A REAL look at a persons food?
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I for one am a fan of activated almonds and charcoal. Good stuff.0
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I'm confused. I find salmon to be the easiest thing I prepare. Drop it in a pan of water, 15 minutes later it is thawed out. Into a skillet. Pat of butter, squeeze of lemon, cover and 10 minutes later its done.5
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I work full-time and am a single mom to 3 young kids that I have 90% of the time. I don't meal prep, but I do try and cook 3 meals a week and eat leftovers in between. I could spend my limited free time cooking and planning more, but I don't find it enjoyable (personal preference). My diary is open. I rely on my crockpot a lot and eat quick to fix things like ground beef tacos, stir-fry and now that it is getting a bit warmer I grill some meat once a week. As you can see by my diary I had a bbq grilled hotdog and chips twice within the last few days.0
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It's not an all or nothing proposition. I'm busy as well. Some mornings if I get up really early for a run I eat overnight oats I prepped the night before. Sometimes I have cold cereal or oatmeal. Sometimes I cook breakfast - it depends.
I'm boring and usually have a simple sandwich or canned soup or maybe a frozen microwave meal for lunch.
Evenings are varied. Some nights we have Subway sandwiches or cold cereal. Some nights I cook the salmon, kale, and quinoa - I like it. Some meals are instant pot or crock pot meals.
The point is my diet isn't "perfect". I still managed to lose 80 pounds. I currently manage 5-9 hours a week of exercise and a full time job and have time for family. Oh, and I do all the majority of the cooking.
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We are pretty clear on what you don't like but have no idea what you mean by "real food." Eat junk food and fast food if you want--just stay within your calorie budget and you'll lose weight. I work 70+ hours/week between two jobs and I have a dog at home, but no kids. I manage plenty of meal prep because it's important to me, so I make it work.
If you want convenience--go for it. Again, just stop eating when you hit your caloric budget for the day.
Eating for a calorie deficit is as simple or as complicated as you make it.2 -
Dairy is open, feel free...0
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The title and posting of the OP is so out of place and border line insulting that I refrain from really answering her question. What is next: what a real woman or a real man eat...?
Besides I am a robot that eats, salmon, tilapia, kale, all kind of greens and fruits, quinoa (sometimes), and good healthy stuff. All the same things that I was eating when I was at the University, working and raising children. I just do it better now.
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For breakfast I have a coffee/protein shake and blast some awesome music. Helps me wake up lol For snack I'll have a cheese stick and some fruit. Lunch I have tuna, whole wheat tortilla, chopped up celery, and hummus. Just throw it all together haha I'm lazy. Late Snack is usually carrots with hummus or carrots with Hidden Valley Ranch because that ranch is my FAVE. I don't overdo it though even though I would like to
Dinner is shrimp with peppers and a salad and a Hawaiin bread roll. If my husband cooks I get a nice juicy steak, a baked potato with butter, and green beans. It is the only thing that he makes. I'm not complaining lol I do eat candy (chocolate and jolly ranchers) and I love starbucks (tall Iced Chai Tea Latte 
). I also love chips especially tortilla chips with salsa. I do have binging trigger foods like hot cheetos, jelly bellys, and soda so I had to kick those out the door. Better safe than sorry. You got to know your limits and what doesn't work for you. Everyone is different Good luck! 0 -
Me. Look at my diary.1
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Diary is open, but warning I'm just getting back in the swing of logging so there are missing meals/ days.
I meal prep because I refuse to stand over a stove every night. Most of my snacks are yogurt, precut fruit and veggies, and treats from the office candy jar.🙂 Breakfast is usually overnight oats, yogurt, grits, fruit, or toast, eaten at work or on the run. Lunch is usually a variation of a mason jar salad or leftovers. Dinner is whatever I cook for the family. They prefer chicken, one pot dishes like spaghetti or chili, and fish. Rice, potato, salad, and steamed or roasted veggies on the side. Depending on how many calories I have left I'll substitute cauliflower rice or veggie noodles for the starch. Halo top or pizelles for dessert. Fast food or seafood for lunch or dinner on weekends.1 -
Yesterday, I got caught up on a conference call and ended up muting my line and eating shortbread cookies and dark chocolate for lunch. Today was more normal.
Breakfast: protein shake made with 2% milk
Snack: yogurt and granola
Lunch: grilled chicken salad from the hospital cafeteria (no dressing)
Dinner: two hard tacos made ith 90/10 ground beef
Dessert: mocha frappe from my friend Rebecca's coffee shop
ETA: I work 40-50 hours a week, have four kids and do volunteer work and exercise. I don't know if I am a regular person or not.2 -
I've been doing my thing for about 3 months, lost 10lbs so far. I just want to know a REAL persons diet. Not this salmon, kale, quinoa stuff. I'm talking someone like me who has a full time job, a household and children. Someone who doesn't have the time or energy to plan and prep every meal who has to rely on frozen, pre-prepped or even fast food sometimes. What are your meals like?
I think realizing I could eat my normal food just stick to the right calories was a pretty stunning revelation for me.
I plan dinners for the month and cook every day. I tend to eat the same things for breakfast lunches or snacks so don't plan them out but don't really meal prep days in advance either. I do not eat kale and rarely have salmon or quinoa. I have things like ramen, frozen pizza or a frozen burrito sometimes.
Breakfast- things like Greek yogurt, granola bars, cereal with milk, sandwich, dinner leftovers, fruit, cottage cheese (about 200-300 calories)
Lunch- sandwich, salad, or dinner leftovers usually (about 300-500 calories) I do eat lunch out one meal a week and can generally find sometying for about 400-500 calories.
Dinner- something different every night of the month. (about 500-600 calories) I have soup once a week usually. Casseroles. Tacos, pizza, spaghetti, burgers. I try to add larger portions of vegetables to my meals.
Snacks- things like fruit, chips, popcorn, pretzels, chocolate, cookies, granola bar, carrots, celery, broccoli, trail mix, deviled eggs, pickles, cottage cheese (about 100-300 calories)
I drink water or unsweetened tea mostly.3 -
I work full-time M-F 7:30 to 4:30 then workout for an hour, do yoga for about 30 minutes, then cook. I live by myself so I don't have anyone else to worry about but still. I just look up simple recipes and meals and make them fresh every night and plan what I'm having ahead of time so I have everything I need. I prep my lunches on Sunday which is usually rice and stir fry veggies. It's quick, easy, and good. Honestly, I don't have a formal breakfast. I try to intermittent fast until noon, but some days, I'm starving so I'll pack a protein bar. For snacks, I'll have easy stuff, like fruits, pretzels and hummus, goldfish, etc. For dinner, if I don't fill like cooking a lot, I'll just have a baked potato with some steamed broccoli and fruit. Or pasta with marinara sauce and steamed vegetables with french bread. Or scrambled eggs with peppers and toast. Other days, I'll have a meal planned like baked chicken and roasted vegetables. I'm a beginner cook and it does take me awhile to cut things up, but it's still doable. I can't stress enough researching SIMPLE recipes with few ingredients that are quick. It does get easier the more you do it.
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I've been doing my thing for about 3 months, lost 10lbs so far. I just want to know a REAL persons diet. Not this salmon, kale, quinoa stuff. I'm talking someone like me who has a full time job, a household and children. Someone who doesn't have the time or energy to plan and prep every meal who has to rely on frozen, pre-prepped or even fast food sometimes. What are your meals like?
Fairly certain I'm "real". Salmon takes less than 15 minutes to prepare. Paired with a frozen steamer bag veggies and/or a potato, I have a meal in less than 30 minutes.
It doesn't take me more than 15 minutes in the morning to prepare my lunch. Often times, it's a huge salad with other goodies. Otherwise, I've been known to make a quick stir fry. Some chicken or shrimp, veggies, splash of sauce and I have a lunch in under 20 minutes.
I hard boil a dozen eggs at the beginning of the week for lunches or a fast breakfast on the go.
But, in the end, all that matters is being at a caloric deficit. Doesn't matter if there is pre-packaged, fast, or frozen foods on there.3 -
I simplify by buying easy lunch and breakfast things and eating the same thing most days.
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs and a frozen waffle
Lunch: Frozen black bean burger, salsa, apple, & peanut butter (or leftovers from the night before.)
After gym: Protein Shake
Dinner: chicken breast, steamed veggies & a starch, tacos, steak stir fry, frozen boneless chicken wings, veggie burger with bun and condiments, chicken bratwurst & veggies, breakfast tacos with egg, avocado, salsa, & hummus on a pita, tortilla crusted tilapia, black beans, corn, and rice
The lunches take less than 2 minutes to pack. I buy the eggs pre-boiled and peeled (lazy!) and everything else is just thrown in containers. No cooking!
The hardest part about dinner is remembering to thaw meat. Nothing I make takes more than 10 minutes of prep time. If I’m making chicken breast, I’ll throw them in the oven and shower while they’re cooking. I buy steamer bags of veggies.
I eat Chipotle every Friday night. I pre-log it and fit my meals around it. I occasionally eat Jimmy John’s. Fit it in your calorie goals.1 -
I litterally eat bread with cheese at work and dinner in the evening. Some little snacks inbetween and that's basically it for me. I've already lost more than 25kg's by doing it this way. It just works for me and I don't have time to prep everything.0
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People that eat healthy food are "fake" and don't have busy schedules??? No. Just no. You don't need to justify your food choices to yourself or others by implying that eating differently than you is wrong.
I am a single mother of young kids, work full time with hour+ commute each way. I have a busy schedule too.
I rely a lot of pre-chopped fresh veggies and simple meals. For example, pre-chopped broccoli/cauliflower/Brussels sprouts, etc. spray with olive oil and roast for 20 minutes. I use microwave brown rice sometimes even though it has some additives. I many times have smaller portions of whole wheat spaghetti and meat sauce or some other "normal" food but fill half my plate in salad or roasted veggies. I eat smoothies for breakfast almost every day which takes two minutes tops - frozen fruit, protein powder, yogurt, blend - and drink it on my long commute. I usually try to make a big batch of something on the weekend like chili so that at least one weeknight is taken care of. I buy lunch at work most days, usually a huge salad with chicken. I buy a lot of portable fruits and nuts for snacks.
I eat out and drink alcohol and eat dessert too. But if I only eat those things I either can't stay in my calories or I'm hungry. So eating lots of veggies and fruit and whole grains and protein is a must for me for satiety, not to mention the health benefits for me and my kids.
I grew up on convenience food and fast food without a fresh fruit or veggie in the house. My mom didn't cook aside from a hamburger helper in a blue moon. I hated vegetables. I get the feeling that fresh foods are weird. It was not until I was an adult and I had vegetables fresh and well prepared that I grew to love them. So it is important to me now to introduce my kids to foods like salmon and kale and quinoa so that it is not "weird" to them. They are much more adventurous eaters than I was at 25 and I love that. They eat pizza almost weekly, but also like salmon and broccoli and kale. They are real too.7 -
I've been doing my thing for about 3 months, lost 10lbs so far. I just want to know a REAL persons diet. Not this salmon, kale, quinoa stuff. I'm talking someone like me who has a full time job, a household and children. Someone who doesn't have the time or energy to plan and prep every meal who has to rely on frozen, pre-prepped or even fast food sometimes. What are your meals like?
Your post made me laugh - currently in the midst of decluttering/reorganizing, and it seems like every blog or article features a 6000 sq ft home with mudrooms and laundry rooms the size of my kitchen. I feel your frustration.
In our house, meals are not very creative, and tend to be built around our activities. We don't do fast food, so no advice there. One thing that is helpful is that we get family packs of meats and break them up into meal sizes - I have 1 lb packs of ground beef, 4 chicken breasts, 2 chops, etc, in the freezer, and can just pull those out to defrost for dinner. If you keep breading or marinades in the house, you can whip up a meal pretty easily. They also make pre-trimmed, marinaded, vacuum-sealed chicken breasts that are a little more expensive, but you could defrost those and just pop them in the oven. Frozen veggies are not a bad choice, and many can just be microwaved. There's a pretty good selection of 90 second microwave rices out there (some even have quinoa). Frozen pizza is always an easy choice, and you can just add a bagged salad to that. My kids are huge fans of brinner (breakfast at dinner). We usually do tacos once a week. Pasta, frozen meatballs, and sauce are easy to keep in the house for long periods and don't take long to make.
Since you don't have a lot of time or energy to plan or prep, do you have any go-to casserole type meals you can make and freeze on the days you do have time? Creating a stockpile of those from time to time could be helpful, and then you'd have something for those days when putting something in the oven is all you can handle between other obligations.
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I have a full-time job, child, several hobbies, and I make all of our meals daily. If you time it, it's not actually faster to leave home and go through a drive-thru. I can cook burger patties and broccoli faster at home. For convenience I regularly cook large batches of dry beans in the crock-pot and freeze them in jars. The crock pot saves me regularly- soup on all day ready for dinner, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, artichokes, chicken curry. They can all be made in the crock pot. I chop greens on Sunday after the grocery store and serve a portion nightly alongside a protein and a carb/veggie. It's not creative, but it's quick. Chicken breast and carrots take 20 minutes and with a side salad they're healthier, cheaper, and faster than convince food.0
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Here is a example of what I consider a healthy easy meal that will last me for 5 days for lunch. I fill a pot to the lid with cherry tomatoes and pour in two cups of water and your favorite seasoning. Cook until the tomatoes split open. Let them cool then put them all in the Ninja and blend until as creamy as you like. Brown 1 pound of goat meat or whatever meat you prefer. Cook 5 servings of whole wheat noodles. Pour noodles, meat, and two cups of tomato sauce into Tupperware and throw them into the fridge. Total prep time less than 1 hour and you've got 5 days of lunch. I work rotating 12 hour day/night shifts and have a small farm so you just need to try and make time. If that means late nights or early mornings you just have to make those sacrifices. If living a healthy fit lifestyle was easy everyone would be ripped and active.
** Calories with my portions 420 +/-.
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If you time it, it's not actually faster to leave home and go through a drive
I guess that depends how far you are driving. and what you have at home to make in comparison to what you would buy.
On the days I get Subway it IS quicker - it is right next to my workplace and I can ring through ahead and just pick it up as I leave work.
having said that, most people probably eat a range of some home made and some take aways and/or pre prepped foods.
It isnt one or the other.2 -
I'm talking someone like me who has a full time job, a household and children. Someone who doesn't have the time or energy to plan and prep every meal who has to rely on frozen, pre-prepped or even fast food sometimes. What are your meals like?
I've had medical issues the past few years and minimize prep time as much as possible. My energy has to go toward paying work. But when younger, I used to cook up batches of rice and millet and baked white/sweet potatoes, zucchini, pasta, etc., for example, and portion them into 1-cup glass Pyrex bowls with tight lids. Ditto for any actual meals I made (like millet, garlic, and Fordhook lima beans....) Then I would just take off the lids and microwave. I'm just one person, though, so you would do that differently with a family unless you need to eat differently than the rest. But you could just use bigger family size portions and containers.
I also don't bother with fancy sauces or recipes. My idea of macaroni and cheese is cooked macaroni plus pieces of cheese melted in the convection oven or microwave, maybe with some veg added.... I'm allergic to dairy milk so it never has occurred to me to use it for anything! Your family might rebel if you went super simple, though.
Millet is really nice because it cooks as fast as white rice but is whole grain. So it actually is easy to just put some in a Pyrex measuring cup or even a bowl and microwave (I. Installments, stirring in between). I do pasta that way also (I have a variety of non-wheat as well as wheat pastas). I actually don't have a stove. For my old 500W microwave, I usually cook pasta in two or three 4-minute installments, stirring between each one. Would go quicker in a higher power microwave. Not as much water is needed in the microwave. Usually 2 ounces of dry pasta just needs about a cup of water or a little more. I use 2-cup Pyrex measuring cups to avoid overflow.
I've always liked to get veg blends in boxes or bags for microwaving, though. I would actually eat one 10 oz box of Green Giant blends when I could get them cheap on sale and just add some other protein if needed, like a veggie burger or beans (I eat almost vegan, except for a little dairy cheese). I keep well stocked in canned beans and soups, and I freeze leftovers for later. Also now there are good precooked blends in microwaveable but shelf-stable bags. TastyBite has a lot of them, for example, but there are other brands.
I also will use commercial frozen entrees, usually saving half or more by freezing in portions if I don't want to eat the whole thing. Frozen veg can be added to those as a base. I've even added veg to them if it fits while they are cooking in the microwave.
I'm much less organized now. I've even been using paper bowls a lot.... (don't hate me). But I keep stocked with frozen veg in bags and if I get to the store, will also buy and cut up different colors of bell peppers, onions, shallots, white and sweet potatoe, wrap them in portions and freeze. I even do this with rinsed canned beans, so I can just grab a pack and add it to anything. I also use precooked rice and sometimes get frozen grain/veg blends on sale. BirdsEye has quite a few interesting ones. Since I've had to chop frozen blocks of veg or fruit too often, I actually wrap individual portions (usually 1/4 of a 1 lb bag of veg). So I can just grab a variety of veg portions and rice (I also pack 1/4 of the 2-serving shelf-stable bags of precooked rice individually, for example) and fill up a bowl and microwave for a meal. I might add nuts or seeds or peanuts or beans or some other vegan protein food, and sometimes an ounce of cheese (which I also separate into portions and freeze).
I even freeze avocado, since I don't always want to just eat the whole thing.... I got used to simple meals when my allergies were diagnosed, and discovered avocados as an easy small meal. Cut open, find clean spoon, and eat from shell.... Or mash up with lemon juice or lime juice or some pineapple and enjoy. When freezing, I mash up a bunch of avocados with lemon juice. About half a mashed Haas avocado fits flat inside a zip snack bag and that's pretty fast for spreading on crackers.
I also freeze fruits in portions also, makes them handy for the vitamix or for eating directly. Most freeze nicely with no prep except cutting up melon or slicing strawberries if they're really big or peeling citrus and separating into sections. Can also portion out prepackaged frozen fruits this way.
I do have a big standup freezer, which makes things easier, but that doesn't mean you can't do this with a refrigerator's freezer especially if you can reliably get to the store more often than I can. My freezer is terribly disorganized....
I also will portion out raw veg like baby carrots for easy grabbing in the refrigerator. They seem to keep better than way. I usually eat 1/4 lb at a time. Other raw veg can be kept intact with the right containers.
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I've been doing my thing for about 3 months, lost 10lbs so far. I just want to know a REAL persons diet. Not this salmon, kale, quinoa stuff. I'm talking someone like me who has a full time job, a household and children. Someone who doesn't have the time or energy to plan and prep every meal who has to rely on frozen, pre-prepped or even fast food sometimes. What are your meals like?
I noticed that you have not been back. I hope however that you are at least reading along and have gotten some ideas on what you can cook that won't take up much of your time. There have been some great ideas on how you can manage this with your schedule. I like trying new recipes and new things so a lot of my meals take time. I do however keep stocked on things that are quick such as tacos, ground beef and pasta and I use my instant pot.
I did this recipe last night...
https://www.skinnytaste.com/angel-hair-with-zucchini-and-tomatoes-5/
Took about 15 minutes to prep and about 10 minutes to cook. I thawed some frozen cooked shrimp to add protein...roasted some broccoli and I was done. It made 5 servings so I have enough for another meal. It was great.0 -
I've been doing my thing for about 3 months, lost 10lbs so far. I just want to know a REAL persons diet. Not this salmon, kale, quinoa stuff. I'm talking someone like me who has a full time job, a household and children. Someone who doesn't have the time or energy to plan and prep every meal who has to rely on frozen, pre-prepped or even fast food sometimes. What are your meals like?
I noticed that you have not been back. I hope however that you are at least reading along and have gotten some ideas on what you can cook that won't take up much of your time. There have been some great ideas on how you can manage this with your schedule. I like trying new recipes and new things so a lot of my meals take time. I do however keep stocked on things that are quick such as tacos, ground beef and pasta and I use my instant pot.
I did this recipe last night...
https://www.skinnytaste.com/angel-hair-with-zucchini-and-tomatoes-5/
Took about 15 minutes to prep and about 10 minutes to cook. I thawed some frozen cooked shrimp to add protein...roasted some broccoli and I was done. It made 5 servings so I have enough for another meal. It was great.
Good choice supplementing that recipe with shrimp. I could also see crabmeat or chunks of fresh fish such as Halibut, cod or trout in that dish.0 -
I think not having time to cook is relative. Now with that being said, I am divorced with no kids. I do work a full time gig, maintain a house and 7 acres of property. Have a few hobbies and side work at times. I am a creature of habit. I like the same things. I meal prep for my long 12-14 hr work days and have a few stand bys work non work days.0
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I think you're over-complicating this whole cooking thing. Not every meal has to be some 30 ingredient pinterest recipe where you feel like a gourmet chef. Salmon is super easy to make. Takes about 60 seconds to prep. Pre-heat the oven. Put the salmon fillets on a baking sheet. Add a few spices. Put in the oven. Take out when it's ready. Quinoa you just boil on the stove. They don't really take any more effort than making a frozen meal. I don't exactly know what you do with kale but my understanding is it's not that hard either.
My diary is open and you won't find a whole lot of kale/quinoa/salmon meals. A lot of what I do is simple and easy, and that includes the things I cook.
Ya, my salmon recipe takes no more than 5 min to prep and then 20 minutes in the oven at 325 degrees. I'd eat salmon more often if it weren't so much more expensive than chicken. Fresh salmon is on sale this weekend at Shaw's for $6.99 a pound, which is a decent price for fresh salmon, but not when compared to chicken.
Quinoa is a lot more expensive than rice, which I prefer anyway.
But kale - give me some kale! I have 6 regular curly scotch kale in the garden right now and may get another 6 pack of dinosaur kale. Once that starts popping I will have that and Swiss chard (and a bunch of other stuff) in my smoothies for lunch. I also like kale in Thai beef salad, and other salads.
I bought bagged & chopped kale at the supermarket - once. it was tough and awful. "Baby" kale from the supermarket is much more palatable, but expensive.0
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