recipe builders are pointless to me

Leka1000
Leka1000 Posts: 160 Member
edited November 28 in Food and Nutrition
Why? Because my homemade foods are always a little bit different and i always seem to use a different cut of meat or different brand of sauce etc....SO i write everything on paper for my homemade meal then while its cooking i do the math calculation for carbs and calories. I enter the calories as a quick add on mfp.
Alot of people will see my diary and say omg look shes using quick add and so she is not gonna be accurate at all. Well WRONG! I am accurate as hell actually. Lol.
Any body else cook alot of homemade soups and casseroles and stuff and log this way?

Replies

  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
    edited January 2016
    I just edit the entry in the recipe builder with the new brand or ingredient.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »
    I just edit the entry in the recipe builder with the new brand or ingredient.

    This. When it actually works...
  • MrsPrior
    MrsPrior Posts: 14 Member
    Yeah, that's what I love about MFP - the recipe builder lets you customise your recipe to match exactly what you use to make your entries more accurate.
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »
    I just edit the entry in the recipe builder with the new brand or ingredient.

    This. When it actually works...

    Haha, well, yes, that obnoxious aspect aside.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,342 Member
    edited January 2016
    I edit my recipes each time i make them. 90% of the time I'd not be able to find a pen in my house, so editing on my phone while cooking is by far the most efficient way for me.
  • Linzon
    Linzon Posts: 294 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »
    I just edit the entry in the recipe builder with the new brand or ingredient.

    This. When it actually works...

    That's what I do as well.

    I was disappointed with the high calories of a recipe I'd entered by giving the builder the URL until I realized it had decided 2 cloves of garlic was 800 calories...
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    Yeah, my recipes are never made the same way twice, either. But I find it simple enough to change quantities, serving size, or add/subtract ingredients in recipe builder from my Android phone. Recipe builder just doesn't ever cooperate on my PC.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    I have several recipes that I use the exact same way every time. The only difference ends up being serving size. I just make the entire recipe 1 serving, then figure out what portion of the entire recipe I ate.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    Why do you care what other people think? If your way is working do it like that...

    I personally just enter individual ingredients for each meal, copy from one week to the next and change ingredients slightly if I need to
  • space_case
    space_case Posts: 89 Member
    Linzon wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »

    I was disappointed with the high calories of a recipe I'd entered by giving the builder the URL until I realized it had decided 2 cloves of garlic was 800 calories...

    Right? it once told me 2 tbsp of green onions was 1400 cals.

    Other than that though, I do like the recipe builder. We tend to have a lot of go to meals and it's nice not to have to log it piece by piece.
  • mjwarbeck
    mjwarbeck Posts: 699 Member
    Do it all the time...and I would consider it accurate. Of course I do a check while I am going through the recipe and if something doesn't make sense I review it. Of course, some things might change a bit each time...but not so much that I am worried about it.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    Why do you care what other people think? If your way is working do it like that...

    I personally just enter individual ingredients for each meal, copy from one week to the next and change ingredients slightly if I need to

    I usually do this

  • ncfitbit
    ncfitbit Posts: 1,058 Member
    That's a good idea and I wouldn't care what anyone else thought, but I do like to look back and see what I've eaten and quick add loses that info, but I take your point. I often change an ingredient or two or quantity to a recipe, but usually find it's easier to tweak the recipe than figure it all out again. I do carefully consider what I will use recipe builder for, though. It has to be a favorite recipe that I make all the time. If it's a meal consisting of only a handful of ingredients I tend to use the meal option because it's easier to substitute foods and quantities.
  • ElviraMarieCerri
    ElviraMarieCerri Posts: 31 Member
    things that I make over and over are pretty close to the same every time. Only use recipes as suggestions. I figure everyone burns calories as slightly different rates, and every bit of real food has a slightly different calorie count. Close counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and calorie counts. Since I cook with a LOT of different ingredients, I use the recipe builder for my usuals. I also use the recipe builder if I want to remember some combination not in my usual repertoire.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »
    I just edit the entry in the recipe builder with the new brand or ingredient.

    This is what I do too

  • Vsandoval2404
    Vsandoval2404 Posts: 12 Member
    Yea I used a recipe off a low carb website.. it said you'd end up with 3-4g net carbs.. but it is coming to 37 g!!! So now my chart looks crazy.. It says I'm at 25% carbs but I need to be around 5-8% which makes it difficult to plan my daily meal plan grrrr..
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    violetaborja wrote: »
    Yea I used a recipe off a low carb website.. it said you'd end up with 3-4g net carbs.. but it is coming to 37 g!!! So now my chart looks crazy.. It says I'm at 25% carbs but I need to be around 5-8% which makes it difficult to plan my daily meal plan grrrr..

    Does the recipe have 33 to 34 g of fiber? Although that does seem somewhat unlikely - do you have the link to the recipe?
  • Leka1000
    Leka1000 Posts: 160 Member
    I dont like to edit recipes in mfp because it always takes 2-3 times to find the correct entry. Mfp doesn't save previous food searches in the recipe builder. And measurements are almost always different on the entry than on the actual can or box AND im in canada. Lol
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »
    I just edit the entry in the recipe builder with the new brand or ingredient.

    Same here. I also update the name of the recipe with the date. Then I know when the last time was that I made that recipe. I made meatballs tonight so the recipe is now "11616 meatballs".
  • amyk0202
    amyk0202 Posts: 666 Member
    CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »
    I just edit the entry in the recipe builder with the new brand or ingredient.

    I do this as well. Most of the time it's just the exact amount of meat that changes for me.
  • FitGirl0123
    FitGirl0123 Posts: 1,273 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »
    I just edit the entry in the recipe builder with the new brand or ingredient.

    This. When it actually works...

    +1
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited January 2016
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    violetaborja wrote: »
    Yea I used a recipe off a low carb website.. it said you'd end up with 3-4g net carbs.. but it is coming to 37 g!!! So now my chart looks crazy.. It says I'm at 25% carbs but I need to be around 5-8% which makes it difficult to plan my daily meal plan grrrr..

    Does the recipe have 33 to 34 g of fiber? Although that does seem somewhat unlikely - do you have the link to the recipe?

    yeah, odds are it was a high fibre recipe @violetaborja . I make a chia pudding with 19g carbs and 18g fibre, it works out to 1 net carb

  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,192 Member
    amyk0202 wrote: »
    CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »
    I just edit the entry in the recipe builder with the new brand or ingredient.

    I do this as well. Most of the time it's just the exact amount of meat that changes for me.

    Me too. I use the old recipe builder, never the one that requires an URL because I don't follow recipes as written. I would be lost without the recipe builder because I make stews, soups and other dishes for 4 or 6 servings and I freeze them. Entering every item in the food diary would be a very inaccurate nightmare.
  • Vsandoval2404
    Vsandoval2404 Posts: 12 Member
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    violetaborja wrote: »
    Yea I used a recipe off a low carb website.. it said you'd end up with 3-4g net carbs.. but it is coming to 37 g!!! So now my chart looks crazy.. It says I'm at 25% carbs but I need to be around 5-8% which makes it difficult to plan my daily meal plan grrrr..

    Does the recipe have 33 to 34 g of fiber? Although that does seem somewhat unlikely - do you have the link to the recipe?

    http://www.ruled.me/cinnamon-orange-beef-stew/
    That's the recipe.. I didn't add the fish sauce because I forgot to get that ingredient and used 1 cup of beef broth low sodium
  • KrazyAsianNic
    KrazyAsianNic Posts: 1,227 Member
    I tend to put a date on my recipe title so I know for leftovers, and then recreate the recipe when I make it again differently. You can manually go in and update the recipe each time
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    Leka1000 wrote: »
    I dont like to edit recipes in mfp because it always takes 2-3 times to find the correct entry. Mfp doesn't save previous food searches in the recipe builder. And measurements are almost always different on the entry than on the actual can or box AND im in canada. Lol

    When you are searching for items add the word gram at the end and it will bring you up entries with gram options.
  • charlton200
    charlton200 Posts: 29 Member
    OP I do the same- I batch cook at the weekends and assemble 150 cal "snack bags" so I save time in the week. All the meals are in Tupperware with the cals written on them, so I can just quick add as needed. I also get no mob signal at work so can't search for anything. I don't track macros tho so it's quite easy my way. My OH only quick adds as I cook then just tell him how much dinner was!
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