do-it-yourself pre-packaged meals?

maillemaker

Hi all. One of the biggest challenges for me in losing weight is having to "play" with food - food prep. I don't like the drudgery of it and going to the trouble of cooking makes me want to cook something good (high calorie) not diet food.

I have been considering a plan like Optavia where all the meals are pre-packaged so that I can just grab X number of meals for the day and not have to think about it. I'm not really interested in a very low calorie diet (Optavia is) but I like the pre-packaged concept. I'm also not thrilled about the $400/month price tag for Optavia.

Is there a way to "do it yourself" for a pre-packaged food plan? I like rote repetition as it makes it simple to follow. I sort of do this now with a peanut butter sandwhich for breakfast, a McDonald's McDouble for lunch, but then I often blow it at dinner when I have to deal with the family meal.

Are there pre-packaged foods that work well in a diet plan and don't require a lot of fuss? I guess I could get some "TV dinner" kind of things and that way portion and calorie control is handled for me.

I'm not big into left-overs so the idea of making a batch of stuff and eating it over a week is not appealing. Then there is the portion control aspect of not giving yourself more than you should from the "pot".

Does anyone else use pre-packaged food as part of their diet plan? Any suggestions?

Steve

gentlygently

Mmm well If you have a freezer then batch cooking can really good and maybe could meet your needs?

(Every time you cook do enough for 5 and freeze the left overs in individual meal containers - or set an afternoon aside and cook up large amounts of 3 or 4 different meals for the freezer. Again portioned out ready for the evenings ahead. You can quickly build up a stash of different meals to ring the changes if you want.

This is not eating unportion controlled left overs. And it reduces daily food prep grind

Lower calorie food can be really tasty by the way..., so maybe try to get a bit more excited about cooking ‘healthy’ food?!

Another way might be to research no effort recipes and/or build up meals you can make from the store cupboard or freezer . Pasta with ‘hot’ sardines in from a can - no sauce to make, add some frozen peas to the pasta towards the enc of its cooking time. Tasty. No food prep and marginal effort. Omlette with frozen sweetcorn/peas. Cook sausages in the oven and add chunks of courgettes and tomatoes to the baking tray at the same time - and ignore for 25 mins.. same for chicken pieces/salmon - tho wrap in foil first.

It is not prepackaged but it is darn simple and might meet your needs?

If you found no fuss recipes/‘assebly meals’ you liked and made the ingredients supermarket delivery regulars - would this perhaps work?

maillemaker

I really don't want to make the food myself as if I play with food I lose my willpower. If I'm going to the trouble to make an omelette, for example, it's going to end up being a 1000 calorie omelette.

seska422

My evening meal usually consists of either a Lean Cuisine or a can of soup and I add an entire bag of steam-in-bag veggies for extra nutrition and volume.

fitoverfortymom

I do this quite a lot. A frozen dinner and a quick salad (prewashed salad greens in a bag). A can of soup. There's some birds-eye veggie pasta that I like to buy that's microwavable. I get some frozen, diced chicken and make that quite often.

There's definitely a lot of ways to DIY your prepared food plan that's not something like Optavia. I do enjoy meal prep, but sometimes I need some reprieve and these options definitely make staying on plan a little easier.

I also do easy meal prep things like cottage cheese (easy to weigh and put in containers), blueberries (same), and frozen protein pancakes (Kodiak brand is good) for breakfast. I eat this nearly every day.

lysdus

Before I was eating a lot of Lean Cuisine and slim fast shakes but recently have been trying to meal prep healthy food and freeze some for the future. I’m finding it very time consuming to make these meals and do not know how I will be able to keep up as my workload increases. Does anyone else have a trick?

apullum

I'm a little confused about the original question. It sounds like what you want is a fairly standard meal plan, but you don't want to cook very much (which is fine, no judgment implied or intended). Is that accurate?

First, there is nothing at all wrong with eating prepackaged foods that you like and that fit into your goals and budget. You can eat frozen dinners every day if you want to do that. You will still lose weight if you're within your calorie goal.

There are also various middle ground areas between eating everything prepackaged and cooking everything from scratch. For example, if you don't like chopping veggies, your grocery store likely has various vegetables pre-cut. You may find that it's worth paying a little more for someone else to chop your vegetables if that makes the difference between eating them and not eating them.

Also, if you make a big batch of something that freezes well, you don't have to keep eating it all week. Crock pots are great for this. I use mine to make a big batch of vegetarian chili, which requires very little effort on my part--just dump the ingredients in and turn it on. Then I weigh it into freezer bags. There will be no temptation to eat more than you intended because you'll only thaw one preportioned bag at a time. It will keep in the freezer for several months, so you won't be eating chili every single day.

Regarding the temptation to eat more than you intended, I portion out the entire meal as soon as it's done cooking. If it makes four servings, then I put out two bowls and two boxes for leftovers. I divide the meal between the four containers, we eat what's in the bowls, and we put the boxes in the fridge or freezer. No more big pot of food to tempt you for seconds.

If you can tell us some things you like to eat, we may be able to suggest specific recipes that don't require a lot of prep and that freeze well.

AmyC2288

Another vote for Lean Cuisine + frozen steamed veggies

kodiakke

I actually like to cook, but for work, I've started purchasing frozen meals (like Annie's, Lean Cuisine, or others) and just adding a bunch of greens to that. I definitely recommend the pre-washed green mixes - I usually have two in my fridge, one for spinach/mixes and the other for kale. I switch those up for texture and taste, but essentially use them as bulk fillers by putting 50gs or so (that's a nice handful) into a bowl and dumping the frozen meal atop, mix so the greens are coated by whatever sauce is on the frozen meal. That allows me to feel full and it takes only moments to prepare.

kimny72

Nothing wrong with frozen dinners. I usually add frozen veggies and a HB egg to bulk it up and add a little protein. I'll also sometimes have a can of tuna mixed with diced veggies and ranch dressing, and have a can of soup on the side.

I found a great way to easily make a quick easy meal is a faux stir fry. I'll pick up frozen shrimp or a package of cubed tofu, and then just toss frozen veggies and protein in a pan with a little sauce until it's cooked, then serve it with rice, or a microwaved sweet potato or something like that. Minimal prep, short cook time.

no1elseislikeme

I’m going to vote for Lean Cuisine or some other similarly low calorie frozen dinners. With the exception of canned and also low calorie soup or the occasional meal out, I’ve been eating them for years. If you shop at Walmart, the Walmart brand frozen low calorie dinners are good as well.

emmamcgarity

I keep Lean Cuisine and many other frozen dinners on hand. But for snacks and packed work lunches I rely on components available from the grocery store. I let the grocery store do much of my prep.

Sliced apples and other precut fruit
Precut celery sticks
Frozen grilled chicken breast
Frozen veggies ready for the microwave
Prepackaged individual sized cheese
Individual low-fat yogurt
Individual ready salads with meat, cheese, dressings already portioned.

I keep several 1 cup sized containers on the ready (about 20) and I fill them for my lunchbox in the morning while coffee is brewing. I also put a protein bar or fiber bar in the side pocket or other shelf stable snacks.

Dinner is either part of the family meal or a Lean Cuisine if I have a potential issue with portion sizes of the planned meal.

maillemaker

Thanks for the advice. I've decided to use frozen dinners for dinners. Breakfast and lunch is pretty easy - I eat a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and I eat a McDonald's McDouble for lunch. About 400 calories per each. A frozen dinner is generally about 600 calories so I can have one of those and another peanut butter sandwich for a snack when I get home from work. This should put me around 1500 calories.

nocgirl72

I say do whatever it takes you too succeed. I see nothing wrong with 1 frozen meal a day. It’s convenient.

I live off of the Costco individually packaged chicken breasts. I bake a couple a week and put them in my salad, or it alone with veggies or put in a low carb wrap.

Other than that I am a busy mom who works ful time my meals are simple and fast. Baking the chicken takes the most time. I boil a few eggs and plan my meals out and it helps

egbert2016

Healthy Choice has some frozen meals that are bowls. They are good. Lean Cuisine also has several tasty options. I like canned soups too. Add a steamer bag of veggies to the frozen meal or canned soup to help increase the volume without adding a lot of calories.

I'm also a fan of Yogurt. My current favorite is Dannon Light Greek... vanilla, key lime pie, tiramisu, raspberry. They are only 80 calories but I find them very filling.

nocgirl72

What’s a McDonald’s McDouble? Both breakfast and lunch sound like they have a lot of sodium and not a lot of food for calories. No fruits or veggies or snacks at all?

I gather you don’t like to cook? I don’t either but there are a ton of options that take 5 min to make.

maillemaker wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I've decided to use frozen dinners for dinners. Breakfast and lunch is pretty easy - I eat a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and I eat a McDonald's McDouble for lunch. About 400 calories per each. A frozen dinner is generally about 600 calories so I can have one of those and another peanut butter sandwich for a snack when I get home from work. This should put me around 1500 calories.

maillemaker wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I've decided to use frozen dinners for dinners. Breakfast and lunch is pretty easy - I eat a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and I eat a McDonald's McDouble for lunch. About 400 calories per each. A frozen dinner is generally about 600 calories so I can have one of those and another peanut butter sandwich for a snack when I get home from work. This should put me around 1500 calories.

maillemaker wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I've decided to use frozen dinners for dinners. Breakfast and lunch is pretty easy - I eat a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and I eat a McDonald's McDouble for lunch. About 400 calories per each. A frozen dinner is generally about 600 calories so I can have one of those and another peanut butter sandwich for a snack when I get home from work. This should put me around 1500 calories.

maillemaker wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I've decided to use frozen dinners for dinners. Breakfast and lunch is pretty easy - I eat a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and I eat a McDonald's McDouble for lunch. About 400 calories per each. A frozen dinner is generally about 600 calories so I can have one of those and another peanut butter sandwich for a snack when I get home from work. This should put me around 1500 calories.

NovusDies

nocgirl72 wrote: »

What’s a McDonald’s McDouble? Both breakfast and lunch sound like they have a lot of sodium and not a lot of food for calories. No fruits or veggies or snacks at all?

I gather you don’t like to cook? I don’t either but there are a ton of options that take 5 min to make.

Quantity is not important for some people and unless a doctor is worried about your sodium you can pretty much ignore it.

paperpudding

Peanut butter sandwich wouldn't have a lot of sodium.

And for most people sodium is not an issue anyway.

I didn't take it OP has no veggies or snacks - just that his breakfast and lunch and dinner are the things he mentioned.

NovusDies

paperpudding wrote: »

Peanut butter sandwich wouldn't have a lot of sodium.

And for most people sodium is not an issue anyway.

I didn't take it OP has no veggies or snacks - just that his breakfast and lunch and dinner are the things he mentioned.

I don't know why anyone cares about snacks anyway but even if the OP doesn't eat fruit and or vegetables that is a personal choice. Some people don't. Like you I didn't see a reason to jump to that conclusion though.

zeejane03

I'm also a big fan of Lean Cuisines + veggies. Grocery stores run sales on them all the time-I usually pay less than $2 per LC and then veggies are $1 a bag.

tmpecus78

"Diet food" doesn't have to be bland and boring. Learn how to cook so you can turn your "diet food" into tasty meals or your chances of sticking to your plan will most likely fail.

glamorousAdvocate

I find success in making soups and stews. Buying prepackaged is expensive for me, but my grandfather is a hunter (please no judgement, we are indigenous, it's cultural) and so I get a lot of nice lean meats like moose and venison. When I can't get that, I'll use chicken. Use a low sodium broth (or make your own! But this takes a looong time) and packages of frozen pre-cut vegetables (carrots, yams, broccoli, really anything you want) from the supermarket (make sure to put the peas in last). Stew it for a good few hours. Really the only cutting you'll be doing is potatoes.

Stews and soups are always hearty, delicious, comforting and filling, but without too many calories if you choose your fillers smartly. Since I'm always making a huge batch all at once, I find it easy to divvy it up into single portions that can then go in the freezer and I can have for lunch every day that week. I can make two or three varieties of soup/stew each week, so I never get bored. And then I can reward myself with a nice extra large bowl at the end of the day once a week of newly cooked soup for a job well done.

I find it quite rewarding, and I suggest it to anyone that would rather not spend money on a lot of processed food or is worried about their sodium intake, or just doesn't have the time or patience to prep a meal every day. Soups and stews are very simple and 90% of the cooking is actually just waiting.

mbaker566

i do batch cooking. and then preportion.
pancakes, pudding, parfaits, soup, stir fries. takes about an hour 1 day a week to get food ready for the week.
i try to make extra too to put in the freezer for another time for weeks i don't feel like making anything

kshama2001

glamorousAdvocate wrote: »

I find success in making soups and stews. Buying prepackaged is expensive for me, but my grandfather is a hunter (please no judgement, we are indigenous, it's cultural) and so I get a lot of nice lean meats like moose and venison. When I can't get that, I'll use chicken. Use a low sodium broth (or make your own! But this takes a looong time) and packages of frozen pre-cut vegetables (carrots, yams, broccoli, really anything you want) from the supermarket (make sure to put the peas in last). Stew it for a good few hours. Really the only cutting you'll be doing is potatoes.

Stews and soups are always hearty, delicious, comforting and filling, but without too many calories if you choose your fillers smartly. Since I'm always making a huge batch all at once, I find it easy to divvy it up into single portions that can then go in the freezer and I can have for lunch every day that week. I can make two or three varieties of soup/stew each week, so I never get bored. And then I can reward myself with a nice extra large bowl at the end of the day once a week of newly cooked soup for a job well done.

I find it quite rewarding, and I suggest it to anyone that would rather not spend money on a lot of processed food or is worried about their sodium intake, or just doesn't have the time or patience to prep a meal every day. Soups and stews are very simple and 90% of the cooking is actually just waiting.

No judgment on hunting for food from me

Stock made from bones at home is far superior to anything one can buy in a supermarket, as far as I'm concerned. I save bones in the freezer and when I'm low on stock, dump them in the crockpot for 8-10 hours. Yes, that's a long time, but I usually do this overnight, and like you said, it's mostly waiting. When done, strained, and cooled I package it in various size containers and freeze it.

I too make big batches of soups/stews and freeze them.

mrscarnevale

I do Optavia, the fuelings (meals) are very simple to make with some "hacks" if you like to be fancier with meals. The cost varies, depending on how many you buy. Can be 250 up to 400 a month, but buying groceries and going out to eat usually acquaints around that price anyway and you wouldn't be going out or buying much for groceries. You do eat one meal on your own (lean and green) but that could be a lean cuisine or Optavia also sells prepackaged lean and green meals. I like that they have been scientifically made to have all the vitamins and minerals you need, so need to buy vitamins either (unless you have a special need).

nooboots

maillemaker wrote: »

Hi all. One of the biggest challenges for me in losing weight is having to "play" with food - food prep. I don't like the drudgery of it and going to the trouble of cooking makes me want to cook something good (high calorie) not diet food.

I have been considering a plan like Optavia where all the meals are pre-packaged so that I can just grab X number of meals for the day and not have to think about it. I'm not really interested in a very low calorie diet (Optavia is) but I like the pre-packaged concept. I'm also not thrilled about the $400/month price tag for Optavia.

Is there a way to "do it yourself" for a pre-packaged food plan? I like rote repetition as it makes it simple to follow. I sort of do this now with a peanut butter sandwhich for breakfast, a McDonald's McDouble for lunch, but then I often blow it at dinner when I have to deal with the family meal.

Are there pre-packaged foods that work well in a diet plan and don't require a lot of fuss? I guess I could get some "TV dinner" kind of things and that way portion and calorie control is handled for me.

I'm not big into left-overs so the idea of making a batch of stuff and eating it over a week is not appealing. Then there is the portion control aspect of not giving yourself more than you should from the "pot".

Does anyone else use pre-packaged food as part of their diet plan? Any suggestions?

Steve

This is me all over. I am a good cook and love cooking but what that means is that I create something extremely high calorie. I realised I listened to the general consensus for too long about 'ready meals' and that actually its a much easier way to control your intake if like me you would cook up a storm in the kitchen.

I would just buy ready meals that are good quality, as good as you can get, that you can tolerate, some ready meals are not very tasty (obviously thats the pay off) and then use them where its all pre calculated for you.

corinasue1143

I am retired now, but when I worked. On the weekend I would buy chicken tenders, boneless pork loin chops, small white and sweet potatoes, and small packages of frozen veggies I like, portion the meat and freeze individual portions. While having breakfast, I took one meat out and put in the fridge to thaw. After work, I put the meat in the George
Foreman, a potato and one package of veggies on my dinner plate in the microwave, then went to change clothes. When I came back to the kitchen, dinner was done. An easy alternative to frozen dinners. More choice.
You could also easily use precooked frozen meats, or small ham steaks.