Hello everyone. I really would be grateful if a few of you could make some suggestions food-wise.

I was banded in December 2007 and I am now in the maintenance phase, having decided that I don't want or need to lose any more weight. The problem is that I am so bored bored bored with all the foods that I can eat and I can't eat the foods that I can't eat.

Like many people I can't manage bread, rice, Pasta or potatoes in any form. I can only manage carrots in very small portions and very well cooked (or, alternatively raw and in minute quantities). I don't tolerate quorn and I am

vegetarian so I don't eat meat. I get most of my Protein from Beans,lentils and pulses, which I have to chew really well.

I eat things like ratatouille, vegetarian mousaka (made with soya mince and vegan cheese), chick pea curry, veggie korma (without rice and made with soya yoghurt). I can manage small amounts of couscous.

I try not to snack - with "try" being the operative word.

But, guys, I am soooooooooooooooo bored. It's getting really tedious. My band doesn't restrict my ability to eat biscuits and chocolates. Cakes and pastries are a bit hit and miss - some I can eat, some I can't but all fall into the "I shouldn't" category. I don't want to gan weight, but this boredom is driving me to eat things that I know I shouldn't.

Please, does anybody have any good suggestions? I'm not a bad cook (according to my friends and family).

Do you make chili in your neck of the woods? If you do a search for vegetarian chili, or meatless chili you will get some good suggestions.

I wish you luck, oh excuse me, I must go reheat my filet mignon leftover from yesterday, LOL!!!!

Mimi

Maybe you'd like trying new flavors. Try some different spices. Try some flavors from different cultures. If you're a good cook (and assuming you like to cook), find some recipes on line and give them a try. It's so easy to get in a rut food-wise. Nutritionally speaking it's really not good to get in a rut; my nutritionist tells me to aim for plenty of variety in my diet. Sometimes (when I'm not in a hurry) I'll go up and down the grocery store aisles very slowly and look at all the different products--I always find something new that I never noticed or considered when I'm doing my regular grocery shopping from a list. You've made the committment to be vegan so you've further limited your food choices, but surely there are on line resources for vegans--I know that Allrecipes.com has a recipe search that filters for vegan dishes. Good luck.

Oh, gosh, this is my life too at the moment. I just cant be bothered.

Its not only band related, I'm just fed up to the back teeth of thinking of dinners to cook and having the kids not eat them! I have been really bad at not eating any dinner because I'm so unethused about it!

Its just one of those things you have to force on yourself I think. I've been out for dinner more often than normal lately becuase I've felt like steak and I cant cook it well, and I've REALLY enjoyed my healthy filet mignon and steamed veg that way. Otherwise, I have to cook and freeze for the week and I'm so over spaghetti bolognaise and casseroles!

Just mixed up some scrambled eggs for brunch. 3 large eggs, a TBS of milk, a couple TBS of chopped onion, some Mrs. Dash, fresh ground pepper and sea salt and topped with a sprinkle of grated parm cheese.

Thankx Mimi, chili is something I hadn't considered - and should be entirely ahceiveable using soya mince. Anything others do with meat I can usually copy using soya mince. I've even tried meatloaf (err, soya loaf) but that was the only one that didn't work so well.

Aquarius, scrambled, eggypeggies sounds wonderful, but I can't manage eggs. The problem with so many forms of animal origin Proteins is one of the reasons I went vegan. I can't even manage vegan cheese in anything like significant quantities.

Jacqui, even spag bol is out for me (although my family love it made with soya mince) cos I can't manage Pasta - not even spaghetti.

I'm getting so bored with soya mince. I can't manage quorn even if I chew it for hours. Mushrooms can be nice filled with a garlicky creamed tofu (just a like a cream sheese type thingy) and topped with a couple of sweet, red jalapeno slices, but I can't eat that all the time. I have experimented with humous, but it's what to to eat with it. Pepper slices and celery get old really quick!

Aren't I a boring old fart?

Have you tried spaghetti squash? To use with the spaghetti sauce?

Squash is a great idea! There are all types to exeperiment with! I make buternut squash soup with curry in it and it's delish! :thumbup:

Spaghetti squash? What a fabulous idea. Thanx for that Leigha - I will definitely give it a go.

Keep the suggestions coming guys - I really appreciate them.

Ohm, I know you said you already eat a fair amount of Beans but I saw this yummy looking recipe in the Feb issue of AllYou yesterday while I was at the hairdressers waiting for my color to take. It was a blackbean burger and looked good enough to eat right out of the magazine. You might want to check out a few cookbooks by Barb Bloomfield - Fabulous Beans and More Fabulous Beans.

I was in costco today and picked up a 6 pack of their brand of egg beaters so they are all whites and even way lower in calories than the real eggs. Going to make some more of those "eggypeggies" as you dubbed them (love that name!!!!)

I actually prefer my spag bol on zucchini - I shave off some zucchini slices paper thin with a vegie peeler and stir fry them in some lemon juice, garlic and olive oil and serve the bolognaise on that. I usually end up just eating the sauce off the top anyway because the Pasta fills me up too much, so may as well get some vegies in (even though I hide them in the sauce too).

I've never seen spaghetti squash anywhere here in Australia.

Have you tried spaghetti squash? To use with the spaghetti sauce?

Leigha took the words out of my fingertips. I was going to ask about this, because I use spaghetti squash in many ways that I'd ordinarily use Pasta.

My favorite way is a very light Asian "noodle" salad that contains a variety of vegetables and a light peanut dressing. It's FAR better with spaghetti squash than with real pasta; it stays crisp and delicious in the 'fridge for up to a week---which makes it ideal for someone with finite stomach space!

Ohm, another thing: Eating Well and Clean Eating are magazines that have at least some of their recipes available online. Neither focuses solely on vegetarian/vegan choices, but a lot of their recipes are very, very adaptable.

I don't know if you specified, but do you tolerate rice/brown rice?

YES! Spaghetti Squash, or Noritaki noodles. These are very good, actually. Just make sure you Rinse, Rinse , Rinse !!!!

Good Luck :-)

Betsy B - your asian salad sound devine! Where did you get a recipe for that? Or would you be willing to share it on here ???

I actually prefer my spag bol on zucchini - I shave off some zucchini slices paper thin with a vegie peeler and stir fry them in some lemon juice, garlic and olive oil and serve the bolognaise on that. I usually end up just eating the sauce off the top anyway because the Pasta fills me up too much, so may as well get some vegies in (even though I hide them in the sauce too).

I've never seen spaghetti squash anywhere here in Australia.

I'm hooked on zucchini right now. Zucchini (mok) crab cakes. Luv um.