Recipes, please

[Magenta]

My dad and I would like to eat healthier, and have looked into vegetarianism. When we suggested this to my mom, we basically got a "YOU want to eat vegetarian, you can COOK vegetarian!" Therefore, I come to you moosers to request some simple vegetarian meals.

Also, I don't necessarily want to go STRICTLY vegetarian, so dairy and eggs and such are fine; also if you know any healthy meals that involve chicken, or fish, I'll take those too. I just want to find some healthier alternatives to what we're eating now.

[exemplary citizen]

One of my favorite things to do is to get some tofu (they make these pre-marinated ones called Tofu-2-Go that you can get from a lot of grocery stores, or you can use one of those bottled marinades), brown it in a pan with a little oil, add some chopped tomatoes and a bag of that pre-washed baby spinach, put a lid on it and let it steam for a few minutes. Put some sesame ginger sauce on it if you want. That's good eatin'.

[Magenta]

I'm not a big tofu person, but I guess I could try that. The texture of tofu seems weird to me.

[exemplary citizen]

It's really not bad after you've marinated it -- the stuff takes on the flavor of whatever else you cook it with. And keep in mind, there's many different types of tofu. I'm talking about the extra-firm variety here; it's all about the low water content. The rest can be pretty slimy in texture.

I used to pick up this little mini-mag that I would sometimes see at the checkout stand with all the other "Is your cat psychic? Take this purrrfect test to find out" crap. It was all just quick-prep vegetarian meals. If I remember the name of it, I'll let you know; but it had some good stuff in it.

Also, you're probably already aware of this, but just cooking vegetarian isn't automatically healthier. There are a lot of things you need to keep in mind about simple protein combinations and soluble fiber stuff that can make meal planning pretty complicated. I had to give up being a vegetarian, because, well... I got physically sick after a while from doing it wrong. Some people just can't manage it. And I mean, yeah, cheese fries are technically a "vegetarian" food, but that doesn't mean you're eating healthy; in fact, probably a lot UN-healthier than if the damn things had bacon on 'em. You <i>really</i> have to watch your low saturated fat protein intake. You dig?

[exemplary citizen]

Ooo, I just thought of another one. Tostadas. That's a killer vegetarian/vegan food, depending on how you do it. Do you know how to make those?

[Magenta]

Nope.

And concerning "veggie not necessarily healthier", yeah, I know. My dad and I kicked off our veggie thing with Moe's.

The point is, we're just trying to head in a healthier direction, since lots of our meals are huge and fatty.

[exemplary citizen]

Well, here's a thought. Take out the "huge" part, for starters, <i>then</i> work on the "fatty". You're going to have to learn portion control either way, no matter what kind of dietary plan you're sticking to. Even eating "lighter" isn't going to solve the problem if you're just plain eating too much all the way around. You have to PLAN a daily calorie limit, and then not take in ANY MORE than that. Period. It would help if not all of those were empty calories, but you're less likely to blow your limit on a couple of toaster pizzas eariler in the day if you've gotta go hungry the remainder of it because you just ate 1500 calories of pure saturated fats and refined carbohydrates.

You know what would probably really help? Go down to a bookstore and pick up some reading material on general dietary planning. I'm not talking about Atkins or South Beach or any of those fad things that have questionable long-term value anyway. I mean just a good all around information book about eating vegetarian, something that'll help you learn how to read labels on packaged food, and'll have information on what you need to do to fullfill your body's basic "I need more of this or i'll make your hair fall out, I swear to god" needs.

[KLEIN]

Easiest way is to eat on smaller plates.

Smaller glasses too. Those drinks are full of sugar.

[exemplary citizen]

Yeah, if you drink soda, that's GOTTA go. I mean those are HOLY SHIT bad for you. Biggest source of empty calories in the world, right there.

[Retard Girl]

Stick to milk and water for the most part, even fruit juices have a lot of carbs even though they come with nutrients.

[t3]

It's really not bad after you've marinated it -- the stuff takes on the flavor of whatever else you cook it with.

Arrgh. There was some kind of mushroom that was supposed to do that that I wanted to try. Now you've just reminded me that it exists and I can't think of what they are called. Ah, well. I'll probbal see them again at some point and have myself a memory joggin'...

I guess I'm lucky that soda and alcohol and other ultra-high calorie stuff isn't usually to my liking. I just eat whatever I want and have never had any health problems. (Well, realted to nutrients, anyway...)

[exemplary citizen]

You'll have to learn to read nutrition information off labels anytime you buy food, Maggie. That's key. Even stuff that "looks healthy" can be loaded up with trans-fats and corn syrup and other garbage.

t3: damn you people and your fast metabolisms. Some of us have to <i>work</i> at this. *shakes fist*

[Retard Girl]

Don't buy anything has "Partially Hydrogenated", "Hydrogenated", or "Shortening" in the ingredients list

Some foods say they have zero grams of Trans Fat, but that really means they have less than .5 grams and there still could be some in there.

[exemplary citizen]

And serving size can be a giant trap, too. If it says something like "less than 3 grams of fat!", check and make sure the serving size isn't like, three chips.

The other obvious thing to check out besides fat content is sugars. If something's relatively low in fats, but fullfills 40% of your daily sugar intake, that's not good either. Sugar = refined carbohydrates, which are not inherently bad (unless you're following Atkins or somthing like it <i>to the letter</i>), but you do need to limit your intake of them.

[MST3Kakalina]

one of my friends gave up anything with high fructose corn syrup in it, and he lost a lot of excess weight and just feels better all around.

of course, one of the reasons why that worked is that damn near EVERYTHING has high fructose corn syrup, so already you're eating a lot less.

anyway, tips from ZE FAT LADY OH IRONY! (but i have been losing my gut, it seems, so I MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT)

try to cut down on snacking. i have a problem where i get bored...and then eat. stick to stuff at meals and keep yourself amused until you're hungry again. i pretty much get by on a bowl of cereal and two sandwiches a day, plus some extra room for a 100% juice fruit drink or maybe a snack or two or whatever.

get your food-buying parental unit to just...buy less food.

walk a bit outside. i usually walk 1.5/2 miles a day for work, and while it's certainly not strenuous, it's better than just sitting.

don't eat when you're not hungry. duh.

AVOID SODA AT ALL COSTS. i can't stand the stuff. i can't imagine how fat i'd be if i actually LIKED it.

[exemplary citizen]

I had trouble with the soda thing, mainly because it was my main source of caffiene for a good many years. I figured out that if I'd just have a cup of coffee or strong tea instead, it wasn't <i>nearly</i> as bad for me simply for that fact that those don't contain so much goddamn sugar.

Soda tears up my stomach nowadays when I try to drink it anyway. :(

[MST3Kakalina]

i can't stand coffee or tea either. my sole source of caffeine is chocolate, and well...

let's just say i really don't ingest that much caffeine. i don't know how i survived my first year of college.

[exemplary citizen]

Oh man, I was being SO good about my caffeine intake right up until finals weeks. That's when a friend got me riding the No-Doz train into school every day.

THANKS A LOT, YOU FUCKERS. NOW I FAIL AT SLEEPING, TOO.

[Retard Girl]

I drink a lot of soda at my mom's house, she's been buying Coca-Cola Zero and Sprite Zero which are the best diet drinks out there meaning they don't taste completely like shit. I don't know the nutritional facts for them though. I don't think they have calories, hence the zero, but that just might be that they have no sugar. I'll have to check.


At dad's house, Dad doesn't believe in soda so I mostly drink water and vanilla soymilk.

Also, when you shop at health food/organic stores, don't lose your guard. I once ate a quiche that had like 32 grams of fat in it I got from Trader Joe's fairly regularly and didn't realize how bad it was until I actually LOOKED at the nutrition facts.

[t3]

Slush puppies = the best snack type thing EVER. I recently found out that there was like a home slush puppie maker to in the 80's. I DEMAND SOMEBODY TAKE ME TO THE 1980'S SO I CAN OBTAIN SUCH A GODSEND.

Why must my birth have come at such an inopportune time. I weep.

Also: I barely ever intake any caffiene what so ever, either. Soda and coffee and the like = bleh. Some teas are okay, but mainly stuff liek green tea, and I'm not certain that has a huge amount of caffiene anyway. But yeah, chocolate and the like is my main source of the stuff. But I'm usually good at forcing myself into conciousness when I need to....

[Magenta]

Concerning drinks:

I don't drink soda that often...maybe once or twice a week. I only have coffee about two mornings a week (used to be every single day). Most of the time, I drink water (water intake has skyrocketed now that we have a water-in-door fridge), milk, and tea (I try to stick to herbal, but have occasional black teas). I've gotten a lot better about what I drink, especially since I need to keep myself hydrated.

Concerning exercise:

Marching band ess gewd. I lost 5 pounds and band camp alone. Yay.

Concerning snackage:

Yeah, I've been working on this a lot. It helps that I'm like...NEVER HOME anymore because of a busy schedule, and the only time I snacked was when I was BORED. Therefore busy = not bored = less snacking. When I do snack, I've been trying to eat stuff like sunflower seeds and trail mix. On a rare occasion, I'll get a late-night craving for potato bread and have a slice, though.

Concerning nutritional facts and ingredients:

My mother shops for what kind of food we buy. If I make one more suggestion for her to change the foods she buys, she's going to drag me out to the barn and shoot me and make me into a stew (which would NOT qualify as vegetarian). Therefore the "get your food-buying parental unit to just...buy less food" suggestion won't work either. I can make suggestions on how she cooks in order the change the kind of stuff she buys. I'm going to ask her if I can start doing the grocery shopping though. SKIM MILK FOR THE FAMILY. (I'll put a 2% label on it. They will never know)

Concerning smaller portions:

Smaller plates and glasses help. However, I have no power over the size of our plates (our dishes were a gift from my mother's mother, so she has this DIVINE CALLING to use them forever lest we offend her mother). As for the glasses, except when I'm drinking water, I use dinky juice glasses (they hold like...a cup of water....a measuring cup cup of water, or maybe less).

Concerning the toaster pizzas comment:

Its actually only vaguely related in a bunny-trail-esque fashion to that comment, but the problem I have with breakfasts is that I don't have time to prepare anything, and anything greasy or fatty makes me sick in the mornings. I can sometimes tolerate eggs if I've been up for a while, but otherwise all I can down is cereal. Suggestions for quick and easy breaky?

[Retard Girl]

I don't really like breakfast foods, I normally eat leftovers from last night instead.

[t3]

To remedy boredom: Get a PS2 and the whole Ratchet series. At that point, not only will you forego eating, but also sleeping, abthing, social interaction, and invovlement with your family.

So basically it's like a drug addiction that'll come to an abrupt halt once you unlock the R.Y.N.O. Everyone wins!

[Magenta]

PS2 = no.

If I need to fry my brain, I'll do it with UT2004.

[t3]

Aw booh. I wish i had a less crappy PC without having to actually pay for it or go to jail, so I could keep up to date on all the latest online FPS. (Note: "up to date" by my definition is anything that came after 2000)

[deadish]

as a diabetic vegetarian, i have to pay close attention to serving sizes and count carbohydrates(why don't i take my own advice?!).
take for instance one plain cheese sandwich. two pieces of sliced bread+two oz. cheese+two tablespoons mayo(is what i make)= 30 g. carbohydrates+14 g. protein+24 g. fat. BLAH.
when it comes to carbohydrates.. ALWAYS look at the nutrition facts label. 15 grams of carbohydrate is one serving. usually it's okay to go a couple above or below that.
i'll tell you that packaging will destroy you. a can of soda is not a serving. most sodas have 40-60 grams of carbohydrate per can. that's three and a half to four servings. that's an entire dinner. a small candybar is two servings. a 12 oz. bottle of juice is three servings(unsweetened.. which they usually aren't).
be wary also of starchy vegetables - and generally don't have two in the same meal. a serving of rice is 1/3 of a cup.. potatoes, corn, beans, and peas are half a cup. carrots, broccoli, greenbeans, beets, salad greens, and so on generally have about five carbs per cup raw and half cup cooked, so you can have a fair amount of those.
a serving of milk is one cup.
if you balance your meals well and have eggs, cheese, milk, and beans you generally don't have to worry about making up for lost protein.. there's plenty there. have an omelette in place of a steak and you're good to go.
AND SO an example of a healthy diet(i'll give mine..{or the one i should be following 9_9}):
breakfast: two carbohydrates, one protein (two pieces of toast and an egg or cheese.)
lunch: two carbs, two proteins, two vegetables, one fruit (cheese sandwich, baggie of carrots or a small salad, apple or banana {as a treat you can sometimes substitute your fruit for an ounce of chips or animal crackers or something..})
afternoon snack: one carb (a piece of cheesetoast, fifteen animal crackers, half a candy bar if i've been GOOD)
dinner: three carbs, two vegetables, three proteins, one fruit (three ounce potato, garlic toast, carrots and greenbeans{or whatever vegetable.. there's so MANY}, cheese omelette, some kind of canned fruit and one cup of milk)

if i'm hungry between meals, i'll eat some cheese or vegetables as proteins have no carbohydrates and vegetables like carrots or a small salad have very little.
if you need a more filling carb snack, popcorn is the best thing as three cups equals one serving of carbohydrate. sugar-free jello is nothing but protein and water. half a cup of instant pudding is half a serving of carbohydrate and so counts as a "free" food.

you can eat ANYTHING on a diet like mine as long as you pay attention to servings. turn recipes into equations. break down how much what is in how much what and figure what a serving would be.

p.s. wal-mart sells a great cheap fruit soda that has no carbohydrates, sodium, or caffeine. and it be tasty.

p.p.s. god, i spent a while on this.

p.p.p.s. i really don't follow my own diet that i carefully plotted out months ago. (and i really should!)
i'm a dumbdumb.

[exemplary citizen]

When I do snack, I've been trying to eat stuff like sunflower seeds and trail mix. On a rare occasion, I'll get a late-night craving for potato bread and have a slice, though.Yeah, those are not such great choices either. The sunflower seeds, yes; but trailmixes are something that you <i>especially</i> need to read the nutrition information on, because they will oftentimes have WAYY too much sugar, and a ton of added fat. Potato bread is not as good an option as, say, a piece of fresh fruit (or even a piece of whole grain bread). It's good that you're snacking less, but now you need to work on <i>what</i> you're snacking on.

Concerning the toaster pizzas comment:

Its actually only vaguely related in a bunny-trail-esque fashion to that comment, but the problem I have with breakfasts is that I don't have time to prepare anything, and anything greasy or fatty makes me sick in the mornings. I can sometimes tolerate eggs if I've been up for a while, but otherwise all I can down is cereal. Suggestions for quick and easy breaky?Fruit. Whole grain cereals. You really don't need to eat a giant "eggs bacon and toast" kind of breakfast at all -- eat what you can, and let it go at that until it's time for another meal. Breakfast is really overrated in the sense that people treat it like it needs to be as big as lunch or dinner, when really you're just trying to give yourself a calorie boost to get going.

GLYCEMIC INDEX. Read up on it.

[Linzoy]

Do the opposite of what the book natural cures they don't want you to know about says, it's written by a scientologist. I saw it at costco and actually bought it for some reason.

I'm addicted to starbucks frappachinos, but I usually get decaf. They just taste so good. I don't bother trying to drink caffine, it has no effect on me. My body is very stubbornly lethargic. It works on most people though. I think something that might be healthy for one person is unhealthy for another. My sister started keeping track of what she eats, and she eats as much as I do but she's skinny because of her metabolism. There's no perfect diet for everyone.

Some of the most delicious vegetarian food in existance is indian food. They have some meat, but something like one third of all indians are vegetarian, so you can get a lot of veges. I think it's an aquired taste, I used to hate it as a kid, then as a teenager I started to like it more and more.

[steffi]

I am tired of people linking fast metabolisms to eating unhealthy! HONESTLY, AMY. :/

I could eat 12 hamburgers, soda, and french fries a day, but it wouldn't make it good for me just because I have a high metabolism.

<i>everyone</i> should eat right.

[exemplary citizen]

I didn't say that! I just happen to know that the Keithmeister here is rail-thin, coupled with the fact that his favorite food is ice and corn syrup. I said <i>nothing</i> about it being healthy for him just because he's got a better thyroid than I do. :\

[Magenta]

Trail mix = salt and fat and sugars bad, but this is moving from chips. It's a step up. I like mixed nuts, except I pick out all of the cashews (fattyfattyfatty).

Apples are wonderful snacks. Pink lady and Gala are good, but Royal Galas are too big.

As for breakfast, the "eggs bacan and toast" breakfasts were what were making me feel sick in the morning. I was just wondering about a better alternative to cereal. Fruit is a good idea...I suppose I could throw in toast or bagels on occasion...
I'm addicted to starbucks frappachinos, but I usually get decaf. They just taste so good.
When I do get starbucks, I like to get their "light" fraps, but the problem is if I go late at night, because they can't make light and decaf.

BUT THEY CAN MAKE DECAF ESPRESSO, SURE.

[exemplary citizen]

Trail mix = salt and fat and sugars bad, but this is moving from chips. It's a step up. I like mixed nuts, except I pick out all of the cashews (fattyfattyfatty).Not really... I mean, have you actually read the info on the packages? There's a lot of trailmixes that are SOO much worse than even potato chips. On the other hand, there are mixes out there that are really a pretty good choice, with almonds and stuff instead of the cashews and sugary cereals. The key is, you have to actually read the back to figure out which is which.

You can <i>make</i> your own trail mix too, you know. That's the easiest way to solve the problem.

[deadish]

cereal is generally the DEVIL when it comes to breakfast. a serving of a cereal like.. frosted cheerios or something is half a cup to 2/3 of a cup.
bagels are also satan as one plain bagel is equal to about five pieces of bread.
NOT to mention the high fat content of both.

and i love them so. **cries**

and oh yeah. trail mixes generally have loads of dried fruit in them.. dried fruit=concentrated sugar=the devil again!
i found one trail mix that was nothing but unsalted nuts and seeds and it made me a happy child as it was very tasty. (then the store stopped selling it. :C)

[steffi]

I didn't say that! I just happen to know that the Keithmeister here is rail-thin, coupled with the fact that his favorite food is ice and corn syrup. I said <i>nothing</i> about it being healthy for him just because he's got a better thyroid than I do. :\
I just meant that I don't like fast metabolisms getting ragged on. it gives me health problems by itself. :(

[exemplary citizen]

[size=1]cereal is generally the DEVIL when it comes to breakfast. a serving of a cereal like.. frosted cheerios or something is half a cup to 2/3 of a cup.What I meant when I said "whole grain cereal" was really something along the lines of Heritage Flakes, not "OMG SUGAR ENCRUSTED X-TREEM BERRYROOS", or even anything "frosted" at all, for that matter. I mean, something that you can actually still distinguish the "grain" part, which generally translates to a lower glycemic index.

[Davey Rootbeer]

I've taken a liking to those iced teas as opposed to sodas, since i'm too lazy to walk to the other end of campus to get soda.

Duing 'con, i lost 8 pounds.

gained about 5 of 'em back right away.


It's odd.. usually, when you go to college, you GAIN weight. i LOSE weight at college, and become more healthier. Must be all the walking and excersise.

[exemplary citizen]

Yeah, but Davey... you're a bony little man. If you lost any more weight, you'd blow away in the breeze.

[t3]

Apples are wonderful snacks. Pink lady and Gala are good, but Royal Galas are too big.


Initially I thought the conversation had shifted to Japanese pop music of the 70's. I still do not know to what "pink lady" refers. Enlighten my ignorant self!


cereal is generally the DEVIL when it comes to breakfast. a serving of a cereal like.. frosted cheerios or something is half a cup to 2/3 of a cup.
bagels are also satan as one plain bagel is equal to about five pieces of bread.
NOT to mention the high fat content of both.


Rice Krispies rawk my face for breakfeast. And have you tried mini bagels? I'd recommend those only for the toaster-oven enabled, though. They are a pain in the ASS to remove from a reguar toaster.

[Rory Storm]

What is breakfast? Oh right, that thing I don't eat. I don't eat breakfast because I like sleep more than food. However, my doctor says this puts my body into "starvation mode" which causes me to digest slower, and lower my metabolism rate. And with the genetically slow metabolism rate I have, making it slower makes it worse for me. I still, however, do not eat breakfast. Genetically, also, I am at risk for being over weight, which I am, and genetics, I know, do not all contribute to it. I am lazy. It's not that I don't eat healthy, I do, I just don't exersize. I don't do anything. And what I do do isn't enough to help me lose weight. I know I should, I know that I will feel better, but I'm just too darn lazy.

[Linzoy]

When I do get starbucks, I like to get their "light" fraps, but the problem is if I go late at night, because they can't make light and decaf.

BUT THEY CAN MAKE DECAF ESPRESSO, SURE.I don't remember why, but I remember coming to the conclusion that the light fraps aren't worth it. When I want something lighter I get plain coffee instead of mocha like I usually get. The coffee one is half the calories, and it also makes a difference if you don't get whiped cream. Little things like cream, butter, cheese, and stuff tend to add up quickly.

[Magenta]

Well, one of the main differences between light and regular is no whipped cream.


It also doesn't help that my favorite is a single tall caramel decaf. THAT THERE'S HEALTHY EATIN'. (I don't actually have starbucks that often..maybe twice a month though, which is more often than I should)