What's an easy diet that requires little cooking?

2

Replies

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Donutello wrote: »
    Give me your favorite recipe that takes little to no time to prepare. I don't care if it's a small snack or whatever I just want more variety in my bland diet.

    What cooking and refrigeration facilities do you have available? When I was a student I lived in the dorm most of the time and didn't have my own kitchen, so I don't know what to imagine -- is the issue money, not knowing how to cook, not having a stove, simply time, what?
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    Well, my usual breakfast is a slice of toast with butter—two if I'm hungry—and a couple cups of coffee. Lunch is a sandwich that takes a couple minutes to put together, or hummus with raw vegetables and pita. The veggies take a minute or two to peel or cut up, but you can get prepared ones at the supermarket. When I'm working from home I sometimes have a frozen pizza for lunch. I like cooking, so my dinners are more elaborate, but there are some things that are easy and require little cooking: scrambled eggs, ham (cut a thick slice and eat it cold or sauté it for a minute or two to heat it up), baked potato (scrub, put in the oven, wait until done, slice in half, garnish, eat), pasta with store-bought sauce.

    For more ideas, take a look at Mark Bittman's list of 101 simple meals that can be prepared in 10 minutes or less.
  • vadimknobel
    vadimknobel Posts: 165 Member
    caveman diet?
  • alt5057
    alt5057 Posts: 62 Member
    Lay out a piece of foil, add a chicken breast (salt and peppered), pineapple chuncks, chopped bell pepper, a little bit of pineapple juice, chicken broth or water (whatever you have on hand), 1 Tbsp of bbq sauce. Fold foil into a packet and grill for 15ish minutes until chicken is cooked through (or bake in an oven, don't know how long it would take). Serve over brown rice (it's delicious when it soaks up the pineapple/bbq sauce juices). You can do this with any combo of veggies...zucchini and tomato is another good one (no bbq sauce added to that).
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  • Lala478910
    Lala478910 Posts: 13 Member
    I'm super lazy and I like to cook several meals a week on Sunday and pop them in the freezer. I just pull them out when I want them.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Lala478910 wrote: »
    I'm super lazy and I like to cook several meals a week on Sunday and pop them in the freezer. I just pull them out when I want them.

    I don't think that's lazy. I think it's eminently practical when one works full time outside the house or otherwise has a busy schedule.

  • conniehgtv
    conniehgtv Posts: 309 Member
    turkey meat balls, beans, pre cut veg(I get alot of these at reduced prices and throw in freezer or roast a cookie sheet full and then freeze, soba noodles cook in 3 minutes and are 180 cal of healthy buckwheat-- not ramen. Fruit, yogurt or Kefir, barley pearled ,canned or frozen vegatables. Just put good food in your pantry, fridge and freezer and nuke or roast some thing. Also skinless boneless thighs are on sale often, bake a whole pack in foil then wrap or throw a couple in the freidge and the rest ion freezer.Micro potatos and sweet potatoes are cheap and easy
  • The_Invisible_Boy
    The_Invisible_Boy Posts: 568 Member
    vegangela_ wrote: »
    Raw vegan, no cooking required whatsoever. :p

    ^^^THIS IS AS EASY AS IT GETS^^^. You'll also feel awesome!!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    vegangela_ wrote: »
    Raw vegan, no cooking required whatsoever. :p

    ^^^THIS IS AS EASY AS IT GETS^^^. You'll also feel awesome!!

    Raw vegans tend to spend a lot of time prepping. It also requires frequent shopping (for fresh produce). Although things like blenders and dehydrators aren't required, many recipes call for them.

    When you say it's as easy as it gets, is there a particular set of recipes you're referring to?
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
    Sandwiches. Use any combo of meat, cheese, bread and spread you want.

    Some Hormel Compleats meals aren't half bad. Store them in the cupboard, cook in the microwave. They just have a lot of sodium.
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
    Donutello wrote: »
    Are you guys being srs...what the heck?

    Beggars can't be choosers, but for the sake of a productive discussion, try being more specific.
  • must_deflate
    must_deflate Posts: 183 Member
    Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store deli.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    The eat less, move more one.
  • lyndahh75
    lyndahh75 Posts: 124 Member
    edited September 2015
    lyndahh75 wrote: »
    http://www.rawfoodlife.com/#axzz3m5uWXJpA

    Raw food diet. Plants, no cooking. Seems tough for me anyway....
    Other than that....there are short cuts to things. Canned soups (downside can be high sodium), tuna salad, egg salad requires minimal prep really- get rotisserie chicken and buy a bag of salad that has dressing and croutons added already- microwave dinners such as lean cuisine, weight watchers, healthy choice. If you have a decent budget, nutrisystem, you get all meals and snacks premade. Just microwave it. I like thai kitchen soups, also green giant veggie steamers, various flavors.
    vegangela_ wrote: »
    Raw vegan, no cooking required whatsoever. :p

    Do you really think a college student can afford a raw food diet?

    I don't know their exact situation. I don't like assuming, put information out there.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    Thow 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts in a crockpot with a jar of salsa and a can of corn. Shred chicken when cooked. Serve over rice, with a bit of plain greek yogurt. That would do probably 5 meals.
  • The_Invisible_Boy
    The_Invisible_Boy Posts: 568 Member
    vegangela_ wrote: »
    Raw vegan, no cooking required whatsoever. :p

    ^^^THIS IS AS EASY AS IT GETS^^^. You'll also feel awesome!!

    Raw vegans tend to spend a lot of time prepping. It also requires frequent shopping (for fresh produce). Although things like blenders and dehydrators aren't required, many recipes call for them.

    When you say it's as easy as it gets, is there a particular set of recipes you're referring to?

    I don't spend much time prepping. I go to the grocery store like twice a week and I'm only in there for 10 minutes. I'm simple. Don't have recipes. Just whole food plant based. Wash and eat. Closest I get to a recipe is throwing a bunch of stuff in a salad. Once the palate adjusts I've found I crave stuff like plain raw cauliflower or carrots and such. No need to make fancy recipes.
  • The_Invisible_Boy
    The_Invisible_Boy Posts: 568 Member

    Do you really think a college student can afford a raw food diet?[/quote]

    I don't know their exact situation. I don't like assuming, put information out there. [/quote]
    lyndahh75 wrote: »
    http://www.rawfoodlife.com/#axzz3m5uWXJpA

    Raw food diet. Plants, no cooking. Seems tough for me anyway....
    Other than that....there are short cuts to things. Canned soups (downside can be high sodium), tuna salad, egg salad requires minimal prep really- get rotisserie chicken and buy a bag of salad that has dressing and croutons added already- microwave dinners such as lean cuisine, weight watchers, healthy choice. If you have a decent budget, nutrisystem, you get all meals and snacks premade. Just microwave it. I like thai kitchen soups, also green giant veggie steamers, various flavors.
    vegangela_ wrote: »
    Raw vegan, no cooking required whatsoever. :p

    Do you really think a college student can afford a raw food diet?

    It's not really that expensive. I spend less money now than I did eating the standard American diet.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Donutello wrote: »
    Give me your favorite recipe that takes little to no time to prepare. I don't care if it's a small snack or whatever I just want more variety in my bland diet.

    Breakfast:
    Greek yogurt (add fruit, granola, cereal, nuts, etc. to it if you want)
    Oatmeal (if you don't want to mess with it in the mornings try overnight oats or put them in the crockpot)
    Hard boiled eggs (I'm lazy, I buy mine premade at the grocery store)
    Toast
    Toast with mashed avocado

    Snacks:
    String cheese or cheese sticks
    Nuts
    Beef jerky or turkey jerky
    Hard boiled eggs
    Greek yogurt
    Veggies & hummus
    Protein bars

    Other Meals:
    Sandwiches (lunch meat, tuna, PB&J if it fits in your calories, egg salad, hummus & cheese, etc)
    Salads
    Frozen veggies (most of them can be steamed in the microwave)
    Premade hamburger patties or veggie burgers (I tend to eat mine on sandwich thins or whatever low-cal bread I have around. You can go bunless or do lettuce wraps if you need to)
    Rotisserie chicken (again, ready-made from the grocery store. I buy them later at night when they go on sale and break them down for meals through the week)
    Frozen dinners (personally, the Lean Cuisine-style don't fill me up much. I go for some of the higher cal options and make them fit my day)

    If you can meal prep for the week or have access to a crockpot, your options get a little easier. But again, we don't know much about what you have to work with.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    vegangela_ wrote: »
    Raw vegan, no cooking required whatsoever. :p

    ^^^THIS IS AS EASY AS IT GETS^^^. You'll also feel awesome!!

    Raw vegans tend to spend a lot of time prepping. It also requires frequent shopping (for fresh produce). Although things like blenders and dehydrators aren't required, many recipes call for them.

    When you say it's as easy as it gets, is there a particular set of recipes you're referring to?

    I don't spend much time prepping. I go to the grocery store like twice a week and I'm only in there for 10 minutes. I'm simple. Don't have recipes. Just whole food plant based. Wash and eat. Closest I get to a recipe is throwing a bunch of stuff in a salad. Once the palate adjusts I've found I crave stuff like plain raw cauliflower or carrots and such. No need to make fancy recipes.

    I'm glad you found something that works for you, but I don't know if that's the typical raw vegan experience. Most people wouldn't be able to meet their nutritional needs on a diet of cauliflower and carrots, let alone be satisfied eating just that.
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
    Apples, bananas, and cliff bars.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    vegangela_ wrote: »
    Raw vegan, no cooking required whatsoever. :p

    ^^^THIS IS AS EASY AS IT GETS^^^. You'll also feel awesome!!

    Raw vegans tend to spend a lot of time prepping. It also requires frequent shopping (for fresh produce). Although things like blenders and dehydrators aren't required, many recipes call for them.

    When you say it's as easy as it gets, is there a particular set of recipes you're referring to?

    I don't spend much time prepping. I go to the grocery store like twice a week and I'm only in there for 10 minutes. I'm simple. Don't have recipes. Just whole food plant based. Wash and eat. Closest I get to a recipe is throwing a bunch of stuff in a salad. Once the palate adjusts I've found I crave stuff like plain raw cauliflower or carrots and such. No need to make fancy recipes.

    What are you doing for protein? My raw vegan friends sprouted legumes and ate nuts.

  • The_Invisible_Boy
    The_Invisible_Boy Posts: 568 Member
    vegangela_ wrote: »
    Raw vegan, no cooking required whatsoever. :p

    ^^^THIS IS AS EASY AS IT GETS^^^. You'll also feel awesome!!

    Raw vegans tend to spend a lot of time prepping. It also requires frequent shopping (for fresh produce). Although things like blenders and dehydrators aren't required, many recipes call for them.

    When you say it's as easy as it gets, is there a particular set of recipes you're referring to?

    I don't spend much time prepping. I go to the grocery store like twice a week and I'm only in there for 10 minutes. I'm simple. Don't have recipes. Just whole food plant based. Wash and eat. Closest I get to a recipe is throwing a bunch of stuff in a salad. Once the palate adjusts I've found I crave stuff like plain raw cauliflower or carrots and such. No need to make fancy recipes.

    I'm glad you found something that works for you, but I don't know if that's the typical raw vegan experience. Most people wouldn't be able to meet their nutritional needs on a diet of cauliflower and carrots, let alone be satisfied eating just that.

    Seriously, u think I just eat cauliflower n carrots? Maybe read everything I wrote instead of just the last 2 sentence? :smiley:
  • The_Invisible_Boy
    The_Invisible_Boy Posts: 568 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    vegangela_ wrote: »
    Raw vegan, no cooking required whatsoever. :p

    ^^^THIS IS AS EASY AS IT GETS^^^. You'll also feel awesome!!

    Raw vegans tend to spend a lot of time prepping. It also requires frequent shopping (for fresh produce). Although things like blenders and dehydrators aren't required, many recipes call for them.

    When you say it's as easy as it gets, is there a particular set of recipes you're referring to?

    I don't spend much time prepping. I go to the grocery store like twice a week and I'm only in there for 10 minutes. I'm simple. Don't have recipes. Just whole food plant based. Wash and eat. Closest I get to a recipe is throwing a bunch of stuff in a salad. Once the palate adjusts I've found I crave stuff like plain raw cauliflower or carrots and such. No need to make fancy recipes.

    What are you doing for protein? My raw vegan friends sprouted legumes and ate nuts.

    Beans, nuts and seeds.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    vegangela_ wrote: »
    Raw vegan, no cooking required whatsoever. :p

    ^^^THIS IS AS EASY AS IT GETS^^^. You'll also feel awesome!!

    Raw vegans tend to spend a lot of time prepping. It also requires frequent shopping (for fresh produce). Although things like blenders and dehydrators aren't required, many recipes call for them.

    When you say it's as easy as it gets, is there a particular set of recipes you're referring to?

    I don't spend much time prepping. I go to the grocery store like twice a week and I'm only in there for 10 minutes. I'm simple. Don't have recipes. Just whole food plant based. Wash and eat. Closest I get to a recipe is throwing a bunch of stuff in a salad. Once the palate adjusts I've found I crave stuff like plain raw cauliflower or carrots and such. No need to make fancy recipes.

    I'm glad you found something that works for you, but I don't know if that's the typical raw vegan experience. Most people wouldn't be able to meet their nutritional needs on a diet of cauliflower and carrots, let alone be satisfied eating just that.

    Seriously, u think I just eat cauliflower n carrots? Maybe read everything I wrote instead of just the last 2 sentence? :smiley:

    I'm responding to what you wrote. You said your prep was restricted to just washing and then eating. If that isn't meals of raw vegetables and fruits, what kinds of things are you referring to?
  • The_Invisible_Boy
    The_Invisible_Boy Posts: 568 Member
    vegangela_ wrote: »
    Raw vegan, no cooking required whatsoever. :p

    ^^^THIS IS AS EASY AS IT GETS^^^. You'll also feel awesome!!

    Raw vegans tend to spend a lot of time prepping. It also requires frequent shopping (for fresh produce). Although things like blenders and dehydrators aren't required, many recipes call for them.

    When you say it's as easy as it gets, is there a particular set of recipes you're referring to?

    I don't spend much time prepping. I go to the grocery store like twice a week and I'm only in there for 10 minutes. I'm simple. Don't have recipes. Just whole food plant based. Wash and eat. Closest I get to a recipe is throwing a bunch of stuff in a salad. Once the palate adjusts I've found I crave stuff like plain raw cauliflower or carrots and such. No need to make fancy recipes.

    I'm glad you found something that works for you, but I don't know if that's the typical raw vegan experience. Most people wouldn't be able to meet their nutritional needs on a diet of cauliflower and carrots, let alone be satisfied eating just that.

    Seriously, u think I just eat cauliflower n carrots? Maybe read everything I wrote instead of just the last 2 sentence? :smiley:

    I'm responding to what you wrote. You said your prep was restricted to just washing and then eating. If that isn't meals of raw vegetables and fruits, what kinds of things are you referring to?

    Lol, I didn't realize had to list every single thing I consume. Google whole foods plant based diet. It includes more than just cauliflower and carrots(which were examples by the way). A raw vegan diet will meet anyone's needs unless maybe they have some obscure disease or something. I'm thinking you just want to be argumentative or maybe you're playing around. I think someone mentioned the caveman diet earlier above. They must be starving. I don't think there are any cavemen around to eat? Have a good day.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    vegangela_ wrote: »
    Raw vegan, no cooking required whatsoever. :p

    ^^^THIS IS AS EASY AS IT GETS^^^. You'll also feel awesome!!

    Raw vegans tend to spend a lot of time prepping. It also requires frequent shopping (for fresh produce). Although things like blenders and dehydrators aren't required, many recipes call for them.

    When you say it's as easy as it gets, is there a particular set of recipes you're referring to?

    I don't spend much time prepping. I go to the grocery store like twice a week and I'm only in there for 10 minutes. I'm simple. Don't have recipes. Just whole food plant based. Wash and eat. Closest I get to a recipe is throwing a bunch of stuff in a salad. Once the palate adjusts I've found I crave stuff like plain raw cauliflower or carrots and such. No need to make fancy recipes.

    I'm glad you found something that works for you, but I don't know if that's the typical raw vegan experience. Most people wouldn't be able to meet their nutritional needs on a diet of cauliflower and carrots, let alone be satisfied eating just that.

    Seriously, u think I just eat cauliflower n carrots? Maybe read everything I wrote instead of just the last 2 sentence? :smiley:

    I'm responding to what you wrote. You said your prep was restricted to just washing and then eating. If that isn't meals of raw vegetables and fruits, what kinds of things are you referring to?

    Lol, I didn't realize had to list every single thing I consume. Google whole foods plant based diet. It includes more than just cauliflower and carrots(which were examples by the way). A raw vegan diet will meet anyone's needs unless maybe they have some obscure disease or something. I'm thinking you just want to be argumentative or maybe you're playing around. I think someone mentioned the caveman diet earlier above. They must be starving. I don't think there are any cavemen around to eat? Have a good day.

    I asked you what types of meals you were referring to when you said it was easy. I responded to the meals that you provided. If you would like to provide examples of other easy and inexpensive raw vegan meals, you can do so and I will respond to that.

    When I Google raw veganism, I tend to see recipes that require lots of prep, certain kitchen gadgets, or more expensive ingredients -- things that may be difficult for a college student. If you have examples of other types of meals, please feel free to share them.

    I'm not trying to be argumentative -- I'm genuinely confused that this type of diet is being recommended for OP.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store deli.

    Crock pot chicken

    Whole chicken will be cheapest: Place 2 balls of foil in a crockpot. Season whole bird and "perch" on top foil balls. "Perch" keeps chicken from cooking in an inch of fat juices. Turn crockpot to high...........2:30 - 3:00 (depending on size) and whaallah! A whole cooked chicken.

    Boneless, skinless chicken: Place chicken in a crockpot, add a jar of salsa. Cook on high 2:00. You can add taco seasoning if you like. I take 2 forks & shred the meat. I can use in a variety of recipes....tacos, taco salad, burritos, etc.
  • patesq
    patesq Posts: 111 Member
    I don't cook. My go to lunch is a turkey and provolone wrap with a large handful of fresh spinach and a little mayo. Doesn't take any utensils or even a plate. 550 calories - you could get this down by using light mayo or a smaller tortilla than I use. If there's grilled chicken in the fridge (made by someone else), I'll trade the turkey for chicken. I eat fruit for breakfast, yogurt for a snack (I try to remember to add whey protein as I seem to have a hard time getting enough) and keep peanuts on hand for a quick snack. A handful is exactly an ounce for me.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Canned beans are cheap and can be dressed up into salads pretty quick, or quickly turned into quesadillas.

    Instant noodles are portion and calorie controlled, that's my go-to when I'm busy because it's really satisfying.

    If you own a microwave or have access to one, things become even easier. I nuke my oatmeal in the microwave to cook it. It takes about 3.5 minutes (but the last couple of minutes involve a lot of pausing and stirring), and you could flavor it in a way that no two days feel the same.

    A tuna salad is always great to have and easy to prepare.

    Not my cup of tea... but you could get into smoothies.

    Canned soups are filling and a breeze to prepare.

    Nothing is easier to prepare and more versatile (at a reasonable price) than eggs. You can make them in so many ways.

    If you have bread and any kind of melty cheese you've got yourself a lunch. All you need to do is slap something onto the bread, cover it with a thin slice of cheese and microwave. I personally like tomatoes and basil covered with some shredded mozzarella (the cheap kind.. the good fresh stuff I like fresh in a caprese)

    There are these instant soup packets that you just add to hot water and you're done. Not perfect, but will do in a pinch. They're pretty low in calories too.

    Look into these: http://ziploc.com/en/products/bags/specialty/zipn-steam-cooking-bags

    I like them because no prepping or doing the dishes. You could dice stuff right into the bags, sprinkle with your choice of spices, shake and microwave for a few minutes. The nice thing is that it does chicken and fish no problem without the usual prep. It doesn't taste as a nicely marinated and properly cooked chicken, but it's not horrible either.

    If you don't mind doing just a little bit of actual cooking, anything sauteed with a bit of oil and garlic can taste good and doesn't need extended time or effort.