Archives for July 25, 2011

Meatless Monday: Don’t Wanna Cook?

 

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Happy meatless Monday friends!!

We all know how much I love to cook.  But honestly, sometimes I just don’t really feel like cooking.  I think we all feel that way sometimes, am I right?

So let’s talk about some ways to still have a Meatless Monday without cooking!

Take Out, veggie style!

Obviously this would be the first thing we think of when we don’t feel like cooking!  It’s not as hard as you might think it would be doing a meatless take out!  A few options…

  • Subway!  Easy peasy!  Get the veggie delight and stuff that sucker FULL of your favorite veggies!
  • Asian food… you may be surprised at how many veggie dishes an Asian style place can have!  Veggie stir fries, black bean sauce, vegetable dumplings, steamed rice, tofu, veggie sushi, edamame, spring rolls…   If you have one of those Mongolian stir fry places near you they’ve got TONS of veggie options!!
  • Pizza!  This one’s much easier than you think!  Some pizza places even have whole wheat crusts and non-dairy cheese now!  When we have pizza delivered Pizza Hut is the only place near enough to deliver so we usually do the veggie lovers without cheese.  Sometimes I’ll add my own non-dairy cheese but most of the time I eat it sans cheese!  I think you might be surprised at how delish pizza is without meat and cheese.  It really lets the flavor of the sauce and the veggies shine through, not to mention the fact that it won’t clog your arteries!!
  • Grocery store salad bars!  There are so many grocery stores that have amazing salad bars now!  It’s an easy and quick meal to go!  Whole Foods, Central Market(these are only in TX), natural foods stores, and I’ve even seen several Kroger’s with salad bars!  Pile up those veggies peeps!  (I love to add lots of beans, baked tofu and grain salads to my grocery store salad!)
  • If you haaaave to do a fast food place (ugh), Taco Bell’s beans do not have lard so they have several vegetarian options.  Bean burritos(vegan without cheese), Seven layer burrito (vegan without sour cream and cheese), a taco salad without meat are just a few.  I’ve done taco bell in a pinch and it’s pretty easy to do veggie style.

Leftovers!

Freeze Meatless Monday leftovers so that you’ll have them on hand for nights that you don’t feel like cooking!  Easy!

Sandwiches/wraps

I always keep sandwich and wrap ingredients on hand so that they’re easy to grab if I don’t feel like cooking!  You should keep your fridge stocked with veggies anyway (cause, duh, they’re good for you!).  Things I keep on hand for veggies and wraps…  Bread, California Lavash wraps, lettuce, tomatoes, cukes, sprouts, avocado, pickles, hummus, etc… Pretty much any veggie you can think of!

Convenience Foods

I try not to do too many convenience foods because they tend to have a lot of fat and sodium in them.  Not to mention that most of them are highly processed!  A few things I sometimes keep on hand are Amy’s products!  The whole line is vegetarian, with many dairy free options as well.  And they don’t have weird unpronounceable ingredients in them!  I like their enchiladas, their burritos, and their veggie pot pie is to die for!  I usually also keep some type of veggie burger in the freezer as well, just in case.  The Dr. Praeger’s California Burgers are phenomenal!

 

Anyone have a go-to noncook item to add to the list??

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