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Hey all, i've been Mcdougalling for a little while now and am getting started in MWLP. I am a busy mum and my staple lunch and sometimes dinner (about 3 times per week) is a big bowl of brown rice with tomato-based no-oil pasta sauce. It might sound boring but i love it! I know on MWLP you are meant to be having the green and yellow vegies and beans which i do throughout the week but just wondering if my rice and pasta sauce dish (sometimes with salad) is ok to be having on a regular basis if it doesn't contain the vegies/beans? Thanks all!!!

Sure it's OK. Tomatoes are a vegetable, too. But why not make it more than OK? You can buy many different plain, fat-free frozen vegetables in steamer bags and heat them up at the same time you are heating your brown rice and pasta sauce. Or buy a vented microwave steamer and buy frozen veggies in bulk. Then dump the steamed vegetables into the tomato sauce. Now you've added additional vitamins, phytochemicals and fiber AND made your meal more filling with little to no extra time. A nice 'California' mix of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots would be perfect and can be had for dirt cheap at any grocery store.
Kate

Great idea!! I'm having a why-didn't-i-think-of-that? moment. Will definitely be heading out tomorrow to buy some frozen vegies.

Thanks again!

And what Kate described is a basic SNAP (Simple, Nutritious, Affordable Plan) meal that our nutritionist, Jeff Novick, describes in this group of threads:
viewtopic.php?t=10519
and in his Fast Food DVDs. You can get a lot more ideas with those! It is so comforting to know that it is so simple to feed ourselves wonderful, nutritious, whole food so simply and quickly!

Mmm....mushrooms would be really good with that as well!

I learned just about everything I know about nutrition from Dr. McDougall...but it was Jeff Novick who taught me how to cook

Kate

Thank you all so much for the info about SNAP meals...i agree that Dr McDougall has taught me what to eat but i just haven't been sure how to put it all together!!

I popped in to grab some veggies this morning so my lunch today was veggie packed and deeelicious!!

Thanks again...no doubt you will hear more from me on the boards

Lauren, that sounds like one of my favorite easy meals too! I usually saute whatever veggies I have around, add the pasta sauce, put it over rice with a good sprinkle of nutritional yeast. It feels like comfort food, and fills me up well.

I've heard a lot about this nutritional yeast....what exactly is it, what sort of flavour does it have? I've had a look for it at the local grocery store, and can't seem to find it anywhere (i'm in Australia). Maybe i might need to try a health food store??

LH

Yes, your health food store is probably the best option. I get it in the bulk food section at my grocery store, but the bulk food is the remnants of the health food section!

It has a "cheesy" flavor (not really, if you have tasted melted cheese recently!), and it is used to give a cheesy flavor to many dishes. It is not necessary to this way of eating, but it is useful, and often tasty. I found the hardest part of giving up cheese were those times when the dish needed some sort of flavor boost--I would often throw some cheese in it to melt, to give it flavor. I like nutritional yeast for that. I also use it in my no-fat-added salad dressing.

I LOVE brown rice and tomato sauce with roasted brussels sprouts stirred in. It's one of my favorite meals!