Overwhelmed by Prep - Convenience(bad food) wins again!

Options
13»

Replies

  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,265 Member
    Options
    dawnmcneil10 wrote: »
    Honestly I think you're simply overthinking the process or looking for an excuse to not eat healthy.

    If chopping vegetables takes you that long consider buying a small food chopper or processor.

    Need breakfast on the go cook up a breakfast casserole, like a giant omelet just toss everything into a lightly greased baking dish and bake. While that's in the oven baking take a shower and start getting ready for work. When it's done you can cut it up and put it right into individual containers or leave it in the baking dish. You can also use muffin tins and then they're already individual size.

    Buy baby carrots or sliced carrots, get the little baby potatoes for roasted potatoes instead of chopping up potatoes.
    Leafy greens I clean and rip apart then toss into the fridge in a large bowl of ice water, keeps them fresh and all you do is pull out some and drain it as needed.

    Keep a few items in your freezer than can be cooked from the frozen state for nights you forget to take something out to thaw and when you're in the freezer grab tomorrow nights dinner item and place in the fridge.

    You should be able to toss an entire meal in the crock pot in under 10 minutes and flip the switch, baby carrots, baby potatoes, stew beef or roast, onion soup mix and you have a meal with very little work or time.

    I completely agree, I feel the OP is just giving excuse after excuse of why "its so harrrrddddd". Stop whining and just do it.

    It's not that hard to remember to defrost your chicken the night before. Put a note on the fridge. I've been doing it for 20 years. Really, its not an excuse. It sounds like you are just being lazy and just don't want to cook. We are all busy, we all have a hundred things going on. That's not an excuse for eating fast food for most of our meals. Sorry.
  • healthyhairdresser
    healthyhairdresser Posts: 16
    Options
    Thank you everyone for the helpful tips and such to help with my prepping overwhelm. It is very much appreciated.
  • HealthierFoodie
    HealthierFoodie Posts: 27 Member
    Options
    KylaDenay wrote: »
    auddii wrote: »
    This might be a silly question, but I have just recently become weirded out by leftover chicken. I cook chicken and have to eat it that day. If there are leftovers they go to waste for the most part. I think when I heat it up there is a funny taste to it. Do you get that when freezing cooked chicken and heating it up?

    I hope I'm not the only one that thinks this :\

    You're not the only one! The only way I can eat leftover or prepped chicken is if it has been marinated overnight before cooking. I'm not sure why this makes a difference, but it seems to. Otherwise it's in the trash.
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,757 Member
    edited February 2015
    Options
    healthyhairdresser wrote: »
    How does one get around the cost of pre-prepped stuff? Frozen veggies aside (we already use them a lot) our budget for 2 for a mouth is $200 to $250 and prepped stuff just seems out of the realm of possibility mostly.

    Dinners are so so, I cook mostly he does one to two nights a week. I always do one crockpot meal a week.
    Breakfast and lunches are always a mess. My husband takes leftovers but I normally do not have the time or desire to heat up a casserole or some such and eat it. I need eating on the fly foods that don't require effort (microwaving, prepping) -.-; I also have to eat gluten free (medical) and so my former go-to sandwhiches and wraps are out the door.

    Can you tell me how you hit that $200/250 a month for two eating at fast food restaurants, especially ones that don't use gluten products? I have a sensitivity to wheat products.

    A food processor will slice up enough veggies for days in minutes. How hard can that prep be?

    If you don't have a microwave, then get a thermos and put hot home made soup in it for lunches.

    I had a job where I didn't have regular breaks for years and I always managed to take foods that worked. Try doing your own protein bars
    Remember oats have no gluten, several of these use oats instead of wheat. If they are processed where wheat is also processed the packaging should be stating that.
    http://bembu.com/homemade-protein-bars

    You have gotten excellent ideas and none are terribly expensive ones, but you still have your "buts", try a little attitude adjustment, think in terms of can do not can not do, this will get much easier for you I promise.

  • alysme
    alysme Posts: 81 Member
    Options
    We've got about 10 or so rotating midweek dinners, none take much longer than 30mins prep.
    In the UK microwaves have defrost settings. I get food out the freezer, blast it and cook.
    Stir fry - pre prepped bag of veggies and protein
    Spaghetti with mince and sauce from a jar
    Pre packaged ravioli
    Fajitas/enchiladas
    Grilled fish
    Chicken choritzo stew
  • paj315
    paj315 Posts: 335 Member
    Options
    dbmata wrote: »
    That's rough.

    Motivation and commitment is important.

    True. You just have to do it.

    I know a lot of people make out individual meals for each meal for several days. What works best for me is to just not make it complicated and through some sweet potatoes and potatoes in the oven, make a batch of rice. Bake a package of chicken breast and steam some broccoli. Put it all in large containers and then I can just portion out what I need and heat for each meal. Use your crockpot. Put a bunch of chicken beasts in it and then shred them. Put a beef roast in and do them same. Make a big batch of ground beef and separate it and season it different ways.
    Don't try to go all out right away.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    Options
    Eat less complicated food. Most of the stuff I eat is simple to prepare, and if I order out I have my order's content and calories in my recipes section, so I can order a 500 calorie meal from most fast food restaurants with no trouble.

    I eat alot of rice,beans (canned or dry), scrambled eggs, baked potatoes, simple salads,apples, wheat bread, cereal, and canned soup. I also take a daily multivitamin with iron and b vitamins because I am a vegetarian.

    You can do this OP!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
    Options
    prepare simpler meals. My weeknight meals generally consist of some kind of protein either thrown on the grill or baked in the oven...a quick veggie side dish that I usually either steam or saute, and some kind of carb. Prep is almost nill and I can have everything cooked on on the table in 20 minutes or less.
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    Options
    Sunday is my grocery shopping and prep day. I pre-make wraps of all kinds for the child and fiance so they have lunches, weigh and pre-pack all the trail mix and snacks, prep suppers, etc.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Options
    kitten_whisky wrote: »
    8) start small. Just pre-plan 1 or 2 meals for that week and continue with take-out on the other days. You need to get used to the new process, it won't happen overnight. If you go from one extreme to the other you'll just get overwhelmed and throw in the towel very quickly

    ^ This.
    Change two nights a week for the first month.

Categories