I’ve been a vegetarian for decades but am hungry all the time lately. I think I need to increase my protein intake. Unfortunately eggs are grossing me out at the moment, and I don’t eat fish. I’m eating A LOT of nuts, beans, hummus. I have Greek yogurt in my shopping cart. I’ve been using more tofu. Can you help me with ideas? I need a specific suggestion like, “scramble tofu with curry powder and add to salads or grain bowls rather than just “tofu” please because I’m really having trouble figuring out how to get enough protein in! What do you eat for breakfast? Please help. |
Chickpeas - google channa masala recipe.
Falafel. Lentils - Indian Daal and you can add beans also for even more protein. Edamame. Assume you can't eat fish right? |
Make your own paneer and ricotta? Get whole fat milk, boil and add lemon juice. Wait for curds to form and then strain through a cheesecloth. Let drain. That on toast with honey or salt is amazing. You can alsp press it to make paneer. And then add that to sauteed spinach or anything else.
You can also buy pressed, baked tofu at TJ and add to most meals. Protein AND fat increase would keep you sated. |
Vegetarians don't eat fish. This article has good vegan (since you're non egg eating) vegetarian breakfast ideas. https://tasty.co/article/jesseszewczyk/high-protein-vegan-breakfasts We do a lot of: oatmeal with chia, slivered almonds, greek yogurt and fruit peanut butter toast/hummus toast/avocado toast breakfast burritos or tacos with refried beans/black beans highly eggy pancakes (if you can stomach eggs in a different form) |
Cottage cheese pancakes |
Eggs gross me out too, but here's a few ways to use em anyway that I can tolerate:
Stir fry. If you like the texture there is no egg taste once you add it in with your favorite sauce and vegetables. Frittata or omelette. The trick here is to mix it with cheese (cream cheese, cottage cheese) and serious herbs to your base. Use a tapenade or a brucshetta sauce folded right in. Garlic and onion if you like them, and then lots of vegetables and cheese. Tomatoes and peppers stand up well. |
Tofu, chickpeas, beans |
This is super helpful. Thank you. I know the basic foods that have protein that vegetarians can eat but am having trouble thinking of easy, fast ways to add more of them to my diet, especially when I’m the only vegetarian in my family. So an easy snack or meal suggestion like “breakfast burritos with beans” is really helpful and more what I’m looking for than “beans.” Please keep the easy meal and snack suggestions coming! |
Thank you for this. I used to make stir fry for my family and stopped. I should try it again. I think my kids stopped eating it but they might have to try again! |
more quick breakfast suggestions: canned baked beans on toast (the british style ones) quinoa "oatmeal" (much more high protein than regular oatmeal) idlis (can make them ahead of time and reheat--you can buy the batter at indian grocery stores) |
Add precooked lentils from Trader Joe’s to salads, and use for soup. |
I've been experiencing something similar recently. Here's what's working for me:
2% fage greek yogurt - 1/5 of the big tub is a serving. I put over fruit and top with some maple syrup and corn flakes (or low sugar cereal of your choice). You can add nuts, cinnamon, whatever. I eat 4% fat cottage cheese. I genuine like it plain but you can have it with fruit and cinnamon, or apple sauce, or salsa, or spices, or dip veggies, or whatever. Experiment with brands and %s and curd sizes until you find what you like. I like a higher % because it's more filling, and fat is not bad. Tofu. I like plain extra form cubed small in salads (like cheese) or stir fried. TJs has a nice teriyaki one that I bake or pan fry and serve with veggies and rice. The servings are larger than you'd think. And since it's your main you can have 1.5-2 servings. Watch the oil absorption if you're counting calories. I roast chickpeas in a sauce of olive oil, tomato paste, paprika (smoked is good), garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, and a little sugar. I also add thinly diced onions and garlic. These are good on their own, with salads, with other roasted veggies. Warm or cold. I eat a lot of string cheese. |
I’ve also been off eggs lately, but found an egg recipe that has not grossed me out. It’s high protein as it uses cottage cheese, has some healthy fats from the almond flour and makes a week’s worth of breakfast.
https://www.101cookbooks.com/cottage-cheese-muffins/ The flavor combinations are endless, I’ve enjoyed pesto- sun dried tomato, plain with plenty of fresh herbs, as well as feta-olive. |
Since yu do dairy and eggs.
Greek yogurt I love plain Greek yogurt with honey. For savory, try mixing it with garlic, salt and lime juice. It’s great with pita or naan with lettuce and tomatoes. Cottage cheese with everything bagel seasoning, great on its own or as a chip dip. Make tabbouleh with quinoa instead of bulgur. For eggs, when you are tired of eggs. Try egg drop soup, quiche, French toast or make it savory instead like a ham-less croque madame, fried rice with egg. Baked jumbo shells or manicotti stuffed with ricotta and covered in marinara. |
Check the dozen recent threads. |