Help! Newly wed who is clueless on 'eating clean'..
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I had to teach myself how to cook about 2 years ago and I used allrecipes.com
Now I know that there are not all healthy recipes on there but there are many that are and they also give you the calorie count on most of the recipes and you can also adjust the recipes to be made for just two people and things like that. I now make a menu for a week of all the food and recipes I am going to make and then make my shopping list, because there is no way I am going to get what I need by just showing up at the store and hoping to pick good choices. It has taken me about two whole years but I really got my routine down and it has become easier.0 -
I think it involves eating while taking a shower...0
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This is one of the only ways I can get my husband to eat chicken and not complain about it....
Crockpot cheesey chicken chili
1 can black beans
1 can corn, undrained
1 can Rotel, undrained (I use 2 cans and the kind with green chilis)
1 package Hidden Valley dry ranch dressing mix
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 8 oz package light cream cheese (I used 8 oz 1/3 less fat)
2 chicken breasts (I used 3 breasts)
Drain and rinse black beans. Place chicken at bottom of pot, then pour out whole can of corn (undrained), rotel, and black beans. Top with seasonings and ranch mix. Stir together. Place cream cheese on top. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir cream cheese into chili. Use 2 forks to shred chicken. Stir together and serve. (We add some Franks Red Hot to give it some spice!)
http://www.plainchicken.com/2012/01/slow-cooker-cream-cheese-chicken-chili.html
For the specific ingredients I used, the breakdown is: 216 calories, 7 fat, 20 protein, 18 carbs, 646 sodium and 7 sugar PER 1 measuring cup.
This is now one of my new favorite comfort foods...0 -
What you want to start off with is some good recipes - The habit you're going to get out of is getting dinner ideas from the grocery store itself. Eating better is less convenient than microwaving a lean cuisine. Sure there are lots of 30-minute meal ideas (I can sautee a fish filet, steam vegetables and cook rice in under 15) but for the most part, you will have to accustom yourself to cooking. If you want food to be more convenient, make food that can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen. But the advantage you have with cooking your own meals is YOU get to control all the ingredients.
This site was a life saver to me when I was losing weight, and a lot of the recipes were so good I still make them:
www.eatingwell.com0 -
One resource I tend to recommend to new cooks is Men's Health's "A Man, A Can, A _______" series. They try to make the recipies as basically healthy as they can while also keeping things simple and forgiving, which makes it easier for new cooks. After a while, you'll be able to figure out what and how you like to cook.
As far as meal preparation goes, I tend to make all my meals on Sunday and put them in the refrigerator, but that's easier on me because I'm just cooking for myself. However, it may still be a good idea for any meals that you tend to rush through or for which you have little preparation time. (I like to be able to simply reach in the refrigerator and pull out my "at work" food, rather than adding prep time to the start of my day.)0 -
Start using coconut oil to cook everything.
Processed foods are not healthy or even really food. Focus on buying ingredients, not meals. Don't buy a pasta dish, but the veggies, sauce and pasta and make them yourself. It will be cheaper, healthier and taste better.
The best way to learn how to cook is to just experiment and have fun. When you're cooking dinner, if you have a lot more of your ingredients than you need, then mix them together in different ways.
Organic baby spinach can be used for salads, mixed in pasta, put on sandwiches, in smoothies, between a chicken breast and a slice of cheese, just to name a few.
If organic is too expensive or unavailable, refer to the "dirty dozen and clean fifteen" (google it) to see which fruits and veggies are less likely to contain harmful pesticides or be gmos.
Also, shopping at your farmer's markets will reduce your cost and improve the quality and flavor of your fruits, veggies and other foods. You'd be amazed at what you can find at a farmer's market, and you can feel good about supporting farmers and local merchants. You can also find meat here too which will be much more pure and free of antibiotics and cruel animal practices. It will take time to find all the farmer's markets in your area but with research and asking around, you'll soon learn they are everywhere.
Grow your own food. Nothing will taste better than the veggies you get from your own garden.
Think outside the box and find alternatives. If you love a recipe but it's too unhealthy, substitute some of the ingredients for a healthy alternative.
Pay attention to condiments. Read the ingredients and you will be shocked to see how much unnecessary dyes, chemicals and high fructose corn syrup is found in these sauces. They can add on pounds without you even knowing. You can replace your dependence on sauces by seasoning your food properly, so that your food has great flavor.0 -
A couple simple recipes - hope they help...
Pesto pasta with sweetcorn, pinenuts and fish
200g pasta (wholewheat is best!)
2 T pesto (either green or red is fine)
A handful of pinenuts
A can of fish you like - sardines? anchovies? tuna? mackerel? herrings?
1 can sweetcorn
Boil the pasta in some salty water until it's tender. Put the pinenuts in a frying pan without oil, for a few minutes until they get a bit brown and smell awesome. Drain the pasta and return to the saucepan, off the heat. Stir in the pinenuts, the pesto, the drained sweetcorn and a can of fish. Stir it well to combine.
Serve with parmesan cheese on the top if you have the calories left. It's good with chopped olives too if you like, and you can experiment with other types of nuts...
Bean and veggie chilli
1 onion, chopped
1 can tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bell pepper (I like red or yellow), sliced
8 mushrooms, chopped
1 can sweetcorn
2 cans beans you like (black eyed peas? black beans? butter beans? kidney beans?). Rinse them well.
1 T Paprika
1 t Cayenne pepper
Fry the onion in 1 tablespoon of oil until they're a little bit see-through. Add the garlic. A couple minutes later, add to the tomatoes. Let it cook for 5-7 minutes, until the tomatoes are thickening up a bit. Add the bell pepper, mushrooms, sweetcorn, beans, paprika and cayenne pepper. Let it cook for 10-15 minutes.
Serve over quinoa, brown rice, couscous, mashed potato...
Good luck!0 -
I totally understand where you are coming from. The grocery store always used to intimidate me!! I have a family of 5 so low cost/healthy meals are important. Here is my blog that I'm still working on http://fitandtoneforlife.blogspot.com that I have listed a lot of quick recipes.. I need to work on adding more lunches and dinners, but it's a working progress :0) Of course you are going to need your staple food for ingredients and I always try to go through a good amount of recipes and pull out the ingredients that I am constantly using (ie spices is a big one) and then forming my meals around like ingredients if that makes sense? Between my husband and I, I have somehow gotten each of our weekly food budget down to $20. That includes our chicken, jennie-o turkey, veggies and fruits and shakeology. I was an avid coupon-er in the past so creating a budget has always been easy for me. I would love to offer you help if you need it!! And that goes for any one here. My meal plans for the week are always interesting and with my husband currently doing Body Beast, he is eating A LOT!!! My kids are a little more picker about their food, so I have set aside a budget with easy healthy fun meals for them. Also, a good tip that I have learned from all of this, prepare all your food ahead of time and freeze it!!! That way you can pull it out the night before and you wont waste it!! I couldn't tell you how many times I have let chicken go bad in the fridge because I kept thinking I would cook it the next day..
Also, I am trying to get a bunch of motivated, helpful people on here to get on a facebook group that I started called Fitness for friends and family.. Here is my facebook link, https://www.facebook.com/meagan.broadwater or you can search for the group :0)
Hopefully that helps a little. Message me any time if you need more detail on the food!!0 -
AND... because it's fall/autumn, I can't forget roast veggies. Almost any vegetable can be roasted and I haven't met a roasted veggie I don't like. Some combinations you could try...
- Parsnips, sweet potatoes, beetroot, carrots
- Eggplant/aubergine, zucchini/courgette, cherry tomatoes, red onions, bell peppers
For both, chop them into bite-sized chunks, leave the skins on except for the onions and beetroot, put them in a roasting tray, add 2T of olive oil, spice with salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne...
Roast for half an hour at around 180C/350F, stir once in between.
Add to a pasta sauce, serve over a grain or a baked potato...enjoy!0 -
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I read and enjoyed Mark Bittman, 'Food Matters'.0
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Best advice a Doctor once told my Mom - shop the perimeter of the store ONLY. Think about it, EVERY store has the basic food groups around the perimeter - meat, dairy, grains, fruits & veggies! Don't worry about shopping organic for the time being; you have to start somewhere & can work into organic as finances permit.
Skinnytaste.com has some great recipes with no crazy ingredients that you'll only use once!0 -
AND... because it's fall/autumn, I can't forget roast veggies. Almost any vegetable can be roasted and I haven't met a roasted veggie I don't like. Some combinations you could try...
- Parsnips, sweet potatoes, beetroot, carrots
- Eggplant/aubergine, zucchini/courgette, cherry tomatoes, red onions, bell peppers
For both, chop them into bite-sized chunks, leave the skins on except for the onions and beetroot, put them in a roasting tray, add 2T of olive oil, spice with salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne...
Roast for half an hour at around 180C/350F, stir once in between.
Add to a pasta sauce, serve over a grain or a baked potato...enjoy!
And lots of types of squash
daaamn Daaammmnn DAAAAMNNNNNN0 -
I would recommend investing in a good, all-purpose cookbook, like Joy of Cooking. It has great menu planning advice and you can plan your shopping trips ahead of time so you know what to have on hand for what you want to cook. There is a plethora of cookbooks out there with low-cal cooking tips and menus. They may be of help, too.0
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Great post, can't wait to read through the comments
And can't wait to look at more recipes at skinnytaste.com 0 -
I had used a Groupon a few months ago for www.emeals.com But, the normal price is about $50 for a year's worth of dinner recipes. What you get is 7 dinner recipes each week plus a shopping list of what you need for each meal. Some of the plans have where you can get a list for a particular grocery store. I use Publix and the Low Fat plan. So, it gives me 7 dinner recipes and grocery list for what is on sale at Publix that week. They also have a Clean Eating plan which I chose at first but I found the groceries to be more expensive each week which is sad that eating healthier has to cost more. Clean Eating was basically everything fresh. Fresh produce and meats. Pretty much staying away from boxed ready made products. I love emeals because I never have to worry about what to cook for dinner. And I always have what I need from week to week because we do the shopping once a week to get everything we need for the next week. On the low fat plan our grocery bill at Publix has run from around $50 to $90 because sometimes I will cross a meal or 2 off if I don't plan to cook on a certain night. They have Clean Eating, Low Fat, Low Carb, Portion Control and regular plans. I strongly recommend it if you can afford the initial yearly subscription.
Have fun with it!
Monique0 -
Ya!! So many good ideas this is great!!0
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Do you have an aldi near by? If so aldi is your BEST friend. Lots of good fresh produce, very cheap! X0
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I feel like Clean Eating Magazine should pay me for the number of times I've mentioned it on MFP. Still, they produce and annual list of the cleanest food items/brands in the supermarket. You can find it here:
http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/Marketplace/Foodie-File.aspx?page=20 -
I am basically clueless. I feel overwhelmed at the grocery store because I am new to cooking and now I am trying to think of ways to shop healthier for Hubby and I and its. not. computing. hah... Like our version of cooking would be hamburger helper, or a lean cuisine you stick in the microwave. I just need simple practicles that will get me started in the right direction. Maybe grocery list examples, or a website that has recipes that arent super complicated or expensive. Another big concern is budget/money. When you go all out and buy everything organic, the grocery bill can get really high.. so I want to learn how to cook healthy, but be smart about it for a reasonable price! I am willing to take a day like sunday and prepare meals before hand for the week and put my crock pot to use! I just dont know what to cook! Somebody please show me the light!! I'm tired of feeling frustrated.. I didnt know there was a whole new world out there when it comes to eating right!
Stick to the outside aisles at the grocery. Going up and down the aisles will only give you heavily processed foods. There's exceptions, but let's face it. They're not stocking high-sodium/high-carb/high-everything else next to the produce. Learn how to use your crisper (bottom shelves of your fridge) and get ready to go to the produce section at least 2x/week.
If you want to find more info on what is meant by clean, search for paleo diets/caveman diets, etc. I pick and choose from them and craft what works for me.
Congrats on your newly wed status, too! All the best to you and your husband as you start on a healthy life together! I'm pulling for you!!!0 -
Great suggestions so far!
I always look at the ads for the week and meal plan from there all meals and snacks for the most part. I have an 18 year old who likes to eat me out of house and home but with pre-planning I have slashed my grocery bill almost in 1/2. :happy:
Good luck!0 -
I have to throw my vote in for skinnytaste.com and skinnyms.com. Especially Skinnyms if you want to use your crock pot. There are a TON of slow cooker recipes on that site!
I dont buy all organic, but as others have posted, I try to adhere to the dirty dozen/clean fifteen list. I also wash everything before I use it. I got tired of paying for the expensive veggie washes at the supermarket, so I make my own - white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. I swear your fruits and veggies will NOT come out tasting like vinegar, heh. Totally cheap. Spray, rinse, and go. I think it's a good idea to wash everything, even if you're not going to eat the peel, because your knife is just going to drag whatever's on the outside to the inside when you cut/slice. Just my two cents.
I also cook my own beans instead of buying canned. Even the "low sodium" canned beans are still pretty ridiculous with regard to the salty stuff. I just soak a pound or two of dried beans overnight, rinse, cover with water in a big pot. Bring to a boil, simmer until they are *just* done and tender (about 45 minutes to an hour depending on how fast they're simmering), drain and rinse. When they're cool, I pack them into quart freezer bags two cups at a time and freeze flat. They don't take a lot of space in the freezer that way, and one bag is roughly one can of beans. It's a little more labor intensive than opening a can but a whole lot cheaper.0 -
I'm kind of in the same boat. The best money saving tip I found for someone who is trying to stock a kitchen for the first time: find a store that offers spices in bulk! This is even more important if you are new to cooking (like me) and aren't sure yet what spices go well with what. Instead of coughing up a few bucks a bottle, I have little baggies full of all different kinds of spices and most of them were less than 25 cents each. I bought some specifically for recipes I'd downloaded (yes, skinnytaste rules), but also others to just try - "wonder what this would taste like on some steamed veggies".0
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I also recommend Jamie Oliver, he has a unique book out for peeps that need every step spelled out, including timing and food prep, I think its called Meals in 30 Minutes or 30 Minute Meals? It would be a great starting point for learning how to cook fresh food efficiently.0
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Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" book. Worth every penny. Find it at the library if funds are tight. There also may be a lot of great info on his food revolution website.
Jamie's website: www.jamieoliver.com (you do need a nickname and password to post anything)0 -
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I also recommend Jamie Oliver, he has a unique book out for peeps that need every step spelled out, including timing and food prep, I think its called Meals in 30 Minutes or 30 Minute Meals? It would be a great starting point for learning how to cook fresh food efficiently.
Thats pretty much what I need, every step spelled out0 -
Im definatly going to use some of the skinnyms slow cooker recipes!0
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