A REAL look at a persons food?
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I work 12 hour rotating shifts, two high school kids and a small farm. I try to meal prep as much as I can but life happens. When I do meal prep I will cook a weeks worth of meals in one sitting. I prep breakfast, lunch and snacks so I can just grab them from the fridge or freezer and go to work. I keep my ingredients simple, Meat, veggies with rice or whole wheat noodles for lunch or dinner. Breakfast is either oats or eggs with fruit. Snacks are carrots or some sort of fruit. Keep it simple when you meal prep. Something else we have started doing is get your kids involved in cooking. I have taught my son an daughter how to cook on the grill and help with making dinners. Make meal prepping is a family affair. Have your kids get out and workout with you as well. Kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, whatever. Teach them to eat and live a healthy lifestyle when they are young so it will hopefully stick with them. Best of luck and stay focused. Feel free to send friends request. I post family adventures and farm photos and videos and recipes.2
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I have a full time job, a household and three children. I know you may think you don't have the time to plan and prep, but you find if you try it for a while it actually SAVES you countless hours. Not to mention the stress of trying to figure out what you are going to eat/cook. Sit down in the evening while watching TV or something and come up with a weekly meal plan. To make it simple, plan on the same thing for breakfast, lunch and snacks for the week. Get some variety with dinner. I like to cook breakfast, lunch and prep snacks for the week on Sunday. It just takes an hour or two. I cook dinner each night, but because I know what it is going to be and I already have all the ingredients it usually only takes 15-30min. Especially if you keep it simple with a protein/carb/veggie. PRE-LOG into MFP.
I do use pre-packaged meals. This week I grabbed some chicken and mushroom stir fry from Trader Joes to eat with fried rice (for the fam) and cauliflower fried rice (for me), also from TJ. Takes about 5-10min to cook. Another 5-10min meal is grilled/sauteed shrimp with steam in the bag broccoli and a microwavable pouch of minute wild rice.7 -
MelanieCN77 wrote: »I can't get past the "real" thing, it's so dismissive and rude. One or two person households are just pretending life? People who eat kale are pulling a fast one on the world?
I prep off and on but in between I cook "from scratch" in a way that keeps my labour to less than 30 minutes per meal, 15 or less is preferable and totally doable AND my diet features thing like kale and brown rice and fish. it takes longer, it's hands off using the IP or a slow cooker. Are you all so over-scheduled that you really can't manage that or do you actually prefer the taste and convenience of the other food you mention and want a justification? Because you don't need anyone's approval, it's not just one or the other, eat a varied diet and enjoy it all.
While her wording was less than ideal, I understood what the OP was driving at. Sometimes it's nice to see examples from people whose diaries don't look like an art exhibit. Sort of like it's nice to see other people's houses with clutter and a few dirty dishes and laundry all over the couch
There's possibly an availability issue. OP is - in my opinion - illustrating this idea that there are some foods we should be ashamed to have in our diaries, and the people that eat like that AND internalize this silly idea won't be sharing their diaries as much.6 -
MelanieCN77 wrote: »MelanieCN77 wrote: »I can't get past the "real" thing, it's so dismissive and rude. One or two person households are just pretending life? People who eat kale are pulling a fast one on the world?
I prep off and on but in between I cook "from scratch" in a way that keeps my labour to less than 30 minutes per meal, 15 or less is preferable and totally doable AND my diet features thing like kale and brown rice and fish. it takes longer, it's hands off using the IP or a slow cooker. Are you all so over-scheduled that you really can't manage that or do you actually prefer the taste and convenience of the other food you mention and want a justification? Because you don't need anyone's approval, it's not just one or the other, eat a varied diet and enjoy it all.
While her wording was less than ideal, I understood what the OP was driving at. Sometimes it's nice to see examples from people whose diaries don't look like an art exhibit. Sort of like it's nice to see other people's houses with clutter and a few dirty dishes and laundry all over the couch
There's possibly an availability issue. OP is - in my opinion - illustrating this idea that there are some foods we should be ashamed to have in our diaries, and the people that eat like that AND internalize this silly idea won't be sharing their diaries as much.
When I was logging, I eventually closed my diary because I found with it open I spent way too much mental time and energy making sure it looked good, lest I be judged. Not saying that's anyone's problem but my own (realistically I know folks aren't lining up to read my food diary and pass judgement), just that there may be some merit to that line of thinking.8 -
I do plan and prep during the work week. On weekends it is a different story. I eat healthy 80% of the time. The other 20% I eat what I want and don't log on weekends. This works for me. I m able to maintain.0
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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 don't really eat kale, but we cook most of our meals at home from whole foods or minimally processed foods. We have salmon once or twice per week. We also grill a lot of chicken thighs...eat tons of veggies, etc. For our work week dinners, we keep it pretty basic...some kind of protein marinated or seasoned and put on the grill...some kind of veg side...sometimes a grain or starch. I spend no more than 30 minutes cooking, and it's usually less than that. My wife also makes these frozen Instantpot meals over the weekend and if we don't feel like cooking some night, we just pull one out of the freezer and pop it in the Instantpot.
I alternate between eggs and oats for breakfast. Lunch is often leftovers as I usually grill enough meat for dinner for us to take for lunches and my wife makes a big batch of quinoa over the weekend and then we just throw in some veggies to steam. I don't do frozen meals namely because I don't like them and you don't get very much food. I have a frozen breakfast burrito once in awhile when I'm in a rush.
We usually have pizza on Friday nights and we go out once or twice on the weekend to a restaurant.
I work full time as does my wife and I have a one hour each way commute 3 days per week. We have two boys 6 and 9, a home to tend to and an acre of property to tend to. I consider myself and my wife to be "real" people.2 -
Where are you from? I’m UK, my diary is open but might not mean too much if your elsewhere in the world. I definitely agree with meal planning. I tend to eat the same breakfast of granola, tinned fruit and yoghurt and the same dinner most days usually a salad of some sort; tuna,ham or frittata.
Evening meal I tend to join in the family meals maybe 2 nights and just eat a smaller portion, 3 evenings I’ll be at work till after kids have gone to bed so tend to eat main meal at lunchtime at work and just have the salad when I get home. The other nights I’ll cook for myself and kids will eat different. It tends to be plenty of salad, veg and small amount of protein. I will have things like rice, pasta, potato and bread but mainly on days I’m at work as 12 hour shifts and kinda need the energy.
Hope that helps x0 -
I think I probably fit the bill of the type of person you're looking for, but before we go into what I eat, I guess I have to ask why you felt compelled to word your original post the way you did. Do you feel pressured to eat a certain way, is someone telling you that you have to eat "clean" (whatever that means) in order to be successful? Did someone make a comment when you shared that you eat fast food or use convenience foods like "oh sure you can lose weight doing that but to be healthy you should cook every meal from scratch, and it really doesn't take that much extra time to do so"? Because I've seen those sorts of posts off and on, here and elsewhere, and yes, it often causes me to bristle as if my choices are somehow inconsistent with wanting to have a healthy diet for myself and my family. But yeah, suggesting that people who do cook meals at home and limit some of those other things are less "REAL" than you, or that their lives aren't as busy as yours, is basically taking the pendulum too far in the other direction. Most people on here have busy lives, careers, families (nuclear and extended), social commitments, etc. Some have even bigger challenges dealing with caregiving for ailing family members, managing their own medical conditions, etc. To suggest that what a person chooses to eat and whether they cook for themselves or rely on convenience somehow makes a person less "REAL" can be quite offputting.
Anyway - I think my diary is open but I eat a mix of things that work for my life and that varies significantly from week to week. I have a busy job that requires me to be on conference calls often at 6am and meetings can carry through till early evening, I often rush out of the office just in time to get my kids from after care to take them to one activity or another, get them fed and manage evening commitments and often don't eat myself until 8 or 9pm, often when I'm logging back in to get more work done. I also travel for work for a week or so every month which makes the balancing act even more frenetic.
I enjoy cooking and sometimes I cook from scratch, sometimes I purchase and use convenient ingredients to help me prepare quick meals at home (like bagged frozen veggies or veggie/rice blends), sometimes I rely true convenience meals like frozen breakfast bowls or frozen lunches, and yes even fast food, fast casual food, all the way up to fine dining food on occasion. I also do some meal prepping and bulk cooking when I have time and gumption to do so.
This weekend I was home and ate at a mexican restaurant Friday night, we had PB toast before baseball games Saturday, lunch from the drive through before more baseball games, a much overdue trip to the grocery store to stock up on the essentials since I had been traveling for 2 weeks straight, and then I was able to make lemon chicken asparagus risotto from scratch that night. Sunday I made biscuits and gravy for breakfast (using a packaged gravy mix and purchased pre-cooked sausage crumbles), leftovers for lunch, and then roast chicken, mashed potatoes and roast carrots for dinner (also from scratch). There will be leftovers of the risotto and the roast chicken for lunches this week. But breakfasts will likely be greek yogurt, berries and granola or prepurchased breakfast sandwiches. Dinners will be quick skillet meals, paninis, breakfast for dinner, or instant pot/crock pot since we have activities every night.
I'm always game to see what other people are eating, to get ideas and inspiration for meal planning which I know the value of but don't always prioritize - so thanks for starting the thread nonetheless and good luck with your continued success.
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Breakfast - usually eggs and bacon on a tortilla. Or oatmeal. I try not to eat bagels or cereals because they don't stick very long for me.
Lunch - Usually a turkey and salami sandwich with something on the side like cottage cheese and sliced cucumber/tomatoes. Although this week I'm branching out and doing salads (with rotisserie chicken and veges)
Dinner - different things. Off the top of my head: Steak tacos, beef stew, breakfast for dinner, pork fried rice, chicken parm, spaghetti, lasagna/baked ziti, chicken fettucini alfredo, soup with sandwiches, hamburgers/brats, pot pie, quesadillas, nachos. Once a week I probably do some basic meal that consists of some type of meat with potatos (prepared in various ways), a vegetable and rolls.
Snacks - usually I eat fruit (in the summer especially) but in the winter I might eat cheese and crackers or something like that.
signed,
a real person with a full time job and soon to be 3 children
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I'm a mom to four. Two of my children are in college; two at home. One with autism. I work full time. Leave at 6 am; return at 6 pm. I'm married but my husband works nights so it feels like being a single parent.
I cook most of our meals because it cost effective and I enjoy cooking but it's nothing elegant or time consuming. On the weekends, I prep breakfast and lunch for the workweek. This week it was boiled eggs for breakfast; bought yogurt as snacks and tuna pasta for lunch. That makes my work days and mornings easier. Open fridge, throw in lunch bag and go.
For dinner, it's normally something easy. A protein baked, grilled or pan fried. Some type of vegetable. Last night I had leftover chicken with roasted vegetables. I only had one piece of chicken left so I threw some general tso's frozen chicken kit in oven. All was cooked on a sheet pan. Line baking sheet with foil for easy clean up.
Cooking doesn't have to be complicated. People tend to make it complicated. A little olive oil, herbs and a hot oven does wonders.1 -
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
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