alternatives to fast food/take out

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JoMoMOMx3
JoMoMOMx3 Posts: 77
in Recipes
My daughter keeps us busy with all of her activities, school, sports, clubs etc. We have a few days a week where were on the go from 6am til 7pm. i really need some ideas for healthy, easy meals.
my husband suggested a "pizza night" on Thursday (one of our busiest days of the week). but pizza isn't all that healthy esp on a regular basis.

what are your favorite easy go to meals?

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  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Take a day to make meals ahead and freeze them. Then just pop them in the oven on busy days.
  • climbing_trees
    climbing_trees Posts: 726 Member
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    Cook in a crock pot! Set it in the morning before you leave, and when you get home it will be ready to eat.

    One of the easiest I know is to use frozen chicken breast and cover it in salsa. Cook all day, shred the chicken and serve with tortillas, lettuce, cheese, avocado, whatever taco toppings you want :)

    You could even make a burrito bowl with rice and beans instead of tortillas.

    here are more ideas
    http://www.skinnytaste.com/2007/07/crock-pot-recipes.html
  • JoMoMOMx3
    JoMoMOMx3 Posts: 77
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    Take a day to make meals ahead and freeze them. Then just pop them in the oven on busy days.
    i love freezer meals like this but i find it hard to find healthy recipes.
  • Michele7091
    Michele7091 Posts: 256 Member
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    Take a day to make meals ahead and freeze them. Then just pop them in the oven on busy days.

    ^^^^This!
    And crock pot meals...there are a TON of healthy ones out there. We just had one last night from skinnytaste.com
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Take a day to make meals ahead and freeze them. Then just pop them in the oven on busy days.
    i love freezer meals like this but i find it hard to find healthy recipes.
    You can make anything and freeze it. Marinate some chicken, casseroles, anything.

    Pinterest and Google are your friends.
  • Schtroumpfkin
    Schtroumpfkin Posts: 123 Member
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    i love freezer meals like this but i find it hard to find healthy recipes.

    This recipe is great for freezing - either eat it on its own (it is balanced enough I think), or if you've got some extra calories left over, serve with rice, over a potato, in a tortilla or just with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cheese. Cheap too:
    http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/good-old-chilli-con-carne
  • crystal8208
    crystal8208 Posts: 284 Member
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    Tonight's menu: Easy fajitas with Spanish cheat rice. I marinate some lean steak with a bit of oil, lime juice, garlic, onion powder, some chili powder. Then I sear the edges and yank it off the skillet. For the rice, I use a cup of jasmine rice with about 3/4 of the water it calls for and 1/4 of a jar of your favorite salsa. Slice the steak and add some sliced peppers and a spoonful of rice with sour cream. The whole meal is only about 400 calories (unless you put the meat on tortillas - adds cals). Very easy Spanish dinner without the price tag or calorie kills.
  • RawIndian
    RawIndian Posts: 90 Member
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    I would vote for smoothies. They are healthy, quick to make and can be taken to-go.
  • skhuu
    skhuu Posts: 25 Member
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    Two weeks ago I had to go to a training event for a full week. This required me to commute 1.5 hours each way. I would typically get home after 7pm, almost 2 hours later than my usual time. I had just started my healthy eating, and while it would have been really easy to pick up food on the way home I made sure I was prepared. The weekend before I made a huge batch of food and ate it throughout the week. Preparation will always help out a busy person.

    If you don't have access to a microwave if you are taking to go, try salads or sandwiches/wraps. We recently have been making chicken avocado wraps with greek yogurt (instead of mayo). Boil few chicken breasts and it will feed many servings.

    Also, pizza can be healthier if you make it yourself, limit the cheese and eat more veggies! We use naan flatbread for our crust and fresh mozzarella. If you have all of your ingredients prepped in advance, it will only take a few minutes to toast everything up.
  • ktrader21
    ktrader21 Posts: 1
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    I use Herbalife! Keep a small container of protein and shake mix in my car and add it to a water bottle on the go! I also pre-plan meals throughout the week. Keep it healthy!!
  • caliv0608
    caliv0608 Posts: 18 Member
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    I don't have specific recipes but my go-to methods for avoiding take out when I'm tired and busy are these:

    1. Cook up some lean ground beef or ground turkey. Pop it in the freezer then you can add it to dishes without having to mess with browning it right before dinner.

    2. Make your freezer, a crockpot and your oven your best friends.

    3. I literally do not make anything that cannot potentially be frozen. I enjoy cooking but don't always have much time, so when I do have time I try to cook as much as possible so I have back up meals for later in the week.

    4. Keep a good pasta sauce, frozen veggies (or fresh that you cut and freeze yourself), and meat on hand at all times.

    5. A roast chicken is delicious with roasted vegetables, and doesn't take a lot of work.
  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
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    My quick and easy "go to" meal is always breakfast for dinner.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    My daughter keeps us busy with all of her activities, school, sports, clubs etc. We have a few days a week where were on the go from 6am til 7pm. i really need some ideas for healthy, easy meals.
    my husband suggested a "pizza night" on Thursday (one of our busiest days of the week). but pizza isn't all that healthy esp on a regular basis.

    what are your favorite easy go to meals?

    There isn't anything inherently unhealthy about pizza either.

    Cheeseburgers, Chicken Parm, Mac n Cheese, Pasta, Fried Rice, Eggs all take little time to prepare and cook
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
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    I use Herbalife! Keep a small container of protein and shake mix in my car and add it to a water bottle on the go! I also pre-plan meals throughout the week. Keep it healthy!!
    Yeah, no.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I have a pizza night once per week...you need to look at your diet as a whole, not individual food items when you're talking about overall nutrition and health. Pizza can absolutely be part of a well rounded, nutritious, and balanced diet.

    We are all about quick eats during the work week and I can grill up pretty much any meat or poultry and serve with a side of sauteed or steamed veggies and rice/pasta/potato side in about 20 minutes or so. A good homemade burger and some homemade potato salad is one of my favorites.
  • kittybitz79
    kittybitz79 Posts: 213
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    I understand your days. I have the same issue. One thing I started doing was on Sunday, when I get my groceries, I make meatballs and shredded chicken. Throw them in the freezer. That way I can pull the precooked meat out before work and when I get home I can finish making recipes. (spaghetti, subs, tacos)
  • SapiensPisces
    SapiensPisces Posts: 1,001 Member
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    Take a day to make meals ahead and freeze them. Then just pop them in the oven on busy days.

    ^ This.

    You can even stagger your cooking over 2-3 day if needed if you can't get a whole afternoon off to precook your meals.

    ETA: Crock pot meals are awesome too.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    Make one day your meal prep day. Weigh and store food in containers for the week. Reheat before eating.
  • sugarlemonpie
    sugarlemonpie Posts: 311 Member
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    I love Amy's frozen meals. They have less chemicals than any of those 'diet' frozen meals and are vegetarian with lots of protein! We got the family size cheese enchiladas (pack of 6) and have 1-2 of those with salads on the side. Very filling and fast!

    Otherwise, Firehouse Subs has their new under 500 menu that is delicious. I love the light hook & ladder sub, and the hook & ladder salad is awesome too. Wendy's has good salads as well if you need drive thru. Subway has healthy options, Panera has nutrition facts on everything, etc.
  • ILoveLemurs
    ILoveLemurs Posts: 3
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    Does your family like salmon? A small 6oz salmon fillet with a side of veggies is SUPER quick (fish only takes a few minutes) and healthy -- it's my husband and I's go-to busy weekday meal. We just pepper the salmon, put a tiny drop of vegetable oil in the pan (just so it doesn't stick), and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. If you want, you can sprinkle some spring/green onions on top for added flavor, or you can experiment with other seasonings (I like this mix: 2 tablespoons ground paprika, 1/2 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon ground pepper, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon dried basil, 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano). You can eat it with a side of rice or broccoli, etc. An unseasoned 6 oz salmon fillet is ~330 calories.

    If you happen to have a little more time to spare, I love to pair it with roasted beets and carrots (those take 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees). And I've found that even people who think they HATE beets often time love them when roasted :)

    As for make-ahead freezer meals, you can freeze just about anything.

    We made several week's worth of enchiladas last month and placed them in various casserole dishes so we could just take one casserole dish worth out at a time and pop it in the oven. Our enchiladas were pretty simple - the filling consists of: grated pepper Jack cheese, black beans, chopped spinach, corn, scallion whites, and 2 tsps ground cumin. We use 6-inch corn tortillas. Basically, you prepare them, top with cheese (optional - depending on your calorie goal), and cover the dish with plastic wrap and aluminum folder. If you take them out of the freezer in the morning to thaw while you're at work, they take ~15-20 minutes to bake in the oven at 400 degrees. So all you have to do when you get home is preheat the oven, pour whatever sauce or salsa you want over the enchiladas, and bake.

    Vegetarian chili is also a great one - lower cal than regular chili because it doesn't have meat, but it fills you up! You can make a GIANT batch of it in advance in a crockpot and freeze some so that it doesn't go bad before you can eat it all.

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