Random thoughts I had today…
I seriously heart Jason Aldean….Jason Aldean Pandora makes me a happy girl.
I need to start working out after 5. Sure it’s impossible to move and you have to wait for machines, but the number of hot guys drastically increases.
I’m a serious fat ass. I ate half a carton of ice cream last night before bed and then slept until noon.
I have to work all weekend so I’ll just spend my going out money on these sweet new jeans…When I got home I realized I only work Saturday and Sunday is the Super Bowl. Do I return the pants? Hell no.
I shouldn’t watch Netflix while doing bills, I might run out of TV shows to watch…..wow Olivia really. You have over 250 hours of SVU alone left to watch…
SQUIRREL…onto the real post…
Vegetarianism: The Protein Problem…what problem?
As you all know by now I have made the plunge into Vegetarianism and have been researching sites for information about making the change. Just yesterday I signed up for my free PETA vegetarian starter kit, which I’m sure will be packed full of good tips. You can get your own kit here.
One of my concerns about making the switch was getting enough protein. Before now, I never really paid much attention to how much protein I was getting or how much of it different products contained. I began my search by trying to figure out how much I should be consuming a day. A lot of websites give you an average of 50ish grams per day for women, but this doesn’t take into account your activity level or your age. This site (among others) used a more specific calculation to figure out your intake.
First I figured out my BMR using this link. This gives me 1473 calories.
I then added in an extra 300 calories in based on my activity level (I have an active job and workout 5 times/wk.) for a total of approximately 1800 calories/day.
Based on the CDC’s recommendations, 10-35% of your calories should come from protein. (Source). 10% of 1800 = 180 calories (0.1 x 1800) AND 35% of 1800 = 630 calories (.35 x 1800).
There are 4 calories per gram of protein. 10% = 45 grams AND 35% =157.5 grams.
Great now that I know how much I need, what can I eat besides beans and peanut butter to get this?
Protein, Protein, and More Protein
Everyone knows beans have a ton of protein, but I need more than just beans in my life…(bean beans the magical fruit…you get it) Here is a list of things I found that were high in protein. Some I knew, some I didn’t…
Quinoa
When I first started blogging I noticed a lot of people where using quinoa in their recipes, but I had never had it. More recently I have been trying to incorporate it into recipes and have found it to be an unusual, but a very good and versatile food. Quinoa is a complete protein, meaning it contains all essential fatty acids and it is loaded with fiber too! Just one cup of cooked quinoa has about 18 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber. (Source)
Nuts and Nut Butter
This is a common one that most people know. Nuts such as almonds, cashews, sun flower seeds, and PUMPKIN SEEDS. I don’t know why I never made the correlation, but I love pumpkin seeds. Each serving (1/4 cup) contains about 8 grams. (Source)
Another new favorite of mine, ALMOND BUTTER. Seriously obsessed with this stuff right now, like I’m eating it more than I’m eating peanut butter. Crazy right? Get the crunch kind…yum. It’s got a sweet flavor without added sugar and goes perfect as a breakfast spread OR on an AB & J (almond butter and jelly duh!).
Peas
I will admit, I’m not a pea lover. In fact I actually kind of hate them. Unless you are super sneaky and throw them in some fried rice or something along those lines I will totally pick them out. Split pea soup is a whole different story…weird how your taste buds work…
Anyways back to the point this little vegetable is packed with protein containing about 9 grams per cup. (Source)
Avocado
Do I hear guacamole? I am a huge sucker for guacamole. I could seriously make an entire meal out of it. Good thing because 1 avocado contains about 10 grams of protein not to mention all the good fats it’s known to possess! (Source)
If you’ve never tried almond butter, I highly recommend it. It’s my newest addiction. It is a naturally sweet.
Beans the magical fruit and lentils
Kidney, black, white, pinto, garbanzo. Eat them buy themselves or mix them in things. All packed full of protein. Then there’s edamame (aka soy beans) which is freaking delicious and HUMMUS. In case you didn’t know hummus is made of chickpeas which means a delicious protein packed snack.
Tofu and Tempeh
I’m not going to lie I still haven’t ventured into the tofu world. I’m scurrrrred. I mean tofurkey? Ever since that I am traumatized and don’t know if I can do it. So if anyone has some crazy amazing way to make tofu taste good please let me know asap! I haven’t tried tempeh yet either…give me a break I’m new to this whole thing geeeeeze….but I’m much more inclined to try this. If you were in the dark like me tempeh is made from “cooked and slightly fermented soybeans” (source). Similar to tofu but it is used as meat substitute and on the box it looks like crumbled ground beef. It’s all about the looks people…I think that’s why I’m less scared. Goal: next week make something with tempeh.
Dairy
Some vegetarians aka Vegans do not eat any animal products including cheese and yogurt. This girl would die without the two, so I definitely include them in my diet. The key is to watch out for the fat content. Dairy products can be high in fat, but are an excellent source of protein. One ounce of cheddar cheese has 7 grams of protein. (Source)
NEW VEGETARIAN RECIPE
Spicy Black Bean Burgers
inspired by Can you stay for dinner?
1/2 c. quinoa
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed (thoroughly)
1 jalapeno
2 cloves garlic
1 egg
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/3 c. plain bread crumbs
Toppings: pepper jack cheese, BBQ sauce, red onion, and jalapenos.
1. Boil 1 c. water. Add 1/2 c. quinoa and cook until water absorbed.
2. In blender combine bean, jalapeno, garlic, egg, cayenne, cumin, and chili powder. Spoon mixture into bowl and add bread crumbs. Repeat with quinoa.
3. Place oil in pan and coat. Spoon four equal size “Patties” into pan. Cook on each side 7-10 minutes, until brown. Top with pepper jack cheese,BBQ sauce, and more jalapenos.
