Quick, filling food-No cooking

tiffanyalther

Alright, so I am ridiculously busy ALL THE TIME (not an exaggeration). One of my main problems is that I would rather quickly pick up Culvers, BK, Domino's, or Subway (the thing I get is really bad for me) than make myself a meal. I need help finding good meals (not just snacks) that I can either buy, semi cheaply, or make within 15 mins dirtying no more than a pan (finding time to clean up or prep food is a major problem).

Feel free to add me if you'd like I am trying to lose 90lbs and would love to have some friends on here for support

emartin17

AM BLT

one slice of toast
tomato slices
lettuce
bacon 2 slices
egg on top

jalara

You need a cooking day once a week to make meals for the next 6 days. Do that and you'll feel more organized, solve the problem and your odds at succeeding with get much better!

Best of luck to you!

billsica

Just about anything in a can can be eaten. Soup, beans, corn, carrots. You don't even need to cook it at all.

emartin17

thai veggie potstickers from TJ's (trader joe's) with gyoza sauce are quick too
add some microwave organic brown rice and you have a complete dinner!

Joreanasaurous

Have you thought about a crock pot? Throw cans of things in it. Maybe some broth and chicken. Seasonings. And then turn it on and leave. Come home to a home cooked easy meal. Throw it into individual containers and you have meals for the week. You can freeze the rest for later use.

kasimarie29

i have just dicovered the wonderfulness of cucumber sanwiches! Take a day that you're not so busy and peel a couple cucumbers. then for lunch or dinner you just cut it in half and fill it with ham
that's a LOVELY way to have a sandwich for lunch or dinner without the bread and carbs..
you can even add a wedge of light laughing cow cheese and the whole cucumber filled with meat and cheese is only like 80 calories and it fills you up!

rachaelgifford

I think you need to be a little more realisitic about food prep. I can make a healthy meal cheaply in under 20 mins - if I dirty pans, it takes less than 10 mins to clean them.

I quite often make luncg and dinner if I am on a late shift at work - and I can easily do both in under half hour - even if i cook for both.

:-)

elaanne

I like cottage cheese, frozen fruit, and chopped almonds or cashews.

Or a piece of fruit, a couple cheese strings, and some almonds/cashews.

Or a small tortilla spread with almond butter, with a banana rolled up inside.

beanrider

Right there with you!! A lot of the time I end up making a protein shake with a banana added, just because it is quick, easy and I already know the calorie count. Look forward to seeing what gets posted on this thread, I need some ideas too.

lporter229

Deli ham, egg and cheese sandwich (add avocado if you like)
omelets
Put chicken breast and a jar of salsa in a crock pot in the morning. Use as filling for burritos, tacos or enchilladas. Add veggies or whatever other fillings you like.
Do you have a grill? Anything is easy on a grill...steak, chicken, fish. I love to make baked sweet potatoes on the grill too.

KimINfortheWin

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/15_minute_dinner_recipes?slide=1#leaderboardad

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/easy_no_cook_dinners

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/quick-healthy/no-cook-recipes-00412000067793/page17.html

http://www.food.com/recipes/no-cook

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/everyday-cooking/quick-and-easy/15-minute-meals/

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/dinner-15-minutes-selections/index.html

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/10-primal-meals-in-15-minutes-or-less/#axzz2coUqB

http://www.whfoods.com/recipestoc.php

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20405655,00.html

http://www.rd.com/slideshows/no-cook-no-bake-no-fuss-recipes/

tiffanyalther

Just about anything in a can can be eaten. Soup, beans, corn, carrots. You don't even need to cook it at all.

It sounds silly after all the junk and sodium filled foods I eat, but I do worry about the sodium content in all the canned foods... Veggie wise I would rather eat just raw..

smn76237

I keep a lot of frozen, pre-cooked things on hand, so all I have to do is microwave. Frozen mixed veggies + frozen pre-cooked grilled tyson chicken or beef strips + 90 second brown rice can be microwaved in no time flat. Yes, the chicken and beef will have more sodium and preservatives than if you made it from raw, but eh, doesn't matter.

Look up crock pot recipes that you can leave on low heat during the day so that it will be ready when you get home, like this one:
http://www.stacymakescents.com/fix-and-forget-friday-crock-pot-chicken-fajitas
Or a bunch of healthy crockpot ideas here:
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2007/07/crock-pot-recipes.html

Finally, eating fast food is possible within your calorie goals. Just look up the lower calorie items at some of your favorite/easiest places you would be stopping at. For example, Culver's original butterburger has 331 calories, their grilled chicken sandwich has 381, and their beef pot roast sandwich has 363 cals. If you pick up one of those on the way home and have a side of microwaved frozen veggies instead of buying fries, that's pretty reasonable.

tiffanyalther

I think you need to be a little more realisitic about food prep. I can make a healthy meal cheaply in under 20 mins - if I dirty pans, it takes less than 10 mins to clean them.

I quite often make luncg and dinner if I am on a late shift at work - and I can easily do both in under half hour - even if i cook for both.

:-)

30 mins is realistically hard for me. I work for 24 hours in a row (literally) 2-3 times a week. I have two short recovery days (I only work 3 hours on these days but its right after my 24 hr shifts and I am dead afterwards). I could hypothetically cook on these days but I am WORN OUT. And every other day I work a 8 hour shift at one job and a 3 hour stock shift at my other.

bec_232

Eggs, frozen steam vegetables, cooked rotisserie chicken, chicken sausages, bagged salad, sandwich stuff, etc. are all quick and filling.

The number one thing is:
Learning to batch cook (make big meals and then freeze or put in storage containers like pre-packaged meals) will help. Take an hour one day a week and cook. For example: make a meatloaf and while it's in the oven: make a munch of mixed steamed vegs, cook some pasta, sauté some chicken sausage, and buy a cooked rotisserie chicken, quick rice, bag salad, fat free shredded cheese and jar pasta sauce. You will have made: meatloaf w/vegs, pasta with chicken sausage, chopped rotisserie chicken salad over bagged salad and rotisserie. chicken with vegs, rice and melted cheese on top. All in just over an hour. Quick healthy things.

elaanne

Just about anything in a can can be eaten. Soup, beans, corn, carrots. You don't even need to cook it at all.

It sounds silly after all the junk and sodium filled foods I eat, but I do worry about the sodium content in all the canned foods... Veggie wise I would rather eat just raw..

You can always rinse canned veggies.

victoriavoodoo

Boil a dozen or 18 eggs once a week; there's a healthy protein filled snack with no sodium that you can grab and eat that is also relatively inexpensive.

Microwave steamable veggies are pretty quick.

EDIT: ooh my current favorite quick fix: drain a can of tuna and mix it with mustard. Way less calories than mayo and delicious. If you don't like mustard hummus works. This doesn't require cooking just draining and mixing.

ktsimons

I am wickely busy too, but I FORCE myself to cook one day a week...I hate to be negative, but it is very difficult to loose eating pre-packaged & restaurant foods. If you MUST eat frozen meals, please do yourself a favor and stick with Amy's Organics or some other high quality brand. Even thoes have too much soduim and really should be used sparingly.

this is my Sunday routine:

I cook a pot of something green - sauteed zuchini, roasted broccoli & cauliflour, kale with bacon - etc - google for recipes
a dozen or so boiled eggs - cool and mix with non fat greek yogurt and salt, pepper, onion powder...amazing egg salad
one family size package of boneless, skinless chicken breast - cooked on the grill but you could easily bake it in the oven
4 turkey burgers or Turkey Italian sausage (or lean beef / pork - whatever is on sale)
4 salads - lettuce, cuke, bell pepper, celery - then i cut up chicken and add other things in - feta, berries, dressing at the time i eat it...i find that dry salad lasts about 4 days without getting gross.
after fixing all the food i section it out into plastic containers and mix and match my meals during the week.

it takes about 3 hours from start to finish, but having 6 lunches and 6 dinners at my fingertips is what keeps me on plan.

Good luck to you!!

shivles

Big plate if salad with some tinned sardines, mackerel or tuna? Eggs make good snacks, pack handfuls of nuts into bags or containers and keep a couple in your bag. Stir fry is healthy and fast all in one pan.

tuffytuffy1

I was going to suggest what Victoria said, boil a dozen eggs and refridgerate, you have a ready to go snack all the time. Also, deli meat like pepper ham, turkey, etc.

MoreBean13

Get one of these:



And you can make tons of food in 15 mins. I eat a lot of 3 minute quesadillas.

ecanales52

A lot of great ideas here. My go to easy meals are PBJ on whole wheat, cottage cheese with avocado ,or yogurt with fruit. I always make a big pot of soup once a week, then throw half in the freezer to use when I'm pushed for time.

MzManiak

Get a crockpot.

Throw everything in it in the morning.

Come home to dinner ready and the house smelling yummy.

Divide what you don't eat into portions & freeze for later.

BAM! You've just made about 4 meals, depending, and assuming you are only cooking for yourself.

Do that enough times, and you'll have plenty to save you in a pinch and can cut back to only "cooking" a couple times per week.

ecanales52

A lot of great ideas here. My go to easy meals are PBJ on whole wheat, cottage cheese with avocado ,or yogurt with fruit. I always make a big pot of soup once a week, then throw half in the freezer to use when I'm pushed for time.

Confuzzled4ever

Honestly.. you're going to have to make the time to cook. Even if it's once a week on whatever day you have some time and then freeze it for the week..

Look at my blog, tons of recipes, most of them quick and easy

I recommend crock pot recipes. Throw everything in there in the morning, turn it on (i have forgotten this step numerous times!!) go to work. When you come home, dinner is ready.

Boil eggs. Eat tuna salad. Get protein bars (think thin bars are really yummy with 20g of protein and little fat. Also like simple truth nutrition bars) Toast a portabella mushroom fry and egg. Put egg over the mushroom and add cheese and whatever veggie you want (i put hot sauce too lol) and its' a yummy breakfast. Carrots.. i eat regular carrots, but baby ones work too. Oatmeal is quick and easy. Or plain greek yogurt and cut up fruit. I make smoothies everyday pretty much too. And you can put almost anything in those. (mine today was 2 kiwi, 1 banana, spinach, almond milk, flax seed and water) I cut up or shred chicken breast and saute with garlic, onion, ginger, soy sauce and wrap in a lettuce leaf or in a wrap. Top with chili paste. so good!


ETA
I just read your work schedule post.. besides the fact I think you need to quit one job for the sake of your sanity.. i amend my statement to say do the crock pot thing on your day off while you are sleeping. I mix my tuna with avocado, spinach, peppers and onions and eat with lettuce. I'll do the same to the hard boiled eggs. Omelets are a quick and easy dinner too.

amandammmq

Your work schedule sounds brutal!

I have been brainstorming while reading this thread. I think if you could put aside ONE HOUR ONLY on one of your days off, you could get pretty far. Put some eggs on to boil, grill/sautee/bake some chicken breasts, and chop up a TON of veggies to toss into salads or eat as snacks. Look into doing overnight refrigerator oatmeal (little to no prep) for some of your breakfasts. Load up on fresh fruit, single serve yogurt, almonds, cheese sticks, some peanut butter or almond butter, and some healthy crackers or something.

Refrigerator oatmeal or boiled egg with fruit for breakfast (or cereal with milk and fruit)
salad with a blob of tuna or some of your chicken for lunch... or yogurt with fruit and peanut butter with crackers
chicken with veggies for dinner

It's a start. I do think you'll have to suck it up and do a LITTLE prep, but you don't have to cook big fancy meals if you are that pressed for time.

I do a double batch of smoothies every other morning and it is pretty quick. dump everything in the blender, whiz for 45 seconds, rinse out the blender. refrigerate the second serving for the next day.

I wish you luck in paying down some of your bills, socking away some money for the future, and figuring out a meal routine that works for you.

tiffanyalther

I was going to suggest what Victoria said, boil a dozen eggs and refridgerate, you have a ready to go snack all the time. Also, deli meat like pepper ham, turkey, etc.

See I really do alright snack wise. My favorite snacks are either carrots and peach greek yogurt, cold applesauce, or pretzels and ice water lol. And I also eat a small variety of other fruits and stuff for snacks. It was just meals I was concerned about. I felt that snacking on things, even healthy things, wouldn't give me the right amount of calories/fat/proteins that I need to stay healthy and lose weight properly.

skinnymalinkyscot

Assuming you own a microwave, cooker and a fridge: Cartons of 100% juice and cartons of skimmed milk. Eggs boiled, scrambled, poached or omelettes in one pan. Jacket potatos 10 minutes in the microwave with toppings of cottage cheese (fridge), baked beans from a can, laughing cow cheese triangles lite (fridge). Boiled potatos (1 pan) cooled, cubed and with low fat mayo turned into potato salad. Potatos cut into wedges with a red onion quartered and baked in the oven with olive oil. Microwave rice & chilli (uncle bens) microwave pasta and sauce (dolmio) plain pasta cooked (1 pan) drain and add 1 jar of pasta sauce (same pan) Wholemeal tortilla wraps, wholemeal bagels, wholemeal pitta bread filled with salad and any leftover meat (no cooking) Couscous (1pan) just add hot water then any scraps of vegetables, meat etc and can eat hot or cold. Homemade soup in a pan or tinned soup. Fresh raw fruit and veg, nuts and dried fruits (no cooking). Buy one heatproof dish as well as a saucepan and bake many things in that one dish, most meat can be cooked in the oven, chicken is the leanest, if you dont have a sauce then brush with olive oil or wrap in tin foil or cover with a lid so it doesnt dry out. If you are too shattered to cook then buy wholemeal bread and make different protein based sandwiches, grab a piece of fruit and a glass of milk

tiffanyalther

Your work schedule sounds brutal!

I have been brainstorming while reading this thread. I think if you could put aside ONE HOUR ONLY on one of your days off, you could get pretty far. Put some eggs on to boil, grill/sautee/bake some chicken breasts, and chop up a TON of veggies to toss into salads or eat as snacks. Look into doing overnight refrigerator oatmeal (little to no prep) for some of your breakfasts. Load up on fresh fruit, single serve yogurt, almonds, cheese sticks, some peanut butter or almond butter, and some healthy crackers or something.

Refrigerator oatmeal or boiled egg with fruit for breakfast (or cereal with milk and fruit)
salad with a blob of tuna or some of your chicken for lunch... or yogurt with fruit and peanut butter with crackers
chicken with veggies for dinner

It's a start. I do think you'll have to suck it up and do a LITTLE prep, but you don't have to cook big fancy meals if you are that pressed for time.

I do a double batch of smoothies every other morning and it is pretty quick. dump everything in the blender, whiz for 45 seconds, rinse out the blender. refrigerate the second serving for the next day.

I wish you luck in paying down some of your bills, socking away some money for the future, and figuring out a meal routine that works for you.

Thanks for the ideas Yea haha. I also feel like once I start losing weight I won't be so exhausted on my days off but right now its rough. And cooking itself is very easy but its all the time spent shopping, and preparing, and cleaning up that is rough. On top of all my work hours I also have drive time, time I need to get ready for work, basic home tasks like laundry, and errands to pay my bills. It is rough. I have a hard time balancing sleep into my schedule right now that's why its so hard for me to imagine trying to stuff and extra 4 hours a week in the kitchen!

tiffanyalther

Honestly.. you're going to have to make the time to cook. Even if it's once a week on whatever day you have some time and then freeze it for the week..

Look at my blog, tons of recipes, most of them quick and easy

I recommend crock pot recipes. Throw everything in there in the morning, turn it on (i have forgotten this step numerous times!!) go to work. When you come home, dinner is ready.

Boil eggs. Eat tuna salad. Get protein bars (think thin bars are really yummy with 20g of protein and little fat. Also like simple truth nutrition bars) Toast a portabella mushroom fry and egg. Put egg over the mushroom and add cheese and whatever veggie you want (i put hot sauce too lol) and its' a yummy breakfast. Carrots.. i eat regular carrots, but baby ones work too. Oatmeal is quick and easy. Or plain greek yogurt and cut up fruit. I make smoothies everyday pretty much too. And you can put almost anything in those. (mine today was 2 kiwi, 1 banana, spinach, almond milk, flax seed and water) I cut up or shred chicken breast and saute with garlic, onion, ginger, soy sauce and wrap in a lettuce leaf or in a wrap. Top with chili paste. so good!


ETA
I just read your work schedule post.. besides the fact I think you need to quit one job for the sake of your sanity.. i amend my statement to say do the crock pot thing on your day off while you are sleeping. I mix my tuna with avocado, spinach, peppers and onions and eat with lettuce. I'll do the same to the hard boiled eggs. Omelets are a quick and easy dinner too.

I plan on cutting back in a couple months but right now I am in way over my head with money going out. I got into a bit of trouble with cash advances and right now I am spending 300+ a month on interest on them. So once I can get out of that circle of misery I will be able to quit one job. Maybe both depending on how things pick up with my full-time job.