Like a bunch of other psyched and/or psycho people, in a few days, I'm going to try writing a 50,000 word novel in one month--National Novel Writing Month--www.nanowrimo.org, in case anyone else is interested in signing up. I've never done it before (well, I've written novels before), but not in a lightening fast manner.

I hear it's going to get intense.

So, I was wondering what to eat that doesn't take too long to prepare? Or doesn't take long to assemble, but then cooks all by itself in a crockpot. Also, some recommendations for frozen entrees might come in handy.

Otherwise, I think I might be eating a lot of peanut butter/hummus based sandwiches, along with bag salads.

vegan lasagna is always good to make ahead and freeze or Amy's has great frozen foods.  If make dishes ahead of time and freeze a bunch that would be so awesome.  Or soups even would stay good in the fridge for days.  Make a soup or two and combine it with your salad.  I hope this helps.  I usually set a side a chunk of time on the weekends to make a bunch of food for the week ahead!

Thank you!

I was just in Sunflower market yesterday, and there were lots of Amy's frozen entrees to tempt me.

I think I'll make a big batch of soup tomorrow.

I make enough miso soup for 4 days and I fry 1 mochi cut in for parts just like in the book and I have it every morning for breakfast. The mochi is fantastic. I reheat the soup in a pot and then after it is all nice and hot I scoop what I want in a bowl and put a piece of the mochi in th bowl and just let it sit for a few minutes. It is so good.

Just don't be afraid to try new combinations and be super creative!  Of course, preparing beans, grains and soups in advance is a good idea.  I don't think there will be any skirting the amount of time it takes to do that.  However, soup can be prepared in a crock pot, grains can be in a rice cooker, and beans could be bought in cans...but soaking and boiling isn't too bad nonetheless :).  I'm very grab and go myself and I just throw together whatever is in the kitchen.  Today, I mixed leftover brown rice and quinoa, put some Japanese ginger dressing on it, tore up a piece of nori and mixed it in.  It's tasty, I swear!  For my stew, I threw in some veggie broth and water, 1 chopped sweet potato, carrots, red lentils, a chopped baked potato, some shoyu and mirin, and the rest of my grated ginger.  This stew has been lasting me for 3 days and it is very satisfying!  I shred vegan cheese in it if I need a variation, or I top it with roasted beets. And as far as salad goes, I literally grab a chunk of whatever greens are in the fridge, sprinkle Gomaisho and a little oil over them, toss and eat.  This is when I'm in a super hurry.  Making the rice crispies treats and raw balls in Alicia's book is also great for a healthy go to snack!  I agree that Amy's stuff is awesome, and I usually have a few pre-made things in my freezer.  Porabello burgers or frozen veggie burgers are great options.  I like to fry up the mushroom cap and place it on 2 pieces of lightly toasted Ezekial bread with vegainaisse, organic ketchup, tempeh bacon, avocado, sprouts...and whatever else is around! If you have some great tasting dressing in the fridge don't hesitate to pour some on grains, or mix the grains, beans and salad into one, or put a hearty thick stew in a burrito wrap along with some lettuce, vegan cheese, and other veggies...It's a free for all! haha good luck with the novel!

one more yummy snack...although not superhero...is graham cracker squares with a thin coat of peanut butter and shredded coconut.  I ate a banana on the side.  Great mix of flavors, and the peanut butter makes it filling. 

Mm... you make me hungry. Thanks!

Today for lunch, I had a vegan frozen Amy's burrito, honestly so delicious! I sauted some zucchini squash on the side and some mixed greens easy peasy!

My latest favourite meal is Qunioa with tomato, cucumer, basil, green onion and pine nuts (or sunflower seeds)

Make the qunioa as directed, while its cooking dice all the veggies and toast (or not) the pine nuts or seeds.

When the quinoa is done, I toss everything with some lemon and olive oil. 20 minutes start to finish and I make enough for left overs.

Another quick meal I make is Rice with Tomato and beans. Cook the rice then throw a can of beans and a can of chopped tomato (or fresh). simmer it until everything is heated through. I also usually add some extra leafy vegetables to make it more balanced in case I don't want a salad.

This thread is totally making me hungry!! 

Okay, I haven't had dinner yet so now I'm starving! For lunch today I had a bunch of leftovers from the fridge. Brown rice, black beans, chopped up tomatoes, spinach and mixed it with some salsa. May sound weird, but was really good! My taste buds have definitely changed. Sometimes I even eat salad for breakfast, which a few weeks ago I would have thought was strange.

Boil in bag brown rice, steam in bag frozen veggies and seasonings. You can throw some beans in too.

The combinations are endless and it takes only around 15 minutes to make.

And if you cook more than you need, you can put it in individual serving containers and freeze them for future use.

My latest favorite quick meal is spinach & black bean whole wheat burrito's...

cook up white onion & garlic in the frying pan, (about 1 cup onion, and 5 or so cloves garlic) add spinach, (as much as you want) I usually add at least 4 cups, then add 1 can of black beans (after being rinsed) then cilantro and salsa (as needed)... so delicious and quick. The mix will stay fresh in the fridge for a couple of days.

Roll up some of the spinach mix in a whole wheat tortilla and you have a delicious lunch.

Just tuned in guys and may I say, all of your ideas sound yummy!! I do have a few questions and forgive my ignorance, but can someone tell me what the following things are? luca, maca, mochi, seitan, shoyu and gomaisho?  I have not yet got my hands on the Kind Diet book, but hope to later this week.  Thanks for your help guys and keep the meal ideas coming!

I always cook several portions of beans in the crock-pot overnight.  Then after they've cooled I freeze them in 2 cup portions (same as a can).  I usually get about 4 or 5 portions at a time.  So simple and saves lots of money compared with buying canned.  I also do this with rice (triple the recipe).  Oh, and my other favorite crock-pot to freezer (and major money saver) trick is this vegi broth recipe on recipezaar.com...

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Homemade-Stock-214220