Hello from Helsinki!

[jessdanir]

Hello all,

I am looking forward to exploring the existing forums and I hope to find some good tips for reducing my overall consumption of meat and dairy.

Currently, I eat meat daily and not because I love meat and have to eat it; it comes from a place of laziness and just wanting to easily prep lunch for work for the entire week. So what is my typical lunch? meat + broccoli, or meat + brussel sprouts, or meat + veg mix... you get the point. It is lazy, but it satisfies my caloric and dietary needs. Dinners are easier for me to go meatless and take the time to make something lovely, but they tend to not pack well (i.e. into a single box)

I have been struggling to find easy ways to create pre-made lunches for work that are vegan, warm, and not full of rice or potatoes. Personally, carbs stemming from grains and potatoes (not sweet potatoes, just the basic potato) have never agreed with my and always have left me feeling bloated and uncomfortable for the remainder of the day.

Now, when I have posed the question or asked for tips for easy meals from vegan friends, I have received almost universally the same reply: pinterest has great ideas. I end up going down the same road of googling "easy vegan recipes" "quick vegan meal prep" "vegan lunch ideas" and end up disheartened every time. I don't want complicated 45 ingredient recipes that have 4 hours of prep time. I don't want to have a meal that is 70% rice or potatoes, but I can't only eat a mix of broccoli and brussel sprouts and make it through the work day.

So fingers crossed! I hope that others have posted similar troubles and received some good tips

[DarlBundren]

Hi jessdanir, welcome to the forum. It's great to hear you want to go vegan.


Broccoli and brussel sprouts are great, I would encourage you to keep eating them. You can just substitute the meat with black beans. Something like this:
http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2010/06/cannellini-beans-and-broccoli.jpg
Or like this (even better):
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/1e/19/bf/1e19bfa00939e4126e695bcb0850b70f.jpg
Or, if it's summer:
https://hurrythefoodup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/chickpea-spinach-salad2.jpg

If you don't like to eat beans out of the can, you could try to make a dozen black bean burgers, freeze them, and heat one up whenever you need it. That's what I do.
https://dmi4pvc5gbhhd.cloudfront.net/2016/08/easy-black-bean-burger-1-650x433.jpg

If you like Indian food, you can make Dal and cauliflower curry.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m4EElUAZcVw/TVjhr0616LI/AAAAAAAADKw/xk5xV8DDyi0/s1600/Lunch-Box.jpg

[jessdanir]

Hi jessdanir, welcome to the forum. It's great to hear you want to go vegan.


Broccoli and brussel sprouts are great, I would encourage you to keep eating them. You can just substitute the meat with black beans. Something like this:
http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2010/06/cannellini-beans-and-broccoli.jpg
Or like this (even better):
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/1e/19/bf/1e19bfa00939e4126e695bcb0850b70f.jpg
Or, if it's summer:
https://hurrythefoodup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/chickpea-spinach-salad2.jpg

If you don't like to eat beans out of the can, you could try to make a dozen black bean burgers, freeze them, and heat one up whenever you need it. That's what I do.
https://dmi4pvc5gbhhd.cloudfront.net/2016/08/easy-black-bean-burger-1-650x433.jpg

If you like Indian food, you can make Dal and cauliflower curry.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m4EElUAZcVw/TVjhr0616LI/AAAAAAAADKw/xk5xV8DDyi0/s1600/Lunch-Box.jpg

This is wonderful! Thanks for the suggestions, I look forward to trying them out. The black bean burger patty (I would have to make it myself, which is fine) sounds especially promising

[DarlBundren]

You're welcome. Make sure you eat enough, get your daily dose of good fats and supplement with B12: http://www.theveganrd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/The-7-Habits-of-Healthy-Vegans-for-website.pdf

[brimstoneSalad]

Welcome jessdanir, I hope we can help.

Darl offered some good suggestions. We can offer more if you can tell us a bit about your tastes in food.

For example, do you think a burrito or a wrap is an option for you? That can make a convenient lunch.

Fat free "refried beans" are a good and easy option (also cheap) for a filling for a burrito (along with some things like avocado, bell pepper, lettuce, sriracha and fried onion).
For other wraps, hummus is a good base (along with other similar fillings that go with it and aren't too wet).

Both have beans at the base, which provide some good protein, but because they're in a pureed form they stick together better and are well contained.
I would just avoid putting anything wet in them so that they keep well. It's pretty easy to prepare the filling well in advance, and just assemble it the night before.
A leaf of lettuce can also help separate the beans from the wrap to keep it from absorbing any excess moisture.

If you're ever feeling bloated, consider taking a digestive enzyme like bean-zyme
http://www.bean-zyme.com/Bean-zyme%20same%20as%20Beano%20info.htm
That's pretty effective at preventing gas.
The best replacement for meat is plant protein, though. Carbs will tend to make people feel hungry again in a few hours, and they aren't high enough in protein for most people who will be left craving something else.

[jessdanir]

Hi brimstoneSalad! I more or less eat everything, it comes down to convenience. I like to pack everything on a Sunday night for my Monday-Friday lunches into a box and bring them to work for the week. Burritos could be an option, but I worry about how they will keep. I would probably have to combine the portions together, as you suggested, the night before or the day of. I will also happily eat the same thing for lunch for weeks at a time, and it can be extremely simple

I find it easier for dinners to be vegetarian or vegan because I don't worry about how well they will keep and there are so may lovely recipes online.

The best replacement for meat is plant protein, though. Carbs will tend to make people feel hungry again in a few hours, and they aren't high enough in protein for most people who will be left craving something else.

When you say plant protein, that is probably beans/nuts/legumes? Would you recommend incorporating a plant-based protein powder? I have tried protein powders in the past, but if incorporating that into some recipes, I could imagine would help with the protein content.

Currently, I tried to keep a relatively balanced diet with my macros. My goal is 35%-40% carb, 30%-35% protein, 30%-35% fat. I tend to vary a bit, but overall I try not to eat too many carbs.

[brimstoneSalad]

I would probably have to combine the portions together, as you suggested, the night before or the day of. I will also happily eat the same thing for lunch for weeks at a time, and it can be extremely simple

I think combining the night before or that morning would be your best option, if you can spare two minutes to do it. You could have everything prepared in containers.

Another good option is Peanut butter sandwiches on whole wheat with the "natural" peanut butter. Due to the high fat content of the peanut butter, it usually won't make your bread soggy by lunch time.

Many people also do vegetables with dip. Like baby carrots and hummus.

When you say plant protein, that is probably beans/nuts/legumes? Would you recommend incorporating a plant-based protein powder? I have tried protein powders in the past, but if incorporating that into some recipes, I could imagine would help with the protein content.

Yes, but you can use protein powders too if you want. I would go for something like pea protein, since it's higher in lysine (one of the most important proteins), and lower in methionine (Methionine is the "bad" protein, we of course need a little of it, but meat contains too high levels of this amino acid, beans contain plenty without giving us too much).
As long as you go easy on protein powders, you can mix them into a lot of foods. They're easiest for smoothies though; have you tried that?

Currently, I tried to keep a relatively balanced diet with my macros. My goal is 35%-40% carb, 30%-35% protein, 30%-35% fat. I tend to vary a bit, but overall I try not to eat too many carbs.

That's a good macro goal, and should be very easy to achieve.

If you can afford them, look for low carb wraps, such as "flat out" and other brands, which are made with a higher proportion of wheat gluten. Those are very high in protein, and that's only the bread. Once you add the hummus and other contents, it makes for a pretty well balanced meal.

[jessdanir]

Yes, but you can use protein powders too if you want. I would go for something like pea protein, since it's higher in lysine (one of the most important proteins), and lower in methionine (Methionine is the "bad" protein, we of course need a little of it, but meat contains too high levels of this amino acid, beans contain plenty without giving us too much).
As long as you go easy on protein powders, you can mix them into a lot of foods. They're easiest for smoothies though; have you tried that?

I haven't tried, but I have a co-worker who uses a pea protein in her smoothies Ideally, I won't use a protein powder, but I will if it seems like I haven't planned my meals with enough protein.

If you can afford them, look for low carb wraps, such as "flat out" and other brands, which are made with a higher proportion of wheat gluten. Those are very high in protein, and that's only the bread. Once you add the hummus and other contents, it makes for a pretty well balanced meal.

I hope I can find some. Helsinki is sometimes a bit limited with their selection. Thank you for the suggestion

[brimstoneSalad]

I haven't tried, but I have a co-worker who uses a pea protein in her smoothies Ideally, I won't use a protein powder, but I will if it seems like I haven't planned my meals with enough protein.

Smoothies are usually heavy on fruit, so a lot of carbs, and protein powder helps balance out the macros. It usually tastes better than, say, putting beans IN the smoothie.

They're very convenient, and a good way to get in some healthy calories. You can also put some leafy veggies in them, just not too much or you'll taste it.
There's a delicate balance between taste and nutrition when dealing with smoothies. The convenience factor is hard to beat though.

I hope I can find some. Helsinki is sometimes a bit limited with their selection. Thank you for the suggestion

You can make your own too, from whole wheat flour (and protein powders and gluten if you can find it). I think the forum member Jebus does from whole wheat. I've done it before, but it's pretty time consuming, so I don't do it often. You can make enough to last a week or so, but it's easier to buy them if they're available in your area. They cost less than the minimum-wage hours it takes to make them.

[jessdanir]

If you don't like to eat beans out of the can, you could try to make a dozen black bean burgers, freeze them, and heat one up whenever you need it. That's what I do.
https://dmi4pvc5gbhhd.cloudfront.net/2016/08/easy-black-bean-burger-1-650x433.jpg

Just an update, made a huge batch of vegan black bean burgers and they turned out delicious Thank you for such a great suggestion! It didn't take very long at all, and they reheated and stored really easily. I have even frozen some to save for the future. ANOTHER PLUS! My boyfriend also loved them and is taking them to work as well for lunch