Anyone cook and eat actual meals most/all days?

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Replies

  • Fitnin6280
    Fitnin6280 Posts: 618 Member
    One more reply came in while I was posting---thanks.

    What do we like to eat? We like spicy foods (as in hot!) and highly seasoned things. Mostly I like variety. I would love more recipes with ground turkey. I mostly use it in things like chili or tacos, but I would love to know how to cook it by itself so that it would be moist and flavorful. Love mushrooms, spinach, and zucchini. We don't eat a lot of beef, but I do try to cook it from time to time for DH. My preference is chicken. I like salmon and tilapia and would love to have halibut, too, but I just can't bring myself to pay the high cost. We have pork from time to time. We have everything from fish fillets, brown rice, and veggies to beef stroganoff, chicken pot pie, enchiladas, or beef burgundy. Of course, wtih some of the heavier entrees, I just have to eat smaller portoins. However, I can actually eat a regular serving of the beef stroganoff and beef burgundy because they have some low-fat substitutes included in the recipe. (I got the recipes for both of those from Diabetic Living.)

    Edited to add: I love, love soup! DH doesn't think of soup as a "real" meal, so I have to have a lot of add-ons for him, but if it is well seasoned, soup is my comfort food.

    If you like spicy, I make a mean stuffed pepper. I use ground beef, but you can use ground or shredded chicken. You just take 4 chilis (I use Serano or Pueblo, sometimes bell peppers if I can't find good looking chilis), cut in half and clean, boil about 5 min.

    Brown 1lb of hamburger, add one packet of taco seasoning, 1 can of black beans (drained & rinsed), 1 cups cooked brown rice. Fill each 1/2 of the chilis with hamburger rice mixture. Top with cheese, bake at 350° until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

    Is that a typo? How do you stuff a tiny serano pepper?

    Sorry I meant Poblano... - oh and I forgot you need to add a little water with the taco seasoning. Whatever is called for on the package.
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    I cook dinner most nights.

    It's not always going to show up nicely in my food diary though. Last night, for example, We had leftover pot roast and mashed potatoes with a side salad. I logged the pot roast using the closest existing equivalent I found on searching (chuck roast, braised, with onions), I entered the potatoes as a recipe so they show up as "mashed potatoes," I entered the salad dressing as a recipe, and then all the salad components were estimated based on what went into the bowl.

    Some days I pick from the search iist and grab something I know is in the ballpark nutritionally for what I cooked. Some days I enter it as a recipe (And I think MFP REALLY needs to fix the recipe creator so that you can "touch up" the recipe each time you cook it, to reflect the fact that a lot of cooks don't make dishes the same every time), and sometimes I enter my share of the components that went into the recipe separately.

    We have a CSA, so I do a lot of "seat of the pants" cooking from June through October -- I bring home a big bag of veggies and I make them work in the recipes I have, rather than planning a meal and buying the exact components.
  • juliegrey1
    juliegrey1 Posts: 202 Member
    Hi I dont use any convenience food I cook all our meals,I find a great place for ideas is allrecipes.co.uk!
  • amwoidyla
    amwoidyla Posts: 257 Member
    If you like spicy food you MUST make Mexican Gumbo. It's easy to toss together and to alter the recipe if you want.
    I just used canned stuff, because this is one of our quick and easy meals, but if you want to dice your own veggies/cook your own beans, go for it. You can prep the chicken how ever you want and then chop or shred it.

    2 chicken breasts with spicy seasonings
    1 can of diced tomatos
    1 can of diced chilis
    1 can black beans
    Chopped onion
    Low sodium chicken broth (I just kind of eyeball it)

    Pour over your favorite rice and top with a smidge of cheese, sour cream (I use non fat plain greek yogurt) and crushed torilla chips and you're good to go!

    The gumbo part has around 200 calories per serving, so the calories really come from the rice and toppings.
  • corgicake
    corgicake Posts: 846 Member
    Mine's open. It's a little repetitive with weekday breakfasts and lunches and some of the dinner choices definitely wouldn't fit with some people's goals but there's actual cooking every day. Take from it what fits with what you need.
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    I cook a from-scratch supper almost every night. Depending on what it is, sometimes it will show up in my diary as a list of ingredients, sometimes as a named item I put in a recipe for just to make the calculations easier. Some nights it's a better balanced meal than others. Last night, for instance, supper was sorely lacking in veggies and was a chicken/pasta splurge. I do try to incorporate a lot of vegetables most of the time. I also do pretty simple cooking in terms of effort and precision but variety in terms of flavor and combinations. So, I think my diary is open to one and all (let me know if it isn't) and I respond yes to all friend requests but don't watch everybody's daily feed.

    Whatever we have for supper tonight will be veggie-heavy to make up for last night's sins. :embarassed:

    Oh, and if you ever want to know what went into one of the named recipes, give me a holler and I'll cut and paste into a message to you.

    Sounds a lot like me. I eat everything... I make fresh pasta, lasagna, marinara and meat sauces, pizza, tacos, hamburgers, pulled pork, chili, burritos, fajitas, casseroles and anything else you can think of. I have a 5 yr old step son so food is usually kid friendly when we have him for the night. I'll confess I'm not great with veggies though I will try to make a salad at least for myself. I don't cut out anything - we use full fat sour cream, white sugar, flour and other 'normal' ingredients.

    My diary is wide open so if you see anything interesting I'm happy to share the recipes.
  • ncbeachprincess
    ncbeachprincess Posts: 91
    One more reply came in while I was posting---thanks.

    What do we like to eat? We like spicy foods (as in hot!) and highly seasoned things. Mostly I like variety. I would love more recipes with ground turkey. I mostly use it in things like chili or tacos, but I would love to know how to cook it by itself so that it would be moist and flavorful. Love mushrooms, spinach, and zucchini. We don't eat a lot of beef, but I do try to cook it from time to time for DH. My preference is chicken. I like salmon and tilapia and would love to have halibut, too, but I just can't bring myself to pay the high cost. We have pork from time to time. We have everything from fish fillets, brown rice, and veggies to beef stroganoff, chicken pot pie, enchiladas, or beef burgundy. Of course, wtih some of the heavier entrees, I just have to eat smaller portoins. However, I can actually eat a regular serving of the beef stroganoff and beef burgundy because they have some low-fat substitutes included in the recipe. (I got the recipes for both of those from Diabetic Living.)

    Edited to add: I love, love soup! DH doesn't think of soup as a "real" meal, so I have to have a lot of add-ons for him, but if it is well seasoned, soup is my comfort food.

    You remind me so much of myself! My husband had gastric bypass and one of the things that the dietician told us about seasonings is, regardless of how much intake you have, it is better to replace a whole serving of bad food with seasonings on your regular serving. I hope that this makes sense! I buy McCormick Marinades in the pouch, they run about $1. Typically these require the pack of seasoning, oil, vinegar and water, give or take those ingredients. After using these you will be able to create your own marinades and seasonings, by omitting or adding things that your family enjoys more. I ALWAYS use olive oil, for everything. We eat mostly poultry, pork and fish, no red meat, because after doing away with for so long, it upsets our stomachs now. We grill everything that is able to be grilled, after marinating for hours, and this really helps with keeping the flavor.

    When I am cooking something that requires ground beef, I always sub ground turkey. I use ground turkey for burgers too, which can be trial and error to suit your families tastes. I add salt and pepper into the ground turkey, sometimes diced onions, patty them up and grill them. I add 2% cheese to the burger for a cheeseburger taste. I dress our burgers with veggies, lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, onions, etc. As a good side dish, I cut potatoes and bake fries, coating them with a tiny bit of live oil and garlic salt.
  • jsuaccounting
    jsuaccounting Posts: 189 Member
    I usually do but sometimes get on a streak where I eat lunch out for a while or have to work out of town. Diary is open. I do high fat diet.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,329 Member
    I cook and eat real meals pretty much every day, both lunch and dinner. I make my lunches and my husband's on weekends, usually soups or vege based curried for me, lasagne, pies or enchiladas for him. Night times I come home and cook. My diary isn't open to anyone but friends, but feel free to add me. I do use the recipe builder a lot though, so my diary tends to have one entry which encompasses an entire meal including sides.
  • MelissaL582
    MelissaL582 Posts: 1,422 Member
    I cook actual meals for my family. I'm a stay at home mom :-) I've made healthier dinner options when it comes to enchiladas, meatloaf, spaghetti and many others.
  • tarayatesgosse
    tarayatesgosse Posts: 26
    You are right , it is hard. It is not possible for me to cook lunch while at work , even though I work in a kitchen, so I have have a meal for lunch and breakast I keep small like oatmeal just because I like to keep my calories low to start my day....because I always cook dinner and they have way more calories.
  • sally_jeffswife
    sally_jeffswife Posts: 766 Member
    I almost always cook if I'm home. I love to cook, it can be a blessing or a downfall cuz I always have stuff in the fridge that temp you to munch on sometimes.but looking at alot of restaurant calories it is much healthier eating home cooked meals. And I feel good being able to make really good meals for my family.
  • dlionsmane
    dlionsmane Posts: 674 Member
    I plan meals and cook ahead for a week of lunches for both myself and my bf, I also plan and shop for what I will make for dinners and snacks for the week. Usually chicken, pork, turkey or salmon w sweet potato, rice, barley or spaghetti squash and all kinds of mixes of veggies (roasted, steamed, sauté, etc). Me and my bf love sauté spinach so that is on the menu at least once a week!
  • realme56
    realme56 Posts: 1,093 Member
    Open.
    I make some meals that hold up well cause it is just me (soups, salads)
    I cook various components like grilling a bunch of chicken tenders, veggies par=cooked to be quickly finished on a rough day. Even salmon and mahi can be cooked ahead and pumped up for tacos, of salad with pasta or all veggies.
    I love to cook.....

    My diary of the past week is NOT good cause of stress but further back looked better and I am getting my self back on track now.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    I cook actual meals, from scratch, albeit simple meals, and my diary is open.
  • Strangelyinsane
    Strangelyinsane Posts: 120 Member
    Remember that certain foods have a certain flavor profile w different spices.

    ie Creole/Cajun - onions, garlic, green pepper, garlic, paprika, cayenne, thyme, parsley.
    Curry - garlic, ginger, curry, coriander, cumin, hot chili paste, lemongrass, cilantro.
    Asian - garlic, onions, soy sauce, ginger, hoisin, chili flakes, fish sauce, lemongrass, rice wine vinegar.
    Mexican - garlic, onions, cumin, chili powder, oregano, cilantro.
    French - shallots, garlic, thyme, lemon, tarragon, parsley.
    Mediterranean - garlic, onions, shallots, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, parsley, lemon, rosemary, oregano.

    ^^Nicely done^^ Your flavor profiles match my experience. I cook nearly every breakfast and dinner. Lunch is usually a 'Lean Cusine' type microwave concoction. I use a crock pot a couple of times per week for pork roast (Costco's sirloin tip pork roast) or chicken hind quarters (skinless with excess fat removed). The varieties are endless. Curries work particularly well.
  • LeakieChan
    LeakieChan Posts: 31 Member
    while my snacks consist mostly of fruits and vegetables, my main meals are normally close to a actual meal, I love making wraps.

    "Ole Mexican foods: Xtreme wellness tomato basil wrap" with the 90 calorie meat packets, I use half. a 4th of a cup of low fat cheese, lettuce, tomato, and the Dannan Oiko's roasted pepper dip. it's so good.

    I did get a recipe from a friend, http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/13948/spaghetti-squash-i My family LOVED it and keep asking me when i'm going to make it again.

    sometimes with dinner I will cheat and have a Marie calendars lean meal or a healthy choice.
  • willnevergiveup
    willnevergiveup Posts: 141 Member
    I do. I eat the same things for breakfast every day -- two slices bacon, one egg, a dozen berries, coffee with cream for breakfast . For lunch I have a handful of multi-grain crackers, an ounce of cheddar cheese, a dozen olives, and a few berries. Sometimes a big salad with a large variety of vegetables, leftover cooked chicken, and no dressing. Sometimes I'll have a dozen small multi-grain crackers and a can of sardines. Dinner is usually meat (chicken, fish,shrimp, hamburger patty, sometimes steak) always broiled or baked with herbs and, if necessary, olive oil. I use a mix of ground nuts/flax seed bread crumbs to coat chicken or fish. I always have a huge salad and no dressing . A few days I week I'll have half a glass of red wine with dinner. Snacks include a handful of nuts, a couple of flax seed cookies (made with coconut oil), a little fruit in season (cherries, raspberries, strawberries), a half a small apple with a teaspoon of peanut butter, or I'll toast a piece of flax seed bread and sprinkle it with Splenda and cinnamon/

    My husband is retired. I work a few days a week and bring my lunch on those days. I don't eat sardines on the days I work. LOL My children are all grown. It's a bit harder when they and my grandchildren come visit and I'm cooking, but I can usually manage to stay within my goals (less than 60 net carbs and less than 1400 calories a day). It's working for me. Drinking 8-10 glasses of water every day is important.

    We live out in the country and it's a most of the day, 60-90 mile trip, to go shopping, do errands, etc. and then we eat out. This doesn't happen often, perhaps once a month or so. Sometimes I send my husband out to do this by himself and I stay home. If I go to a fast food place I'll order the grilled chicken sandwich with just a slice of tomato and some lettuce (no bun, no sauce). I seldom drink diet soda. A special treat for me is air popped popcorn with melted butter and a diet Dr. Pepper.
  • Sharonneaton
    Sharonneaton Posts: 15 Member
    Yes I cook from scratch every day and put together actual meals. I watch my BP pretty close so I have to.
  • generallyme2
    generallyme2 Posts: 403 Member
    I do! My diary is open if you want to have a look :)
  • Raddichio
    Raddichio Posts: 162 Member
    Wow! Great responses. I haven't read all of them yet, as MIL fell today and had to be taken to the hospital to be checked out. I will, though, and I'm looking forward to it.

    I just wanted to mention that I received several friend requests from this thread, which I do appreciate. However, I'm not the best of friends, as I don't chat a lot or send out messages of encouragement all the time. I don't want anyone to interpret that as lack of interest or engagement. I tend to get on this site, log food, read a little (maybe respond to one or two posts), and get off again. I'm not sure exactly what I'm supposed to do as a friend on this site.

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