Anyone with a long commute to work?

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LBxLB
LBxLB Posts: 691 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What/How do you plan for dinner? My day usally starts 4:30 am and I'm home by 7:30 pm and honestly don't feel like cooking when I get home. Anyone in a similar situation, do you cook daily or one batch a week? And what are you cooking? My dinner usually blows my cals and/or sodium because I just grab whatever is already cooked or quick.

Thanks!
-Chantel
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Replies

  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
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    I also commute from office to home but on mornings I go along with my Dad on his car but still I have to get up 5:30am, leave home at 6:30am then get home at 7:00pm. What I do is once I get home, I go straight to our fridge to find something in the freezer & immediately soak the frozen fish or chicken in a big bowl with water to thaw it fast & at the same time I prepare other ingredients while waiting for the main ingredient to thaw. Afterwards I just either steam the fish or stir fry the chicken, veggies plus a few marinade sauces. Only takes me 15 minutes
  • njgal35
    njgal35 Posts: 28
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    cook on Sunday. And have healthy meals ready like chicken fish, fruit that is already cut up, cool water drinks.

    Also I keep apples and nuts in the car so i am not famished by the time I get home
  • smurlene
    smurlene Posts: 72
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    I have a one hour commute one way, so I hear you.

    I keep apples and nuts in the car, too, and for dinner I prep ahead of time. I make sure that I have cans of tuna and salmon in the cabinet, along with beans and cut up fresh veg.

    A typical dinner for me might take five minutes to prepare. I open a pouch of salmon, add it to a cup of black beans, some greens, and zap for 1 min. 30 seconds. It's fast and good.
  • jutymo
    jutymo Posts: 162 Member
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    I always have something that can be used for "dinner" in my freezer. leftovers, stuff I cooked on the weekend knowing I'll need it later in the week, healthy frozen foods (i.e. Amy's cheese pizza in there right now). I label all the containers in my freezer so I can see what I have and I usually take something out of the freezer and put it into the fridge before I leave for work so it's partially or fully thawed by the time I get home. Works pretty well for me.
  • wantstolooseweight
    wantstolooseweight Posts: 166 Member
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    Yep! I get up at 4.30 and get home between 7.30 and 8pm so pretty much the same as you.... weekends I cook and freeze portions of soup/pasta sauces/stews then its a lucky dip into the freezer for dinner

    Crock pot gets used a lot and left on all day Chicken breasts with chopped tomatoes herbs = quick to throw in and endless possibilities

    If i've nothing in the freezer and couldnt be bothered to throw things in the crock pot then its cook something quick like a stir fry, or a salad
  • framingthewheels
    framingthewheels Posts: 23 Member
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    Do you have a crockpot? They are miracle workers. I swear by mine. I don't have such a long commute, thankfully, but I do leave at 7, get home at 6 and then typically go straight into my workout. Since I've started using the crockpot, I have saved moneya nd time. I put the ingredients in the night before, turn it on that morning and it's ready when I get home. Some of the nicer crockpots have programmable settings so, after your designated cooking time, it will automatically switch to "warm" and not continue cooking. They make a huge difference in my life!
  • FitnFabMichelle
    FitnFabMichelle Posts: 161 Member
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    I have a 1-hour commute each way too so I feel your pain. Dinner is the worst for me. I come home and I'm starving and I grab whatever I can get my hands on. Not good. And it's only worse when the kids have sports stuff we need to go to right after I get home. BUT I'm bound to change this and I plan to start using my crock-pot more and batch cooking on the weekends.
  • CouchSpud
    CouchSpud Posts: 557 Member
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    I am usually not home before 6/7 often 8 or 9 pm... when I am really late I just have an omelette with vegetable and cheese or ham. I also always have food in the freezer that can easily be defrostet (self cooked bolognaise, soup etc) so all I need to do when coming home is putting some pasta on.
    I also eat Pizza occasionally or take aways, just make sure it fits into the calories for the day :D
  • mrmanmeat
    mrmanmeat Posts: 1,968 Member
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    What/How do you plan for dinner? My day usally starts 4:30 am and I'm home by 7:30 pm and honestly don't feel like cooking when I get home. Anyone in a similar situation, do you cook daily or one batch a week? And what are you cooking? My dinner usually blows my cals and/or sodium because I just grab whatever is already cooked or quick.

    Thanks!
    -Chantel

    I'd suck it up and cook. It's best for you. :)
  • murpcm08
    murpcm08 Posts: 8
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    I commute 45 mins to an hour commute one way, usually home by 7 pm. I just have found that I enjoy cooking, so I have plenty of 30 min meals to make when I get home. Plus, I always try to have a veggie frozen pizza in case I don't feel like cooking :)
  • theresmynapkin
    theresmynapkin Posts: 183 Member
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    I don't have a long commute, I'm just lazy. But I get Great Value frozen stir frys. They take like 12 minutes max to make, are under 200 calories per bag and I can put spices like basil, oregano, etc on them to mix up the flavaaahhh :)
  • ashlielinn
    ashlielinn Posts: 920
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    My commute's about an hour and a half, and with going to the gym after work, I leave my house at 7am and don't get home until about 8:30/9pm. I usually keep a bunch of Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers in the freezer and just eat a bag for dinner. You can have the whole bag of veggies for under 200 calories! I stick them in the microwave, hope in the shower, and they're finished and ready to eat by the time I get out :)
  • NurseCarolyn2014
    NurseCarolyn2014 Posts: 142
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    My commute is not really that long but my day is. So yes, I can't wait until I get home to decide what I'm making for dinner. Part of what I do on the weekends is plan my meals for the week. It takes a bit of time but it saves time throughout the week so it balances things out. I cook on the weekends and freeze the dinners in glass caserole dishes or I have dinners that I can put in the crockpot for the day.
    Planning ahead of time is the key for me.
  • mrsvatitagain
    mrsvatitagain Posts: 275 Member
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    Sounds like my day! You hve to plan in advance, cook the meat for the week on Sunday freeze it all and on each morning take out the meat so that all you have to do is heat and serve when you get in. DInner done and eating by 9 you are golden! It really just takes planning but it can be done. Good luck!
  • evlipford
    evlipford Posts: 29 Member
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    I have a long way to commute home as well. My schedule is from 10 am to 7 pm so I leave about 8:50 am to drop my son off from daycare and to get to work on time by 10 am and then by time i get home from work and getting my son at daycare from his grandparents its about 8:00pm so it's hard to get a workout in, clean, and cook. Im really trying to find answers on how to balance my schedule out so I can't fit everything in without being overwhelmed???


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  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,821 Member
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    I prepare lots of stuff on weekends. I can cook 12 eggs with sausage or salmon in a muffin tin. Then freeze them. I toast a bagel and I am done for breakfast. I grill lots of steak,chicken and center cut pork chops. Then I cut them up and freeze with broccoli, snow peas, beans that steam when I microwave them. You can also add pasta or rice (I don't.) You can also use the grilled chicken and add it to bagged salad. Then there is the fruit salad which is a sliced apple and some mixed frozen berries with 0% Greek yogurt and walnuts. I can get 2 weeks done in about an hour, and my prep time for the day is 3-4 minutes.

    The trick is a bunch of 2 cup plastic tubs that stack.
  • angraham2
    angraham2 Posts: 128
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    I am home late too, but every night I figure out what we are eating the next day, I get the meat out of the freezer and put it in the fridge so it is thawed when I get home. We eat a lot of taco salad, either chicken, elk or beef, so you can cook that on the weekend. I chop vegies and stuff on the weekend too, that way all I have to do is cook it up and dinner for a family of 4 is done in 15 to 30 min.
  • dogacreek
    dogacreek Posts: 289 Member
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    I am up at 4:30 and then have an hour drive to work. I drink coffee during the ride to work, but drink a bottle of water on the drive to the gym after work. After working out or doing zumba for an hour, I'm home around 7pm. Most days I grill or eat something I've cooked on Sunday. Also, depending on calories for the week, we will eat pizza or even sandwiches (turkey). I have never kept food in the car but always try to have a bottle of water with me.
  • JillHoff
    JillHoff Posts: 30
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    No so much a long commute as I am working two jobs so there are nights that I go from one straight to the other... so I have really got into the habit of planning and shopping once a week. I save so much money this way...(Everytime you go shopping you buy more than what you thought at least I do) I make a list. I now do not make a list as I know what I buy and stick to it... I know that sounds boring but I do pick a new recipe now and then and shop for it. Anyway... what I am trying to say is the nights that I do not work and I am able to cook. I cook for the next few days. Reusable lunch bags are my life... If you use that evil 4 letter word...PLAN! Then it works. It is not perfection as I don't always practice what I preach those are the days you see a meal bar on my diary... I keep those on hand too.

    GOOD LUCK! :)
  • noirnatural
    noirnatural Posts: 310 Member
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    My husband or kids have usually cooked by the time I get home, I am a vegetarian so I don't eat what they eat and will usually make myself a salad or a veggie patty, on my late night I eat my dinner at work.

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