I NEED HELP!!!!

I know exactly what you are talking about. I have a 4 month old and it has taken some adjustment to establish a "watch baby AND make myself lunch plus dinner for the fam" routine. It IS hard!

Here are some easy meals that I make:
#1)
Meatsauce: 1 large jar traditional prego heartsmart
1 lb extra lean hamburger (Laura's lean beef is good...4g fat per serving)
1/2 green bell pepper diced
1/2 large onion diced
4-6 medium mushrooms diced (I like ****ake or portobella)
3-4 cloves garlic (optional)

Throw peppers, onion, mushrooms into the pan while you are browning the hamburger on medium heat. Drain any grease left over. Add fresh garlic and stir. Pour in Prego and let simmer for 20-30 minutes.

heartland whole wheat spaghetti - cook until tender

You will have a ton of sauce! What you don't eat store in a tupperware dish and freeze (with no added spaghetti) until next time you want a quick meal. Then just thaw, rewarm and make spaghetti.

#2) Fajitas
Package of 8 soft tortillas (La Banderita - Low Carb,Low Fat, high fiber)
1 large chicken breast cut into strips (you can also substitue with shrimp or use both)
1 green pepper cut into strips
1/2 medium onion cut into strips
1 large tomatoe diced
1/2 can black beans
light sour cream
optional: mexican style shredded cheese

Saute chicken until nearly done. Add green pepper, onion, tomatoe and black beans. Saute until veggies are warm and chicken is done. Scoop it onto a tortilla and add sour cream and cheese if you like.

#3) My sis's fav:

1 jar Ragu light parmesan cheese sauce
shrimp (or chicken or both)
frozen brocolli (aparagus tips are good too...or green peppers)
1 can del monte diced tomatoes drained (the kind that has basil,oregano and garlic already added is good)

Heartland whole wheat penne pasta (or rotini) - cook until tender

Cook chicken until done. If no chicken just thaw the shrimp with the brocolli. Steam brocolli in microwave. Add thawed shrimp, steamed brocolli, can of diced tomatoes, and parmesan cheese sauce to cooked noodles and stir over medium heat until warm enough to serve. Salt and pepper to taste.

Hope this helps

According to my oldest daughter, Slim Fast shakes have something in them that isn't very good for you. Unfortunatley, I can't remember what it is. My favorite one is the cappachino one. I think if you drink them only once in a while instead of on a regular basis, you would be ok. My youngest daughter, a very picky eater, doesn't get enough protein in her diet. The only protein powder she likes is Cookies & cream Spiru-tein. About the only place I can find it is in Vitamin stores. They have a lot of other flavors also.

I know how you feel about not wanting to cook when you get off work. I work 12 hour days. By the time I get home, I feel it is too late to eat a meal unless I want to gain weight. I try to eat a piece of fruit or a protein bar. It is much harder for me to lose weight on days I work. I feel lucky if I maintain it until I am off again.

You can try small snacks through out the day and use the baby as your weight for some exercises. My kids loved to "fly" on my feet. I held their hands while I held them up. It worked my abs and legs.

I have found that skipping or not eating is one of my biggest de-railers because then I wake up starving and am more apt to gorge myself.

My best "help" in getting motivated to cook is to do it in advance. I spend Sundays preparing a lot of my meals for the week. That way when I am swamped in the middle of the week and don't feel like cooking I just have to re-heat what I cooked earlier in the week.

If that doesn't work for you, you can do a paired down version by at least cooking two to three servings when you are making supper. If I am making pork chops one night I make sure to make two so that supper for the next night is taken care of.

A still easier version - there are a lot of low cal and fat free sandwich meats out there now. Get some low cal bread and throw it in the toaster to make a sandwich. I also use Laughing Cow spreadable cheese instead of Mayo to cut on the calories.