Meals to make you FULL

[cente]

hello!

I am a 15+ year veg, the last two years I've been vegan. Since high school I've gained a bunch of weight (totally unrelated to my eating). Although I'm VERY healthy (the doc says my cholesterol is the lowest he's ever seen), I want to take some chunks off it and get down to a decent weight.

The problem I'm having is that it has been near impossible to find foods that fill me up. Add to that I'm still in college (after a career change) and don't have a lot of time to be making stuff.

Down to the point: do you guys have suggestions on meals that:
A) I can eat until I am FULL without worry about high fats or carbs
B) Are EASY to make
C) Can be made IN ADVANCE for about a week or longer. (I am planning on living off the one type of food for the full week, making a big batch of the next week's food on the weekends)

I figure I will supplement my diet with fruits and vegetables until I get up to my daily calorie count. Some examples I've already thought of are tacos (using my own mix so the salt stays low), chili, and possibly seitan steaks with some side veggies.

I hope I can get some ideas here :-) Thanks in advance!

[GingerFoxx]

The most satisfying meals are generally going to be those which are the most balanced, in terms of containing some fat, protein and fiber. If you are looking to add filling bulk to a meal without raising your calorie intake too severely, add veggies. Lots and lots of veggies. They are almost all very low calorie and the fiber content will help with satiety.

If you are looking for simple, sautee whatever veggies you might have on hand in a little olive oil and serve over pasta, rice or some other whole grain. Whole grains typically are more satisfying than refined grains.

Another option I have grown fond of is making veggie stew with carrots, celery, onions, potatoes and whatever else I might have on hand cooked in veggie broth and seasoned to taste. Depending what you put into it, it can be very hearty. Adding lentils is an easy way to incorporate protein as well.

I am sure plenty of folks can give you more specific recipes, if that is what you are looking for. Plus the boards have a lot of great recipe archives to peruse...

Good luck,

[hugrad2002]

I fix a big pot of veggie meat, rice, mixed veggies and a little marinara sauce when I dont feel like cooking for a few days. HTH

[IamJen]

You can make lots of things with beans that are very filling, imo. However, you might try some other things as well. Eating smaller, frequent meals works better for me than "3 squares". Also, eat your veg/salad/lower calories portions first. If you're working on your weight, you might also try upping your activity level. I can diet like nobody's business, but if I'm not very active, the pounds come on in a flash.

[Gnome Chomsky]

Empirical studies have shown protein to contribute the highest fullness to calorie ratio of caloric foods (fat having the lowest ratio and starch and simple sugars falling in between). Of course, cellulose fills you up w/o contributing any calories.

Thus, a legume curry with many non-starchy veggies is what you want. . .

ebola

[unovegan]

If you can either make or pick up a falafel sandwich, that is super filling. That's possibly the heaviest meal that i've ever had. Soooo yummy as well.

[Sinthia]

veggie chilli with brown rice and beans, and tons of veggies, and mock meat if you wish. Extremely filling!

[Toast]

If you can either make or pick up a falafel sandwich, that is super filling. That's possibly the heaviest meal that i've ever had. Soooo yummy as well.

Falafel is filling isn't it. :yes:

I always find bean dishes fill me up too.

The food that makes me feel hungry almost instantly is pasta. I can have a big bowl of wholemeal pasta and veggies and I will be hungry about an hour after.

[VeganTigress]

I love chilli and baguette!! Mm!! I also love Hummus and green onion cakes.

We eat a range of food at home, Hearty soups are my favorite though, through all the veggies you can in a pot with veggie broth and let cook. MMMM!!

Now i am really hungry... thanks guys:hungry:

[.ghost.]

I make Quinoa Paella from Fat Free Vegan quite often and especially like to eat it on days I've gone a bit overboard on treats as it's very filling and is quite low-cal for the volume of food you're eating (I fry the veg in olive oil and it's still quite low in calories for the volume).

[Kremasmooth]

One of my favorite fast and super filling meals is.....

brown rice (you can initially make enough for several meals and keep in the fridge)
a can of diced tomatoes...put in some chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder (or saute real onions and garlic and dump in the tomatoes and chili powder) let that cook for about 5 mins
a can of vegetarian refried beans (the kind with spices in) or half if you're watching your calories

super filling, super easy and super quick

serve however you like, get fancy and put the tomatoes on top of the rice and the beans on the side, or like i do, just each item seperately on the plate, couldn't be any easier

yum yum!

[Jasmin1]

Since you want to keep an eye on your carbs.. then I would suggest (as others before me have) veggie soups and stews, simply vary the spices and ingredients.

[arcoftime]

I always start the day with a protein heavy smoothie; this keeps me filled for aaaaaaaaaaaaaaages, and also means that when I have lunch and dinner, I'm topping up whats already in my stomach, not refilling it, so I don't really snack.

[CKR]

rice dishes fill me up and also whenever I eat anything with tofu in it I feel stuffed for ages after.

I agree with this. Rice, beans, and tofu usually fill me up pretty well. I usually buy different kinds of beans for variety. I am also in college full time (with night classes at that) so I know how it feels not to want to stand in the kitchen after a long day.

[butterflytat20]

oatmeal and agave for me

[rabid_child]

We had seitan, bell pepper, and zucchini fajitas in whole wheat tortillas and salad for dinner. I only ate one, and I'm stuffed.

[transilluminate]

Rice and beans. :) Or if you're leaning towards breakfast, a hearty bowl of oatmeal and a banana usually do the trick. Think carbs.

[GingerFoxx]

Making a bowl of cream of wheat or whole-grain hot cereal with a scoop of soy protein powder (it matches the texture of the cereal so it doesn't taste gritty) some almond milk, fruit and cinnamon mixed in as breakfast or an evening snack keeps me satisfied for hours. It's whole grain so I know it is good for me, and it disguises the flavour of the protein powder, so I get extra protein almost without realizing it. Plus a 24oz bag of wheat farina costs me about $3 and lasts a long time.