Well.. I have never been to the South but I have been mid-west and I did feel a bit of the pain but I still didn't have much trouble in grocery stores - even smaller scale grocery stores.
Perhaps I have a palate that is more conducive to the vegan/vegetarian diet, but here are the proteins I eat that I can find just about anywhere with zero issues. Some random combinations of stuff but everything below can be mixed and matched.
- Rice and beans (1 cup of brown + 200g of black beans == ~22g of protein)
- Rice and lentils (1 cup of brown rice + 200g of lentils == ~20g of protein)
- gnocchi and super firm tofu (1 cup gnocchi + 150g tofu == ~27g of protein)
- Lentil spaghetti + super firm tofu (~30g of protein)
- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich (~18g of protein)
- Pita pocket with chickpeas (~17g for just one sandwich - assuming you're really chocking that pocket full of chickpeas :P. Curry chickpeas goes well here, mmmm)
Adult men need about 56g of protein per day while women need about 46g.
I only buy canned beans/lentils since they are the easiest to prepare - and tofu and lentil spaghetti are also just basic items to prepare. As you can see these items all supply at least 1/3 of the protein that most people need in one day. If combined properly they can provide 1/2 of the protein that is needed in just one meal, or you could simply just increase the serving sizes.
This list doesn't even capture the full amount of protein that a meal has.. I usually add a slice of bread to the side, or maybe I'll wrap the rice and beans in a flour tortilla. Maybe I'll have a side of almond or soy milk. Maybe I'll sprinkle some pumpkin seeds or other nut into the wrap.. After everything is said and done, do you see why this doesn't actually need much thought? Getting enough protein is easy.
Also, these things are CHEAP. Rice and beans? Cheap. Tofu? Cheap. Gnocchi is super easy to make yourself, especially with dried potato flakes. The most expensive thing here is probably the specialty lentil/bean pastas, but if you buy those in bulk then you can still save a lot of money compared to animal meat.
The trick to making these items tasty is usually the seasonings, veggies and prep methods. Those take some practice but I usually just stick to tried and true sauces and seasoning blends.
As for vegan fast food - anything at taco bell can be made vegan by asking for "fresco style". Chipotle also has good vegan options with "sofritas"
Appreciated, and I love rice and beans, and I honestly could eat that and only that for the rest of my life, if, you know, it was handed to me. Now this is going to make me sound lazy, but here is the problem. Let's say you've got an empty kitchen, and you're hungry now. You hit the grocery for rice and beans. You can make the rice and eat that, but the beans won't be ready to cook until tomorrow at the earliest. The point here I think is that it takes a plan and a routine; you have to know that though you bought the beans today that you can't cook and eat them before they soak a day.
Bad excuse. Honestly, I have never done it, and that is probably the only issue. I have no experience with the bean (other than frozen cut green beans), and thus it somehow terrifies me. It's like anything. What if something goes wrong?
I'm just not adventurous with food. I know how to make pasta, create my own dishes with it. I might pour a can of lentil soup over pasta, usually pretty bland even with all the salt Progresso uses, and who knows what else. I doubt many would find my meals palatable, but it prepares in 15 minutes or less depending on the type of pasta.
Anything more complicated or that takes more than 45 minutes to prepare is like rocket science to me. I never understood how my mother could cook 4 things at once and everything is ready at the same time within an hour. Sorcery.
Perhaps I have a palate that is more conducive to the vegan/vegetarian diet, but here are the proteins I eat that I can find just about anywhere with zero issues. Some random combinations of stuff but everything below can be mixed and matched.
- Rice and beans (1 cup of brown + 200g of black beans == ~22g of protein)
- Rice and lentils (1 cup of brown rice + 200g of lentils == ~20g of protein)
- gnocchi and super firm tofu (1 cup gnocchi + 150g tofu == ~27g of protein)
- Lentil spaghetti + super firm tofu (~30g of protein)
- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich (~18g of protein)
- Pita pocket with chickpeas (~17g for just one sandwich - assuming you're really chocking that pocket full of chickpeas :P. Curry chickpeas goes well here, mmmm)
Adult men need about 56g of protein per day while women need about 46g.
I only buy canned beans/lentils since they are the easiest to prepare - and tofu and lentil spaghetti are also just basic items to prepare. As you can see these items all supply at least 1/3 of the protein that most people need in one day. If combined properly they can provide 1/2 of the protein that is needed in just one meal, or you could simply just increase the serving sizes.
This list doesn't even capture the full amount of protein that a meal has.. I usually add a slice of bread to the side, or maybe I'll wrap the rice and beans in a flour tortilla. Maybe I'll have a side of almond or soy milk. Maybe I'll sprinkle some pumpkin seeds or other nut into the wrap.. After everything is said and done, do you see why this doesn't actually need much thought? Getting enough protein is easy.
Also, these things are CHEAP. Rice and beans? Cheap. Tofu? Cheap. Gnocchi is super easy to make yourself, especially with dried potato flakes. The most expensive thing here is probably the specialty lentil/bean pastas, but if you buy those in bulk then you can still save a lot of money compared to animal meat.
The trick to making these items tasty is usually the seasonings, veggies and prep methods. Those take some practice but I usually just stick to tried and true sauces and seasoning blends.
As for vegan fast food - anything at taco bell can be made vegan by asking for "fresco style". Chipotle also has good vegan options with "sofritas"