The leap of faith.

[Para123]

Well hello all.
A very quick bit about me. I'm a paramedic over in the UK. I'm currently on a VLCD (very low calorie diet)(I'm not going to go into detail here as to why or how) and once completed am going to begin my vegan life.
As a paramedic I'm very busy with shift work and don't have much time to cook or prepare food. It also means long shifts and sometimes working during the night.
So I'm here asking you lovely people for any tips, tricks, help, easy meals, what to go for or what to avoid or pretty much any advise your willing to share.
I cant wait to hear back from you all and thank you all for your time!

 

[Veganite]

Hello Para123, and welcome to the forum.

First of all, congrats on your decision to go vegan. As far as tips and tricks go, I can give a few personal ones I use, but I'd like to suggest YouTube as a great resource for meal plans, recipes, and general information to help you with your new lifestyle. There's also lots of information and helpful people here on the forum, which can hopefully help you in your journey as well.

I sometimes have to eat on the run, myself. Planning ahead is what I most often have to do. I will cook three to four days worth of steel cut oatmeal at a time. I will also make overnight oats, and prep smoothie bags of veggies ahead of time, that are blender ready. I also cook most main course dishes in bulk as well. Leftovers work great, if you plan them properly. For example, I will make a batch of rice and beans for dinner tonight. Tomorrow I will have some rice and bean tacos. I could use any leftover after that in a stuffed pepper. Chilies, soups and stews last for several meals. Hummus makes a delicious quick protein packed snack. Fruits like bananas come with their own package, for easy transport. Be prepared, and plan ahead!

Also, there's several easy take-out options that work well for vegans. I quite often get a Japanese veggie summer roll or sushi roll and some of their sea greens or spinach salad (Gomae). Sushi places are everywhere nowadays. Mexican restaurants can easily veganize dishes, if they don't already offer vegan options, wraps, etc. Beware of re-fried beans though. Not all of them are vegan! I also like Thai food, which also usually has several vegan options.

I'm sure others will ring in on this and offer a few more suggestions. Best of Luck!


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[veganDreama]

Hello and Welcome! like Veganite said Cooking in bulk works well. I make myself some soup that lasts me several days. Also since you are in the UK have you heard of the 'wicked' range from Tesco. They are all vegan. They do ready meals and Pizza.

 

[Emma JC]

All great suggestions above and I would just add that if you prepare somethings for a regular hot meal, that also tastes great cold, you can save yourself time and can eat it anywhere. Some ideas:

A veggie pasta dish with something gnocchi that almost tastes better then next day or any other kind of hearty pasta.
Any kind of potato/veggie dish as it turns in to a bit of a potato salad cold the next day. Even just microwave/bake a potato or sweet potato and take it with you whole. Eat like an apple.
Even rice and beans, as Veganite suggested, is great cold if you take a bit of hot sauce or other dressing and add it when ready to eat.
Whole grain pancakes with peanut butter and jam, like a sandwich.
Chick peas and veggie salad with simple dressing (this is likely cold all along).

I also echo the "watch YouTube" sentiment as there are many many videos available of low cost and simple meals that can be premade, in bulk.

Congrats for your decision!!

Emma JC

 

[Vesta]

Agree with everything above - preparation is key!

And just to add, lack of sleep can lead to eating food that is high sugar, high fat and processed. So having that in mind, I would stock up on snacks that are better for you. For example, have Medjool dates handy and cut them almost in half to put some nut/seed butter in - that would hit all the spots - sweet and savoury And of course that's assuming you like dates and nut butters !