canes84

canes1984

Hi. I am new here. I am trying to figure out the nutrition part. I don't like to cook. I am also not good at meal planning. Congratulations to those that are successful with weight loss. I am hoping to learn from you.

COGypsy

I despise cooking for one and do it as infrequently as humanly possible. I rely on take out, some batch cooking, and staples that require more "assembly" than cooking.

For takeout, I have a few rules that I set for myself. I don't order appetizers or dessert and limit anything ordered "for the table" to two bites/pieces. I order mindfully and focus on less caloric choices and always order some kind of extra vegetables. I only eat half the meal at a time, at the most.

A few times a year I batch cook some basic ingredients to have on hand. I brown and rinse a few pounds of ground beef and Italian sausage, and also scramble about a dozen eggs with vegetables and sausage. All of these get packaged into individual portions and frozen flat so they're more stackable. That gives me something quick on hand that I can defrost quickly in a little warm water or zap in the microwave and then be added as the protein for other meals.

Day-to-day I mostly assemble quick and easy things I have on hand. I order packets of oatmeal shake mix or have leftovers for breakfast and always add a piece of fruit. Lunch is pretty hit or miss, I rarely eat lunch, but have vegetables and dip in the late afternoon. Those I simplify by buying pre-cut veg or things like cherry tomatoes that don't need prep. Dinner almost always starts with some kind of bag of vegetables - either frozen veg or a bagged salad kit. I add protein - I keep frozen grilled chicken, shrimp, and meatballs on hand, as well as the pre-cooked stuff on hand in the freezer. I also use the pre-cooked rice and pasta bags to round things out. I use a variety of spices and sauces to mix things up.

It's not super exciting, but it's a good system for the amount of work I'm willing to put in for food prep.

nossmf

The quality of frozen meals in the grocery store freezer has improved over the years, but a lot of them still rely very heavily on tons of salt and sodium for freshness. For some people this doesn't matter, but for others like me, keeping sodium low is essential, so be sure to read labels.

COGypsy

nossmf wrote: »

The quality of frozen meals in the grocery store freezer has improved over the years, but a lot of them still rely very heavily on tons of salt and sodium for freshness. For some people this doesn't matter, but for others like me, keeping sodium low is essential, so be sure to read labels.

Frozen meals are also nearly universally disappointing in size. I'm by no means a volume eater, but always need an extra bag of vegetables or a bag of salad to round out a frozen dinner. I suggest sticking to plain frozen vegetables and plain frozen meat. Reduces additives and lets you customize the portions to your plan/needs.