Anyone else have this problem?

SciWhiz

So I LOVE to cook! And I love to cook complicated meals. I think I fell off the wagon months ago because I was finding it hard to log those recipes. I would import the recipes into here but have to edit almost every food "match" that was made. I know I need to simplify the meals I cook if I'm going to succeed, but I can't stand the thought. Any advice?

TheCupcakeCounter

I also cook daily and don't make 5 ingredient dinners and here is what helped me. I do a 2 part meal prep and load all of my recipes in on Sunday then I go shopping for the week. Once I have the recipe in I do as much of the prep (chop veggies and weigh them, trim and pound the chicken breasts, etc...) and the update the matches for the pre-loaded recipes.
It takes a bit but then all I have to do each night is hit the add food button and they are already there with the ingredients I purchased and prepped.

gamerbabe14

I don't weigh or log things like spices or herbs. Typically only the ingredients that really matter like veggies, creams, broths, proteins, etc. I don't even log olive oil (although I should, I just don't). This may be crappy advice but only log the things that are going really matter on the scale?

SciWhiz

TheCupcakeCounter wrote: »

I also cook daily and don't make 5 ingredient dinners and here is what helped me. I do a 2 part meal prep and load all of my recipes in on Sunday then I go shopping for the week. Once I have the recipe in I do as much of the prep (chop veggies and weigh them, trim and pound the chicken breasts, etc...) and the update the matches for the pre-loaded recipes.
It takes a bit but then all I have to do each night is hit the add food button and they are already there with the ingredients I purchased and prepped.

This is an awesome idea. I'll give it try this weekend!

Do you normally make the same recipe more than once? I could see that making my life a heck of a lot easier!

SciWhiz

gamerbabe14 wrote: »

I don't weigh or log things like spices or herbs. Typically only the ingredients that really matter like veggies, creams, broths, proteins, etc. I don't even log olive oil (although I should, I just don't). This may be crappy advice but only log the things that are going really matter on the scale?

Since I'm starting over (and kicking myself for it) I want to log as accurately as possible. I don't log herbs/spices either, but I def want to log any fats I use for cooking. It's time consuming but I'm hoping it'll pay off this time!

Morgaen73

I make food twice a day and pretty much go for quick and uncomplicated. Feel free to check out my blog https://counterfoodieblog.wordpress.com/

I used to make very complicated dishes as well but I've learned that it isnt necessary. As far as the ingredients go, I scan the barcodes and log them all individually instead of in a recipe. Just works better for me.

SciWhiz

Morgaen73 wrote: »

I make food twice a day and pretty much go for quick and uncomplicated. Feel free to check out my blog https://counterfoodieblog.wordpress.com/

I used to make very complicated dishes as well but I've learned that it isnt necessary. As far as the ingredients go, I scan the barcodes and log them all individually instead of in a recipe. Just works better for me.

I realized complicated isn't necessary, I just love to cook I've tried scanning individually but was terrible at estimating how much of a serving I was consuming in a meal. Sounds like simple is going to be the key this time around. I'll def check out your blog. Thanks!

Morgaen73

SciWhiz wrote: »

Morgaen73 wrote: »

I make food twice a day and pretty much go for quick and uncomplicated. Feel free to check out my blog https://counterfoodieblog.wordpress.com/

I used to make very complicated dishes as well but I've learned that it isnt necessary. As far as the ingredients go, I scan the barcodes and log them all individually instead of in a recipe. Just works better for me.

I realized complicated isn't necessary, I just love to cook I've tried scanning individually but was terrible at estimating how much of a serving I was consuming in a meal. Sounds like simple is going to be the key this time around. I'll def check out your blog. Thanks!

If I struggle with portioning then I scan the ingredients into my diary first and then enter them manually into the recipe thingy. That way I know they are in the database. Then I delete them out of my diary again. I know it's and *kitten*-about-face way of doing it but I haven't found a better way yet lol

I tried making more complicated stuff, which led to me being banned from baking lol My peanut butter biscuits tried to kill my wife lol

janejellyroll

I also love to cook more complicated dishes and I log. This is what I do to make it easier on myself.

I meal plan on Sundays, picking everything I want to cook for the week and I plan the day I'm going to cook it. Some of the recipes I've already entered because I've made them before. I don't have to worry about these. For everything new, I split up the work and enter the recipe in MFP the day before I'm planning to make it. That way I never have too much to enter on a specific day. When I do this, I usually also pre-log for the next day to ensure that what I'm planning doesn't have me go over. When I cook, I'm usually just cooking for myself (my husband is a picky eater and doesn't like most of what I make), so I usually have enough to have for breakfast and lunch over subsequent days -- these recipes don't have to be re-entered, so that also saves time.

KosmosKitten

I cook almost every day and most of the time they are recipes that have way more than five ingredients. I've just gotten into the habit of measuring out everything that I'm going to use as I use it and writing it down (after measured) on a white board I keep in the kitchen. Once all the ingredients are listed, then I input the recipe (most of my recipes aren't things I can import from other sites) and figure out servings and how much a serving size constitutes.

Mostly what I find annoying about the recipe analyzer is that there is no way to either add photos of what you make nor make notes on the recipe about what a "serving" actually is based on the quantity available.

beeilenstein

I am kind of boring but I was using the Beach Body weekly meal plan. I cook all my B,L,D on Sunday and then just have to reheat it. This meal plan has you eating the same meal M,W,F, and the same on T, Th. I like it because it was easy to shop for, took 90 minutes to cook the entire work week of meals on a Sunday, and the food was really good.

Need2Exerc1se

SciWhiz wrote: »

So I LOVE to cook! And I love to cook complicated meals. I think I fell off the wagon months ago because I was finding it hard to log those recipes. I would import the recipes into here but have to edit almost every food "match" that was made. I know I need to simplify the meals I cook if I'm going to succeed, but I can't stand the thought. Any advice?

Oh yeah, I definitely had that problem! But NO WAY was I giving up cooking or switching to easy meals just for weight loss. Weighing and logging all food just isn't for everyone. I gave up the weighing and logging and went with the 'eat less, move more' approach. Just watched portions and ingredients and used common sense. It's less precise but it did work for me.

lemurcat12

SciWhiz wrote: »

So I LOVE to cook! And I love to cook complicated meals. I think I fell off the wagon months ago because I was finding it hard to log those recipes. I would import the recipes into here but have to edit almost every food "match" that was made. I know I need to simplify the meals I cook if I'm going to succeed, but I can't stand the thought. Any advice?

When I cook I note down the ingredients and how much I add. Then I divide by how many servings it is. I don't find that difficult. I don't cook from recipes (use them for ideas and inspiration), so don't import them in or use the recipe builder much -- I've never actually had the import feature work right.

It kind of depends on what it is what the best tricks are, but it's something that gets a lot easier as you find ways to fit it to your habits.

mjbnj0001

I'm semi-retired and have taken up the family cooking with some gusto. Sometimes simple, sometimes more complex. MFP recipe tracker is great to keep all the homemade stuff that repeats in our "rotation" sorted for logging.

I add to the recipe DB entry those items, used raw or as incorporated into the recipe, that contribute to the macro summaries. Herbs, for instance, don't usually contribute, but onions often do. The existing DB of non-labelled foods (i.e., produce and other non-prepared items) varies in accuracy; try to find those with checkmarks are at least some other user confirmations. If you can't, select one and see what it tells you (I often find many only have an entry for calories, and zeroes for everything else). Or, make your own entries, but that can get tedious if you're a wide-ranging cook.

I accept some inaccuracy in my logging for the sake of simplicity. I don't weigh portions of things like stews, casseroles, soups or other "composite" meals, but set the recipe database entry for the number of servings it should yield. For instance, I made a turkey-eggplant lasagna about a month ago (the sliced eggplant became the "noodles"). I logged the ingredients I used accurately (weight or volume), then set the number of servings to "12" since the casserole dish I used made three rows with four pieces each when serving. If each diner accurately measured their pieces, they might get a variance from the computed values, but I didn't think it was worth the effort. IMHO.

On the other hand, easily-counted foods like chicken breast servings, cup of rice, serving of carrots, etc., should be easily logged as is.

It seems to be working for me/us. I'm down about 15 lbs this year so far. Family doing well also.

Ready2Rock206

I think the more you use the recipe builder the easier it gets. I never use the import recipes - just create my own and it goes very quickly. I keep my scale out and have prep bowls or put my cutting board right on the scale. Once you get more practice you'll find what works best for you and how to be more effective at using the recipe builder.