EASY Vegetarian lunch, dinner, and snack ideas

[Anonymous]

I don't know what my problem is, but I've been eating terribly lately. I'm having a hard time preparing food: my toddler is clingy when I'm making food, and when he naps I just don't feel like it. So I'm eating chips and cheeze-itz for snacks. For meals, I always crave cereal and pizza, mainly because they are both easy. You'd think eating healthy cereal for breakfast and dinner would somehow negate the calories from the chips and pizza, am I right? But no, I weigh almost as much as I did when I was pregnant, 17 months ago

I am a vegetarian. Fruit hurts my stomach now (I used to love a big bowl of fruit with yogurt).

So, I'd love to hear some good easy vegetarian lunch and dinner ideas. I'm usually cooking for one (DH is out of town 3 nights per week. I do cook dinner for both when he's home). I've always liked the idea of small meals and healthy snacks.

[Anonymous]

I like keeping these packets on hand:
http://www.unclebens.com/Products/Ready-Rice/Fast-Cook-Recipe#.Udt4b3DFX6c

You can microwave them or soften the rice up in a skillet with a little water. TJ sells pre-made Cuban black beans that would pair nicely.

Gazpacho is an easy summer soup--pretty much everything can go in the blender.

For snacks, I like crackers, baby carrots and tzatziki or humus, which you can buy pre-made. I also put corn chips, cheese and salsa under the broiler for a few seconds.

[Anonymous]

My recent fav is spinach pesto. 1/4c walnuts, 1/4c Parmesan in food processor. Add 1/3 c olive oil, bag of fresh spinach, and juice and zest of a lemon. Add to pasta! Keeps for several days!

[Anonymous]

soup
i have some quick pasta go to's i stick with
soba noodles boil so quickly if you have some veggies sauteed in a quick sauce
gardein beefless tips cook quickly

[Anonymous]

I make whole wheat pita pizzas a lot. I use fresh mozzarella, olive oil, garlic, spinach, salt, and pepper. That plus a salad. Might satisfy your pizza cravings.

[Anonymous]

I make a big batch of brown rice and store it in the fridge. Then I make a pot of beans (often just canned black beans cooked with a bunch of sauteed vegetables). Over the week, I eat the beans over the rice for lots of small meals. Kind of carb heavy, but filling and delicious.

[Anonymous]

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/everyday-cooking/vegetarian/?prop24=hn_slide0&evt19=1

[Anonymous]

I make hummus now - 2 cans chickpeas, some tahini, a couple cloves of garlic, and about 1/3c lemon juice into the food processor and 5 minutes later (add olive oil if it's too thick still), you've got hummus that is about 1000% better than the premade kinds and also a fraction of the cost. I eat it with carrot sticks, celery, red peppers, etc. but you could use chips or pita as well.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if you spend a few days eating higher protein and lower carb if you would start to crave those foods more?

Spend one night cutting up lots of pepper, carrots, celery, cucumber (whatever raw veggies you want) and snack on those with hummus, black bean dip, etc.

Try berries and melon (shouldn't hurt your stomach in the way apples etc. might) with your yogurt.

Low fat string cheese.

Hard boiled egg.

Rice cake with almond or peanut butter for a snack in place of chips (bit of fat might help keep you full).

Make a big batch of eggplant cauliflower chickpea curry and have for all of week (sounds complex but this recipe takes 20 minutes of active time): http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/indian_spiced_eggplant_cauliflower_stew.html

[Anonymous]

If I don't feel like cooking, I will heat up some boxed soup, cook a veggie burger, or do pasta with jarred sauce and a bagged salad.

Some thing that take minimal prep:

Quiche-- if you use a frozen pie crust, this is super easy. Beat 5-6 eggs with milk, salt and pepper, add some shredded cheese and veg of your choice, put in a pie crust and cook at 350 for about 40 minutes. Simple and quick.

Bean burritos-- heat up a can of refried beans; add some black beans, corn, salsa. If you want to saute some onions and green peppers, you can throw them in too. Eat with wheat tortillas and some cheese if you like. Very quick meal.

Quinoa is really easy. Cook up a batch and you can add nuts, veg, dried fruit, beans, or whatever you want, and whip up a quick dressing for it, or just use a prepared vinagrette dressing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I make a big batch of brown rice and store it in the fridge. Then I make a pot of beans (often just canned black beans cooked with a bunch of sauteed vegetables). Over the week, I eat the beans over the rice for lots of small meals. Kind of carb heavy, but filling and delicious.

I do this too. I also will do veggie curries or fried rice, or eat rice with fried egg and canned spanish tomato sauce (arroz a la cubana). My toddler happily eats rice for lunch or dinner, along with cheese, vegetables (often frozen peas or green beans), beans, or scrambled eggs. If you try to eat as much fiber and protein as you can, the carbs won't make you gain weight.

[Anonymous]

Do you like black beans? If so, this is a great recipe. You can then eat them plain, add salsa & avocado, make them into enchiladas, quesadaillas, etc. I am the only one who eats them in my house, so I usually make a batch and freeze at least half of it in smaller portions.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/series/recipes_for_health/blackbeans/index.html

[Anonymous]

I just made a pita with hummus and fresh veggies. It was so good.

[Anonymous]

My go to meals and snacks are...
-veggie taco (black beans, corn, avocado, salsa, and cheese in a soft tortilla)
-veggie pizza (I just buy a frozen cheese pizza and add spinach, tomato, olives, onions, mushrooms, etc.)
-canned soups
-veggie stir fry w/rice or noodles
-crackers w/ peanut butter or cheese
-veggies w/ dip
-greek yogurt
-stuffed pitas (veggies w/hummus or banana w/ peanut butter etc.)

I'm the only vegetarian in my house so I try to keep my food simple so I don't have to cook 2 whole meals each night.

[Anonymous]

Here are a couple of my miminal/no cooking favorite veggie meals:

cooked quinoa + a bit of shredded cheese. microwave to warm it up, then dump a bunch of salsa on top.

those "tasty bite" indian food pouches. heat in the microwave, add some uncooked couscous, and wait a couple minutes to eat.

quesodillas (sp?) with frozen spinach

frittata - even easier than a quiche. saute whatever veggies you have in the fridge, whisk egg, a bit of milk, and a little cheese. cook on the stove top for a few minutes then pop it under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top.

snacks are handfuls of nuts, pb & banana or apple, hummus and veggies