and that doctor didn't seem worried about it. I've seen a different doctor and had another bood test and popped back into the 'high' blood glucose range. This doctor, like the others, went 'Well, that's odd.' but, like the one I saw before I moved, wants to try to work out if there's something going on or if I'm just anomalous or something.
@DoubleLune Probably not going to help you with cold lunches too much, but, if you haven't already get your hands on a copy of Veganomicon. Some of the recipes are a bit time consuming, but of the ones I've tried, I don't think I've had one fail. Then bean burgers are really good (if only I could get myself to spend the hour to make six--but I did clean my kitchen!).
posted by hoyland at 6:08 PM on August 26, 2011
@DoubleLune Probably not going to help you with cold lunches too much, but, if you haven't already get your hands on a copy of Veganomicon. Some of the recipes are a bit time consuming, but of the ones I've tried, I don't think I've had one fail. Then bean burgers are really good (if only I could get myself to spend the hour to make six--but I did clean my kitchen!).
posted by hoyland at 6:08 PM on August 26, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Buy a bunch of yummy sandwich fillings and make sandwiches every day.
Hummus and chopped veggies.
Buy a crock pot at a thrift store and this book.
Salads = precut lettuce + prechopped veggies + can of beans + handful of sunflower seeds + bottled dressing or just oil and vinegar/lemon juice.
Pre-made pizza crusts (or trader joes sells pizza dough) plus slice some zukes, peppers, veggie sausage, whatever + cheese.
Carrots. Cherry tomatoes. Fresh fruit. Nuts.
posted by serazin at 3:58 PM on August 25, 2011