Posts by chelsealynne

I'm a student with classes and work all day, so I have to think about taking and/or buying lunch everyday. here's a few things I do, depending on how hungry I am/how big a breakfast I have. sometimes if I have a big breakfast (like oatmeal), I'll bring a smaller lunch, and it works. sometimes I just have coffee and soy milk and buy a huuge lunch on campus (we have vegan options - it's great!):

- cliff bar and apple (this is smaller, but when I'm rushing, it works)

- I make a big dish, usually on weekends, and separate it into a 4-5 plastic containers - the cool thing about vegan food is you don't have to worry about it going bad if it sits in your bag for four or five hours. I'll usually make a batch of steamed brown rice, whole wheat cous cous, spelt pasta, or some grain, and then sautee veggies and tofu or some other protein. braggs, garlic, onions, garlic & herb seasonings, balsamic vinaigrettes, and salt and pepper all work great for flavorings.

- jamba with soy protein boost

- like posted above, hummus sandwich. I just bought some mock turkey meat (it was on sale and seitan), and it was pretty good!

- big salad with chickpeas, tomatoes, carrots, peas, and sprouts. squirt with lemon juice and put dressing in separate container (I mix balsamic, maple syrup, and olive oil) and it will sit for hours and still be delish.

- I think subway has vegan options. also, check out vegan recipe websites for great casseroles and other dishes you can carry in a plastic container. that's sometimes the best way to go.

if you haven't gotten into reading online vegan recipe blogs, check it out. tons of great cooking tips. start here and check out her links page: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/. good luck!

luna bar!  always the best snack.  also pretzels, chips, and all those horrible good-tasting carbs are usually vegetarian/vegan (just gotta scan ingredients).  I love dried fruits too, and fruits in general - granny smith apples and apple bananas.

if you have a health food store nearby, check out their bulk section.  health food stores here (in Hawai'i) have massive bulk sections with everything from nutritional yeast to pretzels and dried mangoes (oh my god good). 

I've been going to aerobics two days a week in the mornings (around 8am) and I haven't had a problem with hunger.  Usually though, I roll out of bed and go straight to the class; even when I'm done I usually wait an hour or two to eat.

Four miles is quite a walk and eating won't really give you a side pain or anything unless you're power-walking, so maybe it's good to have some juice or fruit or something?  I prefer being active on an empty stomach, but it's really up to you.  I doubt it makes much of a difference.

And like hailstorm said, I'm not big on eating before 10am either, even if I get up around 7am and work out.  I just tend to have a bigger breakfast after if I've worked out - and it tastes 20x better, haha.

I'm not big on frozen stuff either (I think being veg helped get my interest up in nutrition and realize how much crap is in everything), but I do like the Safeway Organic Tofu & Bean Enchiladas.  They're spicy and a nice change when I'm slow on time, but still have time to stick it in the oven for 30 minutes or so.

anyone know of any other good vegan frozen dishes?

this recipe got me addicted to tofu YEARS ago, and it also taught me the importance of pressing/straining tofu (it sounds hard but is honestly super easy) and how easy it is to sauté.

http://www.downtoearth.org/recipes/main/p_moc k_chicken_tofu.htm

now I just cut a block into four strips, strain for 15 or so minutes, cut further into small cubes, and sauté! soy sauce, steamed veggies, and brown rice (with sauteed onions) is amazing together. always get extra firm, though. at least for sautéing.

there are a ton of vegetarian sites with recipes, but it's best to just learn by practice.