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Picky eater needs help with recipes

sbpuckett73
sbpuckett73 Posts: 11 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I admit it. I'm a very picky eater and that makes dieting/ lifestyle changes difficult. I'm especially picky with veggies and legumes. For instance, the only veggies I like cooked are green beans, corn, and potatoes. Green beans have to be really cooked, not steamed... and generally in a can since I can't can them myself. Potatoes I love love love but avoid b/c I know they aren't good for everyday consumption when I'm trying to lose weight. Raw veggies: carrots, cucumbers, green peppers. That's it. Yes, I've tried the rest and don't like them.

As far as beans go, I'll eat kidney beans in chili and with chicken and rice. That's it.

I do like rice but not sure about how healthy it is.

I love pasta but it falls in with potatoes to me. And bread... ohhhh bread.... again, rare treat.

Meats: chicken breast, turkey bacon, sausage, most fish, beef occasionally. I actually try to keep my lunch/ dinner meat consumption to chicken or fish.

Fruits: Watermelon, kiwi, bananas, strawberries, peeled apples, pineapple. Canned peaches. I don't care for mango or honeydew.

I used to make fruit smoothies for breakfast which consisted of frozen strawberries, sliced bananas and/or kiwi, and fruit juice. But, I know the fruit juice has a lot of sugar and since I've been tracking my meals I know that sugar is my achilles heel. (another reason bread is not my friend sadly).

Sooooo.... anyone have suggestions of possible recipes that won't kill my calorie count that this picky eater might like?

Replies

  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    Mix everything you like together in one big bowl.

    Voila! :drinker:
  • quatermore
    quatermore Posts: 94 Member
    Sugar is sometimes difficult to reduce in the diet. Fruit smoothies can be healthy and relatively low in sugar without using fruit juice.I use:

    1 cup so delicious unsweetened dairy free coconut milk beverage ( sugar = 1)
    1/2 cup peaches or blueberries ( around 7 sugars)
    1/4 banana for texture ( 5 sugars)
    whey protein powder ( 1 sugar)
    coconut oil ( 0 sugar)

    Substituting the coconut milk beverage for milk saves a lot of sugar and it tastes great. Being glucose intolerant I watch my sugar intake closely, and this meal/snack fits into my macros nicely. Good luck to you!
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    You don't sound too picky to me - mostly only on veggies. I wonder if maybe you have texture pickiness?

    Potatoes - they're actually good for you! Yes they're starchy and calorie dense but I heard (from a non-professional source so I recommend looking this up yourself) that potatoes actually contain the right combination of nutrients that a human could survive their entire lives eating only potatoes. Not saying that human would be healthy or happy, but would be alive haha. Maybe try making mini potatoes and limiting how many you have rather than cutting them out entirely.

    For eating fish, I just bake mine on a cookie sheet after sprinkling with some kind of tasty spice blend.

    Chicken breast - great cooked in a foil packet (deliciously moist!). I usually dip the raw chicken in a small bowl of lower fat sour cream (or use plain yogurt), dijon mustard (1/4 cup of each is more than enough for 4 breasts and I usually end up tossing a bit out or cutting it back) and 1 tbsp dried dill weed. But it works well with the sour cream and curry powder or paprika too (or tex mex, lemon pepper, etc). Cook in the oven at 350 F for 20-25 mins (check it though, bigger pieces might need 35 - 40 mins) and then broil it with the packet open for about 5 to get a bit of crisp on the top (or skip this step if you don't feel like waiting). The prep is very easy and most of the job is waiting!

    Beef can be great with a simple lemon juice, garlic, pepper, and olive oil based marinade. Or grill it and brush it with a bit of BBQ sauce or steak spice.

    Brown rice is great for you - whole grains are thought to reduce the risk of cancer. No need to cut out grain based foods! Try whole grain substitutions instead and reduce portion size.

    Let me know if you liked any of the above recipe ideas, I have more
  • sbpuckett73
    sbpuckett73 Posts: 11 Member
    Thanks all. Yes I have definite texture issues. Without a doubt. More ideas? I like the ones so far.

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