I am hoping some of you ladies can give me suggestions here . . . I can't seem to keep my fat/carb/protein ratios where I want them AND get enough vegetables at the same time. I have a hard time getting more than 20% of my calories from protein, and I know I need more (especially since I do weight training). It just seems like all my meals will either be full of vegetables and little to no protein, or full of protein and no vegetables. I started eating cottage cheese at lunch to give me more protein, but I always mix fruit in with it, and then my lunch has no veggies.
I generally manage to get veggies and protein in my dinners, but lunch is really hard and there are never any veggies in my breakfast (cereal + milk + fruit, I have never been able to think of veggies as "breakfast food"). And eating vegetables at dinner doesn't really make up for not eating them the rest of the day. It's too bad vegetables aren't full of protein! I'm sure I am getting plenty of fruits though, so at least that's something.
First of all, remember that a serving of veggies is usually half a cup, so you're probably eating more than you think you are! Here are some strategies I use for getting in more veggies:
- baby carrots! Great for a snack, and 8 of them are a serving at only 35 calories.
- I also like whole tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes) as a snack - your mileage may vary on this one.
- try mixing veggies into your cottage cheese. I found a "Sante Fe Style" mixed frozen veggies at my grocery store that works well for this: it's corn, black beans, small broccoli bits, and red peppers. If you dump the right amount into a container in the morning, then cover it with your cottage cheese, they will have thawed by lunch and you can mix them in.
- eat lentil or black bean soup for lunch or dinner.
- sometimes for breakfast I make a microwave scramble - 1 egg, 1 cup of mixed veggies, 1 ounce of cheddar cheese (shredded). Mix and microwave.
20% of your calories from protein is a fine ratio (that's what I get!), unless you're doing mega weight-lifting.
i think some veggies actually have a somewhat decent amount of protein...maybe this is another questions but is there a difference in vegetable protein vs meat/dairy protein like a cup of broccoli has 5 grams of protein and an egg has 6 grams...so is there any nutritional benefit to getting protein from a vegetable source (like quiona a grain or protein rich veggies like spinach) vs say an egg...i realize that chicken would be best, but if you are a lacto-ovo vegetarian what can you do....
i think some veggies actually have a somewhat decent amount of protein...maybe this is another questions but is there a difference in vegetable protein vs meat/dairy protein like a cup of broccoli has 5 grams of protein and an egg has 6 grams...so is there any nutritional benefit to getting protein from a vegetable source (like quiona a grain or protein rich veggies like spinach) vs say an egg...i realize that chicken would be best, but if you are a lacto-ovo vegetarian what can you do....
I just checked Fitday and a cup of broccoli has less than 3 grams of protein.
Also, the protein from green veggies doesn't contain all the necessary amino acids, if I recall correctly. Most vegetarians I know are lacto-ovos, and use dairy products, eggs and soy products in their daily diets. (I'm not counting the 'fish eating vegetarians' as IMO that's a misnomer )
Anyway - back to the original question. I'm like Paperclippy - once in awhile, I'll add some mushrooms and spinach to my morning eggwhite omelet, but I've never been a 'morning vegetable eater'. I do make sure I include veggies in my daytime meals though...how about some ideas?
Whole-wheat pita with turkey or lean meat, stuffed with veggies
mix cottage cheese, tuna fish, pickle relish in a sort of tuna salad, then mix with a plethora of fresh veggies.
Chinese style stir fry - using a nonstick stir fry pan - add a little bit of sesame oil just before serving to get that good flavor.
Turkey meat loaf - add chopped veggies (carrots, onions, etc) to the meat mixture
My favorite - the salad bar in the produce section of my local market - I load up on those leafy greens and other veggies! That's my dinner default choice.
And of course, there are dozens of recipes to be found right here at 3FC.
If you just want to add more protein, have you thought of eating an omelet or an egg for breakfast? Eggbeaters are rather low calorie and have 6 grams of protein per 1/4 cup. You could also have some canadian bacon or turkey bacon. If you have that with a glass of milk and some fruit that will give you some more protein.
And you can easily add 1/4-1/2 cup of chopped veggies to an omelet. Spinach or broccoli are my favorites, but I've been known to use whatever I have that's leftover.
What I do to get both in is to take a good sized tupperware container, throw in some kind of meat, maybe some sugar free BBQ sauce for flavor, then about 6-8 oz. of some kind of veggies. Voila! I have lunch in one container.
I sometimes have a protein shake for breakfast if I'm short of time or not in the mood for eggs or cottage cheese!
I also found a great recipe on LWL for a banana muffin that you make with protein powder and has no fat and no sugar!
Perhaps try adding some low fat yoghurt in with a shake or having it with a snack. I'm quite liking snacking on nuts at the moment, to up my fat intake(!) also try some low-fat cheese to snack on.
Something that I've found to be really high in protein is lean pork it really whacks up my red section on Fitday! Also, are you eating 3 meals a day or 6? I reckon it's probably easier to get all your protein and veggies in in 6 meals than in just 3!
I absolutely rely on protein powder to keep my protein percentages up. I have a shake everyday and at least one Ilene's pancake with some in it.
As for vegetables, salad is my secret weapon. All those vegetables that have very few calories ... greens, tomatos, onions, radishes, cucumber, zucchini .... I eat a big plate for supper every night and sometimes for lunch too. It's several servings and adds very few calories.
Hm, maybe I will look into protein powder, thanks for the advice! I should probably eat eggbeaters for breakfast, but I am embarrassed to admit the primary reason I don't is that I don't want to get my frying pan dirty first thing in the morning, since I will be too lazy to clean it! That's a pretty poor excuse though.
I think another tip I will definitely try to put into play is snacking on veggies . . . usually I snack on fruit instead. Do tomatoes count as fruit or vegetable, though? I know technically they are a fruit, but for the purposes of getting 5 a day, do they count as veggies?
2frustrated, I would love to see that muffin recipe, can you send me a link? I am eating three regular meals and 2-3 snacks per day, usually my "meals" include cereal w/fruit for breakfast, leftovers from last night's dinner for lunch (or a sandwich or cottage cheese and fruit), and either some kind of pasta dish or some kind of stir fry with rice for dinner, and then my "snacks" are usually yogurt, fruit, and maybe a piece of toast or bread.
I think I did pretty well with dinner last night -- I cooked up mushrooms, frozen spinach, red bell pepper, red onion, and garlic, then added some fresh basil, a little pasta sauce, and fat free ricotta cheese that I had left over from a recipe, and ate it over pasta. Definitely plenty of veggies there! Hopefully the cheese added some protein too.
Tomatos? veggies. I think of fruit as a sweet treat
And about the frying pan. I paid about $7 for a nonstick at WalMart. If you wipe it out immediately, it's clean. I even make oatmeal in it. And you know what a mess that can be! And for 7 bucks if it gets awful lookin' I'll get another one.
1 cup dry old-fashioned oatmeal, ground to flour in a blender or food processor
4 scoops vanilla protein powder (I use HDT Problend 55 Alpine Vanilla or Milk Chocolate: 27 g. protein and 135 calories per scoop)
2 t Baking powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1 T cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
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2 med ripe bananas
1 egg
4 egg whites
1/2 cup natural applesauce
1 t vanilla
1/3 c splenda
1/4 c chopped walnuts
Procedure
Mix dry ingredients and wet separately. Add wet to dry stuff, mix up. spoon into muffin tin that has been sprayed with Pam.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes...or less, I like them browned on top.
I wrap each and freeze in a freezer bag.
Make 12 sm. muffins or 6 large ones. One of the large ones counts as a meal for me (I eat 5 meals a day).
Nutritional Information for the whole batch:
Fat: 35g
Calories: 1446
Protein: 147g
Carrot Muffins
Ingredients
1 cup dry old-fashioned oatmeal, ground to flour in a blender or food processor
4 scoops vanilla protein powder (I use HDT Problend 55 Alpine Vanilla:27 g. protein and 135 calories per scoop)
2 teaspoons Baking powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1 T cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
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1 cup grated carrot
1 egg
4 egg whites
2/3 cup natural applesauce
1 t vanilla
1/3 c Splenda
1/4 c chopped walnuts
Procedure
Mix dry ingredients and wet separately. Add wet to dry stuff, mix up. spoon into muffin tin that has been sprayed with Pam.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes...or less, I like them browned on top.
I wrap each and freeze in a freezer bag.
Make 12 sm. Muffins or 6 oversized
Nutritional Information:
For the whole batch: Per 1 muffin (12 total):
Fat: 53g Fat: 4.5 g
Calories: 1662 Calories: 138
Protein: 174g Protein: 14.5 g
Carbohydrates: 121 Carbohydrates: 10.1
Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
1 cup dry old-fashioned oatmeal, ground to flour in a blender or food processor
4 scoops vanilla protein powder (I use HDT Problend 55 Alpine Vanilla:27 g. protein and 135 calories per scoop)
2 teaspoons Baking powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1 T cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
2 tbps unsweetened cocoa powder if you want pumpkin-chocolate muffins
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1 cup pureed pumpkin (NOT pie filling!)
1 egg
4 egg whites
1/2 cup natural applesauce
1 t vanilla
1/3 c Splenda
1/4 c chopped walnuts
Procedure
Mix dry ingredients and wet separately. Add wet to dry stuff, mix up. spoon into muffin tin that has been sprayed with Pam.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes...or less, I like them browned on top.
I wrap each and freeze in a freezer bag.
Make 12 sm. Muffins or 6 oversized
These freeze easily and are a super portable meal! I have one almost every day for my 4 pm meal because it's something that I can eat while I'm working.
They are also good as a "bring along" for yourself when you know everyone else is going to be eating cookies or danish during a meeting when you should be eating a healthy meal or snack.
balancing fat/carb/protein and 5 a day?
I started eating cottage cheese at lunch to give me more protein, but I always mix fruit in with it, and then my lunch has no veggies.
I'm sure I am getting plenty of fruits though, so at least that's something. 
)
it really whacks up my red section on Fitday! Also, are you eating 3 meals a day or 6? I reckon it's probably easier to get all your protein and veggies in in 6 meals than in just 3!
