If you follow me on Instagram, you know that most of my meals look very similar. Since all vegan food is made of plants, I just refer to them as varying degrees of fancy salads.
When I build a meal, I try to keep two things in mind: 1) calories and 2) protein. As we enter the winter of 2021, I’ve decided to continue with my weight loss. I’m not trying to lose a significant amount of weight, but I do watch my calories to try and stay in a calorie deficit. I also try to keep my protein in-take high so that I retain as much muscle as possible during this weight loss. A veggie bowl is an easy way to hit both my calorie and protein goals in one easy meal.
For lunch or dinner, I try to eat 40+ grams of protein while staying under 500 calories. To do this, I use the same formula for each bowl. This includes a vegan protein source, leafy greens, starches, or grains, and high protein veggies. Use these three categories when building your bowls.
Step 1: Pick your protein (chose 1 of these)
¾ cup TVP crumble sauteed with diced onions and peppers seasoned with taco seasoning
1 cup of sliced textured soy protein marinated with a lemon Greek sauce and sauteed
½ block of extra firm tofu, dried, cubed, and baked then tossed in a stir-fry sauce
2 cups of soy curls sauteed with sliced mushrooms and onions with BBQ sauce
1 seitan sausages (I like Field Roast or the Very Good Butchers)
Step 2: Add some high protein veggies (chose up to 3)
½ cup of green peas
1 cup of broccoli
10-12 stems of asparagus
1 cup of roasted brussel sprouts
1 medium zucchini
½ cup of edamame
Step 3: Final touch to fill your plate (chose 1 of these; the highest calorie options are listed first)
1/3 cup uncooked quinoa
8-10 roasted baby potatoes
1 cup sweet potatoes
2 cups of spinach topped with some sliced cucumber and bell peppers
So, there you have it! Any easy formula that you can follow for lunch and dinner any day of the week. Tinker with the measurements to best suite your diet and goals. If you’re trying to keep calories lower, you may want to avoid the options with higher fat (e.g., tofu and quinoa). And, if muscle growth is the goal, you might want to choose the highest protein options (i.e., TVP or seitan coupled with peas or even a lentil salad).
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