Forums: January 2010 Kickstart Forum Archive: low-maintenance meals and snacks
Created on: 12/30/09 02:01 PM Views: 2897 Replies: 12
rb Joined: 12/30/09 Posts: 85	low-maintenance meals and snacks Posted Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 2:01 PM Hi, I'm wondering what suggestions people have for meals that don't involve a lot of prep time? I know that would be a deterrent for me. I see some of these recipes and think I will never make them because of the time involved. I know being vegan takes more time and effort, but there are realistic practical forces also operating, and I think in order to stay motivated at this, I would need meals that are low-maintenance. I'm almost a vegetarian, so going without meat is not the issue - the issue will be going without dairy (I eat yogurt twice a day), and having filling meals (besides pasta) without a lot of prep time. Any ideas? Thanks. Also, I have a big sweet tooth, so salty snacks do not satisfy me, and I'm already o.d.-ing on trail mix type of things. Is dark chocolate an acceptable treat? Thanks!
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serenevannoy Joined: 12/28/09 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 294	RE: low-maintenance meals and snacks Posted Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 2:26 PM Yes, dark chocolate is vegan, yay! There's also rice milk chocolate in my local healthy-foods store; you might want to try that. I am TOTALLY low-maintenance. If you want, you can see my menus at http://serenecooking.livejournal.com; almost no recipes, mostly just foods I'm used to making, with minimal prep. But here are some of my easy, go-to meals. I can give you lots more if these don't work for you, or if you just want lots more. Spaghetti with jarred marinara sauce Bean burritos (refried beans, no-lard flour tortillas, salsa, lettuce, etc.) Stir-fry over rice (whatever veggies you want, over a big pile of brown rice.) Baked potatoes. I love these with just veggies and a little vegan margarine, but my family prefers veggie chili over the top and the best vegan chili I've made is at http://www.fatfreevegan.com/beans/red_gold.shtml. Udon soup (we buy packs of udon noodles with a seasoning packet in them) with veggies tossed into the soup broth Lazy Bean Soup: 1 can (14 oz. or so) beans (any kind -- refried, black, whatever, just make them fat-free) 1 large can (48 oz? 64 oz? something like that) V-8 or other vegetable juice 1 cup of your favorite salsa 1 cup corn, optional (fresh, frozen, or canned) Heat through. Eat. I like this with fat-free corn chips crumbled in, too. Serene Vannoy, Oakland, CA -- My daily Kickstart blog: http://serenecooking.livejournal.com/tag/kickstart
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Tigerlily Joined: 12/30/09 Location: Canada Posts: 5	RE: low-maintenance meals and snacks Posted Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 5:19 PM If you are in North America, Oreo cookies are vegan. Peanut butter and banana sandwiches on pita bread make excellent filling snacks. I also like baked beans on toast. ? vegan ?
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Wild4Stars Joined: 12/27/09 Location: Florida Posts: 832	RE: low-maintenance meals and snacks Posted Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 5:43 PM I LOVE peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Other good snack foods are dried apricots, raisins, grapes. Bearitos fat-free refried beans on whole wheat pitas, popcorn, raw nuts (pretty high in calories so be careful.) I would suggest to just google "vegan snacks" or go to www.fatfreevegan.com and search for something there. Hope that helps. Vikki ~ Wild4Stars@gmail.com
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dollychik Joined: 12/30/09 Posts: 10	RE: low-maintenance meals and snacks Posted Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 6:17 PM Tigerlily wrote: If you are in North America, Oreo cookies are vegan. Be aware that Oreo cookies also contain High Fructose Corn Syrup. Ech. Not to mention you shouldn't make too much use of junk food for optimum health. That said, Back To Nature makes the best oreo stand-in cookie my extremely picky fiance has found. Another thing that helps me is to make a few recipes on a Sat or Sun when I have time, and make enough so I can have a few meals from each throughout the week.
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shanna Joined: 12/30/09 Posts: 287	RE: low-maintenance meals and snacks Posted Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 6:31 PM Oh, if you like yogurt: Silk brand soy yogurt is good, vegan, and and easy to find. Most grocery stores in the US seem to carry it. There's also a newer vegan yogurt made by So Delicious that's made from coconut milk--but that seems a little harder to find. Whole Foods carries it, and I've seen it in other grocery chains. Other dairy replacements: Follow Your Heart is the easiest vegan cheese to find but it's honestly not that great. My favorites are Teese and Daiya, both of which are limited distribution because they are sort of new. None of these is really a health food! But neither is dairy cheese. Still, they really help with the transition. Also, **mashed avocado** is a good replacement on sandwiches, if you just want a creamy texture. (I've been vegan for about 2 years and really don't miss cheese at all. Anyway I found out I was allergic to dairy. So awesome to be able to breathe through my nose!) For convenience, I agree about some of the recipes. I love to cook, and try to cook ahead batches of rice, soup, chili or beans on the weekends. I freeze half of a big soup for later, so I usually have 2-3 kinds on hand. But sometimes you just don't have time! Especially when you're transitioning it seems like there's so much to think about, a few prepared foods can help: Prewashed salad greens, baby carrots, vegan canned or boxed soups (watch sodium), whole grain tortillas or big collard leaves for wraps, premade hummus are handy and fast. Healthy Valley vegetarian chili (several varieties--and some are "low sodium") Amy's makes a bunch of vegan frozen foods--including pizzas. (One of their soy cheese pizzas has casein though. Get the rice-crust spinach one or the cheeseless one with roasted veg. One slice with a big salad is a fine quick dinner.) They also have all kinds of noodle bowls, rice bowls, cheeseless frozen burritos and tofu scrambles, etc. Kashi has a few frozen meals that are vegan too. So I keep a couple of these around for emergencies. Imagine and Pacific Foods both make vegan soups in boxes. If you add beans, baby spinach and/or cooked grains to any of these they don't seem packaged at all and it only takes a couple minutes in the microwave. I pour some into my thermos mix in some rice or beans, and wrap some greens and hummus in a tortilla before I catch my train in the morning--easy lunch. Takes 5 minutes.
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Aimeeld Joined: 12/31/09 Posts: 3	RE: low-maintenance meals and snacks Posted Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 10:43 PM One of my favorite easy meals is breakfast for dinner! (or lunch for that matter) There is nothing wrong with bowl of cereal for dinner. I of course have a supply of vegan cereals (EnviroKidz Peanut butter Panda Puffs are my favorite) then I chop up some fruit throw it in and pour on some soy/rice/almond milk. I've been experimenting with different fruits too. Chopped up pears and apples are great in cereal, and you can't go wrong with good old strawberries and raspberries. I don't eat this every night, but when I just can't be bothered to cook, this is my favorite no frills meal. If I'm really hungry I will also do up a piece of whole grain toast and top it with Eden Organic's Apple Cherry Butter. Yum!
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tonypnz Joined: 12/29/09 Location: New Zealand Posts: 3	RE: low-maintenance meals and snacks Posted Friday, January 1, 2010 at 12:21 AM Smoothies are great to pack in the fruits and greens and are very quick to make and are also very portable to eat For example the one I just finished had: 120g frozen baby spinach 1 cup frozen blueberries 1 banana 1 orange 3 dates 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed 1 cup of water to help blending Really delicious and healthy
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rb Joined: 12/30/09 Posts: 85	RE: low-maintenance meals and snacks Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 1:45 AM A couple of months ago, I discovered Ziplock Zip N'Steam baggies. They have made eating veggies SO much easier! You just fill the bag with fresh or frozen veggies, add spices if you want, close the bag, and throw it in the microwave. There's a chart on the side of each bag that shows how much time you should use for each kind of vegetable. It is so low-maintenance, and it has taken away the "I don't want to deal" feeling I have had that can get in the way of making vegetables when you are tired or busy. And if you don't feel up to washing or chopping anything, you can use them for frozen veggies too! Just empty the bag of frozen vegetables into it, and there is a set time for frozen vegetables written on the side of the bag. Works every time!
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serenevannoy Joined: 12/28/09 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 294	RE: low-maintenance meals and snacks Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 1:56 AM My making-veggies-easier tip is to cut up some of my veggies (say, carrot sticks, pepper strips) as I'm putting away the groceries. That way, if I'm too tired to cook veggies, I at least have some raw ones to munch (usually with hummus, because I love hummus). (I don't have a microwave, and I wouldn't cook in plastic if I did, but that's just me.) Serene Vannoy, Oakland, CA -- My daily Kickstart blog: http://serenecooking.livejournal.com/tag/kickstart
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VeganRecipeGuy Joined: 01/03/10 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 131	RE: low-maintenance meals and snacks Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 2:32 AM dollychik wrote: Be aware that Oreo cookies also contain High Fructose Corn Syrup. Ech. Also be aware that agave nectar, raw or otherwise, has more fructose than high fructose corn syrup gram for gram. They are nearly identical chemically. Junk is junk even when we buy it at "Whole Foods" Tony, spot on. I am all about the smoothie as a snack. www
	Edited 01/06/10 2:33 AM Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
serenevannoy Joined: 12/28/09 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 294	RE: low-maintenance meals and snacks Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 2:45 AM I don't do smoothies as snacks, mainly because I can drink 4-6 pieces of fruit in the time it would take me to eat one, and I think eating one is a better choice for me. Serene Vannoy, Oakland, CA -- My daily Kickstart blog: http://serenecooking.livejournal.com/tag/kickstart
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rb Joined: 12/30/09 Posts: 85	RE: low-maintenance meals and snacks Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 1:25 PM My ob/gyn said it was better to eat fruit than make it into juice because the amount of sugar is so much higher in juice. She said if you think about how little juice one orange makes and then compare that amount to a whole glass of orange juice, you can get a sense of that. Plus you get the other benefits of the whole fruit. I'm not saying don't drink juice but to not do it in lieu of eating fruit too.
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