[BattleOfTheBulge]

Hey y'all!
My current food plan involves almost complete vegetarianism leaning towards the vegan end of things (really trying to limit cheese, eggs, etc to once or twice a week) as detailed in the Eat to Live plan by Dr. Fuhrman. I've been doing it for about a week and have been having pretty good success so far except for one or two slip ups. I'm noticing that the biggest issue I'm having is finding things that are easy and satisfying when I'm really tired and just need something to eat. Does anyone have any go to, easy foods that require little to no preparation/can be made easily in advance and stored for several days that can take the place of traditional comfort foods? I'm going to make some kale chips soon, I got some toasted edamame stuff from a friend and I'm scouring Pinterest for other stuff. Ideas would be greatly appreciated! thanks!

[BeachBreeze2010]

How's this for lazy -

Cut open an avocado in half and add a few leaves of cilantro and eat with a spoon. (Leave the pit in the other half and put back in fridge for later.)

Open and drain a can of black beans, can of diced tomatoes, some frozen corn and heat in a sauce pan or microwave bowl. Season with anything you have the energy to add - onions, jalapenos, lime juice, cilantro, etc. Basically, make your own Chipotle veggie bowl.

Open and drain a can of garbanzo beans into the mixer (not the mixer, but the chopper thingie - the word is escaping me right now), add lemon juice, garlic and chives. Mix up to make hummus. Eat with cucumber slices. I use the plastic lemon juice bottle that looks like a lemon, keep chopped garlic on hand and then you can just pull a few chives from the bag. Makes enough to eat more for the next couple of days. Even easier - just pull out of fridge! Goes great with a glass of vegan red wine...you did say comfort food.

Still pretty lazy - cook a large portabello mushroom in a skillet just like you would a hamburger, but skip the oil or use very, very little. Add seasoning if you'd like. It cooks really fast and isn't messy like meat. Place on hamburger bun with mustard, spinach leaves and a tomato slice. You could also add the other half of the avocado on top, sliced.

Take above "Chipotle" mixture and replace seasonings with italian style seasonings and stuff inside a large green pepper, bake for 20 minutes. Fresh basil on top after it comes out is yummy - if you eat cheese, add some fresh mozzarella to it after also (the kind that comes in a ball).

Not quite as lazy, but comfort food:

Mix 1c of flour and 1c of water in a large plastic bowl with a lid. Add pepper and garlic powder or whatever seasonings you like. Add in a chopped, head of cauliflower, put the lid on and shake to coat thoroughly. Spread into a greased baking dish and bake for 20 minutes at 425. Pull out, add your favorite chicken wing sauce and bake 5 more minutes. Let cool for a bit, it's hot. It tastes a lot like boneless chicken wings.

I can't wait to hear anyone else's?

[BattleOfTheBulge]

AWESOME suggestions, thanks so much!

[MarjorieMargarine]

Make up a big pot of lentil or split pea soup with veggie broth and whatever veggies you have on hand. Hard to mess up, and even from scratch it's very quick-and you can make up a huge batch and freeze it for later. Or there are several good varieties of canned lentil soup that are pretty healthy- the Trader Joe's one even tastes good! Or you can make all manner of soups with beans as the base- black bean with mexican spices and veggies, veggie chili with TVP or tofu crumbles...

I keep veggie burger patties around. They're great on one of those 100 calorie thin bread rounds with a handful of greens and some tomatoes. They have a bunch of different kinds, too. There's a super good indian veggie burger patty at Trader Joes (I swear I don't work for them, and I know not everyone has one close, but they are amazing for veggie convenience foods)- that one's delish with a little cilantro and some mango chutney.

Oh speaking of Mango chutney, mango chutney on a grilled cheese (espeically goat cheese or havarti or some such) sandwich is delicious- though I know you said you're staying away from dairy.


Pasta dishes with little pasta and lots of veggies is quick easy. I use thin strips of zucchini and it's delicious.

Stir-fry with tofu cubes and lots of ginger is one of my faves. Be sure to press the tofu before cooking- and I like it when it's in small cubes so it gets crisp faster.

A big pot of curry? I make a pretty simplified version- Can of light coconut milk, can of veggie broth, bunch of veggies (Sweet potatoes and thin green beans are especially good), chunks of ginger, tons of curry paste/powder. Topped with cilantro sprigs served with rice or just by itself. And it gets better the longer it sits in the fridge!

For breakfast, english muffin with peanut butter and banana slices or jam, or cereal and soy milk. Also- have you tried the morningstar farms sausage patties? They're really good. I eat cheese, so I make little breakfast sandwiches with them and eggwhites and light laughing cow wedges a lot.

[jennybee]

These are great ideas! My comfort food is just basic peanut butter on toast. I also love to make burgers using portobello mushrooms instead of a burger patty - they cook so quickly and taste amazing! I just fry them with some lemon juice and herbs.

[BreathingSpace]

I've been sick at home for the past week so really needing to be lazy, but still needing to eat.

What I've been doing is putting a bunch of fresh kale in a bowl and massaging with a tiny bit of olive oil to soften, then I dump some soba noodles (already cooked) on top, then I put a bunch of fresh spinach and layer it a bit with Daiya shreds (cheese substitute, soy-free, made from arrowroot powder and so good!). I stick it in the microwave for a minute or so to soften/steam/melt everything and then add a few black olives and a little sesame oil and maybe some tamari.

That has been my favorite quick meal lately and it's delicious.

[nelie]

I don't like Daiya but I was just looking at a recipe for Mac n Cheese made from sunflower seeds, I've heard it is really good and the sauce is good:
http://www.theppk.com/2012/02/sunflower-mac/

The red hot tahini sauce here is good too:
http://www.theppk.com/2012/12/hoppin...ed-hot-tahini/

And although my husband wasn't a fan of it (he doesn't care for creamy pasta sauces), this butternut alfredo is really good
http://www.theppk.com/2012/10/roaste...ernut-alfredo/

[BreathingSpace]

Originally Posted by nelie

I don't like Daiya

I only like it when it's melted.

In fact I made my own "cheeze" sauce out of cashews (soaked), nutritional yeast, water and lemon juice. Poured it all over steamed broccoli and brussel sprouts and added some toasted sesame seeds. It was so good!

[nelie]

Originally Posted by BreathingSpace

I only like it when it's melted.

In fact I made my own "cheeze" sauce out of cashews (soaked), nutritional yeast, water and lemon juice. Poured it all over steamed broccoli and brussel sprouts and added some toasted sesame seeds. It was so good!

Every once in a while, I can stomach it when I go out for pizza (rare, 1-2x year) as long as they use it lightly and there are lots of other things on the pizza. Other than that, I'm not a fan. I do like cheese-like sauces made from nuts/seeds though.

It is a shame that Cheezly has distribution issues in the US (not sure about Canada) but that was a much better pizza option.