I have been on and off of this site for awhile now and I have lost as much as 20 lbs at one time. And I have gained 15 of them back over the past few months. I have been doing a lot of thinking about where my biggest problem is and it is with my meals. It is always one of two issues. The first is this: I only have a few dinner type meals and after I go through those a few times I will succumb to pressure (from myseld & hubby) to cook some of his older (aka Fattier) meals, and I will give up. The other issue is I get afraid to eat anything - I get scared to open the fridge because I am overwhelmed by my options and don't want to make the wrong choice, so I won't make any choice at all and then go a few days eating almost nothing.
I was wondering if anyone would like to share their meal plans. I need realistic everyday meals that I can use. My main need is for dinner meals, but I am always on the look out for meal ideas for any time of day.
Thanks!
Hi Brunette! For lunches, I usually eat Lean Cuisine or other low-cal frozen meals. I think they're a great way to watch your calorie intake (assuming that's what you're watching) and still get a balanced meal.
As for some dinner ideas . . . well, there's a food forum somewhere on this site, but here are some of my favorites (I assume you're looking for quick recipes):
Salmon: sprinkle a little soy sauce (low-sodium) on a salmon fillet, then cover it with salt-free lemon pepper. Bake at 425 for 20-30 minutes (depending how thick your cut is) until done, serve over rice. Simple, and healthy! Salmon has a lot of omega-3 fatty acids which are supposed to be good. You can steam some veggies to eat with it too.
Catfish: take some catfish fillets. Take one bowl and put an egg white in it (add another if you run out). Take another bowl and put flour in it. In the third bowl, mix about 1/2 C yellow cornmeal and a good number of shakes of chili powder (probably about 1 Tbsp). Put the catfish first in the flour, then in the egg white, then in the cornmeal mixture. Bake at 425 for about 15 minutes until done. They will be crispy, without having been fried! I also serve this with rice and steamed (or boiled) veggies.
I also like to make spaghetti and meat sauce. I usually saute lean ground turkey (ground turkey is a great substitute for ground meat), mushrooms, and/or bell peppers in a non-stick pan (I spray with PAM first). Add in canned pasta sauce (Classico is pretty low-cal), and serve over spaghetti with a salad (fat-free Italian dressing from Wishbone is my fave).
I have recipes for meatballs and meatloaf that I make with ground turkey also if you're interested.
You can take a lot of fatty dishes and cut a lot of calories out pretty easily. First of all, cook with cooking spray instead of oil or butter (if you have a nonstick pan, this is not a problem at all). Second, substitute meats, particularly ground turkey for ground beef. Instead of frying, bake things. Take the skin off of chicken and cut off fat before cooking. Don't put butter or salt on your vegetables (your husband can add his own if he wants). Use low-fat or non-fat cheeses, substitute plain yogurt for mayonnaise in recipes, etc.
Hmmm . . . I don't really know what kind of stuff you're looking for, but my general all-purpose meal is: saute some vegetables in a non-stick pan with PAM, with either chunks of boneless skinless chicken breast, or ground turkey, or crumbled or cubed tofu. Pour in a bunch of some spice mixture (you can get Italian Seasoning, Mexican Seasoning, Greek Seasoning, etc) or a low-calorie version of a sauce (sweet and sour sauce is my fave), maybe add a little water or broth, and serve over rice or pasta or couscous (depending on what type of seasoning you used). This has endless variations, because you can mix and match veggies, meats, spices, and grains, and it's always good! You can also put beans in for the protein ingredient.
Here is a good one, i gave it a rating of 9 in my cookbook. It is from the Dr. Phil's Ultimate weight loss solution cookbook.
Apricot Glazed Chicken Breasts
10 dried appricot haves
1 c. no salt, fat free vegitable broth
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (use less if dried... and soften with water in mocrowave a little)
2 tsp apple-cider vinegar
2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
3 very large skinless, bonless chicken breasts (10-12 oz each), haved, or 6 small skin & boneless breasts-5-6 oz each. (I used thighs instead)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Preheat to 375 degrees.
2. Bring apricots, broth, rosemary, vinegar, soy suce, and pepper to boil in saucepan over medium-high heat. remove from heat and cover, st aside until mixture and apricots soften, about 10 min.
3. Pour apricot mix into food processor or blender. add olive oil and puree mix.
4. place chicken in roasting pan or baking dish in single layer. spread glaze over breastss. Bake 10 min undisturbed, then bake ano0ther 15 min, basting with juices every 5 min until chicken is cooked through and lightly browned. stand 5 min before serving.
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 222
Protein: 36g
Carbs: 5 g
Total Fat: 6g
Sat fat: 1.4g
Cholesterol: 96 mg
Fiber: 1g
Sugars: trace
Sodium: 127 mg
Many times i also just pick up a rotiserie chicken from walmart of the grocery store, and i jsut dont eat the skin. I use leftovers for on my salads as well, or make chicken salad for wraps.
Last edited by angelfadedblue; 04-09-2005 at 01:37 PM.
Here is something that I tried today:
1 can veggie broth
1/2 c. lentils
14 baby carrots coursely chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
raw onion diced to taste
put it in a pot and cook until lentils and veggies are tender and YUM!!! Lots of fiber and it was flavorful enough that I didn't put any seasoning at all in it.
Catfish! way to go! fish is so good for you. I really like trying things out when i have a recipe to folloe, because at least I know i made it the right way... I have found some very good cookbooks also. Let me know how the fish turned out!
The Calorie COmmando (Juan Carlos Cruz) from foodnetwork has the most fantastic and easy recipes. My fiance loves when I make his recipes and I like it because they're lower fat/calories and still hearty. If you go to foodnetwork.com you can get his recipes for free.
If Im having a lazy weekend I just make vegetarian vegetable soup and we eat it with sandwiches all weekend, it's really simple, just throw olive oil, garlic, carrots, zucchini, corn, onions, lentil and white beans in a pot with two to four quarts of chicken broth, simmer then add in some greens and voila a yummy low cal meal for the entire weekend.
If Im running out the door or working late at night I just grab a lean pocket and a quick spinach salad with low fat dressing
Wow - that soup sounds great! I think I might have to try that. Tonight I watched Supersize me. I have been wanting to watch it for a long time now, and finally borke down and rented it. I don't think I am ever going to eat fast food again!! Well, maybe not ever again, but I will certianly make it a rare occurance and make good food choices! That movie was just scary!!
Angel - I made the catfish - it was good! But, I was the only one who ate it. Apparently DH & DS are afraid of fish!!!
I just got my first copy of Cooking Light Mag. in the mail the other day and I am pretty pleased with it. I really like that web-site(www.foodnetwork.com), I just searched for that chef and all his receipies came right up. Thanks!!
Last edited by BrunetteChic_2000; 04-13-2005 at 09:27 PM.
Here's a favourite of mine:
Wholewheat pasta shapes
1 can Campbell's condensed mushroom soup (99% fat free)
Quorn chicken pieces/cooked diced chicken
Cook chicken. Add mushroom soup, and water to get to the consistency you would prefer - I don't add much as I like it saucy! Heat through.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta shapes, and add the mushroom and chicken mixture to that. Serve immediately, with a bit of low fat grated cheese and a side salad.
It tastes just like chicken and mushroom pie, but a lot healthier and satisfying!
Tonight I watched Supersize me. I have been wanting to watch it for a long time now, and finally borke down and rented it. I don't think I am ever going to eat fast food again!! Well, maybe not ever again, but I will certianly make it a rare occurance and make good food choices! That movie was just scary!!\)
Oh I totally know what you mean! I havent eaten any sort of fast food since, I saw that (like three months ago) which is good because I used to looove McD's french fries and ate them way too much- but not anymore! lol
Did you see that editied clip called "The Smoking Fry" where he put the fries in a jar and left them for 2 months - and NOTHING HAPPENED TO THEM?!?!?! No mold - nothing!
I've been subscribing to Cooking Light for a few years and I have an expansion file full of recipes I've pulled from the magazine and sorted by main ingredient and type of meal. I've found a lot of great recipes from there that my ex would happily eat (I just made his serving size larger because he ate more).
I also love the cookbook A New Way to Cook by Sally Schnieder. The focus is on using good ingredients and making flavorful, but healthy food. I am much happier cooking with small bits of good olive oil or real butter that I carefully measure than I am substituting everything "bad" in my recipes.
I try a new recipe at dinner once a week. Some work, some don't, but I've built up a good rotation of quick, healthy meals.
Two of my favorites are:
Chicken stuffed with goat cheese:
4 ounces goat cheese, softened
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil, divided
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (25.5-ounce) jar fat-free Italian herb pasta sauce
3 whole garlic cloves
3 cups hot cooked fettuccine (about 6 ounces uncooked pasta)
Combine goat cheese, 2 tablespoons basil, and minced garlic; set aside.
Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound each half to a 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Divide the cheese mixture evenly among breast halves. Roll up jelly-roll fashion. Tuck in sides; secure each roll with wooden picks.
Heat the pasta sauce and whole garlic cloves in a large skillet over medium heat; add chicken. Cover and cook 25 minutes or until chicken is done. Serve over pasta. Garnish with 1 tablespoon basil.
Yield: 4 servings
Note: This is from Cooking Light, I've adapted it by making my own sauce with canned, diced, fire-roasted tomatoes cooked with a little minced garlic, olive oil, crushed red pepper, and basil.
Shrimp in Green Sauce (another older Cooking Light recipe)
3 1/2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup coarsely chopped green onions
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 1/4 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup dry white wine
6 ounces sourdough or French bread, torn into 6 (1-ounce) pieces
Preheat oven to 500°.
Place olive oil and garlic in a food processor; process until garlic is finely chopped, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Add green onions and parsley in food processor; pulse until minced. Spoon garlic mixture into a large bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, red pepper, and shrimp to garlic mixture, and toss well to coat.
Spoon the shrimp mixture into a shallow roasting pan, and add the wine. Bake at 500° for 7 minutes or until the shrimp are done, stirring once. Serve with bread.
Meal Plan Help!
Apricot Glazed Chicken-- very good!
Here is a good one, i gave it a rating of 9 in my cookbook. It is from the Dr. Phil's Ultimate weight loss solution cookbook. 
