What Go To Foods are in your Home at all times?

synapse0782

Hi Everyone,

I need help with an area of weakness. During the week I'm great about tracking and sticking to MFP recommendations. Over the weekend I tend to fall off the wagon, mostly because I'm eating along with my husband and don't have "alternative" foods in the house. On Sat he made Hot Wings with French Fries for dinner. On Sunday it was Baby Back Ribs with Macarroni Salad. The idea of making two different dinners seems exhausting to me. How do you all deal with this? Do you always make a separate dinner? Do you have a go-to quick dinner in the house you eat on the days where "what's for dinner" just isn't an option? I've been making myself a protein shake instead of eating, but I'm thinking this is just a bad idea because it leaves me hungry and I'm still inclined to pick at whatever my husband is eating. I could use some survival tips. I feel like if I don't get the weekends under control I'm never going to lose my weight...

jess135177

You can absolutely have hot wings and ribs. Just make sure they fit into your calorie allowance for the day. I eat what my boyfriend is eating and I usually add a low calorie vegetable side. For the wings I would have added carrot and celery sticks. For the ribs a salad or roasted broccoli.
You can eat the same delicious foods, just eat less than you normally would.

lunarastro

I always have a good supply of frozen veggies (mostly broccolli) in the steamable bags. I also always have on hand turkey burgers and salmon burgers. You can cook a salmon burger quickly and eat with a bag of steamed veggies for a filling and relativley low calorie dinner.

agar62

I agree with jess135177! if we go out to dinner on the weekends, I try to stick to water, salad as a side, less calorie main dish. If we stay in, I try to watch the portions. Wings aren't so bad, if you don't partake of the fries. Also, if you know dinner is going to be a doozy on the diet, try to eat light for breakfast and lunch, only drink water, and get a workout in if possible. as long as your net calories don't exceed your daily allotment, then it's ok to eat "bad" foods every once in a while.

Americannabis

My girlfriend and I make separate dinners 95% of the time and it works out for us (mostly because she's a vegetarian trying to gain weight, the opposite of me). Then again, unless she's at work, she makes her own dinner and I make mine. I'll admit to being bad an ordering takeout most Friday evenings because it's what the household does, but I'm gonna start curbing that by making sure there are filling foods here that I can have instead without feeling like I'm missing out on a "good" meal (rice and bean chips and hummus is a personal favorite go-to snack of mine). Alternatively, if I know dinner is gonna be highly calorific, I sacrifice some calories in breakfast and lunch and make sure to control the size of my portions (usually by measuring or weighing; it doesn't always deter me from overeating, but alas).

jolinemariem

Applesauce yogurt and eggs

NinjaJinja

I have no excuses - there's no one at home to sabotage me. I just do less well on the weekends because the routine that normally limits what I can have and when is gone. Anyway, go to quick meals: canned soup and canned tuna. No cooking required.

The tuna I eat chilled with black and cayenne pepper and a serving of sour cream and onion pringles. The soups are a meal unto themselves, just find a flavor you like. (My favorite is Campbell's Chunky chicken & sausage gumbo.) Beyond that, those frozen meals are pretty good, but I find the soup to be the best at filling me up.

MysteriousMerlin

You're the only one who can hold yourself accountable for what you put in your face. I'd be floored if my husband took it upon himself to actually cook something.

He knows what I'm doing food-wise, so he makes accommodations for me, without me asking, regarding certain foods. You'll need to open those lines of communications with him if you want his help and support. If you're still not getting the help you want...

I keep Healthy Choice dinners in the freezer for quick lunches. They're not too bad on sodium, and usually have decent macros, depending on which ones you choose.

I keep almond butter, natural peanut butter, low sugar jellies, english muffins, eggs cheeses like Asiago (lots of flavor for a small amount), oatmeal & bacon at all times.

banniganm

I usually don't make two dinners. I eat about 4 oz of whatever the protein is and will just make sure I skip the fries, macaroni salad, etc. I usually have several bags of frozen veggies on hand, chicken, and Light Progresso Soup (160 calories for the whole can). The soup is the quickest solution to "what's for dinner" because it heats up in a quick second. When my sons want a pizza or mcdonald's night - they eat that and I eat the soup.

skinnybythanksgiving

Baby carrots. Organic apples. Raw nuts. Cheese. Oranges. Tangerines. Eggs. Plain chips.

svsl0928

As long as you fit them in the calorie count you can eat those foods. Make sure you use portion control. Also, if my husband wants French fries, I may eat a baked potato or salad instead. I keep fruit, spinach, yogurt, 100 calorie nuts, lightly salted pringles and fiber one bars in the house.

Foodiethinking

I make a massive base mince sauce which I thrown a load of vegetables like celery and peppers etc then heat it up and add garlic and herbs for bolognese, gravy granules for shepherds pie then cumin and kidney beans for chilli. My recipe is done in the slow cooked and the base is under 200 calories per portion!

bkw99508

I just have a portion that will fit into my daily goals.

For example....last night for dinner the main dish was salmon. I asked my husband what he wanted as sides and this was our conversation (keep in mind he is not counting calories at all):

Me: What do you want as sides to go with the salmon?
Him: What I want and what I get are 2 different things.
Me: Try me, what do you want?
Him: Mac & Cheese
Me: With salmon????
Him: Yes
Me: Okay.....

So I made mac&cheese AND broccoli. He ate "some" broccoli and the mac&cheese. I didn't want to "burn" my calories with mac&cheese (had my heart set on mint chocolate chip ice cream) so I ate salmon and broccoli.

So to answer your question....I try to always have mint chocolate chip ice cream in stock at all times.

freddi11e

cook your dinner before he cooks his..... heck maybe him seeing what you're cooking will inspire him to join in. It's hard for me to sit back when my friends are all eating in'n'out haha.. i just make sure i already ate. And i ALWAYS eat a 60 calorie Dulche De Leche pudding after dinner... actually that's a lie, i have two hahah... i make sure i have something sweet after. And hey, 60 calories is less than an apple!!!

bottom line: compromise with your husband. either cook your dinner first, or chew gum until he's done, and then you can take over the kitchen!! lol

daisybug72

I generally cook. If he's having something higher fat - sausages, burgers, I often have fish, but we eat the same sides. If it's a higher cal meal and I want that (like pizza or lasagna) I make broccoli or another veg and eat that too. Or I'll have a bit of protein (yogurt, hard boiled egg) about 30 min before meal. That fills me up so I don't over indulge in the higher cal item, but still eat a small bit to satisfy my craving.

cmm7303

On Sundays I make all my food in advance (weight, measure, label all of the cooked meat) so I have it for the week. Half goes in the Fridge and half goes in the freezer. On Wednesday I pull the frozen stuff out into the fridge for use the next few days.

Sometimes I'll measure out 10 servings of chicken, 10 of rice, 10 of the veggie I'm using, 10 of cheese and make something big, and then cut it into 10 portions (because then I know what the cal count is) and then I'll have one, save one for the next day, the kids will have one each, the husband will have two, the roommate will have two and then they all have two servings left to squabble over.

But yes, it it generally separate meals.

I generally have a lot of bagged spinach, salad dressing, good cheese, TJs ground beef and broccoli in the house. For easy prep, canned chicken (in water) makes for easy meal prep...you know what the cal count is, and then you just add up whatever you cook it in.

nburdzel

I try to have the following go-tos on hand at all times; they are good for a light lunch or snacks, especially if you are trying to eat low/no carb:
-hard boiled eggs - you can eat them as is or make egg salad and eat in lettuce wraps instead of bread
-cans of tuna - can make tuna salad and eat with celery, instead of making a sandwich
-carrots & hummus
-almonds
-celery & peanutbutter
-perdue pre-cooked grilled chicken strips - can add to a salad, or can make a quick stir-fry with a bag of frozen veggies

Good Luck!!

kikisalander

Beans, chicken, peanuts, popcorn, salad mix, veggie burgers, bananas, frozen veggies

MattQuinnFitness

For awhile my go to food has been eggs. It's quick to make. I can cook eggs while cooking other stuff if I am cooking for my family. but what I discovered this last week is SteamFresh Bags of precooked food. It was about 400 calories for the dinner and was really low on the fat side! it was only $1.27 a bag and It was a good amount of food. I might eat more vegetables with it though.


Also as of today I need to lose 110.6 Pounds more to lose!

reneeileen

Frozen vegetables and salad greens. I try to find as many different types of frozen vegetable mixes as I can to keep it interesting. Buffalo wings I de-bone and put on top of a salad. I like to make my own dressing because I can keep it low cal and make it more delicious that a bottled low-fat dressing. The ribs I would probably do a mixed vegetable with it.

If you are making a different meal try to have a few things that will take minimal effort to make. Maybe check out hungry girl. She has a bunch of 5 minute recipes that are low cal. She uses a lot of processed ingredients but if you don't mind they are quick and easy to keep around.

lmhbuss

The things I always have on hand are:
fresh fruit
hummus
pretzels
eggs
lean turkey lunchmeat
good bread...I am a bread snob, if it isn't tasty, get it away from my face.
bagged salad mixes
popcorn