Vegetarian Shift Workers!

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  • posted by Lynzpeel
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    Hello all I am so excited to start this new lifestyle . I just wondered if there was anyone who works crazy shifts like myself (early mornings from 2am) it makes fasting quite easy! but i struggle with time/effort for dinner. (eggs are fine for brekkie)

    i would be so grateful for any quick vegetarian recipes for dinners around the 300/400 calorie mark (can store in fridge , so bulk is fine on my day off)

    thank you all!

  • posted by Britta
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    Hi Lynzpeel

    Welcome to the forum. I keep hoping someone replies, because I am also curious about this, but since no one has yet, I will anyway. I haven’t got an answer to your question though. I started this diet as a flexitarian and have ended up eating meat pretty much at every single meal because I just couldn’t seem to get enough protein from my usual diet and without it I was hungry. I’m at week 8 now and have started making plans for cutting back on meat again. The ‘recipes’ section on the website is a bit unloved unfortunately. So I am busy going through some of my favourite veggie recipe books and adding calorie and macro information to give me a few more go to options. I use an app (Fatsecret, but there are different ones) and I just sit down for a few hours at a time and do the calculations and adjustments. It’s a bit of work but when it is done, its done and you develop quite a good fell for what you can do with 400 calories.
    I think the short answer is that being vegetarian on this diet is a little bit harder, but of course it can be done, and there are “proper” vegetarians on here unlike me, who have done it. If you use the search mechanism on the website and look for ‘vegetarian’ there are a few threads which have good advice. Good luck!

  • posted by WindyJulz
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    I’m not vegetarian but thought I could share some ideas…….
    – Can you make an omelette for dinner? I like to make pizza style omelettes, i cook both sides and top with cheese and veggies, maybe a little pesto. Can make it wit 2 or 3 eggs (in my pan anyway) so its pretty flexible.
    – Aubergines are useful – can use as ‘boats’ and top with maybe feta and some kind of sauce made from onions, chopped tomatoes and any other veggies cooked off and stick the whole thing in the oven?
    Go wild with the veggies – all those you like in a wok with chopped tomatoes and seasoning? Or with curry powder and some coconut cream? Serve on cauliflower rice or just as they come? You can make as much as you like and save it or freeze it for additional meals.
    – Get a cauliflower, remove leaves and mix them with some olive oil and salt. Break the white bits into pieces and mix with olive oil and curry powder – put it all in the oven for 15-20 minutes – its delicious! serve with some creme fresh or sour cream.
    – cook veggies of your choice and make a low cab cream sauce – cream cheese, cream, cheese and a splash of milk. I like it mixed together and baked.
    Guessing mushrooms etc would work well in the above although i dont touch the slippery wee critters.
    – big portion of salad with cheese and eggs? Feta and olives?

    Log all the ingredients in an app (I use FatSecret too) and it’ll show you calories and carbs.

    Hopefully that can give you some ideas and then just play with it til you find variations you like. Add cream to sauces if you need some richness or extra calories. etc.

  • posted by Britta
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    “slippery wee critters” 😀

  • posted by zuzuvela
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    I used to hate mushrooms, but now I like the flavour at least. Still not a big fan of the texture…

  • posted by arcticfox
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    Hi there, I am vegetarian, so have a few standbys that help me stick to plan. One is a spanakopita without any phyllo. I just use a recipe for the filling which contains cottage cheese, feta cheese and eggs and herbs along with the spinach and cook it in a dish. I’ve also made the savoury cheesecake in the recipe section. That one is a bit of a richer treat though, so don’t have it as often.
    For quick meals, I have been having cottage cheese mixed with a bit of pesto and various veggies. I also eat eggs in lots of different forms. Egg salad in lettuce leaves has become a favourite. Mini fritatas made in muffin tins work well to take along, and sometimes I just do fried eggs with avocado. Breakfast for me typically consists of a chia and flax ‘porridge’ that I make with almond milk (lower carb than regular milk) and greek yogurt and put a few berries on top. For a bit of variety in lunches and dinners, I have had lentils in various forms, as dal or tacos (using cauliflower tortillas or lettuce leaves), or with roasted broccoli. I can’t eat tofu or other soy products any more as I became allergic to them, but if I could eat them, I would because they are one of the lowest carb forms of vegetarian protein. As Britta says, you need to ensure that you are getting enough protein to keep you satiated. That was really key for me to discover as I now realize that being too low on protein often was what was triggering binging on carbs. I aim for around 30g of protein per meal now.

  • posted by EC
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    Hi Lynzpeel
    I have done this as mostly vegetarian (I occ have fish) and have several standby “tricks”
    As WindyJulz mentions, eggs are great-I do mini frittatas in a rectangular muffin-style tray that makes 6 individual frittatas -add feta, spinach, leeks etc (I also sometimes add walnuts)-they’re easy and keep in the fridge for several days
    Unlike Arcticfox, I use tofu a lot-esp smoked tofu which is easy just to grill with a side of veg-and yes, Arcticfox-pesto!! (with so many things!!-again, I make heaps in the summer and freeze it for all year round access)
    Miso soup with lots of veg is another go-to as it’s gentle on the stomach if your sleep times are allover the place (I also add tahini for extra good fats)
    I also do batches of chickpeas and black beans and freeze to add easily to soups, and other meals for protein
    another easy low-cal idea are baked ricotta “cakes” -just beat a couple of eggs with app 600g ricotta -and finely chopped veg (or not) and bake in muffin trays-again will keep a few days in the fridge-nigella seeds on the bottom of the tray are a nice addition
    Good luck with it all-it’s worth it!

  • posted by Lynzpeel
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    thank you everyone!

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