cheap/easy weight loss diet?
Replies
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I started cooking by following recipes in magazines like Cosmo or Glamour. What I liked about them is that it was usually just a two person meal... so you don't need to cook a huge amount of food or spend a ton on ingredients, and they were usually interesting and flavorful.
Most of what I cook is boneless skinless chicken breast, some kind of frozen mixed vegetables, with some kind of sauce or marinade, and pasta or rice. Sometimes it's all cooked in one big skillet.0 -
well i started out trying a few things, like chicken breast for instance and totally burnt the outside and the inside was still frozen solid. cooking longer or trying to eat it anyways would have been a health risk plus it was a total waste.To be clear, my comment below is not out of judgment but curiosity:
What are you trying to be safe from? Making a mess? Wasting money on groceries?
Don't be afraid to learn to cook. Embrace the challenge. As others have already mentioned, you WILL save money. You will also feel great pride in making something good and yummy for yourself. And don't be afraid to ask those who know how to cook for help.
:flowerforyou:
on the other hand, i've been "successful" at other things (not really, but it was edible), since i used oil i put the leftover in a cup by the sink to prevent clogging. i guess over the weeks enough oil from my dishes got in the sink enough to clog it up. i dont know how to fix it and im an unemployed post-grad, so i tried a few things but ultimately gave up for a while, which resulted in a massive roach problem that lasted for months.
and thats only two examples of many...0 -
Watch out for anything in a box or a bag. The sodium content wil be through the roof!
Essential cooking stuff:
George Foreman grill (any size will do)
Microwaveable egg/omelette tray
Microwavable rice pot
Measuring cups/spoons
Digital food scale
Quality kitchen knife
You can cook ANYTHING on a foreman grill and unless you fall asleep, it's near impossible to burn anything. Grill up some chicken breasts, cut it into bite size pieces, throw it in a tupperware container for the next few days for quick meals. Same with some brown rice/whole grain pasta. Fruits/Veggies cut fresh as needed. Use any of the hundreds of recipe sites on the interwebz. Cooking is easy and fun.0 -
well i started out trying a few things, like chicken breast for instance and totally burnt the outside and the inside was still frozen solid. cooking longer or trying to eat it anyways would have been a health risk plus it was a total waste.To be clear, my comment below is not out of judgment but curiosity:
What are you trying to be safe from? Making a mess? Wasting money on groceries?
Don't be afraid to learn to cook. Embrace the challenge. As others have already mentioned, you WILL save money. You will also feel great pride in making something good and yummy for yourself. And don't be afraid to ask those who know how to cook for help.
:flowerforyou:
on the other hand, i've been "successful" at other things (not really, but it was edible), since i used oil i put the leftover in a cup by the sink to prevent clogging. i guess over the weeks enough oil from my dishes got in the sink enough to clog it up. i dont know how to fix it and im an unemployed post-grad, so i tried a few things but ultimately gave up for a while, which resulted in a massive roach problem that lasted for months.
and thats only two examples of many...
Dude! Go buy a traditional cookbook like Joy of Cooking or a basic how to cook manual and read it. You never cook frozen food directly without thawing it first. Learn some basic rules and life gets a heck of lot more delicious. Or date and marry someone who knows how to cook and enjoys it. Either works really.0 -
It's almost impossible to overcook/burn stuff in the slow cooker..it's amazing.
It isn't impossible... just a lot harder! I will agree though, it is amazing and harder to burn stuff in it. Like it would take hours to burn something.0 -
bagged stir-fry vegtables only have to be microwaved, add canned chicken, soy sauce and chili paste and you have a very easy, very healthy meal. And oh yeah, smoothies. Try to mafe a smoothie with frozen fruit, whey protien and fat free milk or maybe vr fusion. Just a couple of very easy options.
Love the stir fry idea...I was going to suggest frozen veggies as well. So many of them you can steam right in the bags now too-may not be the cheapest option, but it's definitely easy. Frozen veggies would also be great for soup-throw whatever variety you like into vegetable or chicken stock, maybe a can of tomato sauce and ta-da! Veggie Soup! Sandwiches or wraps should be easy too
Good luck!0 -
Just learn to cook.0
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I think learning to cook will help you a lot. It is not that hard, just give it a try.
Any food you cook at home is usually a lot cheaper than a commercial diet with prepackaged foods.
The bagged steamed veggies are good. They even have brown rice in the freezer you just microwave. Then put a piece of chicken in the oven and bake.
I wish I knew a cheap food plan, but sometimes if you want cheap you might get bad foods!0 -
Hi. Trying to think of some very easy things you can start with, one of the first items that comes to mind is a microwave "baked" potato.
1) Buy potato, either one that is already packaged to micronuke in a plastic wrapper that says that's what it's for (they keep them in the potato area of the produce section and look like they're saran wrapped with a label on them).
2) If the potato is loose and not wrapped, wash it under running water and use your hands to rub any remaining dirt off.
3) Poke it with a fork a few times, all over the potato.
4) Put it in your microwave on a plate. Cook it for 4 minutes on high (that's for a potato about the size of two tennis balls)
5) Let it sit for a couple of minutes.
6) Using something to protect your hand, squeeze the potato. If it feels soft, and squishes, it's done. Add some jarred or canned gravy you heated up or some sour cream or light butter. If it doesn't squish yet, nuke it for another minute, let it rest and squish test it again.
Now you have a side dish. :happy:0 -
Search for "The (Reluctant, Nervous, Lazy, Broke, Busy, Confused) College Student's Cookbook". This is a great beginner's cookbook that starts with the very basics and moves on to simple meals. It's awesome for anyone intimidated by the kitchen.0
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http://startcooking.com/
Lots of videos and pictures for basic dishes. Start with eggs, scrambled with vegetables, meat or cheese. Boiling eggs is super easy and you then have portable protein.
It is far less expensive to cook at home than to eat out or buy frozen meals. Much healthier too.0 -
Turn grill on
put steak on grill
cook on side for about five minutes each
done.
OR...
chop up some chicken
chop up vegetables
boil rice for ten minutes
combine in skillet
chicken/veggie/stir fry done..
come on bro you got this!
Just google cooking ideas and they will give you simple instructions...
LOL0 -
well i started out trying a few things, like chicken breast for instance and totally burnt the outside and the inside was still frozen solid. cooking longer or trying to eat it anyways would have been a health risk plus it was a total waste.To be clear, my comment below is not out of judgment but curiosity:
What are you trying to be safe from? Making a mess? Wasting money on groceries?
Don't be afraid to learn to cook. Embrace the challenge. As others have already mentioned, you WILL save money. You will also feel great pride in making something good and yummy for yourself. And don't be afraid to ask those who know how to cook for help.
:flowerforyou:
on the other hand, i've been "successful" at other things (not really, but it was edible), since i used oil i put the leftover in a cup by the sink to prevent clogging. i guess over the weeks enough oil from my dishes got in the sink enough to clog it up. i dont know how to fix it and im an unemployed post-grad, so i tried a few things but ultimately gave up for a while, which resulted in a massive roach problem that lasted for months.
and thats only two examples of many...
Best way is to defrost the chicken breast at room temperature for a few hours, and then coat in a little olive or coconut oil, some seasoning, wrap in foil and in the oven for 30 minutes. I cannot cook, but I can do that.0 -
Take the money you're spending on Ensure drinks, and buy some produce, yogurt, chicken, tuna, etc. Ensure is expensive for what it is!0
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I couldn't cook at one point either... take notes (physical or mental) on what you're doing. What works and what didn't.
Also, use recipes!!! Follow the directions... you can't mess that up. Use the kitchen timer. If I don't use it... the food gets burnt.
Practice makes better.0 -
i cant cook. like, at all. each time results in disaster weather its burnt/undercooked food, or physical damage to the house.
so whats a cheap and easy plan to get adequate nutrition for weight loss?
(right now im sticking to peanut butter sandwiches on whole grain bread, oatmeal bars, and ensure diet drinks)
When I first got married, I couldn't cook very well. So, I had to learn how.
Soups and stews are real easy to make, they are low in calories and tasty. THey do have quite a bit of sodium, so if you're watching salt, be careful.
Easy chicken soup
Take a big pot, put it on the stove, turn heat on to low-medium, add about a tablespoon of olive oil. Chop an onion, add to pot.
Add a few cloves of finely chopped garlic (if this is too hard for you, use garlic powder, it's ok.)
Take two chicken breast, remove all fat and chop into cubes.
Put chicken into pot with onion. Stir once in a while.
Put all knives and cutting boards you used to do this in the sink to avoid cross contamination. Wash your hands. Use soap.
Chop 4 celery stalks, add to pot.
Chop about 6 carrots, add to pot
Add about 5 cups chicken stock (You can either buy chicken stock, or use boullion cubes -- 5 cubes and 5 cups of water)
Add one 14 oz can diced tomatoes.
Add some pepper and basil to taste.
Cover, raise heat until soup starts to boil. Lower heat a bit and let simmer until carrots are done. Stir once in a while.
Add about 3/4 cup each frozen peas, corn and green beans. Stir.
Add about 2 cups small pasta. I use wide egg noodles usually.
To thicken, you can add a can of cream of chicken soup. (I make a thickener from flour, margarine and milk. google cream of chicken soup substitute if you want to know how)
Let simmer until noodles are done. 1/4 of the pot is about 300 calories.0 -
well i started out trying a few things, like chicken breast for instance and totally burnt the outside and the inside was still frozen solid. cooking longer or trying to eat it anyways would have been a health risk plus it was a total waste.
on the other hand, i've been "successful" at other things (not really, but it was edible), since i used oil i put the leftover in a cup by the sink to prevent clogging. i guess over the weeks enough oil from my dishes got in the sink enough to clog it up. i dont know how to fix it and im an unemployed post-grad, so i tried a few things but ultimately gave up for a while, which resulted in a massive roach problem that lasted for months.
and thats only two examples of many...
Lesson 1: Don't cook meat from frozen. Defrost it on a covered plate in the bottom of the fridge (so it doesn't drip raw meat juices on anything). You can cook frozen mince but only if it's the free flowing stuff not frozen as a block. As you discovered, the outside cooks and the middle stays frozen which isn't that good to eat!
Lesson 2: Use a minimum amount of oil. Buy a good non-stick pan and you won't need much at all. If you have oil or fat left on dishes wipe it off with paper towel and bin it. If you don't have food recycling bins then drain old fat or oil into a screw top jar and put the lid on so it won't spill or smell the place out. When the jar is full you can bin the whole thing. Never put oil down the sink and if it does block, buy a drain cleaning product and use it.
See, you've already learnt from your mistakes.0 -
well i started out trying a few things, like chicken breast for instance and totally burnt the outside and the inside was still frozen solid. cooking longer or trying to eat it anyways would have been a health risk plus it was a total waste.To be clear, my comment below is not out of judgment but curiosity:
What are you trying to be safe from? Making a mess? Wasting money on groceries?
Don't be afraid to learn to cook. Embrace the challenge. As others have already mentioned, you WILL save money. You will also feel great pride in making something good and yummy for yourself. And don't be afraid to ask those who know how to cook for help.
:flowerforyou:
on the other hand, i've been "successful" at other things (not really, but it was edible), since i used oil i put the leftover in a cup by the sink to prevent clogging. i guess over the weeks enough oil from my dishes got in the sink enough to clog it up. i dont know how to fix it and im an unemployed post-grad, so i tried a few things but ultimately gave up for a while, which resulted in a massive roach problem that lasted for months.
and thats only two examples of many...
Best way is to defrost the chicken breast at room temperature for a few hours, and then coat in a little olive or coconut oil, some seasoning, wrap in foil and in the oven for 30 minutes. I cannot cook, but I can do that.
From a food safety point of view thawing meat, poultry and fish at room temperature is risky. Please thaw them in the refrigerator OR in their package if it is water tight in cool water. Thawing at room temp allows bacteria to multiply rapidly in the already thawed sections while waiting for the remaining frozen part to thaw.0 -
Learn how to make some SUPER easy dishes as a base. Tacos and pastas are incredibly easy to make. Then, when the mood strikes, tweak an ingredient in the base dish.
Example with tacos:
Your basic tacos are ground beef, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, salsa and tortillas. Instead of using ground beef, try ground chicken. Or try shrimp. If you commonly use cheddar cheese, try something like queso fresco. Instead of using tortillas, use a lettuce wrap. Out of that one recipe, by just swapping one ingredient, you've now got 4 different recipes.
Pasta:
There are TONS of different noodles. Every type of noodle gives the pasta dish a different flavor, texture and depth. Instead of spaghetti noodles, try corkscrew or shells. Instead of pasta sauce, try a basil-pesto or alfredo. Try different kinds of meats in each dish: meatballs, sausage, chicken. Again, out of just 1 dish, you've got a variety of different recipes.
Both of these bases require very little cooking skill and can be made with very inexpensive kitchen tools. And both have a good balance of fats-protein-carbs.0 -
lots of good ideas here. im thinking i'll start with the lean cuisine and fruits and veggies for a bit, then try a slow cooker.
eventually im sure i'll get adventurous enough to try some easy meals, but i'll wait on that for a little bit just to be safe.
My son uses his George Foreman grill all the time - easy way to cook chicken breasts, pork chops, etc. so you don't get bored eating the same things. The slow cooker is a great idea (get some frozen meatballs (check the nutrients though), add some fresh salsa or pasta sauce, cook on low for 4-6 hours - yum-o!)
Great topic - I'm sure you're not the only one who struggles with this. Another wonderful thing is rotisserie chickens - already cooked, about $6, and you can get at least two meals off of it (and they're very good!)0 -
Learn to cook. My mother taught me the basics as a child (cooking rice, eggs, baking meat, how to cook veggies, etc) but when I moved out at 17 I had a copy of The Joy of Cooking and a very limited grocery budget. It's not hard to follow a recipe.
Look up orange juice chicken (allrecipes is a good site.) Super easy and yummy. Add rice and steamed or boiled asparagus and it's a super yummy meal.0 -
well i started out trying a few things, like chicken breast for instance and totally burnt the outside and the inside was still frozen solid. cooking longer or trying to eat it anyways would have been a health risk plus it was a total waste.To be clear, my comment below is not out of judgment but curiosity:
What are you trying to be safe from? Making a mess? Wasting money on groceries?
Don't be afraid to learn to cook. Embrace the challenge. As others have already mentioned, you WILL save money. You will also feel great pride in making something good and yummy for yourself. And don't be afraid to ask those who know how to cook for help.
:flowerforyou:
on the other hand, i've been "successful" at other things (not really, but it was edible), since i used oil i put the leftover in a cup by the sink to prevent clogging. i guess over the weeks enough oil from my dishes got in the sink enough to clog it up. i dont know how to fix it and im an unemployed post-grad, so i tried a few things but ultimately gave up for a while, which resulted in a massive roach problem that lasted for months.
and thats only two examples of many...
Best way is to defrost the chicken breast at room temperature for a few hours, and then coat in a little olive or coconut oil, some seasoning, wrap in foil and in the oven for 30 minutes. I cannot cook, but I can do that.
Don't defrost meat at room temp please. Either in the fridge or, if you need it sooner, under running cold water. Don't want any food poisoning.0 -
See a nutritionist.
Don't diet. If you eat the right foods, you won't even feel hungry!
Make sure you pick at least one day per week to have a treat so you don't feel deprived (like you're on a DIET), and then binge because you're craving crap.
Prepare all of your food on one day of the week, like grilled chicken breast, steak, whatever. Cut up vegetables and fruits. Have healthy bread, whole grain pastas, oatmeal, etc. in the house. It's not too hard.
Buy a cookbook or search online for easy recipes. Skinnytaste.com has a lot of healthy recipes, so does Taste of Home, allrecipes and FoodNetwork.
Watch some youtube videos on how to cook.
Google how to make _____. Before you know it, you'll be hooked.0 -
get a slow cooker - it's the BEST thing for simple, cheap meals and you don't have to spend a lot of time preparing!
my FAV kitchen appliance besides my blender haha
there's a TON of slow cooker recipes out there: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
basically it's meat and veggies, i've also made a delish cinnamon bread pudding. sure, there are probably some calorific slow cooker recipes out there, but I've always found that making my own food is better than dining out, esp on the sodium front!0 -
you cant cook and you wanted ideas how to eat cheaply and fairly good, I was looking to get some ideas from your responses but they are telling you to cook, even though thats not what you wanna do. hope you find a way to eat relatively healthy and cheap without cooking, probably find the answers from a very few responses you got on here who actually tried to help with your problem.0
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I know some people are more visual, others can follow directions, like a recipe, and do just fine. If you're more visual, you can always google ehow or allrecipes.com, and they usually have videos showing how to make a recipe from start to end.0
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gound turkey, u can not go wrong0
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Panini press. You can throw chicken breasts in it and it's done in minutes.0
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I'm going to throw my two cents in because it seems like most of the encouragement is to learn to cook. I definitely agree with a lot of this, cooking is a great way to know what you're putting in yourself and a whole lot easier to control portion sizes. That being said, my broke unemployed college days were not that far away, and I still remember helping my brother learn to decipher all the cooking jargon out there. So here's my suggestions.
If you're eating out plan ahead. A lot of companies now have nutrition on their websites and you can price and see what fits, both budget-wise and nutrition wise.
Frozen meals are generally easy to pop in a microwave and ta-da! Insta-meal. Add some microwavable vegetables and some fruit that needs zero cooking (I like the fact I can just buy and eat fruit without wondering what to do with it) and youv'e got a pretty good meal
Things like canned tuna and chicken are easy to add to salads, sandwiches, or even eat plain. Canned is also nice because it has a much longer expiration date so you don't have to worry about freezing and rarely have to add any cooking to it.
The other tips I have are more for cooking, which is definitely a skill you want to at least get the basics down on.
1. Defrost meat before cooking. If you can't do that because of time or it's literally the last thing in the house, cook lower and longer and cover when possible. It's not guaranteed to get you perfect results but it's less like to be both burnt and raw at the same time.
2. www.cooksrecipes.com/cooking-dictionary
One of my biggest hurdles was not know how to cook but how to read recipes. I watched my mom, so I got the motions down. But she knew her recipes by heart, which meant I had no idea what some of the skills were called. My poor brother never had any interest in cooking until he lived on his own so we sort of bumbled through together.
3. Cook in a pan on the stove-top. It's got a few advantages over baking that I like. You can pretty much do anything. Add a little cooking spray and plop your ingredients in. You can keep an eye on it, instead of being blasted with heat every time you open the door. And you can control the heat much quicker than when you bake.
4. Head to your library. There were several good suggestions on here for books to read/use. Instead of buying them, see if your local library has a copy so you can check them out before you invest in your own copy. Plus, you never know what they might be offering. My local library does a whole month on fitness and nutrition, including a cooking class.0 -
Eating peanut butter sandwiches and Ensure doesn't sound very healthy to me. Just because it's "whole grain bread" doesn't necessarily make it healthy. HealthiER, perhaps. You need to eat some fresh produce!
I rarely "cook" and eat very healthy. I prefer to stick to what I call "assembly" rather than cooking. Here's a weekday example from last week on my 1300 cal/day diet:
- Breakfast: Banana, coffee with creamer
- Mid-morning: Cheese stick snack
- Lunch: Turkey sandwich (sliced deli turkey, 1 slice of 2% cheese on light bread), an apple, baby carrots with 2TBSP hummus
- Mid-afternoon: Orange, handful of almonds
- Dinner: chicken sausage link (in microwave!) and Salad (Raw kale massaged with avocado, baby tomato, bell pepper, roasted corn, a sprinkle of pistachio and golden raisins)
If I workout during the day I usually eat a "Think Thin" protein bar. 20g of protein in each!
You may look at this and think that all that fresh produce is expensive. It's not too bad if you eat it all, don't let it go to waste. Ensure shakes are expensive and you'll probably even out your grocery bill by not drinking them and eating fruits and veggies instead.0
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