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??
I don’t know what it is (and I’m prety sure I’m the only person in the blogosphere that feels this way), but I absolutely cannot stand Dr. Praeger’s California Burgers. I bought a box at Trader Joe’s, ate one, and it’s been sittin in my freezer ever since.
Generally when I don’t feel like cooking I either decide to switch around the meal plan so we’re grilling (and then Nik cooks) or we wind up going out. Lately Jason’s Deli has been the go-to when I don’t feel like cooking.
Love Jason’s deli!!!
It might have changed by now, but several years ago, Pizza Hut’s pizza sauce was not vegetarian. It had a beef base. Ugh, just one of the many irritants to being vegetarian…things you would normally think are meatless sometimes aren’t. AND I always feel silly asking at different restaurants, but so many times even the “meatless” options, while not having chunks of meat in them, are made with some sort of meat stock base. Disappointing…and limiting. I do Taco Bell when I’m on the run, because, like you said, their beans are animal-friendly!
They might have had meat in the sauce at some point, but as of right now it is meat free- I believe they have an ingredient list on their site if you want to check it out!
I hear you on that- I mean how hard would it be to use a veggie broth base instead of chicken or beef broth?!
Oh, good to know! It’s been maybe 5-10 years since the last time I checked, so I figured they had revamped their sauce since then. I had completely written Pizza Hut off my list because of that, so I just never bothered to go back and check. WTG, Pizza Hut!
Great list!! I think everyone has times when they just do not feel like cooking, and it’s good to have back up plans in place.
One of my favorite go-to meatless dishes for nights I don’t feel like cooking is the boxed Indian Fare from Trader Joe’s. Unfortunately my mom cannot eat Indian food so that’s become a less good option lately, but if you haven’t tried them, you should.
Also, at Mexican restaurants, I’ve noticed many of them adding vegetarian options. Like veggie fajitas or burritos. Next time I go to the one near my house, I’m getting the veggie burrito, and I’ll report back 😀
Mexican places are becoming really easy to order veg at lately- I love it!
We don’t have a Trader Joes yet- but we’re supposed to be getting one within the next year I think. I’ll have to remember those when it opens!!