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Minimalist whole food cooking idea

1K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  LedBoots 
#1 ·
Hi all,

Am a beginner vegan ( started 2 months ago ).
Soon I will be away from home for 3 months, and live in rental apartment.

Am trying to figure out a meal that I could cook daily :) as am not so picky about food.

So I was thinking about meal that would provide about 1500 calories , rest 500 more I would require from
oats in the morning and fruit.

So I was thinking to make a meal , that would combine for example
rice 300g
potatoes 300g
beans 300g
peas 300g
total of 1500 cal

+500 from fruit and oats
+b12

that I would eat at lease 4 days a week for a whole day :)

What is your opinion on this meal ?
Would you place something else in ?
Would I miss something essential ?
 
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#2 ·
I would certainly include more vegetables (particularly green ones), uncooked or added at the very end of cooking. That would boost the amounts of vitamin B2, folate, vitamin A, vitamin C, and magnesium.
I would probably use brown rice or a mixture of brown and white (beware white cooks faster).
You didnt mention spices. Spices!

Eating the same meal nearly every day will get boring but between a few spices and using a few different types of beans enough variety can be made.
Having some frozen corn and other things available can help with variety as well.
 
#3 ·
How about soup?
Mixed grains rather than rice?
I go to an Indian grocery a lot and they have a wide variety of mixed grains and dal (like lentils, split chickpeas...) Indian food seems like a good bet

spices are a good idea for both taste and for being healthy
 
#4 ·
I'd probably get bored with eating that day after day after day, even though I don't particularly enjoy cooking. Auxin and Silva have good ideas: that basic dish would be much more interesting with a different vegetable or vegetables added to it each day, as well as being more nutritionally complete. And different seasonings would add interest, also.

How about a little olive oil or canola oil added for omega-3 fatty acids?

Oats rock, though- I think they're my favorite grain.
 
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#7 ·
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#5 ·
#6 ·
Lentils and bulgar are really easy, cheap, and versatile--

Simmer 1 cup red lentils in 2 cups water for 10-12 minutes
Stir in 1/2 cup bulgar, shut off heat and cover.
Season with onion, garlic, cumin, pepper--or curry powder

this is a pate good for cold sandwiches, mix in crumbs and minced veggies sauteed as a burger,
Add to tomato soup with veggies,
 
#8 ·
OK well you have a base idea there - but switch it up, not just beans and peas, but roasted chickpeas, red lentils or some mixed nuts...on top of a better variety of veggies, one day cabbage, broccoli and carrots. ..another day bell pepper, onion and kale. Some days have sweet potato or squash instead of baking potatoes. You could add corn salsa to black beans and quinoa.

I mean keeping two or three grains could help - rice, quinoa then something like polenta or bulgar, to mix it up.

Also add nutrition with seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, flax) and change up the flavors with spices.

I think you're a prime candidate for Buddha bowls - I am not sure what living in an apartment has to do with the quality of food you eat. Most people in cities live in apartments even if they're upper middle class.
 
#9 · (Edited)
@Auxin
I prefer brown rice over white, yes it needs few more minutes of cooking time but I like taste better.

I have not mentioned spices but I would add thinks like basil, onions etc.

Green vegetables, hmm, I have included green peas :D , but I guess , some broccoli on the top , and a cabbage/lettuce /cucumbers salad would be nice and I would be able to create one big one for 3 days :)

Many thx Auxin for your specific answer.
@silva
Hmm soup, I dont like soups so much , and all the vegetables are cooked in water so this is my idea of soup :) also , soup would not add many calories that am struggling with.

Didn't know that spices can be that beneficial but I will do research on this!

Mixed grains, hmm, I can add quinoa , but not sure about others and cooking :(

Will try some Indian market place if available.

Thx on spice idea and improving with quinoa !
@Tom
Will I get bored , maybe, but idea is to cook as little as I can in a day ( once preferably ) and use my time for exploring working, and exploring country/city

Oil ? Hmm, I was trying to avoid it, but maybe I will need to investigate more on this, and omega3s

Thx Tom, will look into thoes omega3s
@David3
Simple meal ideas, will take 1 or 2 hours of my time per day for buying groceries and cooking, buying in bulk and cooing for a whole day would be preferable, and for example eating my meal vs eating spaghetti with tomato source for a whole day , dont know I that would be good option

Thx David on interesting link :)
@silva
Never tried bulgar, but there is first time for everything :D
lentils are also nice and I could swap beans/lentils any time

Thx Silva, bulgar will be eaten :D

@David3
I though the same, and I will add nuts as a snack and flax seeds to breakfast easy

Thx David3, I have missed ground flax for days :(
@Thalassa4
Yes idea of switching beans/lentils and peas/chickpeas can be easily implemented :)
Also adding some amount of green vegetables and other like carrots can be done easily.

corn salsa will try :), and someone already mentioned quinoa

Nutrition with seeds. Agree , maybe small mix of them with oats for breakfast would be enough ?

Am trying to solve other issue, avoid constant cooking, and use time for exploring, and at the end of the day have nutritional and healthy meal that I will cook only once per day :)

Many thx Thalassa4, great suggestions, Buddha bowls for the win
 
#10 ·
If you are looking for ease and speed, there's nothing wrong in using frozen vegetables.

They are whole foods and nutritionally at least as good as fresh plus all the preparation has been done for you. They're also usually cheaper too. However, different vegetables react differently to freezing and not all will be the same texturally as if cooked from fresh.

I keep green beans (either sliced green beans or whole French beans) broad beans, sweetcorn, peas & whole leaf spinach in the freezer all the time. These veggies seem to react well to freezing and are not noticeably different to fresh. I'm not fond of frozen mushrooms, brussels sprouts or frozen peppers, but you may find them perfectly fine for your needs.

If I'm using it for soup I will sometimes buy frozen broccoli and frozen cauliflower. These can be a bit softer than fresh when cooked from frozen. Though the other day I steamed frozen cauliflower till it was 'just' done and it was perfect so I may try again and keep my eye on the timer.

Otherwise there are probably a huge range of other things out there to try.
 
#12 · (Edited)
As for meals. Simple is good, but I would vary it up a bit.

A serving of wholefood starch (grain or potato), two kinds of vegetables (maybe one cooked and one raw), and a serving of pulses makes a good meal. I've eaten like this and it works and is oddly satisfying, though I wouldn't want *exactly* the same thing, every single day.

I'd look up 'Buddah Bowls' (also known as 'Rainbow Bowls').

Also check out Macrobiotics - where the idea of very simple meals of this kind can be found quite readily (just watch out for the fish which comprises a part of some Macrobiotic dishes).

Remember that you can quickly steam frozen veggies.
You can quickly prep a bit of fresh stuff, like slices of cucumber, carrot or onion.
You can easily use canned pulses, drained and rinsed straight from the can.
And grains are quick to prepare in a saucepan - you can even make a big pan of wholegrains (rice, buckwheat, bulgar wheat, whatever) and keep it in the fridge ready for use any day of the week. I often like a few seeds or nuts mixed in with grains.

And dressings if desired can be simple too. Tahini and soya sauce. Dairy free pesto. Chilli and garlic.
 
#13 ·
Hello Radovan. Just out of curiosity would you be willing to share your height weight and activity level? That 1500 cal is quite large but looks tasty :) Hell if you are crazy active, go for it. Have you measured what you burn in an average day also? I eat something similar to the meal you mentioned in the original post but probably half the amount and I eat a lot a raw fruits and veggies as my base. A typical day for me is around 2000 cal I am 6 foot 2, 205 pounds and exercise 4-5 days a week at various levels.

~Dan
vegmaste.com
 
#14 ·
"For Active People

Extremely athletic people have very high calorie needs. MayoClinic.com recommends consuming a minimum of 3,000 calories per day to maintain a weight of 200 lbs. if you exercise vigorously every day. Some active people may need as many as 3,800 calories per day to replace dietary energy burned during exercise."

"Moderately Active

If you engage in light to moderate exercise a few times per week, you will need to consume 2,350 to 3,100 calories each day to maintain a 200-lb. weight."

http://www.livestrong.com/article/319332-how-many-calories-to-maintain-100-lbs/
 
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