Vegetarian Friendly Workout Recipes - Vegetable Fried Rice
One pan of vegetable fried rice usually gets me throw an entire work week.
Fairly quickly into physical training, I realized how much of a difference the food you eat affects your ability to get in a good workout. However as a vegetarian I didn’t know where to begin when looking for recipes.
For the first two weeks of my journey I was eating as I normally would, microwavable meals from Trader Joe’s, Grilled Cheese from In-N-Out Burger, skipping breakfast because I was sleeping in until lunch time. My personal trainer ended up sending me a Vegetarian Meal Plan from Eating Well. Following this as a guide made it so much easier to navigate recipes I could make at home that would fill me up and have me craving less snacks.
One of these recipes has become my go to for meal prep, a Farmers' Market Fried Rice. I’ve adapted it a bit to include some more veggies and protein while still keeping it vegetarian friendly. The prep work does take some time, but if you’re cooking for yourself you have almost a weeks worth of lunch you can reheat which comes in handy on the days you have a little too much work on your plate.
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 Large Eggs
2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic
½ Cup Thinly Sliced Shallots
1 Cup of Sliced Carrots
1 Cup of Sliced Cremini Mushrooms
1 Cup of Sliced Tofu
6 Medium Brussel Sprouts
4 Cups of Cooked Brown Rice
12 Cherry Tomatoes Sliced
2 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce
¼ Cup of Chopped Cilantro
Sprinkle of Salt
I will tell you right off the bat, I do not use these exact measurements, except for the Olive Oil, Eggs, and Soy Sauce. Everything else is basically just done by a handful or so depending. Also instead of cooking my rice, I get the microwavable packets from Trader Joe’s. I also get the microwavable Brussel Sprouts because I prefer the taste.
I’ll put in parentheses in the instructions for what I usually do.
Instructions:
Prep your carrots. Slice them into your preferred size. (I usually chop up a big handful of baby carrots).
Prep your shallots. Slice them thinly. (I use 2 shallots for this)
Mince your garlic. (Or scoop in some already minced garlic from a jar, no one’s judging).
Pour 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil into a large pan at a medium heat.
Crack two eggs into a small bowl. Whisk them together. Pour them into the pan and let it cook omelette style, once one side is cooked, flip it over. Once the egg is done cooking, transfer it to a plate to let it vibe on the side (I’ve been watching too much TikTok).
Add another Tablespoon of Olive Oil to your pan. Add in the carrots to let them sautee for a bit.
Once the carrots are at the desired tenderness, add in your shallots and minced garlic. Mix together.
Slice 4 mushrooms and add them to the pan. Mix together.
Slice tofu and add it to the pan (I use the Trader Joe’s Teriyaki Tofu and use half of the pack). Mix together.
Slice Brussel Sprouts and add them to the pan. Mix together.
Slice 12 Cherry Tomatoes.
Make space in the middle of your pan and add 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil to the pan. Add in the cherry tomatoes and then mix together.
Make space in the middle of your pan and add 2 cups of Brown Rice (for my Trader Joe’s Microwavable Rice buds, this is one packet). Add 1 Tablespoon of Soy Sauce on top of the rice. Mix together.
Repeat Step 13.
Turn the stove to a low heat.
Take the egg from earlier and slice it up into bite sized pieces. Add it to the pan and mix.
Take desired amount of Cilantro and slice it. Add it to the pan and mix.
Sprinkle salt on top.
Recommended Serving Size: 1 ½ Cups
I’d say prep work and cooking time usually takes me about 30 minutes or so, which I know isn’t an ideal amount for cooking when you’ve got other things you need to attend to, but I’m honestly so relieved when I can just microwave this the next day for lunch. When I reheat it I like to add some garlic salt and nutritional yeast to it to give it a little more flavor, but up to you!
