Building a cleaner menu

srhelm
srhelm Posts: 23 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all. So now that I kind of know that I need to eat more and change a few things. I need to go to the grocery store on Wed and get a few things. I am trying to build a menu for the week to make it easier on myself. I intend to cook a big batch and divide and store so we have already prepared quick meals and snacks. I am on a very tight budget. So what I need is............
Breakfast ideas.
Lunch ideas
Dinner is not so hard but would always take ideas.
Snack ideas.

I need to cut out processed things so please keep that in mind also. I don't want to get tired of the same old food so that is why I am asking for you help.

Thanks all.

Replies

  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Need more details.

    What do you like to eat? How good are your cooking skills? How much time are you setting aside for cooking?
  • srhelm
    srhelm Posts: 23 Member
    I will be cooking for the week on Sunday's. As long as it takes. I am an average cook. Born and raised on Meat, potato and basic veggies. Not afraid to branch out. As a matter of fact I kind of enjoy it. The only thing I can't eat is sea food.
  • SnicciFit
    SnicciFit Posts: 967 Member
    I intend to cook a big batch and divide and store so we have already prepared quick meals and snacks.

    I need to cut out processed things so please keep that in mind also. I don't want to get tired of the same old food so that is why I am asking for you help.

    This is exactly what I do! Here's what I'm having this week:

    Bacon & Spinach Stuffed Chicken http://paleomg.com/bacon-and-spinach-stuffed-chicken/
    Cauliflower mash http://nomnompaleo.com/post/1356203768/garlic-cauliflower-mashed-potatoes
    Fresh Herb Meatballs http://mypathtopaleo.blogspot.com/2012/08/updates.html
    Burrito Bowls http://www.katrina-runs.com/whole-30-day-20-pass-the-cheese
    Coleslaw http://mypathtopaleo.blogspot.com/2013/09/paleo-coleslaw-with-kick.html
    Chicken Bacon Ranch Zoodle Salad http://mypathtopaleo.blogspot.com/2013/08/chicken-bacon-ranch-zoodle-salad.html

    ^these all re-heat well. I also make a batch of homemade mayo (I dip my meatballs in it and use it for the zoodle salad and coleslaw), I hard boil 12-18 eggs every week and either use them for portable protein or mix them with the mayo for egg salad. I also fry up bell peppers, onions & tomato with a pound of pork breakfast sausage and a dozen eggs and portion it out for breakfasts. It re-heats surprisingly well.

    Some other recipes that I use regularly:

    http://www.paleoeffect.com/recipes/fajitas-paleo-effect/
    http://mypathtopaleo.blogspot.com/2012/11/spaghetti.html
    http://fastpaleo.com/recipe/ground-beef-and-cabbage/
    http://www.primalpalate.com/recipe/zucchini-lasagna/
    http://paleodietlifestyle.com/spicy-pulled-pork/
  • SnicciFit
    SnicciFit Posts: 967 Member
    Oh yeah, and be prepared, someone is sure to jump in here any minute and tell you how "eating clean" is dumb. Or that it means rinsing your food off first. LOL!
  • srhelm
    srhelm Posts: 23 Member
    Awesome! Thanks. Please keep me in mind for the future.
  • remimarie
    remimarie Posts: 80
    I make 2 staple things that can be reheated.

    1) Mini Cheese/Veggie Fritata (but you may add, ground turkey, sausage or ham or bacon bits)
    2) Mexican Meatloaf (use ground turkey and ground chicken, corn, black beans, salsa, bread crumbs and onions)

    I make these on a Sunday and they last all week.
  • 5n0wbal1
    5n0wbal1 Posts: 429 Member
    Oatmeal makes a pretty good breakfast, and you can get large amounts of it for pretty cheap. Make the basic recipe, and add what you want to it--fruit is great for add-ins!
  • nscarebear
    nscarebear Posts: 29
    bump
  • beaches222
    beaches222 Posts: 437 Member
    bump
  • teelynn35
    teelynn35 Posts: 239 Member
    bump
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    If it were me, I'd be looking at chili, stews, that sort of thing. They take a lot of wall-clock time, but not much human-time, and can be scaled to large batches. The crockpot and stock pot are your friends! :)
  • Boogage
    Boogage Posts: 739 Member
    Could you just make some healthier versions of things you usually eat?

    Like....lasagne made with quorn mince, tomatoes that you season yourself (instead of a jar full of preservatives and oil)?

    If you're trying to eat lower carb then cottage pie could be topped with half potato/half turnip mash or carrot and swede mash

    It kind of depends on what type of meals you're going for really-low cal? low carb? low fat?

    For breakfast I usually have greek yogurt with honey and either fruit or an oaty cereal but other times I want something more and might have an omelette (high fat but not really high cal as I use frylight, low carb and high protein)
  • Bercath
    Bercath Posts: 7 Member
    Hi, I got a cook book with the same intention and there is a great breakfast smoothie recipe in it.
    330g of strawberries, 2 large ripe bananas,300ml of semi skimmed milk well chilled, 150g fat free yogurt, 2 tablespoons of oatmeal.
    hull and wash strawberries, peel and slice bananas, put all in food blender and blitz till smooth, serves 4 but if you portion out at 250ml, your breakfast for 143 cals.
    I find if you allow yourself 1 or 2 days with large breakfast and small lunch and vice versa next day that works for me.
    The book is called the hairy dieters by si king and dave myers its about maintaining weight loss and all the recipes are simple and calorie counted which I find great. I make up a salad dressing to last the week which encourages me to make salad to use it up and fresh herbs on the window sill are another great push as they have to be picked and used up too. get light versions of coconut milk or natural yougurt for curries, go brown for rice and bread, go fresh for veg and homemade soup is a great filler for lunches, some great low fat recipes out there.
    Best of luck to you, let me know how you get on. Ber
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    Just curious why you feel you need to cut out "processed things"?

    I bulk bake chicken breast on the weekends (6 lbs) for my lunches. I also bulk cook mixed vegetables and pasta. Then again I eat the same lunch every day so it's easy for me.
  • Boogage
    Boogage Posts: 739 Member
    Lentil Dahl freezes well and is high in protein but also carbs
  • pienthesky32
    pienthesky32 Posts: 142 Member
    www.skinnytaste.com is my favorite website
  • srhelm
    srhelm Posts: 23 Member
    I don't need to cut out processed. Just need/want to cut way back on them.
  • srhelm
    srhelm Posts: 23 Member
    I don't mind eating the same thing everyday for a week or two but would have to switch it up now and then. Just trying to get healthier and lose lots of weight. I just don't have a clue what I am doing.
  • Quieau
    Quieau Posts: 428 Member
    I'm really into "scratch batch" cooking and I also spend my Sundays cooking for the freezer. We make stacks of organic scratch frozen pizzas (homemade dough, sauce, sausage, fresh veggies, but I don't make the cheese!), 10-veggie (w/or w/out ground pork) eggrolls, soups, stews, quiches, casseroles ... you name it.

    I have a scratch/organic ("clean") cooking group on FB if anyone wants to join, it's in full swing and has a LOT of recipes in the photos section (we use the photo albums as categorized cookbooks). It's called Au Naturel and can be found at:

    http://facebook.com/groups/aunaturel

    My biggest piece of advice is to avoid cooking/freezing your starches. Pasta, potatoes and rice usually don't reheat well from the freezer, so I always try to add them the night the food is being eaten (like in a soup or stew).

    Buy in bulk, cook in bulk, and label EVERYTHING! GOOD LUCK!
  • SandyC04
    SandyC04 Posts: 32
    Hi srhelm. I have been on a "clean eating diet" for 4 months now and have to say it is changing my life for the better... I have a lot of medical issues and am working with a nutritionist... My lifestyle change has created a healthier me and I have lost over 20 lbs to boot... I will say it is expensive and unless you can afford it I would start to turn your kitchen over slowly... I have to admit I have gone a bit extreme and only eat organic, free range, grass fed, no processed foods... It is a lot of work but worth it! Here is the advise I have received from a nutritionist that I will gladly pass along to you...

    1. Throw out anything in you have in cupboard starting with the sugar, white flour, artificial sweeteners, white rice, and anthing that has high fructose corn syrup listed as one of the ingredients.

    2. Use coconut oil and EVOO for cooking.... Grape Seed oil is good too... Most all of the "clean eating" recipes will call for one of those oils...

    3. Organic Low Sodium Beef, Chicken and Vegetable Broth - use this a lot to cook with... I have been doing stir fry and poaching fish with vegetable broth and it works great!

    4. Out with the refined sugars and in with 100% pure maple syrup and raw unprocessed honey... I use these 2 items to replace sugar... for the most part honey can be substituted 1 for 1 for sugar and I think it taste better too!

    5. Some question if soy sauce is clean... When a recipe calls for it I have been using Reduced Sodium Tamari Soy Sauce

    5. Unsweetened organic applesauce is great for cooking and can take the place of oil... I have a fabulous banana bread recipe that uses applesauce and my hubby just loves it! I can share the recipe if you are interested...

    6. Leafy Green Veggies - lots of them are good for you... This has been the biggest adjustment for me! I must admit I have been trying all kinds of new items and loving it... I am now making soups with Kale or Collard Greens adding bok choy and spinach to my stir fry and leeks to my chicken stews and it is quite yummy!

    7. Good whole carbs are clean and can be good for you - All fruits, Flour-free whole grains (such as oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice, black rice, amaranth, barley, millet, etc) and flour-free sprouted whole grain breads, Corn, Peas, Legumes, Beans, Potatoes (sweet potato is the better option but Yukon gold if you prefer the white)

    8. Make the majority of your diet plant... Plant is anything that grows from the ground or on a tree...

    9. dump the salt shaker and experiment with herbs... Ginger, Garlic, Tumeric, fresh Rosemary, Thyme, Sage all can add great flavors!

    10. You don't have to buy everything organic! Check out this website... the clean 15 list you can purchase conventional but the dirty dozen should be organic! http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php

    Good luck and I am here to help and share recipes with you if you are interested!!!!
  • DiosMom
    DiosMom Posts: 7
    I would like to thank you for the recipes! So far I have mostly relied on prepared or quick-to-fix foods but they are getting old quickly. Need to start devoting some time to batch cooking on the weekend. I also (finally!) re-start working at a full-time job again Monday, so that will add a whole new layer to the equation and make it even tougher. I am going to start using your recipe web site. Again, thank you!
  • evdenapoli
    evdenapoli Posts: 164 Member
    May I suggest using a crock pot? Extremely helpful and easy to cook healthy.
  • SandyC04
    SandyC04 Posts: 32
    Made this the other day it is was delicious... my daughter who claims she doesn't like pork asked for the recipe... Its a crock pot recipe so you can set on low in the morning and come home to a lovely roast ready to serve...

    2 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin roast
    1 cup real maple syrup
    4 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
    2 1/2 tablespoons Braggs cider vinegar
    2 1/2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce

    Stir together the maple syrup, mustard, vinegar and soy sauce in a small bowl. Place pork roast in a shallow roasting pan. Spread glaze evenly over pork roast. Turn the roast over a few time to coat it with the sauce... The sauce is thin but it is very tasty!

    I simply placed the roast in the crock pot, poured the mixed ingredients on top, and let it cook on high for about 4 hours (8 hours if on Low)

    NOTE: It is important to use 100% Maple Syrup... pancake syrup will not work for this one...

    Goes great with rice and a green vegetable!

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