I need some food help!

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TammieOwen
TammieOwen Posts: 54
in Food and Nutrition
Hi, My name is Tammie.

I need some help, I am in a food rut. I really want to start eating and cooking more healthy, for myself and my family. But I am unsure were to start. I come from a single family home were my mom had three boys and me. So she did the best she could with the money she had and the different food tasts to get us all to eat, but the food always seem to be the same over and over again. That is the road I have started with my kids, anything that is fast and simple, although it hasn't always been the heathest.

I am going away in just over a month and really wanted to lose some of this unwanted weight, and the way I have been eating has not helpped.

I have talk to my girls and we have decide that we need to try atlease one new dish each week and if we like it great we will have it again.

This is were I need some help, I work full time and have three young girls. So I need to know if anyone has some healthy and simple meal ideas. I am willing to make it or part of it the night before if posible, I just need some new ideas to help us get out of the pasta and sause and hamberger type of meals.

Any ideas?

Thank-you,

Tammie

Replies

  • chelsinicole
    chelsinicole Posts: 37
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    I'm a teen and my mom supports my weight loss, so she like to make me healthy things for dinner. You could make turkey avocado sandwiches (my favorite, but I know most kids don't like avocado), chicken wraps, baked potatoes with cheese, steak, baked chicken, or breakfast for dinner (eggs, turkey bacon, hashed browns, ect.)
  • skinnyjweb
    skinnyjweb Posts: 23
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    Hi- I am learning too, but have found that frozen no thaw chicken breasts are a great week night meal. You can toss them in the oven frozen with a bit of olive oil, herbs or spices right when you get home. About 30-40 minutes later you have chicken that can be diced and tossed with a salad, or put into a soup with broth and vegis, or sliced and rolled into a whole wheat pita with hummus. I am also using lots of progresso soups. with a small salad they make a nice dinner. If you like hamburgers try ground turkey to make turkey burgers. Instead of the bun which has lots of calories use a mini whole wheat pita and lots of vegis and hummus makes a nice substitute for mayo. We have also been using ground turkey in our tacos. I just skip the cheese and sour cream.
  • skroll
    skroll Posts: 24
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    My family has been eating lots of grilled chicken, steak, hamburger, ham, cheese, grilled veggies, and eggs in tortillas with a little cheese and salsa. We also have been eating lots of homemade soups. These you can even start in the slow cooker. There are lots of recipes out there. I wish you luck. Lots of nights we still have pasta and sauce with cottage cheese and a salad. Good luck.
  • bennettv
    bennettv Posts: 152 Member
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    I make a big batch of soup almost every weekend. I then load the fridge with the soup in singe serving containers that can be frozen. On Friday night I put whatever is left in the fridge into the freezer. Over time, I build of a collection of different soups that can be brought to work for lunch or make a nice quick dinner -- especially on those days you're at risk of going over calories. There are so many great soup recipes out there. I just put whatever ingredients I have on hand into the Google search bar with the word recipe and voila, I choose the one that looks the best.
  • adac1977
    adac1977 Posts: 14 Member
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    For me and my family what seems to help is making food and freezing it. On the weekend I take out chicken, beef, pork, and start cooking. If its as simple as grilled chicken, I season it and freeze it. The rest I precook. When I want to make it its just as easy as grilling or just heating it up. I also chop veggies like celery, carrots, broccoli, raddishes, green onion, red onion, green and red peppers and cilantro none of the ones that give off to much water like zucini or squash. Put it in an air tight container and stick it in the fridge. I stir fry it with low sodium soy sauce and add it to any meal I want. Or add it to a spinach salad. Its good for roughly 1 week. Those are some of the things I do to make dinner easier after a long day at the gym and work and practices, so on. ;) I hope that helps.
  • wsucheergirl
    wsucheergirl Posts: 17
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    add ChefJeremyC to your friend list - he has great recipes on his site :)
  • sdirks
    sdirks Posts: 223 Member
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    There are lots of things you can do quickly that are healthy and inexpensive. I think the trick would be to take generic things you already make and jazz them up, make them "new" for the kids, but also healthier.

    If you make tacos or fajitas, skip the white tortillas, which are loaded with salt and preservatives. Serve over low-salt spanish rice or shreaded lettuce. I also add corn and shallots to my salsa to make things more colorful. Add a bit of low-fat sour cream and skip the taco seasoning, which is loaded with unnecessary salt. A bit of fresh cilantro goes a long way, too!

    If you like to bake chicken, try marinating it first. It's best to marinate chicken at least 6-8 hours. Here are my two favorites:

    Citrus Chicken:
    juice of 1 small lemon
    1 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
    2/3 - 1 cup orange juice (Tropicana Orange Tangerine juice is amazing with this!)
    1 clove raw garlic, minced
    black pepper, to taste (lemon pepper is great if you have it)
    white pepper, to taste
    dash of ginger, cumin or mustard powder

    Yakitori (Japanese-style bbq):
    1 cllove raw garlic, minced
    1/2 tsp ginger
    white pepper, to taste
    1 tsp brown sugar
    1 tbsp Mirin or rice wine vinegar (plain vinegar works, too)
    bit of honey, to taste
    *add all of the above to a bowl and stir, so the vinegar breaks down the sugar a bit
    1/2 cup Tamari sauce (a type of soy sauce, most grocery stores have it. it's much sweeter than regular soy sauce)
    dash of soy sauce, to taste


    The citrus chicken is great on salads or cold in a sandwich the next day. I also serve it with garbanzo beans and grilled onions and pineapple. For the yakitori, I like to serve it traditionally by cutting the chicken into bite sized pieces and baking them on skewers. They go well with rice and sauteed broccoli or sugar snap peas.

    Good luck! Keep us posted. :smile:
  • TropicalKitty
    TropicalKitty Posts: 2,298 Member
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    Whatever I make, like others have said, I'll make double what is sufficient for one meal and freeze the rest either for quick dinner or easy grab lunch. For example, I made turkey meatballs and pasta one night, froze two dinners worth of meatballs. Last night I used one and spent a whole 15mins making dinner. :happy: I'll also cook more in depth on the weekend to have more in the freezer. And I'll prep my salad lettuce on Sunday eve.

    The crock pot can be your friend - toss everything together and walk away. I've done pulled pork in there (pork tenderloin, whole onion quartered, couple cloves of garlic, enough water to cover meat, few dashes of worcestshire & liquid smoke. put on low for 6-8hrs. dump liquid, add your fav bbq sauce. put on high for 20mins - until hot. serve. put on whole wheat rolls or plain. add a quick salad or other veggie source) Soups, stews, and pot roast are all easy crock pot options. Plus, you have the control over the salt and veggie content.

    Healthy doesn't have to be time consuming. It's easy to grab some veggies and toss in a steamer basket or to stir-fry (a little canola oil, ginger powder, garlic, onion and your fav veggies. splash of soy sauce. crack of pepper. They're done when they turn vibrantly colored). Have your kids help with the prepping of dinner: they'll have to cook for themselves one day; you'll get time together; and you'll have extra hands doing work. You can make simple homemade pizzas on wheat tortillas or pitas. The kids can make their own.

    There are great flavors you can add to spice up your typical dinner. Garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, paprika, etc can give things a new twist. Substituting ground turkey breast for beef is easy. Pork chops can be less carby; I'll coat them with onion powder, garlic powder, fresh cracked pepper, paprika, and some sage. Then sautee in canola oil. So yummy and I don't miss the breading!

    Look around and experiment. You'll have fun and learn a bunch of new things!

    Good luck!
  • TropicalKitty
    TropicalKitty Posts: 2,298 Member
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    add ChefJeremyC to your friend list - he has great recipes on his site :)

    YES! He has awesome stuff on his blog. And all the nutrition information is calculated out for each serving.
  • Mellie13
    Mellie13 Posts: 424
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    I don't have children, but my husband and I are picky and we have extremely busy schedules, so time management is key for us! I have a big dry erase board in the kitchen and I write our schedules (color coded) on it and also plan all our meals for the month on it. I plan in leftover nights as well. I do it on dry erase so that when life throws in a curve ball I can change it without having a nervous breakdown! I also have 1 frozen, at least decently nutritious meal in the freezer for "just in case" so that those nights don't turn into pizza or fast food. I like the Bertoli or Viola, they aren't too bad taste or nutrition-wise. I do a lot a pre chopping of veggies and looking ahead to thaw meat or using meat from one meal to make another meal. I also have a running list of meals we all like and rotate those in and add in at least 1-2 new meals a month. I also make sure we eat a healthy fish once a week. I also use ground turkey instead of ground beef. I also use the 1/2 of the plate is veggies, 1/4 is a healthy carb, 1/4 is a lean protein unless it's a one pot meal, then I try to cram as many veggies in as possible. Here is my list of meals (so far) and I would be happy to share any recipes!
    Chilli
    Tacos
    Burgers & Fries
    Spaghetti
    Pork Chops/Side/Veggie
    Chicken Breast/Side/Veggie
    Curry Chicken
    White Cheddar Shells, Ham & Peas
    Easy Chicken Bake
    Pork Chops & Rice
    Quisadillas
    Stir Fry
    Pot Roast
    Thai Pork (or Chicken) and Veggies
    Asian Salmon
    Mexican Pasta Skillet
    Baked Salmon
    Fajitas
  • Mellie13
    Mellie13 Posts: 424
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    I forgot about 2 new favorites:
    Pepper Lime Chicken
    Southwest Layer Salad (don't remember the exact name)
  • jdavis193
    jdavis193 Posts: 972 Member
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    Crock Pots are great!!! When you get home its ready. You can get a healthy cookbook for this.
  • godblessourhome
    godblessourhome Posts: 3,892 Member
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    for the most part, i like easy simple meals that i can throw together in 30 minutes or less. check out my food blog for ideas and email me if you would like a recipe. :)
    dawn
  • JennyVirginia
    JennyVirginia Posts: 69
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    My family loves fajitas which are so simple to make & I usually just eat one corn tortilla. We usually do chicken or shrimp. Another favorite of ours which is super simple is cilantro lime chicken - you can either grill or pan sear (recipe below). My family also loves soup so I do atleast one pot of homemade veggie soup & it usually lasts for 2 meals.
    Good Luck to you!

    Cilantro Lime Chicken
    (this requires marinating so in the morning I whip this up & place them in the fridge so they are ready in the evening)
    3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
    one bunch of cilantro - stems cut off
    1/2 cup olive oil
    1 tsp salt
    1/4 lime juice

    In a food processor or blender; add cilantro, salt, olive oil & lime juice. Blend well. Place chicken in gallon zip lock bag or a dish with a lid. Pour in marinade. Place in fridge and marinate for atleast an hour (longer is better). Place on grill - when you turn chicken use a basting brush & brush with leftover marinade.
    You can also do them in a non-stick skillet or a grill pan - they turn out just as good.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    bump :)
  • TammieOwen
    TammieOwen Posts: 54
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    Thank-you everyone, you have given me some great ideas. I will keep you all updated as we go.
  • valligator
    valligator Posts: 54 Member
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    an easy kid friends meal is chicken nuggets - I buy chicken breasts (tenderloins work best, but you can use a whole breast), cut it into small chunks, then dip them in seasoned bread crumbs. I buy a bag from trader joe's and add garlic powder, salt, pepper, (whatever you like). Then just put them on a baking sheet with a little olive oil on it and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, then check them. My very picky 4 year old loves these and they're very healthy.

    Also, we slice up potatoes and put them on a baking sheet with a little oil on it, then salt and pepper and bake until they're crispy or just done, however you like them. My husband looooves these. Super easy and not very high in calories.
  • TammieOwen
    TammieOwen Posts: 54
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    Do you make the turkey avocado like you would an egg salad or tuna sandwich?
  • TammieOwen
    TammieOwen Posts: 54
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    Ok so I did good last night. I made pork cops in the slow cooker with a ginger merinade that I found and sounded good (which I don't make often, not a big meat eater), and they were ready when i good home from work, then I made some brown rice with soy sauce and took the last half of a Cauliflower and steamed it, and drizzled cheese over it. It was a good meel that even my 10 year old ate with out complant. I will have to cook the pork chops in the slow cooker more often, they just fell apart, the way I like my meet. I don't like alot of meet because I am not big on the cewyness of it.
    I still have to try some of the other ideas that you gave me, I just haven't been shopping yet to get the things that I need.
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
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    My boys (husband and son) love grilled meat. It's really easy to work a piece of grilled meat and veggies into my diet plan. I also use my crockpot to cook chicken or pork chops in. I also cook fish in olive oil flavored Pam (no added fat). Olive oil is good for you and all but the calorie and fat content in it was something I had to look at. One or two days a week, I cook whole wheat pasta and use the appropriate serving size as well as add a vegetable to it. The great thing about MFP is you can eat anything you want as long as you keep your portions appropriate. I also really love chili made with ground turkey instead of beef. The problem is I love fritos and cheese in it but you could get some low calorie crackers and add low fat cheese to it. It's really not bad as far as calories go if you watch what you put in it.

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