Eating vegan at work

During the school year, I work 9 hours days. Before going vegan, I would take “healthy” frozen dinners-Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, etc.

Low and behold there are very few, if any vegan options in the frozen dinner section in the grocery store! (No surprise there.)

At first I took salads. But I sit at my desk and I work through lunch. The phone rings or people come in for help, and a mouth full of crunchy lettuce was hard to swallow quickly. 

One Sunday night I decided to make a pot of vegetable soup using vegetable broth and lots of vegetables. I looked up recipes on recipes.com and I googled vegan vegetable soup. None of them were quite what I was looking for–a simple recipe with ingredients I had. So I got creative.

I sautéed onion, garlic and carrots in olive oil. I then added lots of vegetable broth. I then started throwing in whatever veggies I had that sounded good in soup. I added 1/2 cup nutritional yeast to thicken the soup. I tossed in dried basil, thyme and oregano. I also threw in a can of diced tomatoes (tomato sauce is a good option, too). I brought the soup to a boil and then turned down the heat. I let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes. One time I threw in some cooked noodles while it was simmering. Another time I cooked up quinoa (whole protein!) and took a cup of quinoa to work in a separate container. I mixed the quinoa and soup together before I heated it for lunch.

I had enough soup for an entire week of lunches. I found that it fills me up for a few hours, so when I get hungry I eat a handful of nuts or an apple to get me through the afternoon. I plan to keep trying new things to make the soup even better. (Some weeks are better than others.)

I am sure at some point I will get tired of veggie soup. But the beauty of soup is there are so many different kinds! For now I have a plan…a healthy vegan lunch plan.

Eating out vegan style

When I started this new way of eating, I wondered if I would be able to go out to eat. There are many restaurants to chose from, but only a few offer vegan options. I have discovered a website called happycow.net that lists restaurants that offer vegan options. It is a great resource, but many of the restaurants are on the other side of town. What’s a gal to do?!

I have learned that the best way to eat out is to be prepared. I go to the website of the restaurant(s) and study the menu(s). What sounds good? Can it be ordered without cheese or butter? Some dishes are too complicated to request without dairy or without meat. But I have found that even places like BJ’s Brewhouse have options for me. BJ’s Brewhouse hamburgers can be ordered as veggie burgers. They have a pasta dish with marinara sauce. (It is somewhat plain, but it is good!) BJ’s Brewhouse also has a summer salad that is delicious-I just ordered it without the goat cheese.

Another staple for me is McAlisters Deli. I love their unsweet tea, so I keep going back. Their fire-roasted veggie soup and veggie chili baked potato are my favorites.

One of my most challenging visits was to Chik-Fil-A. My granddaughter and husband were with me and wanted to go there, so I took the challenge of finding something to eat. The best choice I found was the side salad (I removed the cheese) and the fruit cup. They were actually very good and I felt good after I ate.

One good thing about this new way of eating is I don’t leave a restaurant feeling like I ate half a cow. Before, when I went to a restaurant, such as a Mexican food place, I’d eat so much chips and salsa that I was full by the time my meal came! But I still managed to eat that, too.

Now I am learning to eat the foods that will give me the nutrition I need. I am also learning to stop eating when I feel full. Eating out at a restaurant can be a challenge, but I am up for it!