cutting out processed food

why do you hate to cook? Really, there isn't an alternative. I follow a diet plan laid out by my coach (most days)...it consists primarily of whole foods and meals prepared and cooked from whole food ingredients...so even if you follow a meal plan, you're going to need to cook if you don't want to eat processed foods.

Really...there's commercially processed foods and there are whole foods...

If you can read, you can cook...and there are literally *kitten* tons of easy and quick recipes out there.

Yeah, I'm lazy too (and picky, but that's another story). This works for me:

1. Pick a protein that's easy. Grab a roasted chicken from the deli/grocery store on the way home. Pork or steak can be grilled on the stove-top in no time with a grill pan. You can stir-fry things super fast in a wok. (You can bake things, too, but that obviously takes longer, oven needs to heat up.)
2. Pick 1-2 intensely coloured veg to cook, either green or yellow/orange*. Broccoli, zucchini, green beans, asparagus, brussel sprouts, red peppers, red cabbage are ones I go to.
3. Pick your cooking flavours. I often just like butter and salt, or lemon and oil, or garlic and oil. Herbs/spices are nice. So are marinades (obv for stir fry).
4. Pick a grain. Pasta, rice, bread.
5. Add a leafy salad if you want to, or instead of the cooked veg if no time.

Also, pasta's a lifesaver. You can throw leftover chicken in there, or maybe some sausage, or ham. (I'm bad and like full-fat pork sausage, but you could do turkey sausage).

I agree about omelettes, those are ridiculously easy.

On Sundays, you can make a massive beef or pork roast that can help with lunches later (sandwiches).

*this is to cover your nutrition

^^^ that's if you hate freezing / unfreezing stuff (i.e. batch cooking). It means shopping 2 x a week (every 3 days or so) so the stuff is all right in your fridge.

Also that's just for dinner, obviously. I have no idea about feeding a whole family for breakfast and lunch or handling kids' preferences. For myself, I usually like eggs and toast for brek. Lunch varies (sandwiches, often).

I hate cooking too, lazy and have no knack for it. During the week I will totally cook two meals, a kid friendly one and an adult one. Love fresh salmon or even making salmon patties with the canned stuff plus my favorite veggie as a side. I like home made veggie chili and lasagna too. Baked chicken breasts with a small side of pasta and fruit bowl, keep things simple to start.

It is easier to cook if you have the right gadgets / appliances.
Some ideas: crockpot, rice cooker, microwave steamer, metal steamer for veggies, food processor.
Watching Alton Brown on youtube can help you become a good cook.

No. The only way to have a decent nutritious diet is to cook at least one meal in your day, hopefully the biggest. If you can't cook for lunch or dinner you are not getting your vitamins, minerals and everything else you need and will be getting a load of stuff you don't need like sodium and sugar.

We live busy lives, I have a 2 and a 5 year old, full time job, part time school, husband, house, older parents. I cook one to two meals daily and the rest is processed food. But not getting at least one meal means you are just being lazy and unwilling to change.

Learn to cook simple dishes, it's not hard to pop chicken drumsticks in the oven for 40 minutes, veggies take 3 minutes to steam, pasta 7 minutes to boil, sauteed veggies and legumes in a skillet with salt and pepper for less than 10 minutes. Most days I can get a nutritious meal in less than 30 minutes with about 10 minutes of prep time.

Learn how to do it.

Xiaolongbao wrote: »

1. Buy healthy ingredients.
2. Google "name of ingredients, recipe, easy"
3. Cook.

^^This. You have the world at your fingertips. There are an unlimited number of healthy recipes on the internet. Choose ingredients that you and your children like and search out recipes. Cooking is not hard. If you can read and follow directions, you can cook. Plus you have the added benefit of more nutritious food. A win/win situation for you and your children. A healthier way to eat as you will not be ingesting all of the added sodium, sugars and unpronounceable preservatives and other things that are added to overly processed, packaged foods, or take out food. Your choice.

The meal planning service cooksmarts.com changed my life. The food is so healthy and delicious. I thought I hated cooking, but realized with cooksmarts that it was the menu planning and making a shopping list that I hated. I'd recommend trying their free three weeks of meals!

I love to cook, but when I had my last surgery I knew it'd be at least 2 months before I was back in the kitchen. The idea of eating packaged foods/take out during that period was not even an option! I had to get super organized and plan ahead. It's ok to do some processed stuff, but if you do read the labels and try to choose a product that's healthier (I.e. made only with a few ingredients and your kids can pronounce them all!)
If you want to make it easier on yourself you can also do large batches say every Sunday and freeze it in dinner sized portions. I do things like poach 6lbs of chicken breasts in my crockpot one day and then I cube/shred it and freeze it in 1/2 - 1lb packages. This way I have chicken for pasta, salads, soups, etc... I do the same with meatballs. Make 3x batch, use my cookie dough scoop and plop them on pans, bake, cool and freeze by the dozen. I can just serve w/pasta & sauce or over rice w/veggies. I also do this with taco meat and make burritos (chicken or beef w/beans) and bake in the oven. It works well for roasts & soups too.
You can also prep all your veggies at once. I'm more likely to eat a salad if the lettuce, peppers, tomatoes are washed and I just have chop a few things up. Also, the bagged produce that is washed and prepped is a huge timesaver for me! Frozen steamer veggies w/out sauce are an easy option too.
Just make sure to start slow and make things everyone in your family likes. Search the internet for easy recipes or freezer recipes. If you like the recipe, print it and put it in a 3ring binder! That way you have easy access to your favorite recipes and can note substitutions, etc...
Another thing that helps me is that I write on the fridge everything that were going to eat for the week and take all the freezer components out, then base my shopping list on what is needed to complete those meals. On nights that we come home late from sports I plan crockpot meals. That way I don't end up at the drive thru or eating boxed foods.


It'll take time to get used to, but you can do this!