7 replies to this topic

[shydie]

ok, well basically i would like to know what foods you eat as a vegetarian. i tried many times in the past to go vegetarian, but i have a prob with carbs...and it seems carbs are the only way to go to be a veg. i eat a lot of rice and tofu (from growing up) but with foods i grew up with...i can't get away from certain meats like fish/seafood--not a fan of red meat, chicken or pork-but fish is the diet i eat most...what else is there besides tofu and beans-which makes u toot-gross. (makes me think about my brother...yuck.)anywho...the main prob i have with carbs is bc it burns/digests so fast and then i get hungry(bc i love eating)....which when i'm hungry my stomach growls...with extreme force of sound i might add (yes i was the one during english silent reading where my stomach would go off like no other).on top of all this, making GOOD vegetarian food is time consuming...what do you? bc i can't cook worth ..... and there's not too many take out vege places besided telling them to "hold the meat"thoughts/suggestions? and any other vegans out there, please feel free to advise.also do you not consume dairy products?thanks in advance...the stomache growler...ugh now i'm hungry talking about food

[mnuks]

I'm veg not vegan but here's a few ideas. Some suggestions regarding the carb problem.. use whole wheat pasta and breads. I do mean the 100 % whole wheat not these goofy low carb mostly white flour things. Whole wheat pasta is ALOT more filling . As far as cooking is concerned things are alot easier than they used to be . All the stores carry veggie burgers , bacon, sausages etc that can just be thrown in the oven or microwave. Boca and Morningstar Farms are the most common. If you go to a place like Whole Foods you will be amazed at the selection you will find of veg options!Easy dinner idea:Warm up one box of Boca burger crumbles ( or other brand you may find) throw into a jar of spaghetti sauce(read the label make sure there isn't any beef broth etc. I prefer Newman's Own Sockerooni. No chemicals and spicy) Make some whole wheat spaghetti. Easy and tastes great!Use the crumbles to replace ground meat however you would usually use it. Trust me I have many meat eating friends I've made veggie chili for using the crumbles and they LOVE it!Eating out: Indian is always a great choice because they always have large veg options even on buffets. If you don't know it ...Chili's now offers a Black Bean burger that you can use as a replacement on any of their burger options. Great to go option!There are many great veg web sites that can give you some ideas. Boca has their own, Veg Times magazine etc.Hope this helps !

[shydie]

nice! thanks for your input. i actually really like the boca burgers but i would just heat up 2 patties and eat them plain-which gets old fast....would never of thought to do the spaghetti thing or chili thing. we'll see how this goes...think its attempt #6 or 7.mental note: find whole foods near me.

[shydie]

oops...sorry forgot to say thank you. :-)

[Bonobio]

Stay away from things that contain the food additive Carmine (aka cochineal). Such as my 100% :roll: Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice. Carmine is actually crushed beetles and beetle eggs. "Cochineal extract is a coloring extracted from the eggs of the cochineal beetle, which lives on cactus plants in Peru, the Canary Islands, and elsewhere. ""Carmine is extracted from dried insects so that vegetarians and others who want to avoid animal products could do so. "

[mnuks]

Beetle eggs? Yuck! Thanks bonobio I never knew this one. I'm trying to cut down on the chemmies in general .. but it is hard in our society unless you want to cook everything from scratch. Who has the time for that? There are a few brands that I find are better.. Newman's Own, Health is Wealth among others. Shydie... another easy idea .. take the fake "chicken" patties or nuggets , warm them up and put on a Ceasar salad ( make sure there are no anchovies in the dressing however if you are looking to cut out all animal byproducts)Learning to adapt old meal favorites to your new way of life is a slow process that over time will start becoming easier. Let me know if you need anymore ideas!

[shydie]

any and all suggestions you can offer is great. when i say i can't cook, i really can't. most of the veg recipies seem so extravagant...and i need easy stuff like the spagehitti thing. (on a normal day my meals start from my phone and take out menu drawer). :sick:

[mnuks]

Try some of the mixes like Near East couscous. Also can use good ol' hamburger helper just replace with the crumbles.To keep this from turning into the "full contact poker recipe club" (altho' that could be interesting )you may want to try to send me a PM. I haven't tried the PM on this forum yet so if you try to send one and have a problem just post to this link and let me know.I've been doing the veg thing for a while and trust me I am far from a gourmet cook. But I can give you some pointers.