Help for a lazy vegetarian?

Question

When I first became a vegetarian, I was all into cooking for myself and everything...But now I'm getting lazy. There are times where I wont eat even when I'm hungry because I have nothing instant to make, and I don't feel like cooking. All of the vegetables I eat are instant enough, but for substitute protein I actually have to cook. I can tell the smaller amount of protein I'm getting is also contributing to my already lazy nature...

Is there anything I can do to either motivate myself to cook, or else anything instant available that gives me a good source of protein but is still vegetarian?

Don't suggest to start eating meat again. It isn't an option, simply because I don't like meat. The taste revolts me. Besides, you still have to prepare meat. Any instant meat would be bad for me, like beef jerky. Yuck.

Answer 1

The best thing to do is cook, because you can avoid a lot of the preservatives and environmentally detrimental packaging of instant foods. BUT, to get your energy back enough to want to cook, you could microwave some soy burgers (Morningstar, Boca, etc). That's about as instant as it gets, though personally I think they taste better prepared on the stovetop. :) Frozen cheese pizza is also easy and full of protein, though not terribly healthy.

Another route to quick energy is fruit--those fruit sugars can really rev you up. Try eating a cup of raw pineapple, or an apple or an orange or whatever, with *every* meal for a few days. That usually perks me up when I'm feeling run down for whatever reason.

Someone suggested you cook a bunch of stuff once a week, and separate it into containers to live off of the rest of the week. That's a very good idea; it only requires you to get motivated one day out of seven, and you'll have healthier meals that way. Crockpot meals are great for that, a lot of recipes require very little prep time. You just chop some stuff, throw it in the crockpot, and wait a few hours. You can make a crockpot of chili go a long way by having it over brown rice or quinoa.

Answer 2

I recently found "Primal Strips". They are very similar to beef jerky, but are meat-free. If you don't like the taste and texture of meat you won't like them... but if you just dont wanna eat animals, they're great. Lots of protein.

Nuts are a good quick snack for protein. They also have a lot of fat though... but we need a certain amount. Morningstar Farms has a lot of meat substitutes (again, if the actual taste of meat repulses you, you might not like it) and they can mostly be microwaved.

Amy's Kitchen and some other brands have tv dinner type entrees that are vegetarian. Look for them in the natural foods section. If you do dairy, yogurt is good too, just be sure it's gelatin free.

Also, if you have a Jamba Juice nearby... I asked and they said all their boosters are vegan except the Performance one... so their protein boost is vegan. You get one free boost in each drink... so get a nummy fruit smoothie with protein boost.

Answer 3

What did eat before you became a vegetarian? If you didnt cook then either, you were just a lazy omnivore : )

The only thing that takes little effort is microwaving frozen foods and they are quite pricey. As for protein, when I feel lazy I make Peanut butter and jelly or heat up some beans and toss them in a wrap with some salsa. Another idea is to toss some whole what pasta in boiling water, waiting until it's done and toss it with pasta sauce. That's pretty minimal.

Answer 4

You are at a crossroads, my dear, and ready to become RAW VEGAN!!

You can dispense with all the fancy ranges, stoves, ovens, etc., and just get by with a good food processor (a VitaMix is my choice). There are actually lots of proteins in fruits and veggies.... the only situation you may have to worry about (if you are into worrying-- or if your parents are) is in getting ENOUGH calories to keep from losing too much weight... and to get B12 occasionally (there are lots of supplements out there... take one on a regular-- but not daily -- basis).

Our community hosts a Raw Potluck buffet once a month.... perhaps yours does as well? Google for a possibility.... offers an instant network.

All the best!

Answer 5

There are canned vegetarian baked beans. That's one of the quickest.

I buy packages of Red Beans and Rice (check the ingredients on the labels - some have meat broth) I think Zaterains (spelling?) is the brand I buy- that takes about 30 minutes, but you don't have to chop and prepare stuff.

At my grocery store there is marinated, baked tofu - cube that over some bagged salad and that pretty quick. Though I prefer to bake my own - sometimes I run out and just don't have time.

Hope that helps.

Answer 6

Try to eat soy based products for protien. Do you like soy milk? That would be a good way to add some protien to your diet. Check out Morningstar Farms, Boca, Garden Burger and some of those brands for soy based vegetarian foods. I think Morningstar Farms seems to have the best variety. Good luck and don't give up!

Answer 7

quick, tasty, healthy salad:
spinach, tomatos (if you get cherry tomatos you don't even have to cut them!), onions, carrots, any veg you like....then you can either open a can of chick peas and toss them on (tasty, protein and fiber rich) or you can cut up some tofu into bite size pieces (it's actually really tasty!) then throw on whatever dressing you like!
a tip: fruit makes the salad! grapes, apples, nectarines, just about anything works!

there are also some good, veg. frozen meals you can get like Amy's mac and cheese
good luck!

Answer 8

It doesn't take much effort to open a can of beans and pop them into the microwave. You might want to pre-make certain dishes like lasagna and casseroles on the weekends when you have time and then just cut off a piece when you are hungry. Beans are a great food and they go with everything. There are also a ton of varieties. Black beans, white beans, pintos, lentils, kidney beans, garbanzo, and cannelloni beans (they go great with pasta).

Answer 9

what i would do is have one day a week where you make food for the week
u can freeze things like
soup
Quiche
veggie lasange
rissotto
pizza
stir fry
etc.... so all you have to do is pull it out of the freezer and heat it up...
and there are always easy things to make when your hungry like
toasted sandwiches
salads
instant 2 min noodles
baked potatoes with sour cream, cheese etc....
heathy choice meals
fruit/breakfast bars
crumpets
toast
cereal
pasties
etc......

you just need to sit down and make a list of foods/meals you like and go from there!

goodluck

Answer 10

Beans and peas are a great vegetarian source of protein.