Help me find the perfect meal

[Sareybox]

Here are the rules:
- it must be nutritionally balanced i.e. If you ate just this meal forever you would be perfectly healthy
- it must be vegetarian (no meat or fish)
- it must be good value for money, of course.
- preferably freezeable
Go!

[Gone Fishing]

Vegetable soup with barley or rice and lentils would come pretty close...

[pka222]

Burritos :
Whole wheat tortilla
grated cheese
Beans (black, re fried whatever)
Spanish rice
salsa

extras:
Lettuce,
tomato
sour cream
olives
avocado
if eggs are vegetarian - scrambled eggs

I could eat these every day -yumm.   prep time can be 3 to 20 minutes depending on your ingredient list and chopping skills- or 3 hours if cooking beans from scratch

[Greg]

Pizza.  Making the dough is a snap, freezes well raw.  Make it with whatever you happen to have.  Can have sauce, or not, etc.  Mix up your cheeses, or leave off.  Freeze leftovers after slicing.  Make 2 at a time so you have the next meal ready to heat.

[Cornbread OMalley]

Honestly, I don't see how anything that is frozen is considered perfectly healthy.  But I will offer that I know a friend who is a vegan, doesn't eat anything frozen, is 40 years old, and looks like she is 25 because of her diet.  She looks younger every time I see her.  Her diet is fresh salad with black beans and salsa for dressing.  I actually tried that diet and found it sustainable.  Give it a try.

[antarestar]

Check out budgetbytes.com.

[GuitarStv]

It's not a great plan to eat a single food or meal for the rest of your life.  Your body evolved to eat a wide variety of things as they become available.  It's pretty easy to just come up with something with the right balance of macronutrients (carbs/protein/fat), but it's going to be tremendously difficult to get every vitamin and minerals you'll ever need from a single meal.

Honestly, I don't see how anything that is frozen is considered perfectly healthy.  But I will offer that I know a friend who is a vegan, doesn't eat anything frozen, is 40 years old, and looks like she is 25 because of her diet.  She looks younger every time I see her.  Her diet is fresh salad with black beans and salsa for dressing.  I actually tried that diet and found it sustainable.  Give it a try.

Nutrients aren't lost by freezing, they're lost by heat and exposure to warmer temperatures.  Frozen vegetables and fruit are typically frozen immediately after picking, so they're end up being less nutritionally degraded than "fresh" stuff which usually get trucked around for great distances.  Imagine how good your friend would look if she was eating the healthier option - frozen!

:P

[Playing with Fire UK]

Soylent? It is grim though - but that wasn't on your list.

I got this from A Life of Productivity:

"Nutritionally-speaking, soylent is the perfect food. Since it is a powdered substance and you can control exactly what you put in the mix (for this experiment I prepared big batches of the stuff ahead of time), you can engineer the food substitute to contain exactly how much protein, carbs, fat, sodium, potassium, and fiber your body requires on a daily basis, and add vitamins and minerals to compensate for whatever else you’re missing.

    Oat flour: For carbohydrates
    Pea protein powder: For protein.
    Olive oil: For fat
    Brown sugar: For flavor and carbs
    Ground flax: For fiber
    Cocoa powder: For fiber and taste
    Lecithin: For choline
    Iodized salt, Vitamin D, Potassium Citrate, Emergen-C (Vitamin C), and a multivitamin"

[ketchup]

Egg drop soup (with ginger and green onions) with a plate of sauteed mushrooms, spinach, red pepper, and onions.

Eggs may not fit your brand of vegetarian, and homemade chicken stock almost certainly doesn't (could use a veggie stock but you'd lose out on a lot), but this is probably the healthiest and most nutritionally balanced meal I could cook up in my kitchen right now.  And pretty cheap/probably freezable.

[KCM5]

Dal and rice. Add some extra veggies on the side. Good to go. Excellent frozen. And a bonus: it's delicious!

[Sibley]

I hope this is a mental exercise and not what you're going to eat for 3 meals a day, every day. Variety isn't a bad thing, in fact it's quite the opposite.

[going2ER]

Toast, eggs, fruit and cheese. Covers the 4 food groups and is very quick to make up. It is our "fast food" when we need get home, eat and be out the door for something before 6pm.

[Bracken_Joy]

Toast, eggs, fruit and cheese. Covers the 4 food groups and is very quick to make up. It is our "fast food" when we need get home, eat and be out the door for something before 6pm.

No vegetables? Doesn't quite fit the bill as long-term health. Fruits can't hold a candle to vegetables. Just because the government phrases it as "fruits and veggies" doesn't mean they're nutritionally equivalent.

[partgypsy]

I would ditto anything eaten every day would get really monotonous.
I don't know if nutritionally complete, but baked potatoes with toppings is tasty and inexpensive, as well as cheese quesadillas also with toppings (roasted veggies, spinach, guacamole, black beans).

This week for lunch being eating meal of 3 things: cooked collard greens with onions and apple vinegar, baked acorn squash, and container of yogurt with walnuts and golden raisins stirred in.

Went to an Indian buffet this weekend. Could eat vegetarian Indian food multiple days of the week.

My Greek grandmother would variously make pots of either vegetable stew (tomato sauce base) or vegetable soup with either rice or orzo in it from her garden vegetables, seasoned with herbs from her garden. Good with side of bread and feta. The stews and soups are freezable.
 

[Sareybox]

Some great ideas, thanks all. I wasn't intending to eat the same meal for every meal, more of a fall to meal when I'm exhausted & can't think what to cook. What happens now is I tend to default to pasta 1/2 the time & I'd like to set up an alternative default that would be healthy to eat for at least 1/2 my meals.
I'm leaning towards brown rice with veg curry or chilli with beans and and / or lentils. Cook in big batches & freeze. Enough balance of nutrients, vitamins, minerals you think?

[GuitarStv]

If you're only eating it occasionally, nutritional balance shouldn't matter at all should it?  I mean, generally I'm a very clean/healthy eater . . . but last week I ate half a chocolate cake for dinner and chased it with a milkshake after a long Please notebike ride in two degree rain.  Not only did I not die, but it appears to have made no real impact on my weight or body fat percentage a week later.

Note - this is not an endorsement of eating half a chocolate cake for dinner.

If you're *regularly* finding yourself too wiped out to cook, just do a couple large batch meals on the weekend and keep 'em in the fridge for quick heating up throughout the week.  Cooking and clean-up in large batches is much more efficient, and you can spend a little more time making more complex meals when you're not starving/stressed.

[orangewarner]

Supreme pizza

[MrsPete]

Respectfully, a bunch of you have no idea about good nutrition.  For example, if you rely heavily on pizza, you're chowing down on a meal that's mostly carbohydrate -- and that leads to diabetes.  Ditto for a potato-based diet.  Yes, these are cheap meals, but they're not particularly healthful meals.

The tough thing here is that to meet the OP's requirements, the meal in question would need to be about 50% fresh vegetables -- and that's a tough order. 

The suggestion I like best on this thread is the soup.  Soup can be stuffed full of vegetables (but the barley or lentil was a good addition -- that bit of carb makes all the difference), but it might not be completely filling.  However, if you pair it with a sandwich, it's a nice meal.

Other suggestions:

- Cajun beans and brown rice.
- Burritos ... you can fill them with whatever you like, wrap them in wax paper, then put them all into one big ziplock.
- Campfire omelet:  Ziplock bag with 2 beaten eggs + veggies + cheese ... when you're ready to eat, drop the (thawed) bag into a pot of boiling water ... soon you have a perfectly cooked omelet cooked without fat.  Top with salsa for even more taste and vegetable.
- Mason jar salads -- obviously, these don't freeze, but you can google them.  Put a paper napkin in the top of each jar, and they'll last two weeks. 

[wenchsenior]

Respectfully, a bunch of you have no idea about good nutrition.  For example, if you rely heavily on pizza, you're chowing down on a meal that's mostly carbohydrate -- and that leads to diabetes.  Ditto for a potato-based diet.  Yes, these are cheap meals, but they're not particularly healthful meals.

The tough thing here is that to meet the OP's requirements, the meal in question would need to be about 50% fresh vegetables -- and that's a tough order. 

The suggestion I like best on this thread is the soup.  Soup can be stuffed full of vegetables (but the barley or lentil was a good addition -- that bit of carb makes all the difference), but it might not be completely filling.  However, if you pair it with a sandwich, it's a nice meal.

Other suggestions:

- Cajun beans and brown rice.
- Burritos ... you can fill them with whatever you like, wrap them in wax paper, then put them all into one big ziplock.
- Campfire omelet:  Ziplock bag with 2 beaten eggs + veggies + cheese ... when you're ready to eat, drop the (thawed) bag into a pot of boiling water ... soon you have a perfectly cooked omelet cooked without fat.  Top with salsa for even more taste and vegetable.
- Mason jar salads -- obviously, these don't freeze, but you can google them.  Put a paper napkin in the top of each jar, and they'll last two weeks.

Agree. Nothing that is based on a white carbohydrate should be considered optimally nutritious. Now, if you sub in a whole grain of choice for white rice, and a sweet potato for a regular potato, you are starting to get somewhere...

[Cornbread OMalley]

Nutrients aren't lost by freezing, they're lost by heat and exposure to warmer temperatures.  Frozen vegetables and fruit are typically frozen immediately after picking, so they're end up being less nutritionally degraded than "fresh" stuff which usually get trucked around for great distances.  Imagine how good your friend would look if she was eating the healthier option - frozen!

Great!  I think I will try the frozen type!

[carameltooth]

I think sweet potatoes are considered by most nutricians, dieticicans, food scientists and chefs to be the ultimate "deserted island" food.  So probably something based on those....

[mohawkbrah]

tbh if you wanted something that you could eat forever and get a good balance of nutrients it would have to be a veggie smoothie

You can freeze it
Can pretty much shove everything you need and then blend it up
no meat or fish

[use2betrix]

Respectfully, a bunch of you have no idea about good nutrition.  For example, if you rely heavily on pizza, you're chowing down on a meal that's mostly carbohydrate -- and that leads to diabetes.  Ditto for a potato-based diet.  Yes, these are cheap meals, but they're not particularly healthful meals.

Respectfully, you have no idea about good nutrition if you think carbohydrates lead to diabetes. High sugar leads to diabetes. Pizza crust has nowhere near the sugar content many things do which actually lead to diabetes.

My first search for "pizza dough nutritional info" returned this whole wheat crust which has 0 grams of sugar: http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calories-in-bread-products-mixes-dough-pizza-dough-whole-wheat_f-ZmlkPTk1NDcx.html I'm not saying pizza is an ideal food. Personally, I have yet to find a vegetarian or vegan diet that can maintain a good macronutrient ratio, or id consider switching. One of the best non vegetarian shakes I had regularly for years was egg whites, dry oatmeal, protein powder, banana, almond milk, BCAA's, and glutamine.

Also, baby red potato's have 4.3g sugar per 260+ calorie serving: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2552/2 that is virtually nothing. Not even close to comparable to most fruits. It's far better for your blood sugar levels and creates much more balanced insulin release than eating a piece of fruit, which is FILLED with sugar. Yeah, if you're fat or inactive go easy on potatoes, but I've managed to maintain a single digit body fat with an incredibly large amount of muscle with one of my primary carbohydrates being potato's, and eating 300+ grams of carbs a day.

Please refrain from giving diet info until you have a better understanding.

[MEER]

I'm on a quinoa kick right now.

Black bean enchilada bake: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/black-bean-and-quinoa-enchilada-bake/ Love this! Can be frozen.
Vegetarian chill with beans. I change it up, but I tend to go with a focus on black beans and sweet potato or black beans, portabello mushrooms, and zucchini. To both I would have onion, garlic, cumin, red or green peppers, chilli peppers, tomatoes, maybe corn. When I'm eating it, I add cilantro, cheese, maybe sour cream, and avocado. Can be frozen.
Quinoa Greek salad (lemon, olive oil, vinegar, oregano, cucumber, red pepper, tomato, olives, onion, olives, feta). Not freezable but super fast, especially if the quinoa and dressing are made ahead. I made a batch last week and ate it three times.

[justajane]

I think people can get bogged down on the issue of sugar, so much so that they neglect to think about all the other amazing things that fruit can bring to a diet. Folic acid, fiber, Vitamins A,B1,B2,B6,C, etc. Not to mention that, if you have a sweet tooth, it is the best alternative to stave off the temptations of eating ice cream or any other higher caloric dessert.

I highly doubt anyone's fruit habit has led to or exacerbated diabetes.

"Son, you're now a Type 2 diabetic."

"Oh gee, doctor, it must have been all those berries and apples I have been eating."

[use2betrix]

I think people can get bogged down on the issue of sugar, so much so that they neglect to think about all the other amazing things that fruit can bring to a diet. Folic acid, fiber, Vitamins A,B1,B2,B6,C, etc. Not to mention that, if you have a sweet tooth, it is the best alternative to stave off the temptations of eating ice cream or any other higher caloric dessert.

I highly doubt anyone's fruit habit has led to or exacerbated diabetes.

"Son, you're now a Type 2 diabetic."

"Oh gee, doctor, it must have been all those berries and apples I have been eating."

Even sillier than saying fruit is the culprit would be to say a zero - low sugar vegetable such as potatoes is to blame, what's next, meat?

That being said, eating too much fruit will cause far more harm in relation to blood sugar levels than something like a potato or oatmeal.

[Bracken_Joy]

I doubt anyone's fruit habit has led to or exacerbated diabetes.

I've actually seen this one! I had a T2D patient who did a ton of apples and drank a TON of orange juice. Glucose was always out of control, A1C of 10.8% or 11.8% something crazy high like that. He was in for a foot infection (lots of sugar->fuel for infection to grow), ended up having a below knee amputation. I was in the room when the doc told him to cut the fruit and juice because he doesn't tolerate them.

[GuitarStv]

Juice is very unhealthy.  All the sugar, none of the fiber . . . Usually leads to overconsumption.

[MrsPete]

Respectfully, you have no idea about good nutrition if you think carbohydrates lead to diabetes. High sugar leads to diabetes. Pizza crust has nowhere near the sugar content many things do which actually lead to diabetes.

To oversimplify what I learned in a 10-week diabetic eating class and from reading multiple books: 

Sugar IS a carbohydrate, but it is not a single-source item that causes problems for diabetics.  Diabetics must monitor their entire carbohydrate (and starches, which are closely related in chemical terms) intake, and that includes bread, potatoes, legumes, pastas, and carbohydrates other than sugary treats. 

Of course, eating habits alone don't mean a person will develop diabetes -- genetics, exercise, age, and obesity also play into the equation -- but this thread was focused on diet only. 

[justajane]

I doubt anyone's fruit habit has led to or exacerbated diabetes.

I've actually seen this one! I had a T2D patient who did a ton of apples and drank a TON of orange juice. Glucose was always out of control, A1C of 10.8% or 11.8% something crazy high like that. He was in for a foot infection (lots of sugar->fuel for infection to grow), ended up having a below knee amputation. I was in the room when the doc told him to cut the fruit and juice because he doesn't tolerate them.

Interesting! I guess you should never say never, but like GuitarStv said, I would say the OJ was the more likely culprit.

How does one eat a ton of apples? They are very filling. But a ton of orange juice? Yeah, I could likely drink gallons of it and not notice. I don't do this, because, unlike many people, I understand that you can drink your calories.

A few years back, didn't Weight Watchers make fruit point-less (not pointless!)? I think the reasoning was that someone wasn't likely going to get fat eating apples or grapes.   

Regarding the perfect meal, I made quinoa chili last week. Damn, that's good. And incredibly filling, therefore Mustachian. I could only eat one small bowl, unlike normal chili when I can go for seconds.  Here's an example: http://damndelicious.net/2013/10/16/quinoa-chili/

[wenchsenior]

Respectfully, you have no idea about good nutrition if you think carbohydrates lead to diabetes. High sugar leads to diabetes. Pizza crust has nowhere near the sugar content many things do which actually lead to diabetes.

To oversimplify what I learned in a 10-week diabetic eating class and from reading multiple books: 

Sugar IS a carbohydrate, but it is not a single-source item that causes problems for diabetics.  Diabetics must monitor their entire carbohydrate (and starches, which are closely related in chemical terms) intake, and that includes bread, potatoes, legumes, pastas, and carbohydrates other than sugary treats. 

Of course, eating habits alone don't mean a person will develop diabetes -- genetics, exercise, age, and obesity also play into the equation -- but this thread was focused on diet only.

+1

Simple carbohydrates or sugar (yes, this includes high glycemic fruit), when eaten in excess or without fiber/fat/protein to slow down the body's glycemic response, have the potential with time and repetition to heighten risk of diabetes because it causes your blood sugar and insulin to repeatedly spike and crash, and puts excess strain on the endocrine system.  It doesn't mean everyone who eats that way will become diabetic. But it increases the risk, and it sure isn't optimally nutritious. Most 'white' carbs are extremely high on the glycemic index and don't contain a lot of nutrients, which is why you should skip them entirely if you are trying for 'best nutrition bang for your buck'.  Complex carbs such as whole grains don't cause the same intense insulin response. Most whole fruit is lower on the glycemic index than any fruit juice, etc. Essentially, a perfect meal would contain a great mix of nutrients without the negatives of a higher glycemic load...

So probably quinoa  topped with a mix of greens, onions, tomatoes, squash, etc. that have been slow roasted in olive oil and herbs? Or, you could do the same with some beans combined with another less protein-complete grain...farro, brown rice, barley, etc. topped with veggies.