I’m enjoying a fine vegetarian lunch that was easy to prepare and nutritious. I commute to work by train, so the lunch I take has to be compact and sturdy. Frozen is okay since I have access to a microwave.

I have the use of a sink, can opener, refrigerator, and a knife. I own a bowl, a plate, a personal set of bamboo cutlery and a cloth napkin which I reuse a few times before washing at home. I also have a shaker of salt, a shaker of nutritional yeast flakes (rich in B vitamins), and a shaker of seasoning mix, so pretty much anything I make has to be workable with these basics.

I wish my kitchen at home were that simple – imagine if each of us in our 6-person household had only those items. How much less of a mess would the kitchen be if we knew we had to wash our single dish to have something on which to eat? I guess I’d choose a bowl if I had to make a choice of plate vs. bowl.

The ingredients of today’s lunch are:

Frozen steam-in-the-bag rice with vegetables
Frozen veggie mix to fill out the veggie count – portioned in a glass food container with rubberized lid for safe reheating
One frozen vegetarian patty – today’s was bruscetta flavor
One peach from the Amish fruit stand downstairs

Heated until all ingredients were hot in the microwave and then mixed together on plate. Sprinkled with seasoning mix of choice and dug in!

If I have more time I could make a higher fiber rice like brown or a pilaf mix, adding vegetables at that time and freezing portions for quick lunch packing. If veggie burgers are not in the budget, I can use scrambled egg (cage free would be great) or reconstituted TVP – texturized vegetable protein. This stuff acts like ground beef in recipes but is not as greasy. It needs to be seasoned because it is bland.

I sometimes start with a soup (I like lentil, minestrone, black bean or veggie noodle) and add some leafy greens like spinach or collard greens before heating. Afterwards I stir in a tabIeoon of nutritional yeast, also called brewer’s yeast. If low on protein, I throw in a cut up veggie patty, some TVP, or cubed tofu.

For snacks on the train, I carry raw almonds, a handful of whole wheat crackers, and an orange. I also have a great thermal coffee cup which I carry back and forth – fits in the side pouch of my backpack.

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Location:Hudson St,Jersey City,United States