What We're Eating

seltzermint555

Breakfast: toast with apple butter, fried egg & coffee

Lunch: mini ravioli, salad of kale, lettuce & carrots with a little ranch. Blackberries.

Dinner: 1.5 spinach & mushroom quesadillas with mushrooms, onions & salsa. 2 homemade chocolate chip cookies & green tea.

donidaily

Breakfast: everything bagel with tofu olive cream cheese. Sliced cucumbers and bell peppers on the side.
Lunch: jackfruit tacos with avocado, shredded cabbage/kale.
Snacks: 4 graham crackers, 1 rice cake, 2 glasses prosecco.
And: cups of tea and one coffee with oat milk, tracked 1/2 cup.

@AshHeartsJesus Jackfruit is a tropical fruit that you can buy tinned (I got it at Trader Joe’s) It’s very plain and absorbs other flavors, and it shreds into a texture kinda like pulled pork or shredded chicken. So a veg alternative for those kinds of dishes! (If you like meat though it’s definitely not going to fool you haha)

AshHeartsJesus

Today started out good, but then I went to walmart hungry 😭

B- 3 slices "anabolic" french toast with pb2 and jelly with coffee
L- grilled chicken hummus wrap with green bell pepper with a little more hummus, and half a banana
S- none except a plain baked potato with steak seasoning...huge mistake 💩
D- 9:30 p.m. 🙊 annie's mac and cheese with peas and lays baked potato
S- 1/2 halo top 😒

Workout: Sydney's glutes from today and a walk with my babies 👍

LORD JESUS guide 💟

LazyBlondeChef

Breakfast: espresso with 1/2 tsp of maple syrup, uncured corned beef, Nancy's low fat cottage cheese, Castelvetrano Olives
Lunch: marinara sauce with Italian sausage, red lentil fusilli pasta,
Dinner: sockeye salmon, black rice, sauté of super greens
Snack: grapefruit

siberiantarragon

Breakfast: didn't have

Lunch: two scrambled eggs with black pepper and cayenne pepper, some blueberries, 4 Vans multigrain waffles (2 with almond butter and 2 with Earth Balance), 2 mugs of black tea with unsweetened vanilla soy milk, fish oil and vitamin D3 supplements

Snacks: Bai coconut drink (first time trying it, it was decent), Annie Chun's miso soup bowl, 2 Chobani coconut Greek yogurts (was having a coconut craving today), 2 more mugs of black tea

Dinner: sauteed tofu and kale with seasonings (turmeric, ginger, onion powder, cayenne pepper) over whole-wheat spaghetti, a tomato with onion flakes, and some water with lime juice

Dessert: a spoonful of raw honey

Athijade

Breakfast: Frozen waffles with butter and syrup, a chicken sausage patty, and a banana (I am trying to finish the waffles to get them out of the freezer)
Lunch: Aldi broccoli cheese soup with crackers
Snack: Blueberry muffin
Dinner: Slow cooker Italian pork roast with carrots and potatoes (I took like 5 bites of this tonight and couldn't finish it)
Snack: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich with cheez its (to make up for dinner)

So I am trying to eat through some of what is in my freezer to make more space. Same with the pantry. Due to my health issues, my fatigue has been really bad which has lead to a few evenings where I just don't want to cook what was planned. Which means I have been ordering which has been horrible for my health AND my wallet. Plus, my rent is going up this year and my budget will be a lot tighter (can't move this year due to same health problems). I am going to Walmart on the 1st to stock up on super simple items that I can make instead of ordering in. Both frozen and pantry. Any suggestions? I am not looking for pinnacle of health either. Even Hamburger Helper with a side of frozen broccoli would be better then ordering in!

siberiantarragon

Athijade wrote: »

So I am trying to eat through some of what is in my freezer to make more space. Same with the pantry. Due to my health issues, my fatigue has been really bad which has lead to a few evenings where I just don't want to cook what was planned. Which means I have been ordering which has been horrible for my health AND my wallet. Plus, my rent is going up this year and my budget will be a lot tighter (can't move this year due to same health problems). I am going to Walmart on the 1st to stock up on super simple items that I can make instead of ordering in. Both frozen and pantry. Any suggestions? I am not looking for pinnacle of health either. Even Hamburger Helper with a side of frozen broccoli would be better then ordering in!

I have the same problem sometimes, and, while an inelegant solution, I've found the microwave is definitely my friend here.

At the store they have those ready-made packets of rice, even brown rice, that you just have to open and warm up. They also have those for pasta. You could have those with some frozen pre-cooked meat, such as meatballs or canned tuna, some frozen vegetables, and some olive oil or sauce of some kind, and just heat it up in one bowl in the microwave. It's a dinner that takes 5 minutes, it's relatively healthy, and all you have to wash afterwards is one bowl and one utensil. Of course it's not the pinnacle of gourmet cooking or anything, but it gets the job done.

You could also do the same with cut-up tofu or canned beans instead of meat. For breakfast, my husband has parboiled rice with tofu, frozen spinach and peppers, and a sauce such as teriyaki sauce, all made in one bowl in the microwave, and he really enjoys this and looks forward to it every morning.

Of course you could get the parboiled rice instead that comes in a cardboard box (they even have a brown rice variety) or just regular pasta, since those are cheaper. Both can technically also be made in the microwave although of course, they taste better if made on the stove. You can even meal prep pasta/rice/other grains ahead of time when you're not tired, and freeze it for those days when you are tired, in individual serving sizes.

And sandwiches are also good, like turkey/cheese on whole wheat, etc. I rely on sandwiches a lot when I'm really tired. You can have those with a side of frozen vegetables and maybe some nuts or hummus or something. (BTW, hummus is also a great "low-energy food.") In the past I've pre-made batches of sandwiches and stored them in bags in the freezer and then just warmed them up in the toaster oven before eating.

siberiantarragon

Breakfast: didn't have

Lunch: two sunny-side-up eggs, some blueberries, 4 slices of sprouted whole grain cinnamon raisin toast with Earth Balance, two mugs of tea with unsweetened vanilla soy milk

Dinner: whole-wheat spaghetti with olive oil and Parmesan, fish oil supplement, a Teas' Tea jasmine green iced tea, and a Milky Way Midnight bar

Snack: Two packets of Qi'a Superseeds and Grains oatmeal with two Sugar in the Raw packets and some cinnamon, and two more mugs of tea with unsweetened vanilla soy milk

LazyBlondeChef

Breakfast: espresso with 1/2 tsp of maple syrup
Lunch: black rice, one egg fried in olive oil
Dinner: lamb patty, mashed purple sweet potato w/butter, cumin, coriander, onion and Meediterranean chopped salad (Josie's Organics)
Snack: grapefruit, Castelvetrano olives, raw cashews

@Athijade Easy foods? Although I usually enjoy cooking I am somewhat lazy so I buy a lot of the pre-chopped veggies even if it costs more because I find I have a lot less waste. Things like already halved Brussels Sprouts, shredded cabbage, romaine leaves, roasted beets and salad kits. Though I prefer the organic salad kits because the dressings are less likely to be full of unpronounceable ingredients. Preparation can be a quick sauté or possibly microwaved. Shredded cabbage/carrots can be made into slaw or quickly cooked.

Canned goods: already cooked beans, tuna or other fish. You can add a little protein to a salad kit. Maybe even some of the healthier frozen dinners that are still only a few dollars. On a day you're up for it, cook up a roast and freeze a bunch of portions for the days you have no energy. Maybe buy one of the roasted chickens though I personally hate tearing them down but it's another relatively easy way to freeze some of the portions if you don't want to eat it for days.

Some of my quick snacks are things like cottage cheese, olives, prosciutto, uncured corned beef or pastrami, hummus, crackers, salad/fruit/veggie, etc. They take only a few minutes to prepare. So choosing a few of these items in a balanced way makes for a decent meal. If you don't have a rice cooker consider buying a Dash. It makes very small batches and I have cooked different rices and quinoa in it. It is easy prep by putting in water plus grain and hitting a button. I suspect other grains would work too. No more work than a microwave.

If you are ok with hard boiled eggs, do six or eight at a time so you have some in the fridge.

If I think of anything else I'll post again later.

Athijade

Breakfast: Egg sandwich with chicken sausage, avocado, and cheese, banana
Lunch: Aldi French Onion soup with crackers
Snack: Cheez its
Dinner: Chicken Ruben and mac and cheese
Snack: Blueberry muffin and hot chocolate

Thank you for the suggestions so far. I really appreciate it. So far (note, I have not done this main shop for it) I have things like rice, pasta, pasta sauce, Hamburger Helper, Chicken Helper, mac and cheese, a few frozen veggies, and some Indian pantry meals (you just put them in a pot of water to heat up and I have naan and Roti in the freezer). I did realize last night that Chicken Rubens are super simple and delicious. So that will be a go to meal, plus the kraut and dressing last forever in the fridge so just need the cheese and rolls most of the time (often have extra chicken on hand).

My cousin looked over my budget and suggested a couple spots I may be able to tighten up such as my internet/cable bill plus my grocery budget. Right now I spend about $400 on groceries. I want to try to bring it down to $300 but am willing to settle for $350. Every penny helps. I won't be paycheck to paycheck as I can keep the amount going into savings the same thankfully, but it will be tight.

seltzermint555

Yesterday

Breakfast: overnight macchiato chia oats made with Bustelo coffee & unsweetened almond milk, a little whipped topping & chocolate drizzle. More coffee.

Lunch: large TVP taco salad w/ lots of peppers & onions, shredded lettuce and kale, salsa & sour cream as "dressing" & 3 La Tiara taco shells crumbled on top. Blackberries and 1/2 pear.

Dinner: 2 fried eggs, toast with raspberry jam, ham & potato crowns. Decaf coffee.

Snacks: Colby jack cheese stick, baby carrots & sugar snap peas


Today

Breakfast: Special K red berries cereal w/ almond milk, coffee.

Lunch: lentils, Cara Cara orange slices & a smoothie made with bananas, baking cocoa, almond milk & psyllium powder.

Dinner: homemade thin crust pizza with peppers, mushrooms, olives & onions.

rainingribbons

@Athijade - I also definitely recommend frozen veggies and pre-portioned rice/pasta for quick go toos! You can also buy pre-sliced meats at the store as well, which can be really useful when you don't want to chop anything. Sheet-pan meals can be super easy and hands-off, just throw everything on a pan, pop it in the oven with some sauce/seasoning/etc and 15-20 minutes later you're good to go.
I also like having things for homemade lunchables on hand too, such as crackers, sliced deli meat, baby carrots, hummus, and a fruit. Super quick to just pop that all on a plate to eat with little to no prep!

rainingribbons

Yesterday -
Breakfast: Coffee with creamer, 2 pistashio snowball cookies, 2 dark chocolate pieces
Snack: Protein shake made with protein powder, frozen cherries, and almond milk
Lunch: Homemade tuna salad, triscuits, a few carrots and hummus - didn't like the hummus so only had a bite or so of that
Snack: Banana and chocolate peanut butter protein bar
Dinner: Chicken curry with peas and brown rice

Today -
Breakfast: Iced chai with 2 shots of espresso
Snack: Impossible sausage sandwich
Lunch: Homemade chicken parm over noodles with a little sauce
Dinner: Chicken curry with peas and rice

tbilly20

Breakfast - Overnight oats (protein-rich mixture)
Snack - Protein shake (post-workout)
Lunch - Seared ahi tuna on rice with steamed cauliflower and broccoli with a few banana peppers
Snack - Lettuce wraps with leftover tuna, deli cheese and peppers
Dinner - Oatmeal

AshHeartsJesus

Hello all 🐙

B- aldi "protein yogurt" coffee
L- Grilled chicken,red onion, and green peppers sauteed and put onba low carb wrap with lowfat cheese, green bell peppers with hummus, strawberries with 1/2 banana
S- Special K 100cal chocolate pastry snack
D- 2 96/4 hamburger patties with lowfat cheese, one on a slider bun one not, peas, baked lays potato chips
S- crustless sugar free pumpkin pie topped with 1 graham cracker and reddi whip

Workout: sydney cummings 30 minute cardio, a walk with the kiddos

LazyBlondeChef

Breakfast: espresso with 1/2 tsp of maple syrup
Lunch: lamb patty, Mediterranean chopped salad (Josie's Organics)
Dinner: Grilled pork chop, acorn squash, salad
Snack: So Delicious Key Lime Coconut Yogurt w/gluten free Muesli

Athijade

Breakfast: Egg sandwich with chicken sausage and cheese, banana
Lunch: Turkey club sandwich with baby carrots and ranch
Snack: Cheez its
Dinner: Chicken Ruben and mac and cheese
Snack: Blueberry muffin and hot chocolate

Cody0103

SNACK: Protein shake,
LUNCH: Pork Loin And eggs + rice with spicy chili paste
SNACK: Protein shake, carb bar
Dinner: Chicken roast dinner with yorkshire puddings n all.
Snack: Protein bar, sweets

seltzermint555

Breakfast: avocado toast w/ bagel seasoning, fried egg w/ hot sauce, orange slices, coffee.

Lunch: one chicken chunk, one piece of catfish, pea salad - and about an hour later, a Mexican mocha (very spicy and not too sweet, so good).

Dinner: cheese burrito, side salad w/ ranch and a chocolate truffle heart candy.

Not the best day but I really reined in some of my usual Saturday free-for-all, so I'm happy with it!

gigius72

My menu are pretty much the same, just a switch off ingredients here and there.
Breakfast: 3/4 cup dry of grains (I mix oats, farro, soghum, millet and others). I cook it with flax seeds, turmeric and fruit (I change everyday).
Lunch: huge salad. I switch veggies everyday (mustard greens, beets, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, red cabbage, cucumber, onion...). I throw in a different legume everyday plus some seeds (sunflower or pumpkin). On the side I sautee (no oil, with broth) a potato or sweet potato with a bell pepper and mushrooms.
Supper: I'm usually not very hungry so I might go for a light vegetable soup with grains in it. Or maybe a quinoa kale corn skillet. And some fruit.