Preparing and tracking your own foods

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vsmccormack
vsmccormack Posts: 4
in Recipes
I love to cook. It gets kind of tricky because almost everything I eat I prepare myself. Does anyone else have trouble accurately accounting for the food they eat? Or does tracking it as well as you can just have to work?

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  • ajlarz
    ajlarz Posts: 155 Member
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    I use the recipe calculator for everything I make. It makes it so easy to account for what is in the dish!
  • usafbeach
    usafbeach Posts: 147 Member
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    Invest in a food scale and build a recipe based on what you put into it.
  • jennarandhayes
    jennarandhayes Posts: 456 Member
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    I use the recipe calculator for all of the recipes I use or to figure out calories on something that I made. I also have a digital scale and I weigh everything. Once the recipes are in the system you can use them again and again. In a pinch I find something similar to what I ate and choose the version with the highest calories.
  • vsmccormack
    vsmccormack Posts: 4
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    Thanks!! i do have a digital scale and have used it to "build my own recipe" I guess I wish it was easier. haha. Like for example, in a salad, adding all of the different veggies and stuff put into it, if it's in a large batch, you just have to hope you got an even amount. Regardless, it is a nice way to at least see a guideline of what you're fueling your body with. Thanks everyone for your feedback!!
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    I love to cook. It gets kind of tricky because almost everything I eat I prepare myself. Does anyone else have trouble accurately accounting for the food they eat? Or does tracking it as well as you can just have to work?

    I never have this problem.... if I am preparing the meals, Im weighing everything out...and using the recipe builder as I go.... accuracy is immensely important... that means being religiously dedicated to meal planning, weighing everything and documenting...
  • Hoover8it
    Hoover8it Posts: 107 Member
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    I have to ask....Where would I find a recipe calculator? Is it on a web site?
  • mugsisme
    mugsisme Posts: 127 Member
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    The recipe calculator is under the food diary.

    I use it for my foods I make, except I never measure. For instance, I made a vegetable bean soup. I was using one in the data base. The next time I made it, I did measure out all the food, and found mine was way under the one listed.

    I also prepare in bulk. The vegetable soup I made had 14 portions. My freezer if stuffed with little containers of food pre-measured for me. Makes life so easy when I need healthy food quickly.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Thanks!! i do have a digital scale and have used it to "build my own recipe" I guess I wish it was easier. haha. Like for example, in a salad, adding all of the different veggies and stuff put into it, if it's in a large batch, you just have to hope you got an even amount. Regardless, it is a nice way to at least see a guideline of what you're fueling your body with. Thanks everyone for your feedback!!

    I have entered recipes for "green salad with dressing" and "green salad no dressing" and I usually choose one or the other rather than accounting for the exact ingredients (ie. one day I might add cucumber, another day maybe not). For things like salad where the cals are so low and nutrition is similar I don't worry too much. I then add extras as a separate item if they are higher cal - like fetta, nuts, sun dried tomatoes etc. I also have a few recipes that we make pretty often and I just go in and change one ingredient - like homemade pasta sauce with tuna v chicken, I will use the basic recipe and add chicken one day and tuna another day - makes it quicker.

    For anyone who hasn't found it yet - the recipe calculator is on your food diary page - look for the recipe tab.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    I also prepare in bulk. The vegetable soup I made had 14 portions. My freezer if stuffed with little containers of food pre-measured for me. Makes life so easy when I need healthy food quickly.

    YEAH... another bulker!!!

    Ive got soups, stocks, stews, marinara, meatballs, individual meatloaves, formed/portioned up my own seasoned ground sirloin burgers, I have chicken, pork, beef all portioned out into a meal for cooking four plates - season rubbed, marinated or left-as-is for on-the-fly cooking, seafood is the only thing I WONT stock up on... I want that fresh seafood the day its shipped to the store and readily available the same day.

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