Im ALWAYS busy and need some advice on food

SeasideOasis

My schedule has to be one of the ugliest things I have ever seen during the week.

Monday - Friday: I work 8am - 5pm
Mon & Wed: I have class from 6-720pm
Tue: I have class from 6:30-8:20pm
Mon-Wed: I try to workout after class
Somewhere in between, I drop off Avon orders and run errands.

I have to leave straight from work to get to class on time, so there isnt room for delay there. Also, I spend about half my time between two difference households,so easy travel is also a plus.

All that said...

Does anyone have any easy/fast/healthy recipes or foods they would recommend that are store bought or homemade that would make it a little easier for me to stick to eating right, but not getting robotic? People order out at work ALL the time, if my lunches are changing and staying fun, Im less likely to give in to temptation. Any help would be GREAT!

hroush

My schedule during the week is insane as well, so what I do is make a huge meal on the weekend and then I have the leftovers for the week. I love using my crock pot for this as I just throw stuff in there in the morning and then it is done in time for supper. Check further in the recipe section for a crock pot thread. My crock pot is 7 qts. and makes about 12-14 servings easily.

Shaye85

pre make your meals for the week and take them with you.

ickybella

http://www.self.com/fooddiet/2009/10/cook-once-eat-healthy-all-week-slideshow#slide=1

SeasideOasis

My schedule during the week is insane as well, so what I do is make a huge meal on the weekend and then I have the leftovers for the week. I love using my crock pot for this as I just throw stuff in there in the morning and then it is done in time for supper. Check further in the recipe section for a crock pot thread. My crock pot is 7 qts. and makes about 12-14 servings easily.

Crock Pot! I absolutely forgot about using that guy!! 'Set it and forget it'

Kminor67

Try doing the majority of your cooking on the weekends, and then freeze the meals so that all you have to do is reheat and eat!

HalfofHilary

pre make your meals for the week and take them with you.

AGREE! I have a friend and we do meal trades. We both cook 2 big meals for the next week on the weekends, and trade half of it to each other. So you basically get 4 meals! It can all be frozen into individually sized portions so you just take it out of the freezer in the moring and go.

cem2168

Hi! I am in college and I am always on the run to class or somewhere. Something that I find helps a ton are store bought salads. Supermarkets are doing a great job of incorporating tons of great toping ideas into their salad bars and its almost as easy as going through a drive through! I also love "Flat Out Light" wraps. They are 90 calories a wrap and dont taste like cardboard like a lot of low-cal wraps do. Its easy to make a quick wrap with lots of veggies, some hummus and turkey and bring it with you for the day Another one of my personal favorites is a peanut butter and pear sandwich. I use an Arnold's sandwich flat that is 100 cals, some "better'n Peanut Butter" which has half the cals and fat of regular peanut butter (not quite as nutty as normal PB but it does the trick for me!) and slice up a pare instead of using jelly. Its a more hardy spin on the usual PB and J! Some quick on the go snacks that might be good would be almonds, greek yogurt with a piece of fruit or even Kale Chips. I hope that helps!

Cmuchoa

I agree - with yr schedule you should prepare all yr foods at home whenever possible - cook big meals on the weekend like suggested above and bring leftovers. Don't get into ordering food at work - once people see you bringing meals in from home and eating healthy you will be surprised because it will get them thinking of what they are eating and how much money they spend each day. It will eventually rub off on one or two people and soon they all will bring lunch from home. Do not purchase packaged foods as they contain too many things that you really don't want in yr body - once in awhile is ok if you are in a pinch but not all the time. Cook yr own food so you know exactly what is going into yr body - resturant food always tastes good and it's because they put everything in it and the portions are always too much for one meal.

Juliane_

I can't live without my crockpot. It's a lifesaver. I've been on a mission to collect Crockpot recipes anywhere and everywhere. This weekend I bought "Fix it and forget it Lightly". I hope to get some good recipes out of there.

I also make pasta on Sunday to have on Monday. It stores in the fridge and all you have to do is warm it up the next day. On Sunday I also put dry beans in the crockpot. Once they are soft I add my seasonings for "stewed beans" or Spanish people call them "Habichuelas guisadas". I then use canning jars (about 4-5) to store the beans in the fridge (we eat them a lot during the week). There you go, my "Goya Ready to Heat and Serve" can of beans.

abyt42

My schedule during the week is insane as well, so what I do is make a huge meal on the weekend and then I have the leftovers for the week. I love using my crock pot for this as I just throw stuff in there in the morning and then it is done in time for supper. Check further in the recipe section for a crock pot thread. My crock pot is 7 qts. and makes about 12-14 servings easily.

This.... though I leave for work at 6 AM and return home around 7:30 PM, I find a big cooking day on Sunday turns into enough portable lunches and quickly reheated dinners to keep me from bad choices.

Saturday before I went to bed, I put a mess of beans, lentils and barley in the crockpot. Sunday morning, I sauted onions, peppers, carrot and cabbage. I stirred some oregano, garlic, anaheim chiles and chile powder into some of the beans & veg; basil, garlic, oregano, tomato paste into some; and now I have two slightly different dishes to enjoy this week.

I also made bierocks, which make fabulous fast lunches to eat on the go.

outersoul

I didn't see Sunday or Saturday mentioned. I do as much prep as possible on Sundays not just food but the week in general. I get all my laundry done and clothes prepped for the week, ironed and all. I don't go as far as preplanning my meals but I have a good idea on what I'm eating for dinner based on my week's schedule. I also pack my food every night before I go to bed. If it's ready to go, I close my lunch bag so I just have to wake up and grab it on my way out the door. If something needs to be refrigerated, I leave my lunch bag open to cue me that I have to grab something.

I'm just like you with being busy. I have 3 kids that are in sports and we practice 5 days a week and have games all weekend. I have one in two sports even. You just have to make the time.

I've gone to buying more fresh fruit and protein shakes and packing them. They are fast and require no prep.

SeasideOasis

I didn't see Sunday or Saturday mentioned. I do as much prep as possible on Sundays not just food but the week in general. I get all my laundry done and clothes prepped for the week, ironed and all. I don't go as far as preplanning my meals but I have a good idea on what I'm eating for dinner based on my week's schedule. I also pack my food every night before I go to bed. If it's ready to go, I close my lunch bag so I just have to wake up and grab it on my way out the door. If something needs to be refrigerated, I leave my lunch bag open to cue me that I have to grab something.

I'm just like you with being busy. I have 3 kids that are in sports and we practice 5 days a week and have games all weekend. I have one in two sports even. You just have to make the time.

I've gone to buying more fresh fruit and protein shakes and packing them. They are fast and require no prep.

Saturday and Sundays are always up in the air. Soon, those will be filled with weddings (I have never in my life had so many weddings as I do this year....8 and counting). Currently, Saturdays are hodge podge days, while Sundays are usually full of homework and tango (yes, a lovely dance and great workout for those you want to try). However, is definitely seems like cooking on Saturdays and Sundays might be my best option.

outersoul

Saturday and Sundays are always up in the air. Soon, those will be filled with weddings (I have never in my life had so many weddings as I do this year....8 and counting). Currently, Saturdays are hodge podge days, while Sundays are usually full of homework and tango (yes, a lovely dance and great workout for those you want to try). However, is definitely seems like cooking on Saturdays and Sundays might be my best option.

I think you just have to make time. I know it's hard but you HAVE to do it. Getting in shape has a whole lot to do with things other than exercising. It also means whipping your time management in shape and your brain in shape too.

SeasideOasis

So far, LOTS of great ideas! I need to write then down in my notebook!

As everyone has sort of made comment to, I should probably begin cooking larger meals on the weekends. Which means, I should probably purchase more to go Tupperware as well.

Since dinner times are non-existent for me (during the week), I think I will probably go more 'calories heavy' for breakfast and lunch and having dinner for protein shakes/bars that I can drink and munch on before/during my classes.

Thanks for all your help everyone! All the posts are so helpful!

SeasideOasis

Saturday and Sundays are always up in the air. Soon, those will be filled with weddings (I have never in my life had so many weddings as I do this year....8 and counting). Currently, Saturdays are hodge podge days, while Sundays are usually full of homework and tango (yes, a lovely dance and great workout for those you want to try). However, is definitely seems like cooking on Saturdays and Sundays might be my best option.

I think you just have to make time. I know it's hard but you HAVE to do it. Getting in shape has a whole lot to do with things other than exercising. It also means whipping your time management in shape and your brain in shape too.

If there were FB, I would just resort to pressing 'like' on this post You're right, its about putting forth that little extra effort in order to get back into the healthy shape I want. Thanks for that reminder

jojoworks

I can't live without my crockpot. It's a lifesaver. I've been on a mission to collect Crockpot recipes anywhere and everywhere. This weekend I bought "Fix it and forget it Lightly". I hope to get some good recipes out of there.

I also make pasta on Sunday to have on Monday. It stores in the fridge and all you have to do is warm it up the next day. On Sunday I also put dry beans in the crockpot. Once they are soft I add my seasonings for "stewed beans" or Spanish people call them "Habichuelas guisadas". I then use canning jars (about 4-5) to store the beans in the fridge (we eat them a lot during the week). There you go, my "Goya Ready to Heat and Serve" can of beans.

you may want to check out this slow cooker blog: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

jojoworks

Saturday and Sundays are always up in the air. Soon, those will be filled with weddings (I have never in my life had so many weddings as I do this year....8 and counting). Currently, Saturdays are hodge podge days, while Sundays are usually full of homework and tango (yes, a lovely dance and great workout for those you want to try). However, is definitely seems like cooking on Saturdays and Sundays might be my best option.

I think you just have to make time. I know it's hard but you HAVE to do it. Getting in shape has a whole lot to do with things other than exercising. It also means whipping your time management in shape and your brain in shape too.

If there were FB, I would just resort to pressing 'like' on this post You're right, its about putting forth that little extra effort in order to get back into the healthy shape I want. Thanks for that reminder

I totally agree! Weekends I plan to make enough food for most of the week: a soup, steel-cut oats, roasted beets and my salad dressing. Then when I get home in the evenings I put together my breakfast and lunch for the next day so I only have to grab it out of the fridge in the morning. Also, when I pack my lunch for the next day I always include baggies of sliced veggies and approx .5 oz of cheese and .5 oz of sunnies to munch on after work. This helps me avoid walking in the door in a MUST EAT NOW frame of mind.

good luck and happy eating!

ttkc

I like non fat vanilla yogurt, crushed fresh fruit(strawberries are easy), 1 cup "Just Right" or "Kashi" cereal and two packets sweet n low. You can eat a lot of this. I like it for breakfast, but have had it for dinners as well. Also, we have Fit Foods here in Houston, and they keep well in the frig so you can just heat them up. Calories are already on the meals for easy tracking.

Juliane_

Thank you Jojo!

ttkc

If I am really on the run, McDonalds has 165 cal. grilled chicken wrap, and TacoBell has chicken taco frscas at 170 cal., Burger King has a veggie burger without cheese and mustard instead of mayo for 340 cal. I also try to carry the spray fat free dressings in my purse and then can order salads through the drive thru and spray my own dressing.

ahappyapple

Put salad in a ziploc with dressing and you can just eat it out of the bag on the go (don't forget your fork). I also love to bring protein/fiber bars with me everywhere I go.

jojoworks

Thank you Jojo!

you're so very welcome juliane!

outersoul

Saturday and Sundays are always up in the air. Soon, those will be filled with weddings (I have never in my life had so many weddings as I do this year....8 and counting). Currently, Saturdays are hodge podge days, while Sundays are usually full of homework and tango (yes, a lovely dance and great workout for those you want to try). However, is definitely seems like cooking on Saturdays and Sundays might be my best option.

I think you just have to make time. I know it's hard but you HAVE to do it. Getting in shape has a whole lot to do with things other than exercising. It also means whipping your time management in shape and your brain in shape too.

If there were FB, I would just resort to pressing 'like' on this post You're right, its about putting forth that little extra effort in order to get back into the healthy shape I want. Thanks for that reminder

Thank you! It's what gets me through my weeks and that little change, prepping for the week, has made all the difference for me.

TenaciousTAZ

I often plan my meals the night before or a week ahead of time. Plastic containers work wonders!! I also would carry jerky, nuts and protein bars in my purse so I had no excuse to go out to eat. If you organize ahead of time, you can make a crazy schedule work.