Welcome Jennifer!
First, if you want to eat healthier it might not be a good idea to continue to cook/prepare your husband all his stuff as it might tempt you back to old habits. I live with an omnivore who likes junk (our food habits are like night and day) but he buys and makes his own. Period. I cook him nice meals...that are vegan. I made it clear to him in the beginning that I became vegan for ethical reasons but also health and how important it is to me. If I were to continue to prepare and handle his food it sends the wrong message that I want to convey. Not saying you can't do this if you want, just that it can be a tricky situation to have your foot in both worlds.
Some of the staples that I keep around: all kids of dried/canned beans, lentils, potatoes, grains like brown rice, wild rice, millet, quinoa, bulgur, oat groats; at least a half dozen or more fresh fruits and vegetables (such as carrots, celery, bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, leafy greens (spinach, collards, kale, turnip greens, bok choy, chard), broccoli, brussel sprouts, bananas (I also freeze a few and always have them on hand), berries, pineapples, cantaloupe, apples, oranges, dates, raisins. I keep jars or cans of tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salsa, and tomato paste to add to recipes. I like to have canned pumpkin puree to add to stuff. I always have a jar of blackstrap molasses, and sometimes maple syrup. I keep around nutritional yeast also. I like to use flaxseeds and chia seeds, and keep pumpkin seeds on hand. I also keep a variety of vinegars...white, cider, rice, wine...
Some everyday dishes I like:
Breakfast: millet, ground flaxseed and frozen thawed berries; canned pumpkin mixed with pea protein powder or cocoa powder and banana; sauteed cubed tempeh, fresh pineapple, and collard greens; tofu pudding (mix in blender: tofu, banana, cocoa powder, pinch of salt and sweetener); crockpot oat groats or millet with stuff like apples/applesauce, cinnamon, plant milk or water, maple syrup; smoothie (frozen banana, other fruit, leafy greens, protein powder, plant milk or water); mango and almonds
Other meals: I like to saute some kale, black beans, and peeled/cubed sweet potato in a nonstick skillet with water or a little oil. I add curry powder and ginger (optional) and sometimes dried unsweetened coconut flakes. Another is split pea soup. I chop a few carrots and onion into a pot and saute for a minute. add garlic powder, lemon juice, salt/pepper. add a cup of split peas (uncooked). Then add water to cover and at least a few inches above the line of split peas. Let this simmer for twenty to thirty minutes until the split peas and carrots are soft. Then puree in blender or with hand mixer. Makes a very thick rich creamy soup with few ingredients. Lets see...spaghetti with the following sauce: tomato sauce from a can or jar, red lentils, chopped mushroom and zuchhini, maybe some green bell pepper all simmered in a pot. I add tomato paste to this also, then pour it all over the spaghetti.
Another really quick one is vegetarian baked beans (there are commercial canned vegetarian and vegan baked beans in most large chain groceries or health stores). I find these polenta tubes in the grocery store and slice them and saute them on the stover in a little oil or water. Put them on a plate and pour the heated canned baked beans over them. I steam some broccoli on the side and have it all together for a meal. How about this one: toasts with hummus spread on it, then sprinkle on some black olives, onion, sauteed mushroom and green pepper for mini pizzas.
The possibilities are literally endless lol. I am never bored. I spent a LOT of time in the beginning pouring over cookbooks and websites to find ways to cook vegan/vegetarian and it sparked so much creativity and inspiration. The above recipes are just a drop in the bucket. I rarely buy processed cereals or other prepared meals. Maybe six times a year or so I have a commercial Amy's burrito or something.
Last night I had a garden salad but made it very rich and satisfying. I started with romaine lettuce, then added cucumber, red onion, broccoli red bell pepper, chickpeas, olives (all staples I keep around weekly). I made a dressing by taking a dollup of organic peanut butter and adding it to a pot on the stove. I added some rice vinegar, splash of tamari (soy sauce), ginger, and thinned it with water to make a creamy liquid dressing. I poured it over the salad and shared it with my husband. It took all of fifteen minutes to make and I was full for hours. Don't knock salads. YOu can make them as rich and nutrient dense as you want, or lower calorie.
I love to cook and have a ton of spices/seasonings I built up over the years. But I also work full time, go to groups and classes, and workout at a fitness center five to six days a week. I prepare stuff that takes a while to make on my day off (such as long cooking rices, dried beans that have to be soaked/cooked a long time, batches of homemade bread). Then I have that stuff on hand during my busy week to grab and make stuff. I don't spend a lot of money on fancy ingredients (except maybe the maple syrup and on rare occasion tahini). I tend to keep it fairly basic, though some of my dishes are more than four ingredients. They are all based on staples I keep around.
If you get a chance, make homemade soups! They are filling, cheap and delicious and anything can be thrown in without worrying about messing it up. One of my recent favorites is chickpea soup with sweet potato and tomato. You don't need many ingredients to make them. also, a favorite thing I do with grains like millet. I make fruit compotes by taking a package of frozen fruit (example raspberries) and adding to a pot. I add a little water and sweetener and a tablespoon of cornstarch and then stir until it becomes a thick sauce. Then I pour that over my grains with some beans and veggies. I also make a spicy sauce by taking the pineapple juice from a can of pineapple and adding cornstarch, mustard, a pinch of sweetener, and stiring it on the stove til I get a thick sauce. I pour that over rice and canned chickpeas and chopped cooked veggies like snowpeas, pepper, carrots, onion. Sometimes I roast the chickpeas, veggies, and pineapple (from the can) in the oven in a roaster, than add it over rice and make the pineapple sauce and pour that over the top.
Best wishes on your journey!
First, if you want to eat healthier it might not be a good idea to continue to cook/prepare your husband all his stuff as it might tempt you back to old habits. I live with an omnivore who likes junk (our food habits are like night and day) but he buys and makes his own. Period. I cook him nice meals...that are vegan. I made it clear to him in the beginning that I became vegan for ethical reasons but also health and how important it is to me. If I were to continue to prepare and handle his food it sends the wrong message that I want to convey. Not saying you can't do this if you want, just that it can be a tricky situation to have your foot in both worlds.
Some of the staples that I keep around: all kids of dried/canned beans, lentils, potatoes, grains like brown rice, wild rice, millet, quinoa, bulgur, oat groats; at least a half dozen or more fresh fruits and vegetables (such as carrots, celery, bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, leafy greens (spinach, collards, kale, turnip greens, bok choy, chard), broccoli, brussel sprouts, bananas (I also freeze a few and always have them on hand), berries, pineapples, cantaloupe, apples, oranges, dates, raisins. I keep jars or cans of tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salsa, and tomato paste to add to recipes. I like to have canned pumpkin puree to add to stuff. I always have a jar of blackstrap molasses, and sometimes maple syrup. I keep around nutritional yeast also. I like to use flaxseeds and chia seeds, and keep pumpkin seeds on hand. I also keep a variety of vinegars...white, cider, rice, wine...
Some everyday dishes I like:
Breakfast: millet, ground flaxseed and frozen thawed berries; canned pumpkin mixed with pea protein powder or cocoa powder and banana; sauteed cubed tempeh, fresh pineapple, and collard greens; tofu pudding (mix in blender: tofu, banana, cocoa powder, pinch of salt and sweetener); crockpot oat groats or millet with stuff like apples/applesauce, cinnamon, plant milk or water, maple syrup; smoothie (frozen banana, other fruit, leafy greens, protein powder, plant milk or water); mango and almonds
Other meals: I like to saute some kale, black beans, and peeled/cubed sweet potato in a nonstick skillet with water or a little oil. I add curry powder and ginger (optional) and sometimes dried unsweetened coconut flakes. Another is split pea soup. I chop a few carrots and onion into a pot and saute for a minute. add garlic powder, lemon juice, salt/pepper. add a cup of split peas (uncooked). Then add water to cover and at least a few inches above the line of split peas. Let this simmer for twenty to thirty minutes until the split peas and carrots are soft. Then puree in blender or with hand mixer. Makes a very thick rich creamy soup with few ingredients. Lets see...spaghetti with the following sauce: tomato sauce from a can or jar, red lentils, chopped mushroom and zuchhini, maybe some green bell pepper all simmered in a pot. I add tomato paste to this also, then pour it all over the spaghetti.
Another really quick one is vegetarian baked beans (there are commercial canned vegetarian and vegan baked beans in most large chain groceries or health stores). I find these polenta tubes in the grocery store and slice them and saute them on the stover in a little oil or water. Put them on a plate and pour the heated canned baked beans over them. I steam some broccoli on the side and have it all together for a meal. How about this one: toasts with hummus spread on it, then sprinkle on some black olives, onion, sauteed mushroom and green pepper for mini pizzas.
The possibilities are literally endless lol. I am never bored. I spent a LOT of time in the beginning pouring over cookbooks and websites to find ways to cook vegan/vegetarian and it sparked so much creativity and inspiration. The above recipes are just a drop in the bucket. I rarely buy processed cereals or other prepared meals. Maybe six times a year or so I have a commercial Amy's burrito or something.
Last night I had a garden salad but made it very rich and satisfying. I started with romaine lettuce, then added cucumber, red onion, broccoli red bell pepper, chickpeas, olives (all staples I keep around weekly). I made a dressing by taking a dollup of organic peanut butter and adding it to a pot on the stove. I added some rice vinegar, splash of tamari (soy sauce), ginger, and thinned it with water to make a creamy liquid dressing. I poured it over the salad and shared it with my husband. It took all of fifteen minutes to make and I was full for hours. Don't knock salads. YOu can make them as rich and nutrient dense as you want, or lower calorie.
I love to cook and have a ton of spices/seasonings I built up over the years. But I also work full time, go to groups and classes, and workout at a fitness center five to six days a week. I prepare stuff that takes a while to make on my day off (such as long cooking rices, dried beans that have to be soaked/cooked a long time, batches of homemade bread). Then I have that stuff on hand during my busy week to grab and make stuff. I don't spend a lot of money on fancy ingredients (except maybe the maple syrup and on rare occasion tahini). I tend to keep it fairly basic, though some of my dishes are more than four ingredients. They are all based on staples I keep around.
If you get a chance, make homemade soups! They are filling, cheap and delicious and anything can be thrown in without worrying about messing it up. One of my recent favorites is chickpea soup with sweet potato and tomato. You don't need many ingredients to make them. also, a favorite thing I do with grains like millet. I make fruit compotes by taking a package of frozen fruit (example raspberries) and adding to a pot. I add a little water and sweetener and a tablespoon of cornstarch and then stir until it becomes a thick sauce. Then I pour that over my grains with some beans and veggies. I also make a spicy sauce by taking the pineapple juice from a can of pineapple and adding cornstarch, mustard, a pinch of sweetener, and stiring it on the stove til I get a thick sauce. I pour that over rice and canned chickpeas and chopped cooked veggies like snowpeas, pepper, carrots, onion. Sometimes I roast the chickpeas, veggies, and pineapple (from the can) in the oven in a roaster, than add it over rice and make the pineapple sauce and pour that over the top.
Best wishes on your journey!
