Please help with food ideas

deanjou59

Hi MFP's,

I hope you are all doing well. I am writing as I am struggling a little bit with food ideas. I have scheduled an appointment with a nutritionist in January and I hope this will help me out a bit. I am struggling with having some good go to meals. I typically eat well during the day, but by the time I get home dinner is a struggle. I know there has to be others out there that have similar struggles and I was just hoping that I could get some ideas and feedback.

What are some good, healthy meals and/or snacks that you have? I just really want to mix things up a bit. This will be a lifelong change for me and I want to have tons of things in my healthy living toolbox!

Thank you so much!

Nufraser

Hi, I myself struggle with meal ideas. I just had fish tacos last night(sounded gross ) but was a nice change. I often just google ideas or things I hear about. What has been a great help is allrecipes. I did modify the typical fish taco. I made grill fish(george foreman) instead of the fried or fish sticks. For topings and mixed cabbage cilantro and onions and squeeze some lime juice. I also used a high in fiber whole wheat tortilla, they have so many options on these.

I am a pizza fanatic so I plan on researching a healthier recipe for home made pizza with fresh veggies. Hope this helps and good luck on your journey!

yowza101

I pan sear chicken breast with spices and then cut them up in cubes. I put them in freezer bags and put them in the freezer. I just grab a bag when I'm ready to use them. I also keep a small bowl in frig for quick salads. What I also started to do is cook off ground meat that I season and then put them in smaller bags for meals. I keep 100 calorie treats on hand as well 1 serving fruit cups. Also I cook pasta and put it in the freezer bags, that save time. With having the meat and pasta already made, you just have to defrost and add whatever you want to them.

The other day, I had fettuchini, chicken cubes and then I added a can of diced tomatoes with the juice. Added a little bit of olive oil, a pat of butter and then some parmesan cheese, just a little. It's delicious. I just cooked it until it began to get a little thick. Have that with salad and you got a complete meal.

I try to make it as easy as possible during the week because sometimes I just don't feel like cooking when I get home. But knowing that something can be done in 15 minutes instead of an hour is great. I also keep Rice A Roni on hand, my son like that, he can make it himself and then just add the cooked meat in the freezer.

yowza101

I used to keep individual pre-cooked pizza dough, sauce and cheese on hand for quick meals. You can just add your own toppings. You can keep a variety of sizes of pizza dough on hand.

Salleighjo

I like making quesadiltla's. I have a quesadilla press and do half of the amount it allows (3 triangles instead of 6) and put whatever you want in them- chicken, pork, steak or fish, all the veggies you like and 1/3 cup of cheese.. they're so good and cut my Qudoba/ Taco Bell/John cravings down a lot... My snack is usually a trail mix- protein and sweets

deanjou59

These are great ideas ladies! I am going to try everything you all suggested I want to try the fish tacos- I have heard of them before and have been curious for quite some time. I love pizza and quesadillas as well- so I can use that as a base and put a variety of different things on the pizza and the quesadillas

Thanks for the suggestion!

Captain_Tightpants

Just shop around the outside of the grocery store (thankyou Michael Pollan!) - pretty much anything you find on the outsides is good for you. All the processed, boxed, tinned, preserved crap is in the center aisles because they don't have to restock it so often.

My go-to dinners are usually any protein + any carb + any veg. So your imagination is the limit - Chicken on wild rice with steamed brocolli... Fish with herb roasted baby reds and asparagus... Chicken and vegetable curry... Beef tips with mashed spuds and baby carrots... Pork chops with couscous and green beans... stick to the three and your dinners will be awesome and balanced.

MissSusieQ

this works for me because i'd rather eat the same thing every day than have to plan, cook etc each day..

once a fortnight i'll pick two recipes for things that will freeze well (soups, casseroles etc) and make a big batch of each. i portion it out, freeze it, and then every day i just have to pull something out and heat it up. it's not very exciting, but i find that that's outweighed by the joy of 'i can just sit down, i don't have to think about dinner!!' and having two options means that if i don't feel like one, i still don't get to go 'i'll have easy mac/pizza/noodles instead', because i have a backup!

lar4290

livebetteramerica.com and kraftrecipes.com both have "healthy cooking" sections that are easy for non-cooks like me. You can search using three ingredients you have on hand for a recipe and limit it by the number of ingredients, so I do that a decent amount.

I also keep frozen steamable veggies in the freezer at all times because they make a great side for meats or pastas (e.g. if I make a serving size of pasta + tomato sauce (260 cals) and mix in some brocolli, then do steamed vegetables on the size, it's a filling meal and a lot healthier than eating two or three times as much pasta. Also, I always keep EZ peel shrimp in the freezer. They're quick to defrost, just as quick to saute in a bit of olive oil, and are good to add protein to whatever I have on hand (e.g. a quesadilla can turn into a shrimp one, pasta into a real meal).

Hope this helps!

deanjou59

Awesome ideas Thank you so much!

Staying to the outside aisles is an awesome idea It really is!
I also like the idea of making meals in advance and freezing them in portions- that would help cut down on making quick choices out of hunger!
The steamable veggies is a great idea!!! That can cut down a bit on prep- and thank you for the websites- I will check them out for sure!

This place rocks!
Thank you so much!

soleilxo

alwaysss have vegetables around and whenever you don't know what to eat, make a delicious stirfry!

Moosycakes

My favourite is things on toast

Step 1: Toast wholegrain bread
Step 2: Get vegetables and pepper
Step 3: Put the things on the bread

ENJOY

deanjou59

Yum! Quick, healthy ideas that will keep me in my calorie range
Thanks!