Hit me with your superfast meal ideas!

[boogiemonster]

I am in my last few weeks of pregnancy and I don't have a lot of energy to spend on my feet in the kitchen preparing elaborate meals.

We are stuck in a spaghetti-and-marinara rut.

Please spam me with your quick and easy go-to meal ideas that are meat- and dairy-free, and that have a good source of protein to make my midwives happy.

Thank you! 

[carrierwright]

If you have a slow cooker, we love doing veg chili b/c we put it on in the am and don't think about it again til dinner. Just throw in beans (any kind you have in the raw) and after a few hours add in diced tomatoes, chili powder, peppers, onions, and any other veg you have a particular craving for. It's one of those easy fixes that last for days and you can later add to tortillas, or eat as a snack. (High protein of course!)

[SandyBeachBums]

I am feeling it, too. But, I am not due till March.

Falafal from the box
veggie meatballs in gravy on top of noodles or rice
bean soups in the crockpot
I like to make a big veggie sandwhich on a big loaf of french bread. Slice and serve with soup or salad
Giant pasta or rice salads with some cubed, baked tofu.
Chipes with layered dip
sloppy joes on ww buns
tofurkey sausages cooked with saurkraut
veggie lasagna made with tofu ricotti. I use regular uncooked noodles. Just add some extra water to it. I rinse out the jarof sauce with some water and dump that over a layer. Make sure to cover with a lid or some foil to keep the moisture in.
mini pizzas made on english muffins or flatbread

[faeriecurls]

I did lots of things that would either freeze or leave leftovers or both - basically cook one day and eat for several. DH did a lot of the prepping, but you can always cheat and buy already chopped up onions, celery, carrots and other veggies at a lot of stores.

Lentil stews of any nature - pretty easy and they last and freeze.

Quinoa mixed with black beans and avocado. I would make a huge salad out of it that would last for days - I added red onions, grape tomatoes & frozen corn. Made a cumin lime dressing for it.

Minestrone Soup

Fried rice with tofu and/or eggs as the protein

Scrambled eggs/tofu on multigrain toast spread with avocado

Veggie Chili

nut butter sandwiches

hummus wraps/pitas with veggies

[dbsam]

When I was pregnant I loved Texas Caviar (bean salad).  I would make a big batch and eat it as a cold salad, wrap it in tortillas, or scramble with eggs.  It is really easy to make.  Just dump everything in a bowl; you can vary the recipe and use whatever you have in the pantry.  I usually make it like this:

• one can great white northern beans - rinsed and drained
• two cans black beans – rinsed and drained
• one can white corn – drained
• one can Mexican tomatoes and peppers – drained
• green, red, and yellow bell peppers - chopped
• green onions – chopped
• tomatoes – chopped
• cilantro – to taste
• vinegar – I’ve used red wine or apple cider – to taste (~ ¼ cup)
• fresh lemon juice
• jalapeños - chopped

[boogiemonster]

This is fantastic.  Thank you so much for the ideas! 

[catnip]

http://catnip13.blogspot.com/2010/11/pumpkin-curry.html

[askew]

These are both less than 30 minutes. :)

http://www.plantfoodfabulous.com/2010/10/lentils-and-quinoa-with-roasted.html

http://www.plantfoodfabulous.com/2010/10/smashed-chickpeas-with-roasted-carrots.html

[Courtney-Ostaff]

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Main-Dish/Slow-Cooker/Vegetarian/ViewAll.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Everyday-Cooking/Quick-and-Easy/Quick-and-Easy-Vegetarian/Main-Dishes/ViewAll.aspx

Think of it as a combo issue:

protein + carb + veg = food

beans + potatoes/rice/pasta + veg = food

I admit, I can't think of much that combines beans & potatoes except Indian food.

Beans + rice always makes me think of TexMex, esp w/tomatoes

beans + pasta = Italian

[healthy momma]

Two of my current easy favorites:

Vegetarian Lentil Loaf  http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/r/ricelentilloaf.htm

* The only thing I do differently from the recipe is go a little heavy on the lentils, spices, and ketchup or bbq. Leftovers are great for quick sandwiches. 

Northeast African Millet Patties  http://www.ivu.org/recipes/african/northeast-j.html

* SUPER easy! They don't stay together incredibly well but they don't need to to taste great.

[LittleTimebomb]

Our new winter favorite is slow cooker oatmeal. I know it sounds crazy but it's amazing. You put everything in the slow cooker and put it on low before bed and wake up to delicious, healthy, and filling, porridge. You can speed up the process by using high for 2 hours.

The recipe is simple and really easy customize based on your dietary desires.

Place ingredients below into a slow cooker

1 cup Steel Cut Oats (like McCann's)

3 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup soy milk (butter milk and other "milks" work as will just another 1/2 cup water)

3 Table Spoons brown sugar (honey works for those who don't do refined sugar as other sweeteners)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup dried cherries

Stir well

set the cooker to low and leave overnight (at least 4-5 hours, or 2 hours on high)

This recipe is very forgiving and we've come up with a million varieties using apples, raisins, fresh berries, pine nuts, and pears!

[ReginaPhalange]

My family LOVES this recipe:

http://www.mothering.com/recipes/slow-cooker-chicken-taco-soup

To make it vegan we use faux chicken which we add at the end, just enough to heat it, and omit the dairy products as garnishes (or use appropriate substitutes). Since we don't drink we use a completely non-alcoholic beer. If you're not comfortable with that, maybe there is something you could substitute?

This is also a great recipe. Anything with quinoa is a win-win for pregnancy :)

http://www.mothernaturesfood.net/common/recipes/recipes_results.asp?id=188&storeID=D3C2F8CEED154D34803BDD85FB898B24

This is another good one that's easy to make in large batches for a quick snack or easy lunch:

http://www.chef-blog.com/mock-tuna-salad-sandwiches/

I usuall use veganese instead of hummus, and if ou don't want to fool with the hijiki a sprinkle of dried kelp still gives you nutrition and taste.

Faux chicken strips in a tortilla with a few veggies and ready made dressing or hummus is usually nice.

ETA: Almost forgot one of my favorites: Spread hummus on half a tortilla, add your favorite chopped veggies and faux meats, fold over the tortilla and heat both sides in a lightly oiled pan for a quesadilla.

Edited by ReginaPhalange - 1/1/11 at 3:19am

[citymagnolia]

http://vegandad.blogspot.com/2007/11/seitan-fajitas.html

Seitan fajitas with cinnamon and orange juice. These are sooo good. My 6 year old daughter ate half the batch for dinner! I ate the other half. I thought they would be too sweet, but they're not at all. We ate them with easy guacamole--I just mashed an avocado and added some lime juice, salt, cumin and garlic. I wish I had these right now.

I've been reheating quinoa with soy or almond milk and eating it with nuts and fruit, cinnamon and honey or agave. Super healthy, super fast way to use up leftover grains. We also like  quinoa warm or cold with lime juice, avocado chunks and nuts. It takes about 2 minutes to make and my kids will eat pounds of it.

[verybusyGrandma]

uneed ideas ok hope this helps ya out .try stew meat with gravy and add noodles or veggies boom u have a meal it's really good or stew meat with spagetti noodles for a salad and add lettuce and whatever u like

[kismetbaby]

I second (or third/fourth?) using quinoa!  I never was in love with it, but then when I was pg, started using it out of desperation for more veg protien. The thing I've found is you can add it to just about anything. .. use in place of rice, or add to a soup/stew, toss with some vinegar and herbs and eat with salad, etc.

One of the easiest things I make with quinoa is this: soften an onion and a couple cloves of garlic in some olive oil, then add a bunch of chopped veg like peppers, carrots, kale and a can of tomatoes (with liquid) and a half cup or so of veg broth.  Simmer till veg are soft, add whatever spices you like and serve over quinoa.  Super easy, tasty and a great way to use whatever veggies you have sitting in the fridge.

BTW--I am excited to try some of the above ideas myself!  Namely, pumpkin curry and seitan fajitas. . yummy!

[ausoutbackmumma]

May sound boring, but I love this simple meal, for lunch or evening meal...I have very limited time with new babe and parnter away most days and evenings too..

Steam any vegetables you have/like (tonight I had this, and steamed beetroot, green beans, cauliflower and sweet potato), when almost done, scramble two or three eggs (with one dessert spoon rice milk per egg) - I also sometimes add a little paprika, which is nice. Stir gently a little till just cooked so don't over-do. Then put steamed vegies on plate (I alsways cook extra so can use leftovers in a slad or something the next day) and spoon scrambled eggs over top...then sprinkle some Tanami Soy Sauce over top..can add chopped parsley if you have some/and the time!

I uae Organic everything, where I can!

This is so simple, ticks all the boxes with limited diet I had while pregnant - food allergies. It follows my Naturopath's food plan to the T! If you can't have egg...could add tofu/vary in another way to keep it tasty. If you can have goat's fetta, I sometimes add that to eggs when cooking too.

Well that's my easy staple meal when really don't have alot of time. Gives you the protein/veg mix needed for pregnancy and breastfeeding etc!

Enjoy! 

[Shantimama]

We have a panini press and it makes grilled sandwiches and quesadillas very quickly!

I also like to make extra when I cook and freeze a meal's worth (especially with soups) so that all I have to do is thaw and heat.