Help For the Non-Cook, Serial Restaurant Go'er

aldaerr

Please no flames! I've finally come to the realization that I'm a non-cook. Without going too Freudian, I'll just say that I don't have a mother-figure in my life, so I never learned how to cook growing up. My dad worked 60-80 hours a week, so I got really accustomed to take-out and eating at restaurants. I'm 27 now, and I can't remember a time when I've ever made a full meal by myself. Getting recipes online seems so daunting and time-consuming. My fiancé and I are both working professionals with full-time jobs, plus two thriving side businesses. At this point in my life, I've accepted the fact that it's not reasonable to enter into a diet program with the idea that one day, I'm going to magically buckle down and learn how to cook. My lifestyle (at least right now) just doesn't support it. The good news is, I can comfortably afford to purchase meals that have been prepared by someone else, but I'm finding it hard to make healthy choices without getting bored and ordering a salad at every meal. I need help navigating the world of prepared food options.

So I'm asking, what are some menu items you default to when you're eating out? How about quick and easy, pre-packaged things I can take to work for breakfast and lunch that require little or no prep/cooking time. I'm talking really simple. English muffins, oatmeal, lunchmeat sandwiches, microwavable dinners, low-fat snacks like crackers or bars. On the restaurant side, I usually go frequent Panera, Subway, Chipotle, Starbucks, and sushi places throughout the week. I'm looking for stuff I can buy/order without checking nutritional charts or having to analyze whether or not it's a good choice.

ETA: I know a lot of you guys are big into cooking and want to recommend simple recipes, crock-pot meals, cooking one day of the week and dividing it up through the week. Let me just say... it sounds great, but realistically, I know I won't do it. I'm strictly asking for eating-out and pre-packaged meal/snack ideas.

tomatoey

aldaerr wrote: »

So I'm asking, what are some menu items you default to when you're eating out? How about quick and easy, pre-packaged things I can take to work for breakfast and lunch that require little or no prep/cooking time. I'm talking really simple. English muffins, oatmeal, lunchmeat sandwiches, microwavable dinners, low-fat snacks like crackers or bars. On the restaurant side, I usually go frequent Panera, Subway, Chipotle, Starbucks, and sushi places throughout the week. I'm looking for stuff I can buy/order without checking nutritional charts or having to analyze whether or not it's a good choice.

I was all set to throw out some suggestions until I read the bolded - are you kidding? Come on, this is MFP. We do our own work. You can't look at a nutritional information sheet for ten seconds at Subway or glance at the label on a Starbucks sandwich? (ok I'll give you my fave there, turkey bacon panini for lunch and artisan bacon and egg breakfast sandwich [for breakfast])

mwyvr

Panera, Subway, Chipotle, Starbucks

... will all have nutritional charts. Or look them up in the MFP database on your phone. You've got to take charge of this yourself if you hope to be successful.

Incidentally a lot of the Starbucks items are pretty high calorie, at least they are for me relative to how I like to space out my calories over the day.

Good ol Triple Tall Americano (< 15 calories) never disappoints though.

Edit:

English muffins, oatmeal, lunchmeat sandwiches, microwavable dinners, low-fat snacks like crackers or bars

Five of six things you mentioned are all carbs or high in carbs. Just sayin'...

tomatoey

In general, you might want the protein and fiber numbers to be high, and the overall calories to be low. I.e. you want as much protein and/or fiber as you can get for the calories. (I assume fats are going to be there in good amounts anyway.)

Shoot for ~500-600 (if you're tallish) cals per meal.

Have fewer creamy things, pastas, curries, sauces. Less fried stuff. Watch out for cheese and mayo.

Have more veg and meats. Pick grilled things and salads a lot of the time.

Get dressing on the side for salads. (The thing with salads is, they can still tip you over if you're not careful, there are some honking salads out there. I had a super healthy one the other week, with sweet potato, lentil, quinoa, dab of goat cheese, red peppers. Delicious. 750 cals.)

Rice is more calorific than baked or boiled potatoes for the same portion (except for fries).

RodaRose

aldaerr wrote: »

So I'm asking, what are some menu items you default to when you're eating out? How about quick and easy, pre-packaged things I can take to work for breakfast and lunch that require little or no prep/cooking time. I'm talking really simple. English muffins, oatmeal, lunchmeat sandwiches, microwavable dinners, low-fat snacks like crackers or bars. On the restaurant side, I usually go frequent Panera, Subway, Chipotle, Starbucks, and sushi places throughout the week. I'm looking for stuff I can buy/order without checking nutritional charts or having to analyze whether or not it's a good choice.

ETA: I know a lot of you guys are big into cooking and want to recommend simple recipes, crock-pot meals, cooking one day of the week and dividing it up through the week. Let me just say... it sounds great, but realistically, I know I won't do it. I'm strictly asking for eating-out and pre-packaged meal/snack ideas.

Many items from those restaurants are in the MFP data base. You might find that they have a lot more calories than you expect, esp Chipolte.

A lot of restaurants will have three or four Low Calorie sections. For example Ruby Tuesday has a Fit and Trim part of their menu where in one can order Hickory Bourbon Chicken for 354 calories or Chicken Bella for 426 calories.

Sandwiches and everything else -- the items that go into these are in the data base

English muffins -- top with cheese or peanut butter

Oatmeal (Rolled Oats) can be put in a bowl in the fridge with milk and be ready to eat in the a.m. Add sliced almonds for protein.
=======

If you totally clear off your kitchen counter and start from scratch to buy tools that can work for you, cooking will be easier:
a Panini press, slow cooker, vegetable steamer, immersion blender /regular blender/nutribullet /food processor, food scale, measuring spoons, measuring cups, tupperware containers, cutting board, quality knives.

MonsoonStorm

Aren't there lots of healthy food delivery systems in the States? Where you pay them a silly amount of money and they send you fresh, "nutritionally balanced meas" within a certain calorie count each day?

Would depend on where you are I suppose, but I'm fairly certain that if you have enough disposable income to be parted from there will be a business somewhere that will fulfill your needs.

MelodyandBarbells

tomatoey wrote: »

aldaerr wrote: »

So I'm asking, what are some menu items you default to when you're eating out? How about quick and easy, pre-packaged things I can take to work for breakfast and lunch that require little or no prep/cooking time. I'm talking really simple. English muffins, oatmeal, lunchmeat sandwiches, microwavable dinners, low-fat snacks like crackers or bars. On the restaurant side, I usually go frequent Panera, Subway, Chipotle, Starbucks, and sushi places throughout the week. I'm looking for stuff I can buy/order without checking nutritional charts or having to analyze whether or not it's a good choice.

I was all set to throw out some suggestions until I read the bolded - are you kidding? Come on, this is MFP. We do our own work. You can't look at a nutritional information sheet for ten seconds at Subway or glance at the label on a Starbucks sandwich? (ok I'll give you my fave there, turkey bacon panini for lunch and artisan bacon and egg breakfast sandwich [for breakfast])

Seriously. Even the stuff in the database could be wrong - an 800 calorie item could be listed as 200. If you want to log while eating in restaurants, I don't really think it's optional to go to the website and verify their calorie counts

tomatoey

mwyvr wrote: »

Panera, Subway, Chipotle, Starbucks

... will all have nutritional charts. Or look them up in the MFP database on your phone. You've got to take charge of this yourself if you hope to be successful.

Incidentally a lot of the Starbucks items are pretty high calorie, at least they are for me relative to how I like to space out my calories over the day.

Good ol Triple Tall Americano (< 15 calories) never disappoints though.

Edit:

English muffins, oatmeal, lunchmeat sandwiches, microwavable dinners, low-fat snacks like crackers or bars

Five of six things you mentioned are all carbs or high in carbs. Just sayin'...

Yeah and this (bolded) is the main thing. Teach a person to fish, etc. If people give you a list of things, a) there's no guarantee you'll like any of it and b) you won't internalize the knowledge you need to do this for the long haul, whether you cook or not.

Understanding and analysis of at least the macronutrients you consume will also arm you against issues/questions that come up that might otherwise lead to unhealthy reactions. Eg you might go "hunh, I ate that thing, which should be within my budget, but I'm still hungry" and if you don't know that thing is for example low in protein, you won't have the information to make a better choice next time. In that situation, some people might binge and blame themselves, instead of getting that all they have to do is increase protein to feel more full. They might even give up.

It's trial and error for every one of us because we're all different in terms of taste, energy requirements, habits, etc.

MelodyandBarbells

MonsoonStorm wrote: »

Aren't there lots of healthy food delivery systems in the States? Where you pay them a silly amount of money and they send you fresh, "nutritionally balanced meas" within a certain calorie count each day?

Would depend on where you are I suppose, but I'm fairly certain that if you have enough disposable income to be parted from there will be a business somewhere that will fulfill your needs.

I was actually thinking of someone who once told me she does have a chef come to her house once a week and prepare all or at least most of their food. Busy professionals, thriving businesses, I'm guessing there's indeed some disposable $$ whereby one need not bother with learning to cook but can still consume a variety of yummy healthy meals. Hell, could even have them setup a MFP account where you could copy their meals, or have them do the logging for you or leave data sheets with the Nutritional Info of their food items

Also not everything requires cooking - yogurt, cheese, nuts, fruit, the list is endless.

As for cooking, well. What tools are you using for looking up recipes? I have the allrecipes.com app and ever since I've been easing into cooking, I tend to use recipes with very few ingredients that won't overwhelm me. If I'm craving something, I do a search while I'm still motivated to cook it.

Queenmunchy

Salad in a bag, microwave rice, frozen vegetable mixes, frozen seasoned fish, canned fish, ready made grilled chicken strips, fruit, wraps and lunch meat, frozen breakfast sandwiches.
At restaurants I stick with broiled or grilled meat and vegetables on the side, skipping any starchy sides like potatoes, rice, buns for hamburgers, pasta, etc.
Healthy delivery food may be a really good option. We have some spots around here that have meals based on your nutritional needs.

aldaerr

tomatoey wrote: »

aldaerr wrote: »

I was all set to throw out some suggestions until I read the bolded - are you kidding? Come on, this is MFP. We do our own work. You can't look at a nutritional information sheet for ten seconds at Subway or glance at the label on a Starbucks sandwich?

Oops, I didn't really mean it like that. I do look at nutritional labels and calorie charts... all the time! Basically, I'm trying to compile a list of selections I can have at restaurants that I can know (ahead of time) are going to be appropriate. I'm trying to build up an arsenal of "can haves" so I don't spend too much time over-thinking it. Does that make more sense?

Francl27

Suck it up.

Seriously, it's faster to grill some chicken breasts on the George Foreman grill and microwave some frozen veggies than going to Panera and waiting for my order to be ready. Buy some steaks, pork chops, chicken sausages, chicken breasts (all can be cooked on the foreman), and a ton of frozen veggies and that's a week of 10 minutes dinners right there that don't require any cooking skills.

slaite1

If you're eating out a lot it's often harder to get enough fiber (at least for me). So I would focus on adding veggies and fibrous foods when possible.

At chipotle, always add the sautéed veggies and include beans. I would skip the rice to save calories. Either skip the condiments (cheese, sour cream, guacamole)-or maybe just cut the burrito in half, it depends on your goals.

Same thing for subway and panera. Go for whole wheat options, add lots of veggies, skip or reduce condiments and make sure you get a source of protein. Again, it really depends on your goals and preferences. Sometimes I would rather just get the lower calorie options, sometimes I want all the flavor and just reduce my portion.

For breakfast buy the oatmeal in a cup, buy or make hard boiled eggs, cheese sticks, protein bars with fruit, pre-cut fruit, buy or make smoothies. For snacks buy pre-cut veggies, protein bars, pretzels, popcorn, yogurt, cheese. In general their are lots of convenient dairy snacks as well as fruit and veggie snacks that take no work if you're willing to pay for them.

Just think of everything you like and think of how to make it fit your goals. You can buy anything premade these days. I would think it would almost be easier to be in your position bc you can afford to buy all the healthy stuff!

kristydi

aldaerr wrote: »

Oops, I didn't really mean it like that. I do look at nutritional labels and calorie charts... all the time! Basically, I'm trying to compile a list of selections I can have at restaurants that I can know (ahead of time) are going to be appropriate. I'm trying to build up an arsenal of "can haves" so I don't spend too much time over-thinking it. Does that make more sense?

So do that. Look up the nutritional information on the foods and places you like to eat. Adjust what you order so it fits your calorie\macro goals. There's nothing you "can't" have.

So much about you, your goals, your likes and dislikes goes into finding good options for your meals that its really something you have to do for yourself. You have access to all the same information about the food available that we do.

fat2fitshley

If you like tuna fish Starkist has lunch to go kits it has everything in a package (mayo, relish, no drain tuna, crackers, mint, napkin, and spoon) and it's only 230 calories. Bonus they usually cost less than $3 in my area. I take these for lunch 1-2 days a week because it's easy, cheap, and doesn't need to be refridgerated.

As far as eating out goes, try to make simple substitutions that can lead to a lot of calories/fats saved. Instead of french fries opt for rice or a baked potato. If you get a burger/chicken sandwich take the bread off. Go for a diet soda, unsweet tea, or water so you aren't drinking your calories while out. If you get a food with sauces on it ask for the sauce on side and you'll be more likely to use less and save some calories (ex: Chinese Food). Opt for grilled over breaded/fried chicken. Again, just make small changes that will go a long way. You aren't required to only eat salads when eating out.

I also agree with PP that you really need to focus on nutritional content to succeed, especially when eating out. It doesn't take much effort really and most items are in the MFP database.

tootle4

I get lunch from Panera often. They have a phone app now where you can order from your phone and just walk down to Panera to pick it up. The app also shows calories of each item and totals the calories on the order summary screen.

MelodyandBarbells

tootle4 wrote: »

I get lunch from Panera often. They have a phone app now where you can order from your phone and just walk down to Panera to pick it up. The app also shows calories of each item and totals the calories on the order summary screen.

LOL

That's exactly what I was thinking when I read Francl's post :laugh: In my location they even have a five minute parking spot right in front of the door specifically for people who order online. I feel so anti-social when I just walk in there and grab my food without a single word to anyone, but it's the only way I've done it for months

AlisonH729

Wait, so, do you not cook like, at all? We're talking not even baked/grilled chicken & steam-in-bag vegetables for dinner? If that's the case I have to echo the 'you should at least try to learn' sentiment. It's really not that hard. Or time consuming. And you'll have much more control over what you are putting into your body. Less sodium, weird preservatives, you can control the amount of oil/fat your foods are cooking in/topped with.

Unknown

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glassyo

I don't cook either, OP (well, every once in a while I'll try to make some chicken or something in the crockpot but it never comes out how it should) so here's what I do. (But, really, you should look up the nutritional info yourself.)

If I get a sandwich at Subway, I have them rip the good part of the bread out. That usually saves me about 50 calories. I also never get cheese. My sandwich choice lately is the grilled strips Monterey but I sort of de-Monterey it. It's usually just the bread, grilled chicken strips, some veggies and a bit of mustard. That runs me about 250 calories for a 6 inch. Or I'll get a grilled chicken strips salad with sweet onion sauce as the dressing on the side. Or, if I'm really short on time, I get a double order of the chicken strips and some mustard for dipping. Really good calories to protein ratio there.

Any other place, I get a side salad and some sort of grilled chicken. It usually runs me under 200 calories. I prefer to eat light during the day and eat most of my calories at night.

It's a good idea to check out the restaurant's websites for nutritional information. It's really easy to go crazy at places like Chipotle and knowing what you want and how many calories you're willing to have it for helps in those situations.

For dinner, I stick with cottage cheese or greek yogurt and mix pb2 in them. When I'm out of my jars of pb2, I'll start mixing in protein powder. I also have some cut up cantalope (that you can buy cut up) or any other kind of fruit. I also nuke eggs. I eat other things but they're really on the my moderation is not anybody else's moderation side.

Shanel0916

Find something that you like or that you can tolerate eating daily, and eat it everyday the same foods for breakfast lunch and dinner then there is no calorie counting or guessing.

aldaerr

glassyo wrote: »

I don't cook either, OP (well, every once in a while I'll try to make some chicken or something in the crockpot but it never comes out how it should) so here's what I do. (But, really, you should look up the nutritional info yourself.)

If I get a sandwich at Subway, I have them rip the good part of the bread out. That usually saves me about 50 calories. I also never get cheese. My sandwich choice lately is the grilled strips Monterey but I sort of de-Monterey it. It's usually just the bread, grilled chicken strips, some veggies and a bit of mustard. That runs me about 250 calories for a 6 inch. Or I'll get a grilled chicken strips salad with sweet onion sauce as the dressing on the side. Or, if I'm really short on time, I get a double order of the chicken strips and some mustard for dipping. Really good calories to protein ratio there.

Any other place, I get a side salad and some sort of grilled chicken. It usually runs me under 200 calories. I prefer to eat light during the day and eat most of my calories at night.

It's a good idea to check out the restaurant's websites for nutritional information. It's really easy to go crazy at places like Chipotle and knowing what you want and how many calories you're willing to have it for helps in those situations.

For dinner, I stick with cottage cheese or greek yogurt and mix pb2 in them. When I'm out of my jars of pb2, I'll start mixing in protein powder. I also have some cut up cantalope (that you can buy cut up) or any other kind of fruit. I also nuke eggs. I eat other things but they're really on the my moderation is not anybody else's moderation side.

This is really helpful, thank you!!

cwolfman13

I don't think you're going to be able to get away with not checking any charts or whatever...there are plenty of restaurants who have their nutritional information posted and if you're going to do this, you have to put some work in.

From there, I'd recommend getting into cooking...maybe start with a few meals per week. Also, you don't have to have any fancy recipes to make a good meal. I only very occasionally use an actual recipe for anything, and that's usually a special occasion. marinate and/or otherwise season some meat, poultry, or fish...grill that *kitten* up and serve with a side of veg and a starch. Boom...kick *kitten* meal in less than 20 minutes.

aldaerr

AlisonH729 wrote: »

Wait, so, do you not cook like, at all? We're talking not even baked/grilled chicken & steam-in-bag vegetables for dinner.

Nope. Unless it's grab-and-go type food (granola bars, English muffins, fruit), I'm getting all of my food on the outside. I can't remember the last time I actually got a cart and went 'grocery shopping' at a grocery store.

I can tell a lot of people don't understand it. Obviously, it's not for everyone, but it's my lifestyle. I have tried to buckle down and learn to cook, many times. It never lasts more than a week. I usually end up getting discouraged after setting aside a large amount of time finding recipes, making lists, buying all the ingredients, trying to recreate the meal. Then, I'm never satisfied with the final product, it ends up being way too much food, and I throw half of it away. I should also add that my fiancée is a vegetarian, and I'm not. If we had to come home and cook everyday, we'd have to make two different meals.

Bottom line is, I'm not consistent when I'm in the 'I'm going to learn how to cook this time' mindset. If I want a fighting chance at a healthier diet, I need to learn how to do it as it fits into my lifestyle.

Ttresnjak

There's a company called Personal Trainer Food that will deliver diet meals to you. I haven't tried them (don't have the freezer space), but I think you just need to nuke the stuff. They show up on groupon/living social sometimes.

allaboutthecake

Since you eat out so much, I would highly recommend you break down & take a look at the nutrition on it. Pay attention the most to the sodium. Restaurant food is notorious for the salt. You could also check out My Fit Foods. They aren't easy on the salt, but they have it all pre-packaged & ready to eat for you. They even have a micro in their store, you can zap it yourself & eat it right there. And if you want, they can set it all up for you on your calorie/macro based daily diet so all you have to do is buy it and eat it. I think they even deliver, too. Its a no-brainer for those who don't have the desire to cook. It could even save you a few precious hours in your busy life by not wasting time sitting at a restaurant waiting on a harried server.
Good luck on your weight loss journey.
HTH

Mr_Knight

aldaerr wrote: »

I'm looking for stuff I can buy/order without checking nutritional charts or having to analyze whether or not it's a good choice.

Well, you're basically ****ed, then.

It ain't gonna happen unless you are willing to put *some* level of effort into it.

apryldp

I don't like the negative and unsupportive comments. It's hard enough to ask for help then to be judged and criticized. I don't like cooking and I don't believe in for fir in you because you'll ultimately regress. The first tip I have is to eat half of what you get. That's an automatic calorie reducer. Good luck! Stay true to you.

MelodyandBarbells

apryldp wrote: »

I don't like the negative and unsupportive comments. It's hard enough to ask for help then to be judged and criticized. I don't like cooking and I don't believe in for fir in you because you'll ultimately regress. The first tip I have is to eat half of what you get. That's an automatic calorie reducer. Good luck! Stay true to you.

Well, half of what? 250 calories? A thousand? 1500? The OP has got some really good advice - no matter what he does eat, no one can look up nutritional information for him

AlisonH729

aldaerr wrote: »

AlisonH729 wrote: »

Wait, so, do you not cook like, at all? We're talking not even baked/grilled chicken & steam-in-bag vegetables for dinner.

I should also add that my fiancée is a vegetarian, and I'm not. If we had to come home and cook everyday, we'd have to make two different meals.

I like to cook, so it's hard to wrap my head around. But I can see how this would make it even more difficult. I'm kind of artsy, but don't really have a lot of spare time so I think of cooking as a creative outlet. So for a while I tried to cook 'Meatless Mondays' (just for fun) but it was still a challenge to come up with new & interesting vegetarian meals, and that was only once a week!

Hey, if it works for you go for it! But I do agree that you're going to have to do some research about what the best options at different places are going to be. Cooking or ordering in, either way its gonna require some prep.