Trying to make my MFP friends happy ... I need your help.

How about on the weekends when you have time, plan out your meals for the week and get your shopping done and do whatever prep you can? There are plenty of ideas online and in food magazines for quick and easy meals. Once you have a couple of weekly menus you can always rotate them )

I don't have a specific recipe here, but a strategy. When you have some extra time on the weekends, use that time to prepare food for the week. Rice, beans, chicken, clean and slice fruits and veggies - you can even portion at this time, freeze or put in the refrigerator and they are all ready to grab and go during the week. No need to cook all week.

I definitely know how that goes :-) My biggest suggestion is to keep a lot of healthy snacks around and to try and make premade meals. I find that if I take the time on a weekend to make my meals/plan my meals for the week, it helps so so so much.

I'm proud that you're making this effort. It's hard as a college student.

Have you tried Morningstar veggie sausages? They are PACKED with protein (but low in calories), taste like real meat, and only take 45 sec in the microwave. Another idea is to load up on yogurts and eat that in between classes for a little pick-me-up energy boost.

How much time do you have to prepare meals during the week? We can always chat further through messaging since I'm finally discovering good ways to cook quickly.

You can also buy fully cooked chicken breast patties at Sam's (probably the regular grocery store too). They are wonderful for making a quick chicken sandwich, chicken on a bed of salad, or chicken salad. You can chop it up when you do have time, add in greek yogurt and a couple tablespoons of mayonaise, chopped onion, celery, grapes and walnuts, salt and pepper and package it up in a couple small containers you can grab on the go. It's very good. I get so much use out of that bag of chicken breasts and they take about 3 minutes to cook in the microwave and are very juicy and good.

I shop on Friday and prep meals on Saturday. You can freeze all these then just cook throughout the week. I separate each recipe into two meals so I have 6 days worth of meals and I just add steamed veggies or whatever.

Crisp Crab Cakes
Recipe courtesy Ellie Krieger for of Food Network Magazine
Ingredients
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons nonfat milk
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce


2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
Dash of hot sauce
1 pound lump crab or crab claw meat, picked over
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive-oil cooking spray
Directions
Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and bell
pepper and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly.
Mix 1/2 cup panko, the egg and milk in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the Worcestershire sauce,
mustard, lemon juice, Old Bay and hot sauce; fold in the crabmeat, panko mixture, scallionbell pepper
mixture, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Shape into 8 patties and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Coat the crab cakes with the remaining 1/2 cup panko. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the
skillet over medium-high heat. Mist the crab cakes with cooking spray and cook, sprayed-side down, 3 to
4 minutes. Spray the tops, flip and cook 3 to 4 more minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.
Per serving (2 crab cakes): Calories 220; Fat 9 g (Saturated 2 g); Cholesterol 155 mg; Sodium 630 mg;
Carbohydrate 8 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 26 g

Vegetable Meatloaf with Balsamic Glaze
Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay for Food Network Magazine
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small zucchini, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste with coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (90 percent lean)
1 cup panko (coarse Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the zucchini, bell
peppers, garlic paste and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the
vegetables are almost soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Whisk the egg and fresh herbs in a large bowl. Add the turkey, panko, grated cheese, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2
tablespoons balsamic vinegar and the cooled vegetables; mix until just combined.
Gently press the mixture into a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup
balsamic vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes in a small bowl; brush the mixture over the entire
loaf. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Per serving: Calories 270; Fat 14 g (Sat. 4.2 g; Mono. 6.3 g; Poly. 3.1 g); Cholesterol 104 mg; Sodium
451 mg; Carbohydrate 16 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 20 g

Turkey and Spinach Lasagna
Directions
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup dry red wine
3T dried Basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (16-ounce) container 1 percent low-fat cottage cheese
1 (15-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
8 ounces Jimmy Dean pre-cooked turkey sausage
9 sheets no-boil lasagna noodles, 5 1/2-ounces, (recommended: Barilla)
1 1/2 cups part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese, 6 ounces
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small pot bring the tomatoes, wine, 1 ½ T Basil Leaves, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper, to taste, to a simmer; cook until slightly thickened, 10 minutes; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, mix the cottage cheese in the bowl of a food processor until smooth. add the ricotta, spinach, 1 ½ T basil, nutmeg, and salt and pepper and pulse until just combined; set aside.
3. Assemble the lasagna: Mist a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with 3 noodles, half the ricotta mixture, half the sausage and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers with sauce, noodles, remaining ricotta and sausage and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the noodles are tender and the sauce is bubbling around the edges of the pan, 1 hour.
5. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and continue to bake until melted, 10 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes. Serve.
Nutritional analysis per serving
Calories 350; Total Fat 12.5g (Sat Fat 5g, Mono Fat 3g, Poly Fat 1.5g); Protein 29g; Carb 30g; Fiber 4g; Cholesterol 36mg; Sodium 848mg

As long as you are proud of yourself xx

Quick and easy, Turkey, fried with onion and garlic, add tomatoes small ones, add a tin of chopped toms, herbs to tast, dish up after simmer for 5/10 mins.

Can have with rice cakes, or rice or on a bed of spinach xx

I have loads of quick things to make you can also freeze that and defrost on another day xxx Made a job lot! xx

Omelets are good for breakfast x

You are doing so well and coming on so well xxxx

How about on the weekends when you have time, plan out your meals for the week and get your shopping done and do whatever prep you can? There are plenty of ideas online and in food magazines for quick and easy meals. Once you have a couple of weekly menus you can always rotate them )

YES! I actually do this!