Three Ingredient or Less Meals
Hey guys! Brrrrrr it’s getting cold over here! Does the weather dictate how or when you will work-out? It’s certainly harder for me to get out of bed on cold mornings..
Lately, I have been having trouble eating enough vegetables. By “trouble,” I mean I have reverted to a cranky 4-year-old who would prefer to eat whatever I want to eat whenever I want to eat it. “But, wait, you are a vegetarian, Annabel — what do you eat?!” Well…
I have been living off of coffee, pita and hummus. The food choices of a champion frazzled student. It’s an absolute misconception that vegetarians naturally eat healthier than their omnivore counterparts. I have known plenty of people who eat a nice, steady, vegetarian diet of cheese pizza. So, short of spoon-feeding myself vegetable purees via “air plane,” I’m forcing myself to grow up and get on track. Le sigh.
The thing is, I am totally “salad-ed out” — sorry Salad Girl, but I have no desire whatsoever to eat a salad in my current food stage.
So, the three things I resolve to do:
- Plan. Buy bags of celery and carrots, chop on the weekends and keep “snack packs” available to take to work, school and elsewhere when on the go.
- Cheat. When in a real time crunch, buy bags of pre-washed and chopped vegetables. I have to fork over a little extra cash, but I don’t mind cheating and buying these bags since they make my life easier.
- Make 3-ingredient-or-less meals. Yep, you so do not need to be a kitchen pro to get in a nice, healthy veggie-filled meal. The following is my new fave dinner:
Three Ingredient Meatless Stir Fry
Trader Joe’s Vegetable Medley. 1/2 bag — 50 calories, 0 g fat, 4 g fiber, 4 g protein, 25 mg sodium
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Meatless meatballs. I love these things! They are so versatile and delicious. Six meatless meatballs — 140 calories, 6 g fat, 4 g fiber, 16 g protein, 560 mg sodium
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Trader Joe’s Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce. 1 tbsp — 15 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein, 460 mg sodium
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Total: 205 calories, 6 g fat, 8 g fiber, 20 g protein, 1045 mg sodium
Three ingredients. Mix together over medium heat. Add a couple tablespoons of water, cover. Wait. Uncover. Enjoy. So easy even a cranky toddler (me!) can do it.
Pros: Convenient, low cal, low fat, lots of veggies and taste.
Cons: Convenience cost for pre-chopped vegetables, high sodium.
Overall: I’m all about this dish.
In the News
- Science Daily‘s, “Mediterranean Diet Associated With Reduced Risk Of Depression” (10/6/09) here
- Science Daily‘s, “High-fat Diet Impairs Muscle Health Before Impacting Function” (10/6/09) here
- Los Angeles Times‘, “FTC Announces New Guidelines, Says Bloggers Must Reveal Payments for Reviews” (10/5/09) here — We knew this was coming. What do you think about blog disclosure rules? Frankly, I think ethical bloggers should and do disclose when they’re paid to write about a product, and I get that this rule is meant for the very few big-time bloggers. But is it considered “payment in kind” if a company gives you free products to try without the promise of a review? Curious.
Do you have any super simple ways to get in your vegetables that do not include making a salad? Do you go through food “stages”? Get in food ruts?
<3, The Cranky One
Tags: sodium, trader joes, vegetables, vegetarian
10 People have left comments on this post
I definitely get in food ruts. Trying to come up with new dinner ideas for my family is hard. My kids hardly eat anything, and my husband is not too “adventurous” with food. I think your plan is a good one – being prepared goes a long way toward keeping the bad stuff out of our diets.
haha: “sorry Salad Girl, but I have no desire whatsoever to eat a salad in my current food stage.” i love you. that looks like a delicious combo! i love simple meals.
I am all about few ingredients! I am not a cook so none of those long ingredient lists for me. I am a very simple person… microwave the veggies & put no salt season or mustard on them.. or stir fry. Make the chicken or turkey or turkey meatballs ahead of time so they are ready to use, those mini organic carrots from Tj’s, have even been doing frozen veggies lately to save time & not have any leftover waste.. I season them anyway.
Love your little deal above but it is higher in sodium so making the “meat” ahead of time might help so you can just heat up.
How about Juicing? I have been slacking since I’ve lost my appetite lately, but juicing is great! You can throw in almost any vegetable (celery, carrots, zucchini, beets, etc.) and mix it with an apple and its good.
Also, when i was a vegetarian a few moons ago, we use to eat lots of avocado and lentils. Actually, we still do
You could make veggie enchiladas, potato tacos (my favorite), lentil tostadas, or some good ol’ veggie soup.
Mmmmm that actually sounds good. I think i may snoop in the fridge now
love this meal idea! i’m all for easy and quick! thanks, gorgeous
I make a big batch of salad and eat it as a component to my meals through the week. The batch lasts for 2-3 days. If you want to do it non-salad, a lot of people incorporate a lot of veggies in their smoothies (green monster). Juicing is a good idea. I love to stir fry my veggies with some simmer sauce too.
I feel like I’m in such a gigantic food rut right now! I just can’t seem to stop eating.
I’ve been on a “carb bender”; I think it’s the changing of the seasons making me want more comforting foods rather than the regular old salad, but at the same time I’m so lazy I just don’t want to cook!
YUMMY! That looks so good girl. Can you come over and cook me some dinner?
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