Ideas for food outside of work

nomoremuffintopness

I eat really really well at work and I drink my water all day here, avg of 5-6 glasses of water. When I go home, I dont do as great; usually very hungry. My husband is one of those that doesnt really gain weight and has always been thin; however he wants to lose weight too (idk why!?!) I try to make healthy meals at least twice a week, but me cooking dinner is hard. I am a new mom and right when I get home from my full time job, I spend time with the baby & take care of all kinds of baby needs, I am also exclusively pumping so that gets in the way of things sometimes as well... so with that said, my husband is the one who mostly cooks. However, since I am now logging my calories and really trying to watch my intake, I feel motivated to cook again, but need some new things to try. What Im getting at is... we're always eating the same things; do you have any ideas for something fast, easy AND healthy that could hold both of our interest? We like to eat pastas, I always use whole grain noodles and we will make chicken breasts and have mixed veggies and for instance mashed potatoes or mac n cheese on the side. We eat tacos, a mexican casserole, spaghetti, steaks (he makes those) that I cook and everything I cook I try to make "healthier". We use a lot of ground hamburger or turkey, so recipes for those would be great too. And weekends are the hard part, we usually eat out for every meal. I'd like to start cooking breakfast again. I also cant seem to stick to my water when I get home or when Im home on the weekends, I always have one Diet Dr Pepper at night with dinner, but then I dont drink anything really before or after that. Suggestions, Recipes, anything?

elainegsd

I cook on the weekends, and freeze stuff for later. Last week, it was slow cooker chicken and rice soup that is all now packaged in containers that hold a serving or two in my freezer. I also have Tuscan Bean Stew (also slow cooker), Mar-a-Lago Turkey burgers, etc. I can either pull something out and stick it in the fridge before I go to work in the morning, or just defrost in the microwave when I get home. This is much easier and healthier than depending on prepared foods. Of course, my other staples are things from Trader Joe's... Teriyaki chicken strips, lots of frozen veggies, a little bit of frozen fruit, etc. That way, when I get home, I can have a healthy dinner ready with a minimal amount of effort.

Another thing is to plan one of your snacks for right before you leave work. That will make it so you are not ravenous when you arrive home, and your eating will be healthier.

bethpeterson

I also recommend the slow cooker. I have a crock pot cookbook that has all the calories, etc for all the recipes. I am also a working mom, although no longer with an infant. I have a toddler and 2 older children. My hubby is great at following a recipe if I make sure that I leave all ingredients out for him. He "cooks" dinner while I drop the girls off at school.

Go to your local library and see if they have a "fix it and forget it - lightly" cookbook.

When you are nursing/pumping you need to stay on top of your water intake all day long. I would suggest making yourself drink 8 oz of water every time baby nurses. Water in = water out. Get a fun straw cup. Research shows you will drink more through a straw than without. Good luck & keep up the good work!

nomoremuffintopness

I cook on the weekends, and freeze stuff for later. Last week, it was slow cooker chicken and rice soup that is all now packaged in containers that hold a serving or two in my freezer. I also have Tuscan Bean Stew (also slow cooker), Mar-a-Lago Turkey burgers, etc. I can either pull something out and stick it in the fridge before I go to work in the morning, or just defrost in the microwave when I get home. This is much easier and healthier than depending on prepared foods. Of course, my other staples are things from Trader Joe's... Teriyaki chicken strips, lots of frozen veggies, a little bit of frozen fruit, etc. That way, when I get home, I can have a healthy dinner ready with a minimal amount of effort.

Another thing is to plan one of your snacks for right before you leave work. That will make it so you are not ravenous when you arrive home, and your eating will be healthier.

That would be so conveniant for us! Ive been wanting to do that but I have no idea what is good and whats not to freeze for later. My husband actually grilled a weeks worth of chicken and it made a world of a difference and I found myself eating better. I told him he needs to do that more often!

nomoremuffintopness

I also recommend the slow cooker. I have a crock pot cookbook that has all the calories, etc for all the recipes. I am also a working mom, although no longer with an infant. I have a toddler and 2 older children. My hubby is great at following a recipe if I make sure that I leave all ingredients out for him. He "cooks" dinner while I drop the girls off at school.

Go to your local library and see if they have a "fix it and forget it - lightly" cookbook.

When you are nursing/pumping you need to stay on top of your water intake all day long. I would suggest making yourself drink 8 oz of water every time baby nurses. Water in = water out. Get a fun straw cup. Research shows you will drink more through a straw than without. Good luck & keep up the good work!

Thank you, I just actually got a lot of crock pot recipes from this site yesterday. I actually exclusively pump not nurse because thats just how its been ever since she was in the hospital for 2 weeks after I had her, so I only pump 3-4x per day for 30min each time.

elainegsd

That would be so conveniant for us! Ive been wanting to do that but I have no idea what is good and whats not to freeze for later. My husband actually grilled a weeks worth of chicken and it made a world of a difference and I found myself eating better. I told him he needs to do that more often!

One of the things I did to make it easier... we have a store here called Smart and Final which sells all kinds of stuff for restaurants. I purchased a bunch of the take-out containers that are kind of like metal pie plates with paper tops, and ones that look like metal loaf pans with paper lids. I freeze things that I want to heat in the oven in those (pasta dishes, for example). The paper top makes it easy to write the contents and the date so you know what you're getting. Things that go into the microwave or on the stovetop, generally I put in plastic, then pop out into a glass bowl or sauce pan to defrost/heat.

As for what is good to freeze and what isn't, start small. Cook enough of things for a few servings to freeze, then throw them in the freezer and see how they are a few weeks later. If they didn't hold up, well, just cross that one off your list. I've found that some stuff with dairy in it separates when frozen, but soups, beans, pasta, bbq meat, etc. all do really well.