Skillet meals

melbhall

So I have an infant son and a husband working 12+ hours a day. I enjoy cooking but really struggle to find good and healthy recipes that I can actually make. I have made several swaps like whole wheat, ff milk, no soda, splenda, ground turkey breast, spray butter, and reduced calorie items. I find myself making skillet meals a couple of times a week because I have portion control (they usually serve 2 or 4) and can calculate the calories which are usually low because I check that before purchasing. Do you think this is a good idea? I never really factor in things like sodium, cholesterol, etc.

princesspurple

Check the sodium, that is a killer in retaining water. We do a lot of chicken, just dip it in flower and garlic spice and cook it in light oil, flip it and then put it in the oven to bake. That over a small amount of pasta with some fresh veggies...i love brussel sprouts and onion! Or if you like mexican type food, you can get these LaTorilla 100 calorie tortillas...they are the large size and 110 calories less than the mission tortillas...i put some chicken in them w/ salsa, black beans, and a small amount of cheese
Yummy!

princesspurple

I forgot to say congratulations on your little one:!:!:!:

Kristen81

Casserole and crockpot dinners are good and easy. I'm in the same boat as you..Stay at home Mom to a 4 month old and a boyfriend who works 10-12 hours a day. I also usually do skillet meals. I understand where you are coming from with the portioning. What I do when I use the crockpot or do something else is portion everything out with measuring cups. If I eat soup i only eat 1/2 -1 cup.
Anyway, what I waas mainly trying to get at was that casseroles and crockpot dishes will make it a ton easier on you. Prep time is usually minimal and then the oven or crockpot does the rest. You'll have more time to yourself or to spend with the family.

kgrutch

if you are using prepackaged foods, like the frozen skillet meals, just try to look at the ingredients and see if you can adapt them to making your own. its easy just to substitute the ingredients with fresh. start slowly and see if you can get to homecooked meals, much healthier, less additives and preservatives, good luck.

Kristen81

Check out the recipes on here....there are some good ones!

jenlhugg

I like to bake some chicken tenders, just with a little seasoning in the oven. then I can stick them in the fridge and use them in tacos, salads, and stuff like that. I also make a batch of black bean soup, split it up in containers, that way i know how many calories are in each one to begin with. Then I can add things to it. i also eat sepately from the kids a lot of the times. With three sometimes its just easier to eat after they are done, so it is easy just to eat something different from what they are having.

melbhall

Thanks for the tips everyone! Princesspurple, I LOVE mexican food and will definitely try to make my own. We love chinese food too and tonight my husband asked if he should stop to get some for dinner. I said NO and suggested we buy the stuff ourselves and make our own healthy version this weekend. And he went for it!!!

As for the sodium in skillet meals, I will check on that ASAP. My husband has really high blood pressure so I have to make some adjustments to our meals.

We usually do crockpot meals (from scratch) about twice a month but I usually just overeat...I need to come up with healthier alternatives to roast and potatoes!

boniekatie

One trick that I found to keep from over eating when making a large dish is that I serve every one including myself (measuring carefully) and then pack the rest of it up and put it in the frig or freezer before I even sit down to eat. It makes it much less tempting to go back for seconds.