My Fast Food picks!

As a college student, the number of late night (or anytime) fast food runs is enormous!

Sometimes as a vegetarian, it's hard to go out with friends. You're not quite sure what to order...you're surrounded by hamburgers, etc etc. So here are my favorite fast food joints, and what I like to order there!

#1
Taco Bell - Taco bell is cheap. And one of the best parts is that anything you order, you can ask for the meat to be replaced with beans. Plus! Their refried beans are not made with lard, as some are. When I go there, I always order a crunchwrap supreme with beans instead of meat, and water. If I am feeling extra hungry, I'll add a cheesy bean and rice burrito. The total runs from about $2.50-$4 for the meal!

#2
In n Out - I am so sorry if you don't live in a state with In n Out. They are delicious. I loved this place more than any other hamburger joint when I ate meat, and still love it just as much as a vegetarian. I order a grilled cheese, and that is a bun, slices of cheese, and all of the toppings as a regular burger (lettuce, tomato, onion, sauce, etc). I always ask for tomato and sauce only. Plus fries and a soda bring the total of the meal to a little over $4. If you get a shake, it can be more expensive, or no fries to make it cheaper, etc.

#3
Chipotle - This is a little more upscale compared to Taco Bell. But they make delicious vegetarian burritos/burrito bowls/and salads. I order a plain vegetarian burrito, but if you want something extra, get a fajita burrito for grilled onions and bell peppers. A burrito, bag of chips (with delicious lime salt), and a drink run about $7-8. So a little more pricey here. But always filling. Sometimes I can milk two meals out of the burrito, they are that large.

#4
Jamba Juice - This one is ranked a little lower, because you have to be in a smoothie mood to get something here...which doesn't always come that often. However! This is a completely vegetarian friendly zone. They even have protein boosts, if you need that extra power. I'll get either a 16oz or Original size. My favorite flavors: Strawberry Surfrider (strawberry lemonade), Tahiti Green Tea (tropical fruit and green tea), and Fit n Fruitful (tropical lemonade). Great for beating the summer heat! Smoothies run $4-5 about, and if you need some more substance, they have delicious bars and soft pretzels for a couple bucks more.

#5
McDonalds - Maybe it was because I always go here with my friend Adrienne, another vegetarian. But I don't feel as awkward ordering burgers without meat here. It can be weird, being paranoid that the cashier is judging you. But other than that, you can get the menu items here without meat. I got for a meatless big mac meal, which is $5-6. I don't eat here often though, because a lot of the times I just feel gross walking in. I don't know why that doesn't bother me anywhere else. Fast food is fast food!

Kudos to Whole Foods

Philanthropy has always been on my radar.

Being a student and a philanthropist often seems hard, but there are small ways. For example, I currently sponsor a child in Mexico for $30 a month through World Vision. And I did a bit of help jump starting an organization with a bunch of friends to encourage students to help peers in Africa. I read the PETA newsletters, and the WE climate green emails.

But if those things are plausible for you to pull off... I found something the other day on a shopping trip that really excited me! Whole Foods is in the midst of their Feed 100 campaign. For $29.99, you can buy a large tote bag while providing 100 school lunches for children in Rwanda. The tote zips up into a small burlap envelope (when open, the burlap is the base of the bag, the rest is organic white cotton). The bag is quite large, perfect for school book, or the girl on the go. And inside are two pockets to help keep you organized! To top it all off, the Whole Foods I was at was giving away a raffle ticket with each bag to enter to win $200 of groceries.

Sometimes, a little oompf is needed with philanthropy. Money going off into nothingness is a scary thought, especially for a student. So getting this tote in return was perfect!

Polenta with Black Beans

There are two main resources I use for cooking right now.

One is another blog and the other is the Student's Vegetarian Cookbook (which I found at Whole Foods). Last night I started my adventure into the cookbook with a dinner of their Polenta with Black Beans.

Polenta is a cornmeal mush and the recipe has it served with a black bean/tomato/onion mixture. I found the meal to be quite delicious, however, as far as making this at college? I don't think it will be happening. The meal took a pan, a pot, and a bowl to make, not to mention all of the veggie chopping. So clean up was difficult and just too messy to make in a dorm kitchen. Cost of the ingredients wasn't that much, but I am sure I could find a cheaper recipe that produces similar results.

I am going to try a few more recipes in this book, and then I am going to venture on to try and find another resource.

About Me

I have been a vegetarian for less than a year.

I originally dropped meat from my diet around the beginning of my freshman year at college. The meat served at our dining hall was often poor tasting, and sometimes sketchy. After I stopped eating meat, I realized that in general, I felt healthy. I guess I am one of those people whose body has a harder time digesting meat.

Now, after spending much time online, and searching both cookbooks, and health books, I have decided that a venture into veganism might be in my near future. While living on campus, however, I have little choice but to eat at the dining hall, which as of now, does not have a complete vegan menu.

So, my quest begins this summer, to research recipes that I can use at school, and to document my adventure into being a vegetarian student in a world of meat-eating money.