Planning your meals – Breakfast
You’ve heard your whole life that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it’s true. After eight hours of sleep, you want to jump-start your brain and body with a carbohydrate-rich meal, getting your engine revving for the rest of the day. If you’re not a fan of breakfast, this is a good time to make the meal a part of your new, healthy habits. And if you do enjoy an early morning meal, you’ll probably find that your vegetarian breakfast is your favorite meal of the day.
For traditionalists, you can easily modify basic fare to meet ovo lacto or vegan needs. Vegetarian sausage or soy bacon is a fine substitute for the real thing, and a tofu scramble offers the same protein boost as eggs. Round it out with whole wheat pancakes and coffee, and all you need is the morning newspaper.
Breakfast doesn’t need to involve cooking. A bowl of cereal, hot or cold, with soy milk and a glass of juice is a balanced breakfast. A slice of toast with peanut butter and a piece of fruit is a quick meal, too. Many people prefer something simple and quick in the morning – just because you’ve gone vegetarian doesn’t mean that you have to turn every meal into a production!
Anything you like to eat can be breakfast. Leftover lasagna, a slice of cold pizza or reheated Chinese food is as good for you in the morning as they are at night. Microwave a frozen vegetarian entrée, or have some lentil curry. It’s your diet, so eat whatever you like best.
Have breakfast any time – the same “eat what you like” rule applies at lunch or dinner. There’s no rule that says you can’t enjoy pancakes and vegetarian sausage for your evening meal.
Planning your meals – Lunch
Lunch is a great meal, because you can eat just about anything you want, from breakfast foods to sandwiches to soup and salad. Borrow ideas from other meals for your midday repast – waffles with fruit compote, or a bowl of chili and a whole wheat muffin.
If you take your lunch to work or school, invest in a small insulated lunch bag. Pop in a reusable freezer insert and keep you cold stuff cold all day. Or freeze a bottle of water and place that in your bag – it’ll be thawed in time for lunch, and serves double-duty by keeping your lunch chilled!
You know how great those big salads are that you buy in restaurants? You can make your own fabulous salad, to eat either at home or at work – you just need the right ingredients! Mixed greens, romaine, butter lettuce (or a combination) is your base. Add tomatoes, shredded soy cheese, sunflower seeds, sliced red pepper, or any other thing that sounds appealing. If you take it to work, put a serving of salad dressing in a separate container so your salad stays crisp until meal time.
If you miss favorites like tuna or chicken salad, make vegetarian versions using soy or tempeh. Load them into a pita pocket with some lettuce and tomatoes, and you have a hearty meal.
If you forget to bring your lunch and know there won’t be the time or the opportunity to get something on your work break, pick up something on the way to work. Most fast food restaurants are open quite early in the morning, so stop in and get a bean burrito, big salad or veggie burger during your morning commute. Stash it in you desk or the office fridge so that it’s there when you finally stop for lunch.
Stock up on some of the great instant soups, stews and curries available at your natural foods store. These "cup of soup" style products are often surprisingly tasty, and all you need is hot water from the water cooler in your office or dorm. Just don’t make a steady diet of them – they’re usually loaded with sodium.
Have dessert with your lunch! Enjoy leftover bread or rice pudding from last night’s dinner, or a couple of vegan chocolate chip cookies. Always include a piece of fresh fruit for a sweet treat.
Any combination of foods you like as snacks can add up to a great lunch. Try two or three – or more – of the following:
hummus and carrot sticks
veggie and soy cheese wraps
trail mix
soy yogurt
granola bars
muffins
leftover spaghetti or lasagna
veggie hot dogs
bean burritos
whole wheat bagels baked tofu
vegetarian sloppy joes
pasta salad
sushi
cereal and milk
potato salad or coleslaw
popcorn with nutritional yeast seasoning
black olives
leftover Chinese food
bean dip with tortilla chips
Meal planning – Dinner
Dinnertime is one of the most squandered parts of our day. We’re tired, we’ve been busy, we may not have a lot of time, so we grab something to eat and eat in front of the TV or computer. If you have roommates or live with your family, try making meal time a ritual of togetherness – work together to prepare it, sit down and savor it, and use this time to catch up on your day,
Use dinner time to experiment with new twists on old favorites. Substitute portobella mushrooms and sauteed onions for the ground beef in your favorite lasagna, make a great vegetarian chili, or have an indoor "picnic" of tofu dogs, corn on the cob and cole slaw.
Make a big pot of soup on the weekend and refrigerate or freeze portions of easy weekday meals. By cooking more elaborate dishes when you’re relaxed and have the time, you can prepare for a hectic week by stocking up on homemade, heat-and-eat dinners.
Once a week, make a list of the dinners you’d like to have during the week, buy all the ingredients during one trip to the store. Be realistic – on nights that you know you’ll be working late or extra tired, choose meals that are easy to prepare. Then post the list on your refrigerator, so you’re committed to making that meal! This will keep you from grabbing a peanut butter sandwich because you "don’t know what to eat!"
