New Vegetarian Hates To Cook: How To Eat Healthy
February 19th, 2010 by Savvy Veg
Message for Savvy Vegetarian: I’ve recently become “vegetarian”, but I hate to cook. I would like to buy pre-packaged foods, pre-made foods, etc. What do you suggest? Where do you suggest I go? I love tofu and that’s my main source of protein. Help! Thank you, K.H.
Savvy Vegetarian Advice:
Hi K.H. If you want to be a healthy vegetarian, you’ll need to eat healthy: whole grains, beans and lentils and fresh fruit and veggies. You also need other sources of veggie protein than tofu. So please try to overcome your cooking phobia a little bit. I think you’ll find that the nutritional benefits and increased variety in your diet will make it worth the sacrifice. :-)
Here are a few simple ideas for healthy veg eating with zero or minimal cooking:
1. Make full use of cooking gadgets: juicer, blender, food processor, rice cooker, crock pot, or pressure cooker to make any cooking you need to do quick and easy.
2. It’s extremely simple to cook whole grains, and you can make enough to last several days and put them in the fridge or freezer.
3. For beans you can use canned beans, and add them to things.
4. Many root veggies, like potatoes, yams, winter squash, carrots, beets, parsnips can be roasted in the oven or crockpot or baked in the microwave.
5. Steam or microwave frozen veg or mixed raw veg packages to eat with a grain and some canned beans and a prepared sauce.
6. Raw veggies and fruits can be juiced or added to smoothies made with non-dairy milk, protein powder, nuts etc.
7. Make a crockpot soup once a week and freeze it in serving size containers to microwave or heat up on the stove.
8. Thaw and add a serving of brown rice, noodles or quinoa to a salad with some nuts or seeds or beans for a complete meal.
9. Make pasta or noodles, eat with fried or baked tofu or seitan, steamed frozen veg and a prepared sauce.
Processed foods tend to be full of things that are Bad For You like excess sodium and fat, preservatives, flavor enhancers like MSG (called natural flavoring), and other toxic chemicals, so you should choose carefully what you use. Read the labels.
Buy organic and whole grain foods as much as possible. Avoid foods with corn and soy products as these are mainly Genetically Modified foods, which have many proven health risks and have not been even close to adequately tested before being approved by the FDA.
Take high quality nutritional supplements: mulitivitamin, Vit D, Vit B12, Omega 3.
Stock your fridge and cupboards with foods you can use for quick healthy meals with little or no cooking. Here’s a list of convenience or quick & easy foods - most of which won’t give you cancer:
Pasta and instant whole grain noodles
Whole grain tortillas and breads
Canned beans, refried beans, soups
Tomato sauce and other prepared sauces
Whole grain crackers and blue corn chips (blue corn isn’t gmo)
Hummus
Nut butters: almond, cashew, tahini
Nuts and seeds
Dried fruit (soak to make them easier to eat)
Trail mix or energy bars (watch out for excess sugar)
Washed salad mixes, baby spinach, mixed baby greens
Raw veg like avocados, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, sprouts, mushrooms
Washed and chopped veggie mixes
Fresh fruit
Granola
Dairy or non-dairy milk, yogurt, sour cream, cheese
Frozen veg
Frozen or dried organic vegetarian entrees
Tempeh, seitan, baked tofu, miso
Falafel or veggie burger mixes
Frozen veggie burgers
Fake meats
Artichoke hearts, water chestnuts, etc.
Condiments like curry paste, mustard, mayo, ketchup, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, salad dressing
You can buy most of the above at any well-stocked supermarket, or natural food store.
All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian
Tags: Cooking, Food Blog, healthy eating, healthy vegetarian, nutrition, prepared food, protein, vegetarian, vegetarian advice, vegetarian dietPosted in
a rice cooker is a must! fill with rice (brown of course) or barley or steel cut oats or pre soaked beans and water and youare good to go! Make sure it has a steam tray so you can do veggies at the same time. for example here is one at Target.
http://www.target.com/Elite-Gourmet-3-Cup-Cooker-ERC003ST/dp/B0006A0GMQ/ref=sc_pd_gwvub_3_title?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_r=4DA073CA4437418D93D0&pf_rd_m=A1VC38T7YXB528&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0&pf_rd_p=58371022&pf_rd_s=bottom-4
thank you for this wonderful info. I am new to being a vegetarian and don’t know how to eat without my old foods. This info will be helpful.