Meals-What are your go to's?

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I am starting this process again for the umpteenth trillion time but really want to succeed this time. Have done JC and WW before. JC was easy if you like eating pre made frozen meals but that was not really conducive to my life and I like to cook. With WW and now I am just feeling so overwhelmed with food options. What are some go to meals that people make (please include calories if you know them). Also how do you plan your week it seems so time consuming and overwhelming, what are some tips or tricks? Thanks!

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  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
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    http://www.skinnykitchen.com/recipes/guilt-free-chicken-nuggets-oh-yeah/

    I'm a simple lady with simple tastes, lol. I go for chicken nuggets. 203 calories for six pieces.

    I can't say I have many tips...at least I don't think I do. I live by myself, so I only prepare one or two dinners a week, and I usually eat the same things for breakfast, lunch, and snacks everyday. I always prepare a time-consuming meal on Sunday because I have free time, and usually it's big enough to last the week.
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
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    all that "healthy" stuff cuz I like stuffing my face with mounds of food... Maybe a couple pounds of some vegetables with some lean meats... thats the road to success when losing weight... well, for me it is.
  • redhead1910
    redhead1910 Posts: 304 Member
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    Shiritaki noodles (0 calories) with some stir fry veggies and teriyaki sauce. I eat mine with tofu but I'm sure it would be great with some chicken or something.
  • janehend
    janehend Posts: 16 Member
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    I love the website http://www.skinnytaste.com/. We have made several things from this site and everything has been really good. Bangin Good Shrimp, Chicken Cordon Blue, and Cheesy Jalapeno Popper Chicken are a few of our favorites. The calories are all reasonable for a good dinner. And best of all when we have these meals I don't feel like I am deprived at all.

    And she includes WW points with the nutrition information.
  • JRadd14
    JRadd14 Posts: 206 Member
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    I'd do a search on "meal prepping" as that seems to be a hot topic on Instagram, health sites, etc. It's great to see visuals of what people cook and package up to eat for the week. Great tips, etc.

    Salad with a lean protein is always a great option and it's easy to make the protein ahead of time (chicken - breast tenders, ground, etc, / shrimp / salmon) and then have a few servings ready to eat when you need them. Add different veggies, use various lettuces or sub in shredded cabbage, and try different healthy dressings for variations.

    ~j
  • technigasm
    technigasm Posts: 7
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    large egg over easy with one scoop of hummus one teaspoon feta and a few kalamata olives. All in the saute pan. Mmm It is under 150 calories and has a ton of protein, not too mention I make my own hummus and I use real kalamata olives. It is worth a try if you care!!!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    I just cook most meals from scratch, whole food ingredients. I eat a lot of vegetables and a few servings of fruit per day. I make sure I get about 25-30% of my diet in fat...mostly from olive oil, nuts and nut butters, avocados, etc. It's pretty much summer now so I grill a lot of chicken, fish, pork, and lean cuts of beef...side of veggie...usually a serving of grain or starch to go with.

    For lunches and what not I do a lot of salads and a lot of sammiches.

    Basically I eat a lot of nutrient dense whole foods and keep junk foods to a minimum.
  • momzeeee
    momzeeee Posts: 475 Member
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    I'm big on simplicity-I only eat two meals a day and no snacking. This makes preparing meals a lot easier-lot less thinking about what I have to make :)

    My current favorites:

    -cubed top sirloin petite steak, pan cooked with butter, mushrooms, bell pepper and onions. Under 1,000 calories and a good, filling meal to break my fast. Right now I'm having this 1-2 times a week, when I can find the steak on clearance for under $3.

    -banana/egg pancakes-love these! Beat a couple eggs up and add to a large mashed banana. Let sit a few minutes and then cook like a pancake. Will be thinner-like a crepe. Top with butter and cinnamon or drizzle honey. Under 400 calories.

    -chef salad-veggies, deli turkey and ham and either bacon bits or leftover bacon. Drizzled with ranch dressing. Calories vary

    -scrambled eggs with mushrooms and veggies-I have this at least 3 times a week. Cheap, easy to make, and a great way to break my fast. Around 300 calories (cooked in butter).

    -stuffed peppers-big red bell pepper, stuffed with sausage, mushrooms and onion. Calories vary

    -stuffed mushrooms-big stuffing mushrooms filled with sausage and onion, topped with a bit of cheddar. Calories vary

    -Wild caught salmon and a side salad-under 500 calories

    -chicken salad-leftover chicken, diced, with real mayo and a dill pickle, diced. I eat it on a bed of lettuce. Calories vary
  • pocketmole
    pocketmole Posts: 614 Member
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    i love chili. it's crazy low calorie, high protein, low carb, easy to make, and super delicious. pic of my southwestern vegetarian chili that i can whip up super quickly in one deep skillet.

    southwesternchili_sm.jpg
  • bryn10
    bryn10 Posts: 44
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  • Derfmen64
    Derfmen64 Posts: 9 Member
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    My go to meals are stir fry's. The following are made in advance and stored in the fridge.
    1) I grill a weeks worth of chicken breasts, pork tenderloins, or rib eye steaks and just store them in the fridge.
    2) I also make a large batch of quinoa or brown rice.
    3) And finally I make a large tub of sauce (usually black bean paste and chili paste)

    Then when I come home from work, I cut 3 to 4 cups of fresh vegetables and throw it into a wok with a little olive oil. While that's cooking, I cut a serving or two of meat into cubes and throw that in with a serving of the brown rice or quinoa and a couple ladles of sauce. The meal takes 10 minutes at most to prepare and cook.

    As long as you don't drown it in oil, limit the grains to a serving or two, and make a healthy sauce (I choose spice over sweet) then it should be low-calorie and protein and fiber packed. Plus it will leave you feeling full.
  • stardancer7
    stardancer7 Posts: 276 Member
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    Re: planning--it's too time consuming and overwhelming NOT to plan--and expensive--because my husband and I would end up getting fast food or pizza or take-out of some sort for the family if we didn't.

    Anyway--I look at the week coming up for me, my husband and two teen daughters. Who will be home for dinner which nights, who has soccer practice or choir, whatever, and plan around that. I often get a rotisserie chicken on Monday, so that's dinner and lunch protein for me for two work lunches and then making stock from the carcass is great for quinoi or couscous the next night. If we're going to be all over the place as a family, using the crockpot for a stew or sweet and sour pork or chicken enables everyone to help themselves between school or work or rehearsal. I also take an hour or so on Sunday afternoon to make a chili or soup for myself to have for the upcoming week (I happily eat chili or stew for breakfast--not hung up on labelling foods that way). I divvy it up between fridge and freezer so I always have something to grab when I'm on the go. I always have frozen berries on hand as well as lots of apples, bananas, 100 gram containers of yogurt--easy to pop into my lunch bag and easy for my girls to grab and go too. I keep the produce bin full of bell peppers, carrots, lettuce, mushrooms, sugar snap peas and have lots of onions, garlic etc. and eggs--love having a frittatta for dinner or breakfast. You really do save a lot of money by planning ahead and only buying the ingredients you'll use. But when I shop, I also stock up on things if they are on sale, like canned black beans or chickpeas, salt-free diced tomatoes, frozen peas etc. Home cooking can feel too hard to do when you come home exhausted from work and it's 'arsenic hour' with cranky hungry kids and homework and all that stuff, but an hour of planning on a Saturday morning or whatever works into your schedule pays off hugely! Like compound interest on a bank account.
  • taiyola
    taiyola Posts: 964 Member
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    I had stiry-fry tonight and have made double to take to work tomorrow.

    Tomorrow night I will have salad with goats cheese and maybe a vegetarian 'chicken' escalope with it or garlic bread.

    Bolognese - 50g veggie mince, 50g pasta, sweetcorn, pepper, mushrooms etc and cheese.