Easy healthy meals for someone who hates to cook
Autum1031
Posts: 82 Member
I am significantly overweight (100 pounds) and I've been struggling to lose weight off/on for about 15 years. I had some success 10 yrs ago during a health scare, when I lost 100 pounds over 3 years (still had 50-60 pounds to go) but was unable to maintain. I've yo-yoed ever since.
There are all sorts of reasons--and excuses-- why I can't get anywhere, but during my latest failed attempt I realized my biggest challenge is finding easy, healthy meals that are not crazy expensive or time consuming to make. I hate to cook--I mean, I really HATE it. I want something I can pop in the microwave, or the oven, or get via takeout, with as little effort as possible. (This is also one of the reasons I am so overweight...)
When I do make a serious effort to lose weight, and make progress, the same thing always dooms me--I am eating the same 2-3 meals every day, without fail, because I have no idea what else to make. So I go back to eating what I want, and the weight zooms back on. I know I need to conquer this or I will never succeed, but I need to be realistic. I am *never* going to enjoy cooking. I am *never* going to be willing to make a time consuming, complicated meal most nights. So I need to find a resource that has truly easy, few step meals.
yes, I've been looking all over the internet and I'm not finding anything that works for me. I don't like lots of spices or sauces, my tastes are *very* simple (my favorite meal is a simple steak and baked potato). I could really use some tips for resources for people like me. Any help would be appreciated.
There are all sorts of reasons--and excuses-- why I can't get anywhere, but during my latest failed attempt I realized my biggest challenge is finding easy, healthy meals that are not crazy expensive or time consuming to make. I hate to cook--I mean, I really HATE it. I want something I can pop in the microwave, or the oven, or get via takeout, with as little effort as possible. (This is also one of the reasons I am so overweight...)
When I do make a serious effort to lose weight, and make progress, the same thing always dooms me--I am eating the same 2-3 meals every day, without fail, because I have no idea what else to make. So I go back to eating what I want, and the weight zooms back on. I know I need to conquer this or I will never succeed, but I need to be realistic. I am *never* going to enjoy cooking. I am *never* going to be willing to make a time consuming, complicated meal most nights. So I need to find a resource that has truly easy, few step meals.
yes, I've been looking all over the internet and I'm not finding anything that works for me. I don't like lots of spices or sauces, my tastes are *very* simple (my favorite meal is a simple steak and baked potato). I could really use some tips for resources for people like me. Any help would be appreciated.
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Replies
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Eat what you are eating now but less. Track everything you eat and log it. Buy a scale to weigh your food.
Lots of people lose weight without changing what they eat, and only reducing the quantity.0 -
Loose Weight <-- Eat Under <->Kcal Maintenance<-> Eat Over --> Gain Weight
Maybe putting the effort in to start gathering ingredients and creating simple meals that you like will actually go a long way towards helping you and motivating you to loose weight.
Once you start seeing progress, there is absolutely no reason why you may not eventually enjoy creating meals. Nobody can see too far into the future (well.. predict anyhow).
A good start is chicken, pork, vegetables, brown rice, wholoegrain foods (watching carb intake).. Nothing too high in saturated fats.
Also, meal times.. Eating before bed, even though not medically proven, is widely thought to hinder weight loss.
Don't blow Kcals on empty foods (e.g. Milk chocolate bars.. Kit Kats..), ok for a treat, but they can easily blow your nutrient (macro) targets out of the water.
In order to start making progress, you have to be willing to put in the time and effort. the question is, are you?? We can only advise you, we can't do it for you!0 -
Look around...Do you own a crockpot? Google crockpot recipes. There are lots of meals you can purchase that are pre cooked. You may have to do some assembling. Keep in mind the sodium content of these foods. Check labels.
Beans, soups, salad, sandwiches, burritos. Potatoes and yams can be put into the microwave.
http://www.thefrisky.com/photos/8-easy-shmeasy-recipes-for-people-who-hate-cooking/8-easy-shmeasy-recipes-for-people-who-hate-cooking/
http://www.babble.com/mom/7-healthy-meals-for-people-who-hate-cooking/
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2007/07/crock-pot-recipes.html
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There are a lot of good ideas on the recipe forum, or get a cookbook or two full of 5 minute meals.
But it sounds like you might also benefit from a few sessions with a licensed dietitian. A good one will work with you to come up with a customized meal plan that takes your food preferences into account. My mom, for instance, is a very picky eater for a whole range of reasons, and she had a great dietitian work with her to design a weight loss plan that didn't judge her food issues, but worked with them.0 -
thisfearlessleader104 wrote: »Eat what you are eating now but less. Track everything you eat and log it. Buy a scale to weigh your food.
Lots of people lose weight without changing what they eat, and only reducing the quantity.
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thisfearlessleader104 wrote: »Eat what you are eating now but less. Track everything you eat and log it. Buy a scale to weigh your food.
Lots of people lose weight without changing what they eat, and only reducing the quantity.
Ditto.0 -
If you like simple things, then stick to that! I make a lot of easy things as I have 3 young kids and my husband does shifts, and I can't spend hours in the kitchen and look after the kids, so we tend to have things like chicken or fish and veg, or stir fry, quite a bit.
Stews are easy too, although they take a bit more preparation with chopping the veg, but once that's done you can just leave them.
I do spaghetti bolognaise sometimes...just mince, mushrooms, onion, garlic, tinned tomatoes and tomato purée...and that's pretty easy. Or you can do similar with chilli con carne, just add chillis and kidney beans. I like to bulk it out with veg.
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I'm not sure where you are located, but there are some great soups in Australia (in foil packs).
They are quite cheap (about $3.50 - less if you buy them on special), have low calories (they vary, so check the number of calories), are easy to heat up (I transfer them into a bowl and use the microwave), and are filling.
I often have them for lunch. If you are still hungry have some low-GI yoghurt, an apple, or a slice of low-GI toast.
I also have salads (mainly in summer) or roast vegetables with a homemade dressing.
If you are still hungry once you have eaten, go for a walk. If you are still hungry when you get back, have a healthy snack.
All the best0 -
Stir fry with meat/chicken, frozen stir fry veg (or fresh if you have the time) and bottled sauce. Have with noodles or rice.
Roast veges. Cut up carrot, potato, pumpkin, zucchini etc. Shake with sweet chilli sauce or balsamic vinegar and olive oil in a big plastic bag to cover; roast in the oven. Have with meat/chicken (which you can roast as well).
Frittata. Cook up onions garlic and other veges. Add beaten eggs. Cheese on top. Melt the cheese and set the egg under the griller (broiler?)
For recipes I like cookinglight.com, skinnytaste.com0 -
Learn to like cooking, endure cooking, or eat stuff that doesn't need cooking - fruit, vegetables, nuts, bread, milk, cheese, tuna.0
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The suggestions above are good ones and your simple palette is actually advantageous in your case since you don't like all the heavy sauces. The ideas above area great (crockpot, frittatas) and are super easy. The meat/deli section of most grocery stores have fresh and pre-seasoned meats and fish you can just place into the oven...add some frozen veggies cooked in the microwave and you have a meal. Whole Foods (although pricey) has a whole area dedicated to cooked food that you can bring home warm or stick into a microwave. Since variety is a concern of yours also...just think of it as changing up a protein and switching out your vegetables (refrain from the butter). There's lots of pre-cooked or pre-seasoned meat options for you at your local grocer. If you craving pasta, try spaghetti squash instead of noodles. All you do is cut it in half, place face down on a baking sheet and cook in an oven for approx 40 min @ 375ish....use a fork to separate and add jarred marinara sauce...bam...spaghetti dinner in nearly two steps.0
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I hate to cook too. I also spent around 20 years attempting to lose weight. When I decided to try again two years ago, I decided to do it in a way that would be the easiest and thus the most likely way for me to finally be successful. I ate whatever I wanted just smaller portions. And yes, I ate prepackgaed meals while at work and still do. Are they nutritious? Probably not, but I knew if I tried to lose weight having to prepare meals all the time, I would just give up. I'm all about the easier the better. I still count calories even while maintaining and they make it easy. I'm also lucky because on my days off my husband now does all the cooking. My point is, do this is a way you can see yourself doing for the long haul and in a way, that makes it easier for you to succeed.0
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Rice cooker to cook rice and steam veggies at the same time,
Oven roasted chicken.
Once the rice cooker is producing enough steam, wait for about 10 minutes untill the veggies are done.
After 15 to 20 minutes (depending on cooker) the rice will be done.
Chicken will be done in 20 minutes or so as well.0 -
Buy a George Foreman grill, frozen veggies, and you're pretty much set. It takes me 5 minutes to make dinner with those things. I grill everything - burgers, chicken, sausage, pork, steak... My typical meal is a bag of frozen veggies (I stock up when they are at $1) and random grilled stuff (if steak, typically half a steak). Sometimes I'll make some potato fries or something to go with it, or I have some soup too, but that requires a minimum of cooking (just washing, peeling and slicing, really).
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Buy a George Foreman grill, frozen veggies, and you're pretty much set. It takes me 5 minutes to make dinner with those things. I grill everything - burgers, chicken, sausage, pork, steak... My typical meal is a bag of frozen veggies (I stock up when they are at $1) and random grilled stuff (if steak, typically half a steak). Sometimes I'll make some potato fries or something to go with it, or I have some soup too, but that requires a minimum of cooking (just washing, peeling and slicing, really).
Or even Proctor Silex - they're cheaper. Best investment I've made. It used to take an hour to bake chicken in my toaster oven. Now I can do a breast in 5 minutes. 10, if it's frozen.
Microwave veggies - fresh or frozen take minutes. I have an automatic setting on my microwave and don't even have to know how long it should cook. I like fresh, but frozen are cheaper ($2.99/lb for fresh brocolli - 1.69/lb for frozen at whole foods)0 -
roast veggies are fab, my other half has roast mediterrainian ones, peppers, courgettes, tomatoes, red onion, i have roast root veggies, carrot, parsnip, butternut squash and sweet potato, i get these pre prepared from the store and just get whacked in the oven (mine goes in about ten minutes before his), when i put his in i pop a pork chop or chicken breast ontop of the veg (whats the point of dirtying another dish) and within 45 minutes we are tucking into a filling and nutritious meal0
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I appreciate ALL of the suggestions, thank you! I did more research last night on MFP and came across some additional recipes. It is so very hard to break the habit of how I like to eat. I know it's common, but it's frustrating to me that I've twice lost a significant amount of weight, only to gain it all back, because I didn't like what I was eating (and not eating) to achieve that. (Also, I never did get down to a healthy size, just healthier than what I am now). The happiness of being healthier never outweighed the unhappiness of eating foods I disliked (and not eating the foods I enjoyed), so I always gained it back.0
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Agree with all the people who say eat what you like, just eat less of it.
Remember, though, that you still need to get a healthy mix of nutrients into fewer calories. So cut back everything, sure, but make sure you're cutting back the junk food more than the health food.0 -
Sorry but learn to cook, its a dam life skill i don't understand how anyone can survive without knowing how to cook.
It will make your weight loss much easier knowing what your eating
Ofcourse its easy and dam tasty to get take out, and no you will not be able to stop or eat half a serve of delish hot chips and other take away food.
I know..... It just dosnet happen, you eat till your so stuffed even though you were full ages ago its just tastes good.
Start cooking and take control of your situation
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My simple go to are always steamed or raw veggies with broiled meats or fish seasoned with salt/pepper/olive oil or butter. If you have a rice cooker, great. Make some brown rice with your meal. Takes like max 30 minutes. Is not that hard to cook... But honestly, if you really hate to cook and prefer take out, just order the dang take out but portion it out so you don't over eat. Add some "bulk" like steamed or raw veggies to your portioned take out at home and most likely you'll have a more balanced meal. I do this sometimes when I'm really busy. That way, all I have to do is cook the vegetables.0
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You sound like me. I started eating more vegetables and fruits because I do not like cooking. I am making up my own meals. I have started to take pictures because I am just happy I am no longer burning food. I would suggest picking simple ingredients that can go with mostly everything and just add random stuff to them that you think you might like. Such as onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, eggs, spinach, noodles, rice, potatoes and the vegetables you find in most frozen bags of mixed vegetables. I usually add one meat item to these such as ground hamburger, chicken, or this boneless shoulder thing my friend has at his place. When I think of a simple meal to cook I think of under 30 minutes or something I can walk away from (anything thrown in a crockpot), I have had little luck finding examples of these meals that use meat. So good luck, will be checking in for other advice.0
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You seem to know why your overweight, most don't.Good luck learning to cook because that will become important going forward.0
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Thomas' English Muffins (I like the whole wheat ones)
with:
gardenburger and hummus
laughing cow cheese triangle and egg
LC cheese and turkey burger
sauce and mozz cheese- pizza muffin
Salads
with:
feta cheese
canned beans or veggies
some nuts
salad topper in a jar
Lean Cuisine dinners (loaded with salt though so not so healthy)
Tysons pre cooked chicken- grilled flavor and teriyaki flavor… wonderful over rice and with veggies- can do the whole meal in the micky.
Deitz and Watson precooked chicken sausages
Grill:
everything- pre marinated meats, turkey sausage… lots o stuff
get a food scale, makes life so much easier
measure, measure, measure
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okay, a lot of that stuff is loaded with salt, but in a pinch they are good to have around so you don't grab something worse.
when you have time, do what everyone else said0 -
italysharon wrote: »okay, a lot of that stuff is loaded with salt, but in a pinch they are good to have around so you don't grab something worse.
when you have time, do what everyone else said
It probably takes about as much time to make an omelette as it does to shove something like that in the microwave!
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I eat fast food at lunch five days per week and have found the following to be "healthier" choices (paired with unsweetened iced tea):
Arby's chicken or turkey salad (no bacon, half the dressing)
Wendy's baked potato and side Caesar salad (surprisingly filling)
Taco Bell crunchy tacos (3)
YaYa's chicken sandwich, salad, or dinner (with steamed veges and brown rice)
I'm not only trying to lose weight but cut sodium as well. The above meals are under 1000 mg of sodium (Wendy's meal is about 300mg). I have Kashi GoLean cereal for breakfast and a protein bar for a snack. However, I have learned to cook as I am no longer single, so my dinner is always prepared with fresh and healthy ingredients. This gives me the variety that I crave and let's me control the sodium, since half of my day's allowance is used at lunch.
My advice is to take a cooking class. Not only will you have fun and learn something truly useful, but you will meet interesting people who are in the same boat as you. You make it sound like it's the worst thing in the world but once you gain some knowledge and confidence, it is actually quite easy AND you control what goes into your meals (and you can save money). I love stir fries and have dozens of variations that take less than 20 minutes to prepare and they're super yummy!
If you don't want to take a cooking class (or in addition to), use YouTube and watch and learn from other people who post videos of themselves cooking. It truly is not that difficult.0 -
"If you can read, you can cook." Old adage, but true. Just open a recipe book and follow the instructions. It's not difficult.0
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"If you can read, you can cook." Old adage, but true. Just open a recipe book and follow the instructions. It's not difficult.
But the OP didn't say s/he said s/he HATES to cook. With that said I DO agree with your quote.
OP: you're just going to have to suck it up and start cooking. If you like to throw something in the microwave, make a bunch of food on the weekend and package it up so you can nuke it during the week. Or get a crock pot, toss a bunch of things in there -- my favorite is to take chicken breast, dump a bottle of bone suckin' sauce on it, cook on low for 8 hours, pull it apart with forks and serve over rice. You can make soups, stews, chilli, pot roasts, lots of delicious foods in a crock pot and the best part? NO WORK REQUIRED!! And again, if you make enough you can have meals for the entire week.
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I'm gonna go against all the people saying you should suck it up and grow up and learn to cook. You know what? As an adult, if you hate cooking, and no one else is depending on you to feed them, you don't need to learn.*
I've gone *mumblemumble* years and rarely, if ever, have cooked. Every time I do, it doesn't turn out anything like it's supposed to. Except the time I threw a chicken breast and some bbq sauce in a crockpot (that was damned good) or when I made a really simple chicken breast, cup of water, packet of italian dressing in the crockpot. That wasn't half bad.
Mostly, I've survived on turkey jerkey, chicken filets and side salads at fast food places (bringing my own dressing to save on the sodium), cottage cheese and/or greek yogurt, eggs (in the microwave, not even on the stove), tuna packets, canned chicken (both no salt added) for dinner. Amongst other things. *Sometimes* I'll have a frozen dinner but that's not often anymore.
*Altho, if you learn to cook, you'd also have more of a variety of foods you can eat.
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