Need more veggies!

[Guest guest]

I've just recently moved out on my own (finaly)! Sticking to a

vegetarian diet is so much easier when I'm not living with my

carnivorious family, and I've been doing great! There is one little

problem I've stumbled uppon, though. I'm eatting a lot of soy and TVP

(Cerial & Soy Milk, Veggie Burgers, Vegitarian Chilidogs, Pasta &

Marinara Sauce, etc.) I don't feel like I'm getting enough fruits and

veggies in my diet. I generaly eat a peice of fruit with lunch and

dinner and occasionaly a very basic salad, but I kinda feel like I

need to be getting more.

First off, is what I'm eatting okay? Am I getting enough nutrients and

what not? Second, what are some good ways to incorporate more fruits

and veggies in my menu that arn't too expencive, since I'm an

impoverished college student?

One more thing:

I've found that even when I get a variety of fresh veggies, they tend

to go bad before I can get them eatten since I'm just cooking for

myself. Any hits or tips about that?

--Icarus

[Guest guest]

You can do what I do. I use frozen vegetables. I will use jar pasta

sauce but I will add thawed frozen spinach and zucchini to it.

I will also boil noodles and add thawed mixed vegetab;es with some

cheese and bake it.

I also make a salad and I grate a carrot on top and add a few sliced

mushroons. Happy to see you are putting a lot of effort into your

vegetarian diet.

Frank

 

, " icarus_imbued "

<icarus_imbued wrote:

>

> I've just recently moved out on my own (finaly)! Sticking to a

> vegetarian diet is so much easier when I'm not living with my

> carnivorious family, and I've been doing great! There is one little

> problem I've stumbled uppon, though. I'm eatting a lot of soy and

TVP

> (Cerial & Soy Milk, Veggie Burgers, Vegitarian Chilidogs, Pasta &

> Marinara Sauce, etc.) I don't feel like I'm getting enough fruits

and

> veggies in my diet. I generaly eat a peice of fruit with lunch and

> dinner and occasionaly a very basic salad, but I kinda feel like I

> need to be getting more.

> First off, is what I'm eatting okay? Am I getting enough nutrients

and

> what not? Second, what are some good ways to incorporate more

fruits

> and veggies in my menu that arn't too expencive, since I'm an

> impoverished college student?

> One more thing:

> I've found that even when I get a variety of fresh veggies, they

tend

> to go bad before I can get them eatten since I'm just cooking for

> myself. Any hits or tips about that?

> --Icarus

>

[Guest guest]

Glad to see you're doing great!

 

What we do is add diced veggies to everything. You can dice up all sorts of

vegetables - bell peppers (all colors), onions, zucchini, summer squash,

mushrooms, beans, peas - well, you don't want to dice the peas, but you get

the idea, etc. - whatever you like the taste of and is one sale! The mix

freezes well - we just thaw and add to our cooked dishes of beans, rice,

scrambles, soups, etc. We don't sauté or cook our vegetables normally,

trying to stay as raw as possible, but if you prefer the texture/taste of

sautéed veggies by all means go for it (the frozen mix sautés well, too).

 

We use the fresh mix for:

Quick salad toppings. We like to add olives and tomatoes with our spinach

leaves for that one!

 

Quick tamale pie: a can of beans (black, kidney, pinto, etc.), a 16 oz can

of salsa (you can use tomato SAUCE - not paste - if you prefer), and I mix

in as many fresh vegetables as I can that fit into the casserole dish. Then

boil 1 cup corn meal, 3 cups water, simmer for five minutes. Spread over

the bean and veggie mixture. Put the whole thing in the oven for 1/2 an

hour at 350 and then let stand for 5 minutes. This makes GREAT leftovers!

 

Quick quesadilla: Put a few slices of your favorite cheese/cheese substitute

on the bottom tortilla, top with the fresh veggie mix (can add tomatoes,

tomatillos, olives, etc. to make it extra tasty) put on the top tortilla and

the zap in the microwave for 1 - 2 minutes until the cheese is melted. The

kids at our house really like it when we add a layer of cheese on top of the

veggies, too.

 

Quick Breakfast burritos: Not just for breakfast! Scramble the tofu, add

the veggie mix (and salsa or tomatoes), stuff in a burrito or pita bread,

add cheese/cheese substitute.

 

Quick pasta dish: take the veggie mix, add olives, serve on top of your

favorite pasta with jalapeno vinegar. . . yum. Can also work on top of

rice. We don't sauté our veggies, we're trying to eat as raw as possible,

but - again - you can sauté if you prefer the taste/texture.

 

Quick pasta salad: Add the veggie mix to cooked and cooled spiral, bow tie,

penne, or ravioli (or any pasta, for that matter), throw in other veggies

(like carrots), olives, artichoke hearts, cubed cheese/cheese substitute,

and serve with Italian or ranch dressing.

 

Bean sprout salad: Take the veggie mix, add carrots (if they're not already

in your mix), snap peas, tomatoes, mung bean sprouts and make a dressing of

equal parts soy sauce and sesame oil, toss to coat, and top with sesame

seeds.

 

When I was single I use to make a big " pot " of my fresh veggie mix, and then

have salads, scrambles, pita sandwiches until the veggies started going

soft (usually the third day) then I'd throw the remaining stuff in a tamale

pie, soup, or pasta sauce and have for the next two or three meals.

Anything not used by day three went in the freezer.

 

 

As far as your diet, I think you want to be as vegetable heavy as possible -

something like 70% of your diet. There's no hard and fast rule, and I think

it depends on WHY you're a vegetarian (such as monetary, dietary or

moralistic. If you don't have any dietary concerns and are vegetarian for

your general health and the well-being of animals, you can have more rice,

potatoes, processed grains, processed soy, etc. Obviously, if you're on a

diet that needs to restrict processed grains, pastas, etc., you'll want more

vegetables than processed stuff). Anyway, the fresher, the " greener " , the

better :0)

 

Good luck!

 

Torey

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi Icarus,

 

Sounds like a pretty good diet, but you could have more protein

variety. Try lentils, great in soups and fast cooking. Also beans

and garbanzos. How about peanut butter and other nut butters, which

are also great on lettuce, celery, carrots, or whole grain crackers

or breads? Don't forget brown rice, which you can also incorporate

into stir fries with vegetables.

 

Make huge salads as meals. We love to make a giant salad with

lettuce, tomato, thinly sliced garlic, carrot, green peppers, canned

corn, and garbanzos or other beans. The corn and beans give you

protein and it is a super healthy meal. You can add other vegetables

if they are available, and especially organic ones. You could also

top with tofu cubes or other vegetarian protein, sunflower or pumpkin

seeds, and corn nuts or sesame sticks as " croutons " .

 

Bryan

Puerto Rico

 

, " icarus_imbued "

<icarus_imbued wrote:

>

> I've just recently moved out on my own (finaly)! Sticking to a

> vegetarian diet is so much easier when I'm not living with my

> carnivorious family, and I've been doing great! There is one little

> problem I've stumbled uppon, though. I'm eatting a lot of soy and

TVP

> (Cerial & Soy Milk, Veggie Burgers, Vegitarian Chilidogs, Pasta &

> Marinara Sauce, etc.) I don't feel like I'm getting enough fruits

and

> veggies in my diet. I generaly eat a peice of fruit with lunch and

> dinner and occasionaly a very basic salad, but I kinda feel like I

> need to be getting more.

> First off, is what I'm eatting okay? Am I getting enough nutrients

and

> what not? Second, what are some good ways to incorporate more

fruits

> and veggies in my menu that arn't too expencive, since I'm an

> impoverished college student?

> One more thing:

> I've found that even when I get a variety of fresh veggies, they

tend

> to go bad before I can get them eatten since I'm just cooking for

> myself. Any hits or tips about that?

> --Icarus

>

[Guest guest]

, " icarus_imbued " wrote:

> what are some good ways to incorporate more fruits and veggies in my

> menu that aren't too expensive...?

 

Hi Icarus. My husband and I are new veg (health reasons) and we are

learning the same way you are! I love pasta b/c it is so easy

to " sneak " more veggies into it. Even before we became veg, I added a

chopped onion, diced tomatoes, and two grated carrots to my pasta

sauce. The carrot just dissappears into the sauce, so my anti-carrot

husband never even knew it was there. Now I buy 1 lb bags of frozen

veggie blends and add it to a quart-sized jar of pasta sauce for a

quick and cheap " pasta primavera " .

 

> I've found that even when I get a variety of fresh veggies, they

> tend to go bad before I can get them eaten since I'm just cooking

> for myself. Any hits or tips about that?

 

Something that helps me is to plan a menu, with recipes, and stick to

it. That way, I know exactly what I will need and I don't end

up " munchy-shopping " or buying too much.

 

Hope this helps!

NIF