Vegetarians...PLEASE HELP ME!!!

Ok. Let me give you a little background. I stopped eating meat a while ago (for animal rights issues) and have now become a vegetarian. However, I was never crazy about salads/veggies and have therefore been eating A LOT of carbs and cheese. Of course, as a result, I have put on a ton of weight. I need to start eating right, but don't know how. I have tried imitation meat and pretty much hate it all (except veggie burgers). I have no idea what quinoa is and have never been in a Whole Foods in my life. Please, PLEASE give me some suggestions on what to eat...what can I take to work for lunch? What are some easy things I can make for dinner?

Re: Vegetarians...PLEASE HELP ME!!!

Try Trader Joes if you can. They have a ton!

Quinoa is a grain that is actually VERY high in protein.

At the frozen area of the grocery store are Amy's products. REALLY good.

I also buy Tbotchnick frozen soups and make rice and then serve them together.

Lunch:
Yogurt with fruit is good.
Progresso microwavable soups like lentil and minestrone (check labels)
Peanut Butter on Apple slices
PB and J

Re: Vegetarians...PLEASE HELP ME!!!

Greek yogurt is also very high in protein. The Fage 0% or 2% is very good! Youc an add fresh strawberries to it and YUM!

Re: Vegetarians...PLEASE HELP ME!!!

Well, I'll tell you what I bring but some of it is faux-meat.....

fuax-bologna and cheese on whole wheat w/ spinach leaves and tomato

Greek yogurt with blueberries and flaxseed

Amy's are great products ( I totally agree w/ PP)

I take a whole wheat wrap, but hummus, cottage cheese, spinach and tomato in it for an easy wrap lunch

I sometimes go out and buy a whole wheat bagel with egg whites and one slice of cheese

I've added things to my salads to make them more my taste like walnuts and goatcheese or veggie chili to make 'theme' salads so I dont get bored.

Veggie chili and crackers are good.

A side salad and baked potato from Wendys

A good book I would recommend for easy veggie recipes is Skinny B-tch in the Kitch........ it actually leans more towards vegan lifestyle, but you can alter to how you see fit. It's not as in your face as their first book. It splits stuff into breakfasts, comfort foods, italian, salads, etc and gives fairly easy ideas/recipes

Re: Vegetarians...PLEASE HELP ME!!!

Here are some samplings from my daily menu

For breakfast, I eat something I baked - usually whole grain, flaxseed, whole wheat muffin or bread of some sort, with some tea. Sometimes I'll mix it up with an egg on a whole grain english muffin, or an egg white omelette.

For lunch I always have the same thing - a salad with some kind of protein on it, whether it's tuna (I eat fish), egg, tofu, beans or chickpeas. There is an amazing mediterranean place (MAOZ vegetarian) two blocks from where I work - they make this awesome salad with hummus, chickpeas, falafel, eggplant and assorted Israeli salads. Either that, or I'll have a Tofu Thai Summer roll, or some brown rice vegetarian sushi.

For dinner, 3 times a week we eat fish, which I know doesn't help. But on the days we don't eat fish, we will either make some falafel, with homeade hummus, Israeli salad and whole wheat pita. Some nights we'll have an omelette, or egg schnitzel, or this really yummy, traditional Israeli dish called Shakshuka (egg with tomato sauce), with hummus, israeli salad and pita.

Sometimes we buy some Indian food at Trader Joe's - and will have it with couscous. Or we will make a vegetarian stew with tomato sauce, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, etc., and will eat that with some couscous.

And we mix that up with vegetarian hotdogs, gardenburgers, or whole wheat pasta with vegetarian meatballs (Trader Joe's makes the yummiest vegetarian meatballs). In the winter, we eat a LOT of vegetarian chilli, vegetarian soups and stews.

Hope that helps!

Re: Vegetarians...PLEASE HELP ME!!!

Can you give me any recipes for vegetarian stew and chilli? They sound like things I'd go for.

Re: Vegetarians...PLEASE HELP ME!!!

Re: Vegetarians...PLEASE HELP ME!!!