food help

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Raw07
Raw07 Posts: 206
in Food and Nutrition
Please help! I am very unsure of things to make or what to eat, so I tend to find one thing ( salad, chicken salad, ect) and just stick to that. But than i get sick of it and just pig out...
I am also trying to get into one day a week prepping food because i work wierd hours and am just not finding the time to cook something healthy. I will be honest im not the best thing in the kitchen.

What type of foods / meals are you usually eating? Im trying to eat close too 1500 calories.

Please help :D
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Replies

  • Cmandy67
    Cmandy67 Posts: 108 Member
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    Basically I eat what I want. I just measure, weigh everything so that I stay with in my calorie budget. One of my meals is 2 veggie dogs with cheese an a PC thin fat bun and a bit of ketchup. The veggie dog is low in sodium and only 50 calories per dog. The bun however is 130 each ... but it is still low cal meal. I eat this when my husband want to eat sausages ... which are 230 per sausage!! And of course I combine that with some raw veggies, carrots, cucumber, what ever is in season.

    I also like to have Visalus nutritional shakes, they are only 90 calories plus the milk or juice I mix it with. I am experimenting with that and losing weight by drinking two shakes a day. So i will have one for breakfast and one for lunch, with healthy snacks in between, and a sensible meal. Tomorrow's lunch is 2 shakes, one chocolate and one mixed with pomegranate and blueberry juice and a yogurt and a spinach and cabbage salad with 1 tbsp on dressing (50 cal.) Then for dinner we are cooking pork chops on the bbq, with steamed green beans and left over quick brown rice.

    Have a look at people's food diary's - mine is open. Just beware i ate McDonald's today with the kids, a whopping 800 calories later ;(

    Or friend me : )

    Good Luck
  • jbl0233
    jbl0233 Posts: 16 Member
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    I have found it helpful to cook up a pot of dried beans (navy or pinto), and cabbage, and string beans, and keep in the fridge. Then each day I cook some squash, zuchini and onion together in olive oil. Add some cucumbers and tomatoes and 4 oz. of salmon, fish, shrimp or chicken and there you have a good meal. I also love frozen blueberries or strawberries with nonfat yogurt for dessert. And I am losing. Hope this helps.
  • linze33
    linze33 Posts: 5
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    Hi there, I am a chef and have some great recipes I can email you if you like!
  • jbl0233
    jbl0233 Posts: 16 Member
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    Have you ever been told you favor Merle Streep?
  • ctooch99
    ctooch99 Posts: 459 Member
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    What you are experiencing is a common challenge for everyone who commits to eating healthy - don't get frustrated - the fact that you recognize it puts you one step ahead.

    I still have my own work to do, but I have gotten better at it - I can suggest some things you might try.

    First thing I do is try to look ahead 4 or 5 meals. Like right now, I already know in my head what I am having for breakfast lunch and dinner tomorrow (and breakfast the next day). Breakfast = bananna pancakes and turkey sausage. Lunch will be mozarella, red peppers and basil on crusty italian bread with baby carrots and a pickle. Dinner will be a protein shake with almond butter, banana and almond milk.

    So now I won't wake up and look for something and like get frustrated and go buy an egg McMuffin or something stupid and crappy - I already know what I am having - its a no brainer. I basically can eat in auto pilot (and enjoy it).

    Second thing - shop frequently, keep staple foods always full and available so that always in a pinch you have a fall back meal.
    My staples are: almond milk, banannas, nut butter, salad bags, chicken breasts, tuna, jarred italian veggies, canned regular veggies, good bread (12 grain and hand baked italian), Oatmeal (giant jar), sardines. So even if I run out of some things, if I always have my staples I know I can always eat healthy.

    Third - Freeze, Freeze, FREEZE - I freeze everything! I freeze bread, bagels, yogurt, I make pancakes and freeze them, I keep an abundance of steamer veggie bags frozen, I freeze chicken, I order pizza, eat 2 slices and freeze the rest as meals - On Sundays I pick a fave out of a cookbook, I make a big supply of it and freeze it in meal size portions - my favorites are mediteranean Shrimp with risotto, pasta putenesca and turkey lasagna - each makes the current dinner and 3 meals for the week ahead. My well freezer is a god send!

    Have "quickie" meal ideas up your sleeve - if I get in a jam - quick salad with tuna, olives, artichoke hearts and chi chi beans - make it in 5 minutes - even faster a sardine sammy - faster still my beloved protein shake - all super nutrient dense and healthy - never a reason to go get a big mac.

    Last - give yourself a break - I try to be regimented and always eat the right stuff, but every now and then I have a rough day or I am feeling just disinterested in cooking anything - and this my friend is where the all time relief pitcher comes in... ready - wait for it... PBJ on 12 grain bread - no fuss, no muss, no thought - delish, satisfying and still pretty darn healthy... and any kid can make one!

    Good luck!
  • ctooch99
    ctooch99 Posts: 459 Member
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    Hi there, I am a chef and have some great recipes I can email you if you like!

    Can I have some?!! :o)
  • Raw07
    Raw07 Posts: 206
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    lol yes i have been told before :)
  • Raw07
    Raw07 Posts: 206
    Options
    Have you ever been told you favor Merle Streep?


    Yes i have been told that before :)
  • Esther50
    Esther50 Posts: 252
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    QUOTE:

    Hi there, I am a chef and have some great recipes I can email you if you like!


    Can I have some?!! :o)
    I want a chef!
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
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    Please help! I am very unsure of things to make or what to eat, so I tend to find one thing ( salad, chicken salad, ect) and just stick to that. But than i get sick of it and just pig out...
    I am also trying to get into one day a week prepping food because i work wierd hours and am just not finding the time to cook something healthy. I will be honest im not the best thing in the kitchen.

    What type of foods / meals are you usually eating? Im trying to eat close too 1500 calories.

    Please help :D

    I eat around 1000 -1200 calories a day if you want you can add me and look at what I eat. Only thing I can suggest off that bat is eggs .... so many ways to make eggs!!!! I only use egg whites but you can have like 7 egg whites and it's still less calories then 2 whole eggs. I do omelets daily ... I change them up all the time ... feel like onion and peppers throw them in there... add some salsa to it once it's done taste even better!!!. Don't like the taste of brussle sprouts shred them up and throw em in a omelet some Tabasco on top and you wont even notice they are there.
  • sun33082
    sun33082 Posts: 416 Member
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    Go to food.com and search the recipes. They have lots of make ahead meals, all of the recipes have nutritional info (although not always correct), and you can search by ingredient, diet, etc. I love it. I save the recipes to my favorites so I can pull them up anytime I want.

    Oh and the recipes have reviews so that you don't have to make something and then find out it was awful :)
  • HeatherTransformed
    HeatherTransformed Posts: 213 Member
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    I feel you. I hate cooking, so I'm really at a challenge. Right now, I do a salad a day and usually a Lean Cuisine. Also, I BBQ chicken and make enough for it to last a few days. I eat a lot of chicken. I eat a lot of steamed veggies because they're super easy. I'm only a couple months into this new lifestyle, so I haven't become bored of my food choices yet. But, I'm worried about what will happen when I do.
  • sunnyshine1313
    sunnyshine1313 Posts: 116 Member
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    She most definitely does, wow!
    Have you ever been told you favor Merle Streep?
  • cloud2011
    cloud2011 Posts: 898 Member
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    I started making homemade smoothies. I love love love them. For breakfast I'll have a poached egg on a 100 calorie English muffin (the regular ones only have 120 calories, so it doesn't matter if you use them). And, a smoothie.

    My two favorite smoothie recipes are:

    Blueberry smoothie
    1 c. frozen blueberries
    1 banana (not frozen, use fresh)
    1/2 c. pineapple juice, or Welch's (purple) grape juice

    Blend in blender and drink.

    Or, raspberry smoothie:

    1/2 c. frozen raspberries
    1/2 c. Stonyfield nonfat plain yogurt (or lowfat or regular are ok)
    1/2 c. Trop50 apple juice or other apple juice...I've even used Mott's Tots

    Blend in blender. Double if you like...it's very low calorie, just over 100 calories or so for the raspberry. The blueberry has more calories.

    You can also add 1 Tbsp or 2 of ground flaxseed, which has some healthy nutrients.

    What I did was I just remade breakfast and went from there.

    For lunch, I like flax roll ups by Damascus Bakeries (in my store, they're sold in the deli section), with Boar's head turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and sometimes olives. You can use 1/2 a wrap if the whole wrap is too much.

    For snacks, I like 1/4 c. of lower sodium almonds from Trader Joe's with 1 Tablespoon of chocolate chips. This satisfies my sweet tooth and also gives me healthy fats in the almonds.

    Two books that have helped me recently are "The 400 Calorie Fix" and "Eat This, Not That." They have good ideas, plus sections on fast food. So when I go out, I know what to order whether it's fast food or a regular restaurant.

    In the 400 Calorie Fix book, I used recipes for some of the soups, which I love (wasn't a big soup maker before) and a muffin recipe, which includes frozen berries (I use the same berries I buy for my smoothies).

    Try to figure out what makes you happy...what I found was that I can eat a variety of foods within reason and sometimes, it turns out to be MORE food than I was eating before, because some lower calorie foods have more volume for fewer calories.

    Finally, I also have some little things I do later in the day. I like Nutella, but sometimes instead of adding calories from bread, I'll just have a tablespoon of it alone, as a snack. It fills me up and satisfies a craving. Also, I love airpopped popcorn with Old Bay seasoning. It has a lot of sodium, but not fat (the seasoning I mean).

    Good luck, just experiment and enjoy!
  • laken26
    laken26 Posts: 1
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    Hi
    i'm like you with the weird hours ( and yes only ate chicken and salad and got bored) but I do what everyone else has said. Usually i will cook a meal enough with left over like mushroom chicken (with out the dairy) and other items that freeze well. Make sure you wrap them well to avoid freezer burn. There like homemade tv dinners but you know what went in them.
    I am NOT the the most organized person but i find planning ahead goes a long way to avoid the over indulgence of crap that I might and have eaten in the past. I try to make sure that when I cook something new i try to void anything pre processed like marinades. if you have time to do the research there are some great recipes that have few ingredients and taste great ( and there not all chicken :)). I also try to be creative with my calories by eating alot of fresh fruit and raw/lightly sauteed veggies with my meals and throught the day to keep my calorie count within in my goal.
    Keep in mind that it will take time for you to find things that work for you and that you like and that taste great. Try not to get frustrated you will get there it took me alot of trial and error to figure out what worked best for me. Keep up the good work!!!!! :)
  • Spanaval
    Spanaval Posts: 1,200 Member
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    What I do is to process things in batch. Take a bunch of chicken, portion, make different marinades (buy bottles of stuff, make from scratch, mix different bottles to come up with new flavors, add your own herbs and spices to stuff in a bottle), stick the meat in a ziploc with a marinade, keep enough for a couple of days out, and freeze the rest. You can do the same with different meats and fishes, and this way, you aren't eating the same flavors over and over. For sides to go with your meat, you can make stir frys, steam veggies, grill them, eat them as a salad, etc. Of course, you can make wraps/sandwiches with your cooked meat and veggies (use different spreads, dressings, etc. to change up flavors).
  • toysbigkid
    toysbigkid Posts: 545 Member
    Options
    I'm bumping this, I need some good ideas too, I like to cook but I like something fast once in awhile other than salads.
  • ctooch99
    ctooch99 Posts: 459 Member
    Options
    I started making homemade smoothies. I love love love them. For breakfast I'll have a poached egg on a 100 calorie English muffin (the regular ones only have 120 calories, so it doesn't matter if you use them). And, a smoothie.

    My two favorite smoothie recipes are:

    Blueberry smoothie
    1 c. frozen blueberries
    1 banana (not frozen, use fresh)
    1/2 c. pineapple juice, or Welch's (purple) grape juice

    Blend in blender and drink.

    Or, raspberry smoothie:

    1/2 c. frozen raspberries
    1/2 c. Stonyfield nonfat plain yogurt (or lowfat or regular are ok)
    1/2 c. Trop50 apple juice or other apple juice...I've even used Mott's Tots

    Blend in blender. Double if you like...it's very low calorie, just over 100 calories or so for the raspberry. The blueberry has more calories.

    You can also add 1 Tbsp or 2 of ground flaxseed, which has some healthy nutrients.

    What I did was I just remade breakfast and went from there.

    For lunch, I like flax roll ups by Damascus Bakeries (in my store, they're sold in the deli section), with Boar's head turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and sometimes olives. You can use 1/2 a wrap if the whole wrap is too much.

    For snacks, I like 1/4 c. of lower sodium almonds from Trader Joe's with 1 Tablespoon of chocolate chips. This satisfies my sweet tooth and also gives me healthy fats in the almonds.

    Two books that have helped me recently are "The 400 Calorie Fix" and "Eat This, Not That." They have good ideas, plus sections on fast food. So when I go out, I know what to order whether it's fast food or a regular restaurant.

    In the 400 Calorie Fix book, I used recipes for some of the soups, which I love (wasn't a big soup maker before) and a muffin recipe, which includes frozen berries (I use the same berries I buy for my smoothies).

    Try to figure out what makes you happy...what I found was that I can eat a variety of foods within reason and sometimes, it turns out to be MORE food than I was eating before, because some lower calorie foods have more volume for fewer calories.

    Finally, I also have some little things I do later in the day. I like Nutella, but sometimes instead of adding calories from bread, I'll just have a tablespoon of it alone, as a snack. It fills me up and satisfies a craving. Also, I love airpopped popcorn with Old Bay seasoning. It has a lot of sodium, but not fat (the seasoning I mean).

    Good luck, just experiment and enjoy!

    Wonderful, wonderful post! Love, love LOVE Nutella - SO good!!!! Try it on a low fat biscotti!!! OMG!
  • Cmandy67
    Cmandy67 Posts: 108 Member
    Options
    Basically I eat what I want. I just measure, weigh everything so that I stay with in my calorie budget. One of my meals is 2 veggie dogs with cheese an a PC thin fat bun and a bit of ketchup. The veggie dog is low in sodium and only 50 calories per dog. The bun however is 130 each ... but it is still low cal meal. I eat this when my husband want to eat sausages ... which are 230 per sausage!! And of course I combine that with some raw veggies, carrots, cucumber, what ever is in season.

    I also like to have Visalus nutritional shakes, they are only 90 calories plus the milk or juice I mix it with. I am experimenting with that and losing weight by drinking two shakes a day. So i will have one for breakfast and one for lunch, with healthy snacks in between, and a sensible meal. Tomorrow's lunch is 2 shakes, one chocolate and one mixed with pomegranate and blueberry juice and a yogurt and a spinach and cabbage salad with 1 tbsp on dressing (50 cal.) Then for dinner we are cooking pork chops on the bbq, with steamed green beans and left over quick brown rice.

    Have a look at people's food diary's - mine is open. Just beware i ate McDonald's today with the kids, a whopping 800 calories later ;(

    Or friend me : )

    Good Luck

    LOL i made some spelling errors in the message, i was tired and wrote this right before bedtime. LOL
    Fat Bun - means Flat Bun ...
  • linze33
    linze33 Posts: 5
    Options
    Hi guys, if you want me to email you some recipes please send me your emails!

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