Quick and CHEAP LCHF meals?
Blu3Hea7en
Posts: 45 Member
My father and I had a discussion about why I quit LCHF. I am having a difficult time having a variety of foods to eat that I won't get tired of immediately. Also when I run out of money for food I'm left to eat whatever is cheap which is usually not low carb 
. I get up at 5 am and I'm at work until 6pm so I don't have time to make fresh food everyday and I don't like to eat after 7pm . I tried to eat the Atkins frozen dinners and I know salt is great but apparently it's not great for me on the scale ... 5+ lbs weight gain from low carb frozen dinners. He wants me to continue LCHF because I was doing well and then i stalled for two weeks and quit LCHF but I'm finding this lifestyle hard because I have to calculate too much lol. Recipes are cool but usually require a lot of ingredients and time. I like to make simple foods that I can grab and go for work as a full time working grad student .
. I get up at 5 am and I'm at work until 6pm so I don't have time to make fresh food everyday and I don't like to eat after 7pm . I tried to eat the Atkins frozen dinners and I know salt is great but apparently it's not great for me on the scale ... 5+ lbs weight gain from low carb frozen dinners. He wants me to continue LCHF because I was doing well and then i stalled for two weeks and quit LCHF but I'm finding this lifestyle hard because I have to calculate too much lol. Recipes are cool but usually require a lot of ingredients and time. I like to make simple foods that I can grab and go for work as a full time working grad student . 0
Replies
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Batch cook (and perhaps store in individual containers that you can grab and reheat) things like:
* crockpot butter chicken (I make a lazy chef version where I stir together 2 cans coconut milk, 1 can tomato paste, and some Indian spices and tikka masala paste, pour over chicken, and once it's cooked I shred the chicken in the KitchenAid mixer and stir back into the sauce. No, it's not authentic but still flavorful, lots of fat and protein and fairly low carb, and the shredding is much quicker than dicing/chopping all that chicken).
* crustless quiche
* mini meatloaves (or just regular meatloaf and cut)
* taco meat (with ground beef, turkey or chicken; whatever's cheapest). Just heat and eat with shredded cheddar on top, or use lettuce or cabbage leaves in place of tortilla, or throw it on top of lettuce as taco salad
* bacon or sausage (Throw a pan of bacon in the oven at 400 for 12 mins or so and store it once it's cooked so you can grab a few pieces at a time and quickly reheat)
* If you look up the Weight Watchers 1 point chili recipe, I make a version of that but with twice as much meat, and ground beef instead of ground turkey. I also reduced the amount of beans and tomatoes to make it lower carb. It's a tad labor intensive when you make it but it makes like 20 cups worth and freezes well so one batch can last you a while.
Then of course there's always options like chef salads, hard-boiled eggs, meat and cheese roll-ups, celery sticks w/almond butter, etc.0 -
My daughter is T1D and works two jobs and has only been low carb for a little while too. She was used to microwave stuff or buying food in the food court at the mall where her main job is.
She also had to adjust to the preparation it requires but has been doing really well. She bought several plastic containers and makes roll ups with different deli meat and cheese with lettuce and mayo or whatever too. She also will take salads with pepperoni and cheese sometimes. She keeps nuts at work in case she doesn't make a big enough lunch and started drinking hot tea with cream, occasionally too.
She lives at home, so I usually am making dinner for everyone, but if she needs to do it, then she will often make some bacon and do a lettuce wrap BLT or salad. Or she might make taco meat (which is also easy to make in bulk and freeze in small amounts), and use romaine leaves as taco shells. She might even just have some sausage and sauté some frozen veggies in butter.
It's an adjustment. But if you believe this to be the way you will be most healthy, you have to make the decision to make the time for your needs.0 -
My main "go to" on a lazy dinner night is: 2 or 3 eggs with tbs of mayo (can use sour cream) with a slice of cheese and scrambled I also throw 2 pieces of bacon on a pan and fry in oven on 400 for 12 mins or so. I can have this made in mins and super easy perfect fat and protein and carbs...0
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Bacon and eggs. Sausages. Bone broth (buy a crock pot!!)0
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How low carb?0
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Buy bone-in chickens either whole or large parts (quarters, as opposed to just breasts, for example). Roast them, eat the meat and skin, the toss the bones in a crock pot or stock pot, cover in water, and allow to simmer overnight. Strain the liquid into ice cube trays and freeze. After frozen, put the cubes in a sealed container, and you have 1oz blocks of bone broth for whenever you want, plus you just got quite a bit more food potential from your chicken.
Eggs and ground meats are cheap sources of protein. You don't have to get organic stuff if you can't afford it, though it might be good to scope out your local farmer's markets. You might be able to get better deals on stuff there, since you cut out a lot of the middle men in the food supply chain. You can mix up eggs in a hundred different ways with just a couple different meats and some cheese. Quiches, eggs in a (bacon) basket), omelets, scrambles, etc. Switch it up with different meats, too.
If you do cheese, check the blocks of cheese instead of the shredded. Usually, they're cheaper per ounce. Yes, it means doing a little legwork to shred your own, but that's the trade-off you're going to have with real budget-shaving. You also get the added bonus of not having to deal with potato starch and other carby additives they use to keep the shredded cheeses from sticking to itself.
If you can invest in a little upfront cash, get herbs and spices in bulk and make your own spice blends. It ends up cheaper in the long run. Taco seasoning, for example, is largely cumin, with a little onion powder, garlic powder, and a few other common spices. Again, it avoids sugar or flour additives common in multi-spice mixes.
Canned tuna is another cheap protein. Mix with mayo, ranch dressing, and/or sour cream to add fat to it. Add mustard (either the powdered spice or prepared), onion powder or fresh onions, celery, and other goodies to change up the flavor.
You can also grow your own herbs to use in the kitchen. Onions and garlic, for example, are easy to grow. Literally, just stick them in dirt and they're happy. Chives, rosemary, and other herbs can grow in small pots in a window and you need only take a few leaves or blades for use.I'm finding this lifestyle hard because I have to calculate too much lol. Recipes are cool but usually require a lot of ingredients and time.
"Calculation" becomes a lot easier when you ditch the freezer meal type stuff. Base your meals around meat and non-starchy vegetables and pretty much everything else falls into place without much effort.
You're also looking at the wrong recipes. While there are some awesome recipes that take more time and ingredients, there are hundreds out there only take a couple of ingredients and a few minutes' time. The better way to go about it generally is to think of your favorite dish, or featuring a main ingredient you have on hand, then preceding that with "easy" or "quick" and "keto" or "low carb." So, let's say I have pork chops that I want to cook. I'd do a search for something like "quick keto pork chops" and peruse sites like Pinterest and Yummly until I found one that looked good and had enough stuff that I had on hand to make it or something close. Also, by including "crock pot" or "slow cooker" in the search, you can find stuff that you can toss into a crock pot before you go to work (or toss them in the insert the night before, and then just assemble the crock in the morning), and have dinner when you get home.0 -
Meal plan and prep.
I just made all my salads for the week. I baked my spaghetti squash and cut up veggies for the spaghetti sauce. I spiralized out my zucchini noodles. Meats are thawed. Portioned out almonds in baggies and I'll take baby carrots and small cucumbers and hummus to work to snack.0 -
Easy on-the-go food, cheap and no prep required - a bag of pork rinds, beef jerky, etc.0
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My diary won't reflect it the next few days (I'm having a soups, salads and curry), but normally I keep things really quick and simple with one meat, one veg, one pan. And I never batch cook, my fridge isn't big enough for it (refrigerators in the UK are like the size of an office fridge in the US and there's no freezer). It never takes me more than 15 mins to cook dinner.
For example:
chicken thighs (or steak) w/ some rocket (arugula)
mushroom & cheese omelette
bacon & eggs
ground beef w/ a handful of cheese and a dollop of tomato sauce (and some sauteed mushrooms if i have time)
romaine lettuce w/ chicken thighs, shredded cheese and a dollop of creme fraiche and salsa
If I'm super busy, I'll buy a bag of arugula and some pre-cooked meat and will just throw some meat on top of the arugula, sprinkle on some cheese and add some LCHF dressing - lunch/dinner in 5 mins.
And if I'm travelling and can only do takeout, I'll swing through a drive through and get a burger w/ no bun. For breakfast, I'll go to a McDonald's and get a sausage McMuffin w/ no muffin. I don't do that very often as it's kind of gross compared to homemade food, but it gets the job done when you just need some LCHF fuel.0 -
macchiatto wrote: »Batch cook (and perhaps store in individual containers that you can grab and reheat) things like:
* crockpot butter chicken (I make a lazy chef version where I stir together 2 cans coconut milk, 1 can tomato paste, and some Indian spices and tikka masala paste, pour over chicken, and once it's cooked I shred the chicken in the KitchenAid mixer and stir back into the sauce. No, it's not authentic but still flavorful, lots of fat and protein and fairly low carb, and the shredding is much quicker than dicing/chopping all that chicken).
* crustless quiche
* mini meatloaves (or just regular meatloaf and cut)
* taco meat (with ground beef, turkey or chicken; whatever's cheapest). Just heat and eat with shredded cheddar on top, or use lettuce or cabbage leaves in place of tortilla, or throw it on top of lettuce as taco salad
* bacon or sausage (Throw a pan of bacon in the oven at 400 for 12 mins or so and store it once it's cooked so you can grab a few pieces at a time and quickly reheat)
* If you look up the Weight Watchers 1 point chili recipe, I make a version of that but with twice as much meat, and ground beef instead of ground turkey. I also reduced the amount of beans and tomatoes to make it lower carb. It's a tad labor intensive when you make it but it makes like 20 cups worth and freezes well so one batch can last you a while.
Then of course there's always options like chef salads, hard-boiled eggs, meat and cheese roll-ups, celery sticks w/almond butter, etc.
Mmmm thank you for those tips0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »How low carb?
20 .0 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »My daughter is T1D and works two jobs and has only been low carb for a little while too. She was used to microwave stuff or buying food in the food court at the mall where her main job is.
She also had to adjust to the preparation it requires but has been doing really well. She bought several plastic containers and makes roll ups with different deli meat and cheese with lettuce and mayo or whatever too. She also will take salads with pepperoni and cheese sometimes. She keeps nuts at work in case she doesn't make a big enough lunch and started drinking hot tea with cream, occasionally too.
She lives at home, so I usually am making dinner for everyone, but if she needs to do it, then she will often make some bacon and do a lettuce wrap BLT or salad. Or she might make taco meat (which is also easy to make in bulk and freeze in small amounts), and use romaine leaves as taco shells. She might even just have some sausage and sauté some frozen veggies in butter.
It's an adjustment. But if you believe this to be the way you will be most healthy, you have to make the decision to make the time for your needs.
That's the problem is everything most people list I don't/won't eat. I'm not a fan of deli meats . Veggies I can do but they only have but so many calories even with butter. It feels like all im eating is meat and cheese and butter and it's getting boring lol I don't believe this to be the way I will be most healthy I just want to lose weight. If it's boring or not appetizing I won't stick to it.
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Dragonwolf wrote: »Buy bone-in chickens either whole or large parts (quarters, as opposed to just breasts, for example). Roast them, eat the meat and skin, the toss the bones in a crock pot or stock pot, cover in water, and allow to simmer overnight. Strain the liquid into ice cube trays and freeze. After frozen, put the cubes in a sealed container, and you have 1oz blocks of bone broth for whenever you want, plus you just got quite a bit more food potential from your chicken.
Eggs and ground meats are cheap sources of protein. You don't have to get organic stuff if you can't afford it, though it might be good to scope out your local farmer's markets. You might be able to get better deals on stuff there, since you cut out a lot of the middle men in the food supply chain. You can mix up eggs in a hundred different ways with just a couple different meats and some cheese. Quiches, eggs in a (bacon) basket), omelets, scrambles, etc. Switch it up with different meats, too.
If you do cheese, check the blocks of cheese instead of the shredded. Usually, they're cheaper per ounce. Yes, it means doing a little legwork to shred your own, but that's the trade-off you're going to have with real budget-shaving. You also get the added bonus of not having to deal with potato starch and other carby additives they use to keep the shredded cheeses from sticking to itself.
If you can invest in a little upfront cash, get herbs and spices in bulk and make your own spice blends. It ends up cheaper in the long run. Taco seasoning, for example, is largely cumin, with a little onion powder, garlic powder, and a few other common spices. Again, it avoids sugar or flour additives common in multi-spice mixes.
Canned tuna is another cheap protein. Mix with mayo, ranch dressing, and/or sour cream to add fat to it. Add mustard (either the powdered spice or prepared), onion powder or fresh onions, celery, and other goodies to change up the flavor.
You can also grow your own herbs to use in the kitchen. Onions and garlic, for example, are easy to grow. Literally, just stick them in dirt and they're happy. Chives, rosemary, and other herbs can grow in small pots in a window and you need only take a few leaves or blades for use.I'm finding this lifestyle hard because I have to calculate too much lol. Recipes are cool but usually require a lot of ingredients and time.
"Calculation" becomes a lot easier when you ditch the freezer meal type stuff. Base your meals around meat and non-starchy vegetables and pretty much everything else falls into place without much effort.
You're also looking at the wrong recipes. While there are some awesome recipes that take more time and ingredients, there are hundreds out there only take a couple of ingredients and a few minutes' time. The better way to go about it generally is to think of your favorite dish, or featuring a main ingredient you have on hand, then preceding that with "easy" or "quick" and "keto" or "low carb." So, let's say I have pork chops that I want to cook. I'd do a search for something like "quick keto pork chops" and peruse sites like Pinterest and Yummly until I found one that looked good and had enough stuff that I had on hand to make it or something close. Also, by including "crock pot" or "slow cooker" in the search, you can find stuff that you can toss into a crock pot before you go to work (or toss them in the insert the night before, and then just assemble the crock in the morning), and have dinner when you get home.
I'll have to look because I haven't found anything I necessarily like. Low carb under 20 grams isn't a lot of options. Meat cheese vegetables and some dairy . Boredom is the problem0 -
macchiatto wrote: »Batch cook (and perhaps store in individual containers that you can grab and reheat) things like:
* crockpot butter chicken (I make a lazy chef version where I stir together 2 cans coconut milk, 1 can tomato paste, and some Indian spices and tikka masala paste, pour over chicken, and once it's cooked I shred the chicken in the KitchenAid mixer and stir back into the sauce. No, it's not authentic but still flavorful, lots of fat and protein and fairly low carb, and the shredding is much quicker than dicing/chopping all that chicken).
* crustless quiche
* mini meatloaves (or just regular meatloaf and cut)
* taco meat (with ground beef, turkey or chicken; whatever's cheapest). Just heat and eat with shredded cheddar on top, or use lettuce or cabbage leaves in place of tortilla, or throw it on top of lettuce as taco salad
* bacon or sausage (Throw a pan of bacon in the oven at 400 for 12 mins or so and store it once it's cooked so you can grab a few pieces at a time and quickly reheat)
* If you look up the Weight Watchers 1 point chili recipe, I make a version of that but with twice as much meat, and ground beef instead of ground turkey. I also reduced the amount of beans and tomatoes to make it lower carb. It's a tad labor intensive when you make it but it makes like 20 cups worth and freezes well so one batch can last you a while.
Then of course there's always options like chef salads, hard-boiled eggs, meat and cheese roll-ups, celery sticks w/almond butter, etc.
I've been doing that though since the beginning of my diet. Meal prep isn't my weak point its coming up with different food options. I've done "tacos" and I cant eat another lettuce wrap lol. I have eaten too many burgers so I'm good on that. Fish and seafood I burned myself out. Its like my body gets bored easily. I want to try this crockpot butter chicken thing you're talking about. I would've never thought about coconut milk. See thats the other thing. As a chef, we don't look at macros when we cook, we just cook. Now its like a research project to figure out which ingredients have carbs and how many carbs....I think my problem is I am either too lazy or don't have enough time to actively find different ingredients. Its common knowledge that meat cheese veggies are low in carbs ...maybe I could try curry :-)0 -
coronalime wrote: »Meal plan and prep.
I just made all my salads for the week. I baked my spaghetti squash and cut up veggies for the spaghetti sauce. I spiralized out my zucchini noodles. Meats are thawed. Portioned out almonds in baggies and I'll take baby carrots and small cucumbers and hummus to work to snack.
I did salad my first week. I can't even force myself to eat salad anymore OOO I totally forgot about spaghetti squash!!!! THANK YOU! and I love hummus. I never thought hummus was low carb. Thank you for this help! 0 -
Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice!
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Blu3Hea7en wrote: »Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »My daughter is T1D and works two jobs and has only been low carb for a little while too. She was used to microwave stuff or buying food in the food court at the mall where her main job is.
She also had to adjust to the preparation it requires but has been doing really well. She bought several plastic containers and makes roll ups with different deli meat and cheese with lettuce and mayo or whatever too. She also will take salads with pepperoni and cheese sometimes. She keeps nuts at work in case she doesn't make a big enough lunch and started drinking hot tea with cream, occasionally too.
She lives at home, so I usually am making dinner for everyone, but if she needs to do it, then she will often make some bacon and do a lettuce wrap BLT or salad. Or she might make taco meat (which is also easy to make in bulk and freeze in small amounts), and use romaine leaves as taco shells. She might even just have some sausage and sauté some frozen veggies in butter.
It's an adjustment. But if you believe this to be the way you will be most healthy, you have to make the decision to make the time for your needs.
That's the problem is everything most people list I don't/won't eat. I'm not a fan of deli meats . Veggies I can do but they only have but so many calories even with butter. It feels like all im eating is meat and cheese and butter and it's getting boring lol I don't believe this to be the way I will be most healthy I just want to lose weight. If it's boring or not appetizing I won't stick to it.
I can understand that. The only way to make things less boring is to spend some time cooking and trying new things though.
You're kind of in an endless circle of / 'too busy to cook' / 'want quick, practically ready to eat food' / 'needs to be cheap' / 'don't like a lot of things'...
Something has to give in there somewhere.
You would probably have the most success with picking one day each week to do the batch cooking idea. That's the only way you're going to be able to create variety, lower cost by cooking it yourself in bulk and have food at your fingertips when it's time to eat.
The hard part now is to decide to enact a plan.0 -
Yup, unboring batches! That's what my Sunday afternoon is all about. Researching recipes, going shopping, get my containers for lunches for the week ready, line up dinners in the fridge, then go at it.0
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Lots of peanuts and almonds come in different flavors and are low carb! I (measure carefully) and snack on both daily. With some cheese!0
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »Blu3Hea7en wrote: »Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »My daughter is T1D and works two jobs and has only been low carb for a little while too. She was used to microwave stuff or buying food in the food court at the mall where her main job is.
She also had to adjust to the preparation it requires but has been doing really well. She bought several plastic containers and makes roll ups with different deli meat and cheese with lettuce and mayo or whatever too. She also will take salads with pepperoni and cheese sometimes. She keeps nuts at work in case she doesn't make a big enough lunch and started drinking hot tea with cream, occasionally too.
She lives at home, so I usually am making dinner for everyone, but if she needs to do it, then she will often make some bacon and do a lettuce wrap BLT or salad. Or she might make taco meat (which is also easy to make in bulk and freeze in small amounts), and use romaine leaves as taco shells. She might even just have some sausage and sauté some frozen veggies in butter.
It's an adjustment. But if you believe this to be the way you will be most healthy, you have to make the decision to make the time for your needs.
That's the problem is everything most people list I don't/won't eat. I'm not a fan of deli meats . Veggies I can do but they only have but so many calories even with butter. It feels like all im eating is meat and cheese and butter and it's getting boring lol I don't believe this to be the way I will be most healthy I just want to lose weight. If it's boring or not appetizing I won't stick to it.
I can understand that. The only way to make things less boring is to spend some time cooking and trying new things though.
You're kind of in an endless circle of / 'too busy to cook' / 'want quick, practically ready to eat food' / 'needs to be cheap' / 'don't like a lot of things'...
Something has to give in there somewhere.
You would probably have the most success with picking one day each week to do the batch cooking idea. That's the only way you're going to be able to create variety, lower cost by cooking it yourself in bulk and have food at your fingertips when it's time to eat.
The hard part now is to decide to enact a plan.
That's what I'm going to have to do. My father gets on me about being a chef and culinary graduate lol .... I'm a lazy chef HAHHHA thank you so much !0 -
slimzandra wrote: »Yup, unboring batches! That's what my Sunday afternoon is all about. Researching recipes, going shopping, get my containers for lunches for the week ready, line up dinners in the fridge, then go at it.
Guess this is going to my new hobby ! Thanks !0 -
Blu3Hea7en wrote: »Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »Blu3Hea7en wrote: »Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »My daughter is T1D and works two jobs and has only been low carb for a little while too. She was used to microwave stuff or buying food in the food court at the mall where her main job is.
She also had to adjust to the preparation it requires but has been doing really well. She bought several plastic containers and makes roll ups with different deli meat and cheese with lettuce and mayo or whatever too. She also will take salads with pepperoni and cheese sometimes. She keeps nuts at work in case she doesn't make a big enough lunch and started drinking hot tea with cream, occasionally too.
She lives at home, so I usually am making dinner for everyone, but if she needs to do it, then she will often make some bacon and do a lettuce wrap BLT or salad. Or she might make taco meat (which is also easy to make in bulk and freeze in small amounts), and use romaine leaves as taco shells. She might even just have some sausage and sauté some frozen veggies in butter.
It's an adjustment. But if you believe this to be the way you will be most healthy, you have to make the decision to make the time for your needs.
That's the problem is everything most people list I don't/won't eat. I'm not a fan of deli meats . Veggies I can do but they only have but so many calories even with butter. It feels like all im eating is meat and cheese and butter and it's getting boring lol I don't believe this to be the way I will be most healthy I just want to lose weight. If it's boring or not appetizing I won't stick to it.
I can understand that. The only way to make things less boring is to spend some time cooking and trying new things though.
You're kind of in an endless circle of / 'too busy to cook' / 'want quick, practically ready to eat food' / 'needs to be cheap' / 'don't like a lot of things'...
Something has to give in there somewhere.
You would probably have the most success with picking one day each week to do the batch cooking idea. That's the only way you're going to be able to create variety, lower cost by cooking it yourself in bulk and have food at your fingertips when it's time to eat.
The hard part now is to decide to enact a plan.
That's what I'm going to have to do. My father gets on me about being a chef and culinary graduate lol .... I'm a lazy chef HAHHHA thank you so much !
The cobbler's children go barefoot.
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ettaterrell wrote: »My main "go to" on a lazy dinner night is: 2 or 3 eggs with tbs of mayo (can use sour cream) with a slice of cheese and scrambled I also throw 2 pieces of bacon on a pan and fry in oven on 400 for 12 mins or so. I can have this made in mins and super easy perfect fat and protein and carbs...
There are so many things you can do with eggs: omelets, crustless quiches, etc. I love having a breakfast meal at dinner...
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Blu3Hea7en wrote: »Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »Blu3Hea7en wrote: »Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »My daughter is T1D and works two jobs and has only been low carb for a little while too. She was used to microwave stuff or buying food in the food court at the mall where her main job is.
She also had to adjust to the preparation it requires but has been doing really well. She bought several plastic containers and makes roll ups with different deli meat and cheese with lettuce and mayo or whatever too. She also will take salads with pepperoni and cheese sometimes. She keeps nuts at work in case she doesn't make a big enough lunch and started drinking hot tea with cream, occasionally too.
She lives at home, so I usually am making dinner for everyone, but if she needs to do it, then she will often make some bacon and do a lettuce wrap BLT or salad. Or she might make taco meat (which is also easy to make in bulk and freeze in small amounts), and use romaine leaves as taco shells. She might even just have some sausage and sauté some frozen veggies in butter.
It's an adjustment. But if you believe this to be the way you will be most healthy, you have to make the decision to make the time for your needs.
That's the problem is everything most people list I don't/won't eat. I'm not a fan of deli meats . Veggies I can do but they only have but so many calories even with butter. It feels like all im eating is meat and cheese and butter and it's getting boring lol I don't believe this to be the way I will be most healthy I just want to lose weight. If it's boring or not appetizing I won't stick to it.
I can understand that. The only way to make things less boring is to spend some time cooking and trying new things though.
You're kind of in an endless circle of / 'too busy to cook' / 'want quick, practically ready to eat food' / 'needs to be cheap' / 'don't like a lot of things'...
Something has to give in there somewhere.
You would probably have the most success with picking one day each week to do the batch cooking idea. That's the only way you're going to be able to create variety, lower cost by cooking it yourself in bulk and have food at your fingertips when it's time to eat.
The hard part now is to decide to enact a plan.
That's what I'm going to have to do. My father gets on me about being a chef and culinary graduate lol .... I'm a lazy chef HAHHHA thank you so much !
Well now, see, you will be able to make some really great stuff with that experience! And it will probably be kinda fun since you know what you're doing. I don't cook from recipes and don't really need variety so I just cook everything in butter with basic seasonings. I am what you would call a lazy cook! Lol0 -
Dragonwolfs post is some of the best advice for that issue that I've seen. You CAN make it work! I hate cooking, food prep, everything, but planning and being able to control what you put in your body is best when you prepare food for yourself. It doesn't have to be elaborate and there are a lot of ways to keep it real cheap.
It does take some effort but fortunately many people have walked the path before you and you've the whole internet at your fingers to find the solutions they worked out. Stay motivated! Keep being willing to try new things.
My addition as suggestion would be to check out Crack slaw. Easy and really cheap and very tasty.0 -
Blu3Hea7en wrote: »coronalime wrote: »Meal plan and prep.
I just made all my salads for the week. I baked my spaghetti squash and cut up veggies for the spaghetti sauce. I spiralized out my zucchini noodles. Meats are thawed. Portioned out almonds in baggies and I'll take baby carrots and small cucumbers and hummus to work to snack.
I did salad my first week. I can't even force myself to eat salad anymore OOO I totally forgot about spaghetti squash!!!! THANK YOU! and I love hummus. I never thought hummus was low carb. Thank you for this help!
Hummus isn't super low carb and it may or may not fit with your goals.
That being said, 20g per day is REALLY low carb. You might find you can still enjoy the benefits of a low-carb diet while eating 2 or 3 times as many carbs, which would give you a lot more options.
But I spend a ton of time cooking/chopping/peeling/planning. One thing we do is always cook dinner big enough that it makes dinner for us plus left-overs for lunches. Or sometimes if I'm cutting up something for one recipe, I'll cut up double the amount to use the rest later in the week. Think economy of scale.0 -
Sounds like you've gotten a lot of good advice in this thread. I agree with taking a little time to break out of your boredom/no time cycle. Spend some time on the Internet, pinterest, etc., getting quick recipe ideas, do some experimenting and batch-cooking, and go from there. It doesn't have to be time intensive every day. I also agree upping your carb level a bit might help with the boredom factor.
But yes, have some fun with curries, coconut milk, etc.0 -
sault_girl wrote: »Blu3Hea7en wrote: »coronalime wrote: »Meal plan and prep.
I just made all my salads for the week. I baked my spaghetti squash and cut up veggies for the spaghetti sauce. I spiralized out my zucchini noodles. Meats are thawed. Portioned out almonds in baggies and I'll take baby carrots and small cucumbers and hummus to work to snack.
I did salad my first week. I can't even force myself to eat salad anymore OOO I totally forgot about spaghetti squash!!!! THANK YOU! and I love hummus. I never thought hummus was low carb. Thank you for this help!
Hummus isn't super low carb and it may or may not fit with your goals.
That being said, 20g per day is REALLY low carb. You might find you can still enjoy the benefits of a low-carb diet while eating 2 or 3 times as many carbs, which would give you a lot more options.
But I spend a ton of time cooking/chopping/peeling/planning. One thing we do is always cook dinner big enough that it makes dinner for us plus left-overs for lunches. Or sometimes if I'm cutting up something for one recipe, I'll cut up double the amount to use the rest later in the week. Think economy of scale.
Unfortunately, the only reason why i am doing the low low carb aka induction phase for atkins or the requirements for keto is because I was told not to go above 20 grams until I am close to my ideal weight0 -
macchiatto wrote: »Sounds like you've gotten a lot of good advice in this thread. I agree with taking a little time to break out of your boredom/no time cycle. Spend some time on the Internet, pinterest, etc., getting quick recipe ideas, do some experimenting and batch-cooking, and go from there. It doesn't have to be time intensive every day. I also agree upping your carb level a bit might help with the boredom factor.
But yes, have some fun with curries, coconut milk, etc.
this is my new project
I am so happy to have this community at my finger tips 0 -
Let us know how your new project goes! I am interested to see what you come up with! Are you in the LCHF recipe group, too?
Also, curious; who told you not to go above 20 gm?0
