When did you stop seeing fast food as an option?
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joshmobley wrote: »Relying on fast food for lunches or when I don’t want to cook or when I’m tired and want a motivation to get out of the house on time is one of my absolute worst habits for both my wallet and my weight/health. I didn’t always see it as an option. I used to never spend money on food when I was young, and it just never occurred to me to go into these places. University changed that and I’m finding it harder to go back to “boring” home foods like sandwiches from the freezer or spice-less curry lentils (the grocery store curry powder is just such a sad bland spice). I’m no cook and a “simple” meal can often mean hours of work because I make mistakes and can’t seem to do 2 things at once (like stir and chop). It makes me feel dumb, then I avoid it. Which is even more dumb.
I really want to cook vegan or vegetarian meals (mainly because my access to refrigeration during the day is inconsistent and I want to avoid poisoning myself - but also ethical reasons). But everything seems so complicated! I don’t even know where to buy setein (spelling?) let alone cook it.
But I’m living on ~$12,000/year trying to make my income go to school to reduce debt (also living at home). I can’t keep overspending on eating out, but buying strange ingredients I don’t know how to use is also intimidating.
I can make 3 meals: (bland) curry lentils & uncle Ben rice, white beans & quinoa, and a black bean and quinoa soup. The spices I use are: garlic, chipotle peppers, and (bland grocery store) curry powder. The cookbooks I have are confusing and require so many ingredients I can’t find. I also need to be able to freeze whatever I make for a week+ of use (I can really Only cook once a week because it takes like 4h for me to do simple things). But I am so sick of these 3 recipes!
Help??? 😞
So are you eating vegan-friendly fast food?
Nope. I want to work on being more vegetarian and incorporating more vegan things. Maybe I started too ambitiously?
But wow I’ve got so much good advice from most of the replies here thank you so much!!! I’m not on Pinterest and I thought it was mostly for fashion or decor and I’m not into that, I didn’t realize it was for recipes. I google stuff sometimes- that’s how I found my 3 recipes. But I couldn’t find anything different- I think I’ve got lots more suggestions here, especially with spicing. Indian spices are so delicious and the no name curry powder has been so sad. I’ll poke around the international aisle and other stuff!
I honestly feel intimidated by the crock pot! We have one but it seems easier to use a pot on the stove than try to figure out how all the pieces fit together and remember to take it out X number of hours later. Also maybe my parents need to use it and if I put something in it I’ve taken over idk I don’t want to be in the way! My partner has an insta pot that they aren’t using and offered to me so maybe I’ll take that up - at least then I’m not sharing and I don’t have to feel guilty if it’s in use or I need to soak it etc.
Also a lot of people suggested eggs and stir fry - I was under the impression fresh veg was too expensive/would go to waste if I froze things or they would not freeze and microwave well? And I don’t know about eggs do they freeze?
I’m also not sure if even organic/free range are “ethical”? I’ve done reading but it seems complicated. I don’t want to start relying on stuff that isn’t sustainable. I don’t think I’ll ever manage to be 100% vegan but I figured at least with what I make I can do my best. But I seem to get overwhelmed really fast.
I did get the “everything vegetarian” cookbook ages ago but it’s so massive I get scared looking at it 😖 I guess I just keep getting super intimidated by all this and it’s not helping lol
Also re: the comments about my income being decent - it’s not disposable. I’m allowed to buy necessities but 80% at least should be going to paying for school. The fact I rely on buying food is a massive problem and could result in me graduating with way more debt than I should have. 😣 so it’s really not about weight even though it’s important I really have to get on top of this!
The crock pot is honestly the least intimidating kitchen appliance because it's very, very hard to burn food in it
Just don't let everything cook dry and be careful turning it on the highest setting until you know how hot your crock pot gets.
The best beginner crock pot application is dried beans. Throw them in the crock pot with plenty of water, and any seasonings you want. Turn on the crock pot. Walk away. A few hours later, you have plenty of beans that you can eat as is or put in other things, for much less than the cost of canned beans. You can freeze cooked beans if you won't eat them soon. Easy, cheap uses for your beans include bean soup, beans and rice, burritos, salad toppings, molletes (Mexican style beans and cheese on toast), bean enchiladas, bean and cheese pasta.
I also like to use my crock pot for spaghetti sauce and vegetarian chili, both of which also freeze nicely. If my freezer is empty, then I will cook pinto beans on day 1, black beans on day 2, and then throw some of each into chili on day 3.
I did fully burn the chili-less chili yesterday 😭
I have very limited freezer space (around 1/8th or 1/16th depending on the day of the week), so canned beans are fine, but I’m definitely trying that in the future.
Thank you!1 -
franchescawyatt wrote: »I often cook Jamie Oliver 5 ingredient meals. There are a number of vegetarian recipes in his book. You can also find some of his recipes for free on his website https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/category/books/5-ingredients-quick-easy-food-recipes/
They all tell you how simple or difficult the dish is to cook and it gives you a calorie breakdown on each page which I find useful. As each recipes only have 5 ingredients you don't end up with lots of ingredients you will never use again.
Thank you, saved!!0 -
corinasue1143 wrote: »A thought. Start simple. One week, make a lot of rice. Freeze some. Put some in fridge.
First night, chop whatever veggies you have that sound good. Stir fry, starting with hardest veggies first, like onions, carrots, then add semi hard, like green peppers, celery, then add softer ones, like broccoli, tomatoes, etc. start with 2 or 3 veggies, add as you get braver and more familiar with how to cook them. Of course add salt and pepper.
Second night, add a can of your favorite beans to rice for rice and beans.
Third night, add a small can of spaghetti sauce, or tomato sauce with some spices.
Fourth night, use some different veggies than first night.
Fifth night, scramble an egg, add with peas and soy sauce to your rice for fried rice.
Of course you can also add meat if you like.
By the end of the week, you will be sick of rice, but these ideas are all quick, and you will really learn a lot quick about what veggies go well together, and what you like and can do quick and easy. And when you thaw and use the frozen rice, you will find out how well rice freezes.
Next week, beans. Same song, second verse.
Bean soup one night?
Chili powder, onions, tomatoes for vegetarian chili?
Third week, ???
Maybe quinoa
Quinoa salad?
Maybe lentils
Nice ideas! Thank you.
I work late and need to carry all my food for the day with me (breakfast tea lunch and dinner) so I usually try to have everything frozen and ready to be packed to go. I’m trying to cook and make sandwiches on Sundays so I have the same thing every day for 6 days, then repeat. I don’t have access to a refrigerator or a stove during the day! So it has to be done all in advanced and ideally low profile in the freezer.0 -
It's still an option. You can order a Wendy's Apple Pecan salad with grilled chicken (full size) for 570 calories, 440 calories without the pecans.0
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Or it is an option as part of weekly calories. You can order most things and fit them in sometimes, if you want to
But, like I said, thread title is misleading and OP has clarified that already0 -
Instant Pot! Oatmeal, rice, beans, steamed veggies, potatoes. All are dirt cheap and go a long way.0
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joshmobley wrote: »Relying on fast food for lunches or when I don’t want to cook or when I’m tired and want a motivation to get out of the house on time is one of my absolute worst habits for both my wallet and my weight/health. I didn’t always see it as an option. I used to never spend money on food when I was young, and it just never occurred to me to go into these places. University changed that and I’m finding it harder to go back to “boring” home foods like sandwiches from the freezer or spice-less curry lentils (the grocery store curry powder is just such a sad bland spice). I’m no cook and a “simple” meal can often mean hours of work because I make mistakes and can’t seem to do 2 things at once (like stir and chop). It makes me feel dumb, then I avoid it. Which is even more dumb.
I really want to cook vegan or vegetarian meals (mainly because my access to refrigeration during the day is inconsistent and I want to avoid poisoning myself - but also ethical reasons). But everything seems so complicated! I don’t even know where to buy setein (spelling?) let alone cook it.
But I’m living on ~$12,000/year trying to make my income go to school to reduce debt (also living at home). I can’t keep overspending on eating out, but buying strange ingredients I don’t know how to use is also intimidating.
I can make 3 meals: (bland) curry lentils & uncle Ben rice, white beans & quinoa, and a black bean and quinoa soup. The spices I use are: garlic, chipotle peppers, and (bland grocery store) curry powder. The cookbooks I have are confusing and require so many ingredients I can’t find. I also need to be able to freeze whatever I make for a week+ of use (I can really Only cook once a week because it takes like 4h for me to do simple things). But I am so sick of these 3 recipes!
Help??? 😞
So are you eating vegan-friendly fast food?
Nope. I want to work on being more vegetarian and incorporating more vegan things. Maybe I started too ambitiously?
But wow I’ve got so much good advice from most of the replies here thank you so much!!! I’m not on Pinterest and I thought it was mostly for fashion or decor and I’m not into that, I didn’t realize it was for recipes. I google stuff sometimes- that’s how I found my 3 recipes. But I couldn’t find anything different- I think I’ve got lots more suggestions here, especially with spicing. Indian spices are so delicious and the no name curry powder has been so sad. I’ll poke around the international aisle and other stuff!
I honestly feel intimidated by the crock pot! We have one but it seems easier to use a pot on the stove than try to figure out how all the pieces fit together and remember to take it out X number of hours later. Also maybe my parents need to use it and if I put something in it I’ve taken over idk I don’t want to be in the way! My partner has an insta pot that they aren’t using and offered to me so maybe I’ll take that up - at least then I’m not sharing and I don’t have to feel guilty if it’s in use or I need to soak it etc.
Also a lot of people suggested eggs and stir fry - I was under the impression fresh veg was too expensive/would go to waste if I froze things or they would not freeze and microwave well? And I don’t know about eggs do they freeze?
I’m also not sure if even organic/free range are “ethical”? I’ve done reading but it seems complicated. I don’t want to start relying on stuff that isn’t sustainable. I don’t think I’ll ever manage to be 100% vegan but I figured at least with what I make I can do my best. But I seem to get overwhelmed really fast.
I did get the “everything vegetarian” cookbook ages ago but it’s so massive I get scared looking at it 😖 I guess I just keep getting super intimidated by all this and it’s not helping lol
Also re: the comments about my income being decent - it’s not disposable. I’m allowed to buy necessities but 80% at least should be going to paying for school. The fact I rely on buying food is a massive problem and could result in me graduating with way more debt than I should have. 😣 so it’s really not about weight even though it’s important I really have to get on top of this!
The crock pot is honestly the least intimidating kitchen appliance because it's very, very hard to burn food in it Just don't let everything cook dry and be careful turning it on the highest setting until you know how hot your crock pot gets.
The best beginner crock pot application is dried beans. Throw them in the crock pot with plenty of water, and any seasonings you want. Turn on the crock pot. Walk away. A few hours later, you have plenty of beans that you can eat as is or put in other things, for much less than the cost of canned beans. You can freeze cooked beans if you won't eat them soon. Easy, cheap uses for your beans include bean soup, beans and rice, burritos, salad toppings, molletes (Mexican style beans and cheese on toast), bean enchiladas, bean and cheese pasta.
I also like to use my crock pot for spaghetti sauce and vegetarian chili, both of which also freeze nicely. If my freezer is empty, then I will cook pinto beans on day 1, black beans on day 2, and then throw some of each into chili on day 3.
I did fully burn the chili-less chili yesterday 😭
I have very limited freezer space (around 1/8th or 1/16th depending on the day of the week), so canned beans are fine, but I’m definitely trying that in the future.
Thank you!
A timer is your friend. Your phone, a stand alone kitchen timer, your watch, the oven/range's timer function. Timers are useful if you don't think that you'll be able to remember when you need to check on something or when something will be done.0 -
joshmobley wrote: »Relying on fast food for lunches or when I don’t want to cook or when I’m tired and want a motivation to get out of the house on time is one of my absolute worst habits for both my wallet and my weight/health. I didn’t always see it as an option. I used to never spend money on food when I was young, and it just never occurred to me to go into these places. University changed that and I’m finding it harder to go back to “boring” home foods like sandwiches from the freezer or spice-less curry lentils (the grocery store curry powder is just such a sad bland spice). I’m no cook and a “simple” meal can often mean hours of work because I make mistakes and can’t seem to do 2 things at once (like stir and chop). It makes me feel dumb, then I avoid it. Which is even more dumb.
I really want to cook vegan or vegetarian meals (mainly because my access to refrigeration during the day is inconsistent and I want to avoid poisoning myself - but also ethical reasons). But everything seems so complicated! I don’t even know where to buy setein (spelling?) let alone cook it.
But I’m living on ~$12,000/year trying to make my income go to school to reduce debt (also living at home). I can’t keep overspending on eating out, but buying strange ingredients I don’t know how to use is also intimidating.
I can make 3 meals: (bland) curry lentils & uncle Ben rice, white beans & quinoa, and a black bean and quinoa soup. The spices I use are: garlic, chipotle peppers, and (bland grocery store) curry powder. The cookbooks I have are confusing and require so many ingredients I can’t find. I also need to be able to freeze whatever I make for a week+ of use (I can really Only cook once a week because it takes like 4h for me to do simple things). But I am so sick of these 3 recipes!
Help??? 😞
So are you eating vegan-friendly fast food?
Nope. I want to work on being more vegetarian and incorporating more vegan things. Maybe I started too ambitiously?
But wow I’ve got so much good advice from most of the replies here thank you so much!!! I’m not on Pinterest and I thought it was mostly for fashion or decor and I’m not into that, I didn’t realize it was for recipes. I google stuff sometimes- that’s how I found my 3 recipes. But I couldn’t find anything different- I think I’ve got lots more suggestions here, especially with spicing. Indian spices are so delicious and the no name curry powder has been so sad. I’ll poke around the international aisle and other stuff!
I honestly feel intimidated by the crock pot! We have one but it seems easier to use a pot on the stove than try to figure out how all the pieces fit together and remember to take it out X number of hours later. Also maybe my parents need to use it and if I put something in it I’ve taken over idk I don’t want to be in the way! My partner has an insta pot that they aren’t using and offered to me so maybe I’ll take that up - at least then I’m not sharing and I don’t have to feel guilty if it’s in use or I need to soak it etc.
Also a lot of people suggested eggs and stir fry - I was under the impression fresh veg was too expensive/would go to waste if I froze things or they would not freeze and microwave well? And I don’t know about eggs do they freeze?
I’m also not sure if even organic/free range are “ethical”? I’ve done reading but it seems complicated. I don’t want to start relying on stuff that isn’t sustainable. I don’t think I’ll ever manage to be 100% vegan but I figured at least with what I make I can do my best. But I seem to get overwhelmed really fast.
I did get the “everything vegetarian” cookbook ages ago but it’s so massive I get scared looking at it 😖 I guess I just keep getting super intimidated by all this and it’s not helping lol
Also re: the comments about my income being decent - it’s not disposable. I’m allowed to buy necessities but 80% at least should be going to paying for school. The fact I rely on buying food is a massive problem and could result in me graduating with way more debt than I should have. 😣 so it’s really not about weight even though it’s important I really have to get on top of this!
The crock pot is honestly the least intimidating kitchen appliance because it's very, very hard to burn food in it Just don't let everything cook dry and be careful turning it on the highest setting until you know how hot your crock pot gets.
The best beginner crock pot application is dried beans. Throw them in the crock pot with plenty of water, and any seasonings you want. Turn on the crock pot. Walk away. A few hours later, you have plenty of beans that you can eat as is or put in other things, for much less than the cost of canned beans. You can freeze cooked beans if you won't eat them soon. Easy, cheap uses for your beans include bean soup, beans and rice, burritos, salad toppings, molletes (Mexican style beans and cheese on toast), bean enchiladas, bean and cheese pasta.
I also like to use my crock pot for spaghetti sauce and vegetarian chili, both of which also freeze nicely. If my freezer is empty, then I will cook pinto beans on day 1, black beans on day 2, and then throw some of each into chili on day 3.
I did fully burn the chili-less chili yesterday 😭
I have very limited freezer space (around 1/8th or 1/16th depending on the day of the week), so canned beans are fine, but I’m definitely trying that in the future.
Thank you!
A timer is your friend. Your phone, a stand alone kitchen timer, your watch, the oven/range's timer function. Timers are useful if you don't think that you'll be able to remember when you need to check on something or when something will be done.
Okay so what happened is that the recipe said 4-6h in the crock pot, then 30min on high so I set it for 5h and checked at 4:30 and one side had a small burnt crust I did my best to leave behind. My mom thought that because I made it without meat it didn’t need as long to cook 🤷🏻♀️ it genuinely tastes fine though even though there’s no chili powder!0 -
For me? never.
Fast food is awesome because it's fast and I have to dedicate a bare minimum of time, effort and skill to preparing it. Fast food is perfect for me.1 -
Can you take an insulated lunch bag with one of those refreezable blue things? I had to keep my medication cool recently when my AC went out and found that one large blue thingy in a purse sized cooler kept the temperature nearly as cold as a fridge for several hours.0
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joshmobley wrote: »Relying on fast food for lunches or when I don’t want to cook or when I’m tired and want a motivation to get out of the house on time is one of my absolute worst habits for both my wallet and my weight/health. I didn’t always see it as an option. I used to never spend money on food when I was young, and it just never occurred to me to go into these places. University changed that and I’m finding it harder to go back to “boring” home foods like sandwiches from the freezer or spice-less curry lentils (the grocery store curry powder is just such a sad bland spice). I’m no cook and a “simple” meal can often mean hours of work because I make mistakes and can’t seem to do 2 things at once (like stir and chop). It makes me feel dumb, then I avoid it. Which is even more dumb.
I really want to cook vegan or vegetarian meals (mainly because my access to refrigeration during the day is inconsistent and I want to avoid poisoning myself - but also ethical reasons). But everything seems so complicated! I don’t even know where to buy setein (spelling?) let alone cook it.
But I’m living on ~$12,000/year trying to make my income go to school to reduce debt (also living at home). I can’t keep overspending on eating out, but buying strange ingredients I don’t know how to use is also intimidating.
I can make 3 meals: (bland) curry lentils & uncle Ben rice, white beans & quinoa, and a black bean and quinoa soup. The spices I use are: garlic, chipotle peppers, and (bland grocery store) curry powder. The cookbooks I have are confusing and require so many ingredients I can’t find. I also need to be able to freeze whatever I make for a week+ of use (I can really Only cook once a week because it takes like 4h for me to do simple things). But I am so sick of these 3 recipes!
Help??? 😞
So are you eating vegan-friendly fast food?
Nope. I want to work on being more vegetarian and incorporating more vegan things. Maybe I started too ambitiously?
But wow I’ve got so much good advice from most of the replies here thank you so much!!! I’m not on Pinterest and I thought it was mostly for fashion or decor and I’m not into that, I didn’t realize it was for recipes. I google stuff sometimes- that’s how I found my 3 recipes. But I couldn’t find anything different- I think I’ve got lots more suggestions here, especially with spicing. Indian spices are so delicious and the no name curry powder has been so sad. I’ll poke around the international aisle and other stuff!
I honestly feel intimidated by the crock pot! We have one but it seems easier to use a pot on the stove than try to figure out how all the pieces fit together and remember to take it out X number of hours later. Also maybe my parents need to use it and if I put something in it I’ve taken over idk I don’t want to be in the way! My partner has an insta pot that they aren’t using and offered to me so maybe I’ll take that up - at least then I’m not sharing and I don’t have to feel guilty if it’s in use or I need to soak it etc.
Also a lot of people suggested eggs and stir fry - I was under the impression fresh veg was too expensive/would go to waste if I froze things or they would not freeze and microwave well? And I don’t know about eggs do they freeze?
I’m also not sure if even organic/free range are “ethical”? I’ve done reading but it seems complicated. I don’t want to start relying on stuff that isn’t sustainable. I don’t think I’ll ever manage to be 100% vegan but I figured at least with what I make I can do my best. But I seem to get overwhelmed really fast.
I did get the “everything vegetarian” cookbook ages ago but it’s so massive I get scared looking at it 😖 I guess I just keep getting super intimidated by all this and it’s not helping lol
Also re: the comments about my income being decent - it’s not disposable. I’m allowed to buy necessities but 80% at least should be going to paying for school. The fact I rely on buying food is a massive problem and could result in me graduating with way more debt than I should have. 😣 so it’s really not about weight even though it’s important I really have to get on top of this!
The crock pot is honestly the least intimidating kitchen appliance because it's very, very hard to burn food in it Just don't let everything cook dry and be careful turning it on the highest setting until you know how hot your crock pot gets.
The best beginner crock pot application is dried beans. Throw them in the crock pot with plenty of water, and any seasonings you want. Turn on the crock pot. Walk away. A few hours later, you have plenty of beans that you can eat as is or put in other things, for much less than the cost of canned beans. You can freeze cooked beans if you won't eat them soon. Easy, cheap uses for your beans include bean soup, beans and rice, burritos, salad toppings, molletes (Mexican style beans and cheese on toast), bean enchiladas, bean and cheese pasta.
I also like to use my crock pot for spaghetti sauce and vegetarian chili, both of which also freeze nicely. If my freezer is empty, then I will cook pinto beans on day 1, black beans on day 2, and then throw some of each into chili on day 3.
I did fully burn the chili-less chili yesterday 😭
I have very limited freezer space (around 1/8th or 1/16th depending on the day of the week), so canned beans are fine, but I’m definitely trying that in the future.
Thank you!
A timer is your friend. Your phone, a stand alone kitchen timer, your watch, the oven/range's timer function. Timers are useful if you don't think that you'll be able to remember when you need to check on something or when something will be done.
Okay so what happened is that the recipe said 4-6h in the crock pot, then 30min on high so I set it for 5h and checked at 4:30 and one side had a small burnt crust I did my best to leave behind. My mom thought that because I made it without meat it didn’t need as long to cook 🤷🏻♀️ it genuinely tastes fine though even though there’s no chili powder!
Oh there was just a small amount burnt? That's different than "I did fully burn the chili-less chili yesterday". I doubt it was an issue about how much or little meat was in it, more individual differences in slow cookers. I'm glad it tastes good though.2
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