Vegetarian boredom

[danipat]

I recently have become a vegetarian, well technically a pescetarian (about 4 mths ago) and I'm slowly becoming bored out of my mind. My protien sources right now are soy, beans, eggs and occasionally fish. I eat a ton of fruits and vegtables, and try to get in as much protien as I can. I'm trying to lean out right now, lose fat gain muscle. Can any vegetarians out there give me a typical eating schedule- what and how much. Or just any ideas for meals.

[WordyGirl]

Originally Posted by danipat

and try to get in as much protien as I can.

It's way easier to be vegetarian (or even vegan) today than it used to be. There are a lot more products out there that are similar to the comfort type foods you might be missing. Most that are soy based are high in protein and low in carbs. For instance, one Boca burger has 13g of protein and 6 carbs.
A Smart Dog has 8g of protein and 3 carbs. There are all kinds of "deli style" slices (Turkey, Ham, Bologna,...) that are all around 14g protein per serving and only 4 carbs. The Smart Strips "chickn" has 14g protein per serving and 6 carbs, too. Morning Star makes "burger crumbles" that are 10g protein per serving and 4 carbs. Most of these are lower in calories than their non-veg counterparts as well.
One of my favorite things to whip up is 1/2 box of Smart Strips "chickn" and 1/4 onion in a frying pan. I sprinkle a little curry powder on it and pepper and a scant pinch of sea salt. If I wash it down with a cup of soymilk the Cal/Carb/Protein counts look like this:
188 calories, 16 carbs, 22g protein ( the soymilk is 100 cal, 7g protein, 8 carb).
Any of those "deli" things (or the strips) are great chopped up in salad, too.

[CPX]

A few days ago I shared some vegan recipes,

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showpo...91&postcount=8

Check out vegweb.com (where most of those came from) along with veganyumyum.com.

When I used to eat eggs, I loved this recipe

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=recipe&dbid=56

Good luck spicing up your diet!

[Ladycole]

Add some TVP crumbles (textured vegetable protein) to split pea, coconut curry, bean chilis, enchilada soup (w/ masa blended in), minestrone, etc. It thickens them, and makes them hearty--Yumm!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textured_vegetable_protein

[kitebean]

Hey there! I am pescatarian and have been eating to plan for about 14 months now! Sure, I get bored occassionally, but I eat alot of fish! Unlike the other suggestions here, I never eat processed replacement meats, or soy/tofu (maybe twice in this past year?) but do eat tempeh occassionally.

Here is a sample of a lower carb/lower calorie day:

Pre Cardio 10g ISO in Coffee
Meal 1 - Ubermumma's Chai Quinoa w/Vanilla Whey CC and walnuts (see ubers journal)
Meal 2 - Pumpkin Pie Loaf with a squirt of SF Maple Syrup & Walnuts, made with powdered eggwhites
Meal 3 - Smoked Tuna Wrap on Mountain Oat Bread with Avocado, Wasabi and lashings of alfalfa sprouts
Meal 4 - 3 Cheese and Mushroom Omlette - 10g each of freshly grated parmesan, blue and feta - to DIE for!
Meal 5 - Left over bluenose (seabass) from last night, plus char grilled asparagus, mushrooms and bok choy
Meal 6 - CC/Pumpkin/Cocoa Powder 'ice cream'

I eat alot of eggwhites, but have recently started using powdered eggwhites in baking and mixing into cc goop creations.....

I hope this helps! Good luck!

[danipat]

Ooo whats pumpkin loaf. It sounds like you have an awesome diet. I don't have a lot of time to cook though. I work 3p-12a so all my dinners come from tupperware.

[franniecd]

Have you checked out www.veganyumyum.com? It is a great food blog, and I have used alot of the recipes, and they include pictures of the food. I love that site.

[fourskinsoi]

you might want to invest in a good cook book. I recommend the veganomicon

[kitebean]

Originally Posted by danipat

Ooo whats pumpkin loaf. It sounds like you have an awesome diet. I don't have a lot of time to cook though. I work 3p-12a so all my dinners come from tupperware.

I work 8:30 - 5 - you just have to make time to prepare - everything I eat can be 'transported in tupperware'!!!

Pumpkin Pie Loaf: (this is the lower carb version - add oats and dried fruit to joodge it up!!)

3 x Egg whites (or 14g powdered eggwhite if you used powdered, add approx 2tbsp water to mix)
40 g Cheese, ricotta, part skim (lowfat)
10 g Butter Toffee Whey (or another nice flavour!)
100g Pumpkin, cooked, boiled, pureed (or tinned)
10g Nuts or nut butter - if nuts, break them up and poke them in after you have poured mix into pan - my favourite is either almond butter or fresh walnuts
1tsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp Cinnamon, ground (nutmeg and a little ground ginger work well too)
large pinch Baking Soda
1 tbsp SF Maple Syrup
Stevia To taste

Whizz it all together, (except if you use the whole nuts, as above) and pour into a squidgy loaf pan - into oven on high for about 15-20 minutes! Turn it out of pan straight away, it will 'fall' SO YUM

[nuyorican00]

Breakfast
8am-Fruit Smoothie with a scoop of Veggie protein
930am-Oats with Silk Vanilla brown tblsp of maple syrup and cinnamon
11am-banana, orange

Lunch
I'm trying to stop "eating out of a box" (frozen foods)
but i'll have either a
-chicken patty from gardenburger
-turkey from Ives
-rice and bean burrito from Amy's
what i've been doing is eating lunch out alot
-japanese food mapa tofu bowl w/ brown rice
-mexican food rice w/ black beans, Tofu, spinach
-veggie burrito from zeytuna
-Indian (middle eastern) rice, naan bread, chick peas, spinach, veggis mix

I usually order enuff to eat twice so i'll eat lunch at 12:30 & again at 2:30

4pm-Nitrofusion shake (veggie based protein)
430pm- bagel w/ PB or oats or frozen food

530pm-pre workout supps
6pm-workout
7pm-post workout shake

Dinner
8pm-either one of the left overs from lunch, or beef or chicken (morning star) strips with veggies and rice (stirfry)

930pm-glass of vanilla soy chai (bolthouse farms) or odwalla soy choclate protein

10pm-if i need a sweet...tofutti ice cream sandwich (Awesome)

This has been an acceptable routine for me, I've been having the same difficulties you have in regards to finding new foods, not getting board, etc

I started eating vegetarian in feb so i'm still trying to find new things i like and if i find something i like, i'll eat it alot at first then realize i can't continue doing that and need to learn how to cook something...so i'm a work in progress and to ease my pain, i had tried to become vegan cold turkey and that didn't workout so i was advised to just do vegetarian and it gives me much more flexability...i still stay away from (if i can aviod it) eggs and milk products...but if all i see on a menu is pizza i just order a slice