How should a weight-lifting, running, vegetarian woman eat to have energy and life forever?

I've got similar dietary requirements and I eat lentils 2-3 times a week as one source of protein. They can be a little hard to digest but I find them to be a lot easier than beans. I usually have lentils in soup or in a curry over rice or quinoa. Pink lentils cook very fast (~15 minutes) and are a great option for a fast meal. Timing-wise, I eat the lentils at lunch or after my evening workout as they do take some time to digest fully.

Have a whey shake, oatcake and banana a couple or 3 hours before your workout. Good advice http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbmainnut.htm

Smoked tofu is delish on sandwiches,http://www.quorn.co.uk/CMSPage.aspx?ssbid=2 is intensely high in protein, and I love these http://www.zoneperfect.com/. 16g protein in 210 pocket-friendly calories. Processed I know, but sooo worth it, imho.

Second Quorn (unless that is too much processing.) I've been a "meat substitute" eater for a while now, and nothing comes close to the protein/calorie ratio in Quorn. Plus, seriously, it is YUMMY. Try naked cutlets. In anything. Yum.

Thanks, folks. I've marked a bunch of people as best because I think their advice is most applicable to my own situation, but there's a lot of other good advice here, too. I should have mentioned that I'm lactose intolerant. Cheese and yogurt are OK, but milk isn't and I don't really like the idea of whey powder. And I know there are pills for lactose intolerance, just like there's Beano. I figure if I need to take a pill in order to eat something, I'm probably better off just not eating it.

beano will help reduce some of the digestive problems associated with beens, it contains an enzyme that breaks down galactose, I'm not sure if it is vegetarian friendly but it would be worth a try.

Make sure you rest!! All the benefits of weight training happen after your workouts and your body is recovering. I had a similar routine but ran much longer because I was training for a marathon. I had to cut out the weights because of time and simply it was a LOT to do with a full time job and a life. Remember, exorcise and health are long term goals. Also eat smaller meals more frequently. That really juices up your metabolism. Careful planning is needed though for healthy foods b/c you will be hungry ALL the time doing this.

I find it most useful to get a fair amount of complex carbohydrates about an hour before any workout that is more than half an hour long. If I'm trying to cheat a few more calories in, I'll have some simple carbs (read: candy) just before the workout. It won't last long, but it will get me started. Eating after a workout is possibly more important than before. This is when your body is most efficient at creating glycogen. Within an hour of a workout, I try to eat a couple hundred calories including 20% protein, 10% fat, and 70% carbs.

My diet for optimum performance when training hard is: big breakfast, snack, big and late lunch (around 2), snack at least an hour before workout, then a protein/banana smoothie for dinner. I don't think you need anything quite so regimented, but here are a few general tips: It's a little like building a fire, but in reverse. Fats are the slow burning logs that sustain it a long time. Low http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic#Glycemic_index_of_foods carbs are the faster burning logs and high glycemic carbs are the tinder. The exact timing will depend on your metabolism, but emphasize the fats more at lunch, the low glycemic carbs for the pre-workout snack, and a high glycemic snack just before, or during the workout to provide instant energy. I would experiment with the timing based on the subjective results. With experience you learn to peak at a particular time, and use snacks for course corrections. If your workouts are shorter and of higher intensity emphasize the carbs more and if longer and of lower intensity push the fats. Immediately following your workout you have a small window to replenish your muscles with a high-glycemic snack (I use gatorade). This will give your energy level for the following day a boost. I try to take in a little protein with each meal and snack. You don't need much, but you want a little bit in the pipeline at all times in order not to shortchange the rebuilding process. I've even been known to have a spoonful of whey protein now and again when nothing else is readily available (yuck).