Looking for transition recipes for (hopefully) former fast food fatties
Hello All,
My fiancee and I previously did medifast and lost 70lbs each (about half of our goal), in fact medifast chat room is where we met. Unfort, since we have been living together we have both gained it back plus some.
While we were on medifast, and pretty much since then, he has been a meat and potatoes (only) kind of guy. I usually have to hide veggies in his meals (grated zucchini in mac and cheese) or douse them in a sauce to get him to eat veggies.
Recently he saw a couple of documentaries that have made him decide to go vegan. Realistically, I know this is not going to happen. I know him to well, but I am all for using this attempt to get him to eat healthier or skip meat a couple of nights a week.
Can you guys give me some recipes or websites with recipes for junk food junkies trying to go veg? Preferably ones without tons of exotic and costly ingredients. I live in Northen CA so I can get pretty much anything, but our food budget is $400 a month.
The transition is hard but sometimes its easier to do a little at a time. Masybe start with just cutting out the meat for the first month. Then the dairy the next. Whatever works for him. If he can tackle it all at once, then good for him.
I suggest him doing his research. Tell him to get some nutrition books. and recipe books. Skinny ***** is funny. Very much to the point, and tells you all the disgusting things meat and dairy do to our bodies. There's a male version also. I found it very motivating.
Anyway, good luck! I'm personally not vegan, just veg. But I eat dairy in moderation. And always choose organic. It's a very healthy lifestyle and if you stick to it you'll see the pounds just fall off of you!!
There are some really great vegan frozen food options. Amy's rice macaroni and non dairy cheeze is almost indistinguishable from some of the creamier mac and cheeses (like velveeta). Trader Joe's also has some great vegan offerings like their vegetarian panang curry, which to me is pretty much as good as anything I have gotten in a Thai restaurant. The kao soi (thai soup) is amazing and their vegan ice "cream" (made with coconut milk) is heavenly if you can find it.
There is a diet book called the Engine2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn that was designed to help a group of firemen go veg and get healthier. The recipes are vegan versions of tacos, lasagna, burgers, etc. Of course it's also filled with fantastic salads and other vegetable dishes. The food was very appealing to the firemen that participated in the diet program because it was healthier versions of junk food type recipes. All of the ingredients are very ordinary so you won't have to search out anything exotic.
First off, congrats to you and your partner for deciding to try life the vegan way! I know how really difficult it is for someone who is "meat and potatoes" to go vegan (I've been trying to get my dad to do this for ages...). So even if you don't succeed completely, I commend you for trying.
To answer your question, I would probably go to a vegan recipes website or two, put into the search box whatever fast food you want (like tacos, hamburgers, etc) and see what comes up. Ashley recommended the VegWeb website and I've found it fabulous for this. Tons of recipes and a very user-friendly search engine that will pop up options from every section of the web recipes section.
today is day six of our transition to lacto-ovo veggism. so far, so good.
day 1 - we had bean and rice burritos.
day 2 - BBQ tofu sandwiches
day 3 - enchilada stack with rice and beans and Morningstar crumbles
day 4 - broccoli "beef" with Yves meat strips
day 5 - bocaburgers with fries and coleslaw
day 6 - cheese pizza
day 7 - falafel with tzatziki sauce
I have also exchanged my bacon for cucumbers on my bagels and my steak and cheese for spinach and cucumbers on my subway.
I lost 2lbs this week, which is awesome because we didn't do anything other than cut out meat (and by extension fast food). We had healthily dinners, but ate chips and dip.... And See's candy.
Man, I bet if I actually dieted and added in exercise the weight would fall off.
I haven't been keeping track of things like protein amounts. How would I know if I am not eating enough protein?
Looking for transition recipes for (hopefully) former fast food fatties
