Eating Vegetarian on the Go

Sometimes cooking and eating time comes at a premium and I find it necessary to eat at quick meal on the road or when I’m otherwise not at home. Last Saturday I had the opportunity to attend a football game at Furman University that included free food from Zaxby’s. My onmivorous friends ate the Zaxby’s while I ate a peanut butter sandwich and an apple I had brought from home. Knowing my food choices would be limited I was prepared ahead of time to eat a quick, healthy, and vegetarian meal. But what about the times when you have to eat out unexpectedly or (ahem) you forget to bring your lunch to work? What options are there for conscientious eaters in a hurry?

Here are a few of my favorites:

Moe’s Southwest Grill: Moe’s is my favorite vegetarian-friendly place to eat. They have some great options for the conscientious eater, my top pick being the Unanimous Decision taco with black beans. They also offer dishes with marinated tofu, only serve cheese without animal rennet, and cook their grilled vegetables separately from the meat.

Subway: When you’re in the mood for a sandwich, the Veggie Delight can’t be beat. Load up with lettuce, onions, peppers (bell and otherwise), cucumber, tomato, and just about anything else and have it on wheat bread to make it even better.

Atlanta Bread Company: ABC usually offers a vegetarian soup on their menu and you can order any salad without meat.

Macaroni Grill: Great food (who can pass on that rosemary focaccia?). Order an entrée without the meat (not necessarily possible for every dish) or order from the “Create Your Own Pasta” menu to completely customize your meal. Substitute whole wheat penne for the white pasta to make it even healthier.

There are also going to be times when you can’t be picky either because there is only one option or because you’re travelling with a group of people and don’t want to make a fuss. In those cases McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Chick-fil-A are good options to keep you from starving. To be honest, I never eat at any of these places unless I really don’t have another choice or for the sake of fellowship or ministry. You can get any salad without the chicken and my experience with McDonald’s has been that they will even charge less for the salad without the meat.

Question: What works for you when you need to eat on the go?