Talk to me about preparing food.
I get up at 5 so that I can cook my breakfast and make a shake for later at work. Usually, before I go to work, I know what I'm making for supper.
For breakfast, I usually have a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal or muesli, so there's very little preparation there! But whilst my coffee is brewing on the hob (I have one of those stove-top espresso pots and it takes 3-5 mins to brew), I start preparing my lunch, which I take with me to university each day. It's normally something cold, like a veggie salad, couscous salad, sandwich or wrap, so I do thinks like prepare fillings, slice salad veggies, pour boiling water on my couscous, and so on. I usually eat my breakfast part way through the preparation, and then come back to finish making lunch after I've eaten. Typically, I find my lunches really quick and simple to make, so I wouldn't spend much more than 10 minutes on them.
In the evenings when I get in, I prepare dinner for myself and my boyfriend. I don't usually cook in big batches so I tend to just cook something fresh each night (I plan out the week's food before going to do my grocery shopping, so I know that I'll be making one of a few different options). I absolutely love cooking and being in the kitchen, and enjoy eating a really decent meal in the evenings, so I typically spend around 45 mins - 1 hour (depending on what I'm creating!) preparing food for our supper. It's part of my day that I really love, and I don't see it as a chore to spend time making something tasty, so I just spend as long as it takes. Some days (usually at the weekend), I prepare some sort of pudding/dessert to eat in the week. After university on Monday, I made us a big banana loaf, so I just cut us both a slice of that for pudding later in the evening, to have with a cup of coffee.
I absolutely love cooking and preparing food, but some days, I really dislike chopping vegetables, especially fiddly things, like dicing garlic, chilli or ginger - so monotonous! This is an interesting thread, I like hearing about other people's routines!
Little commercial. A couple of years ago I bought some tupperware crisper containers. They have little vents, and depending on which veggie you put in, you keep them closed or open one or both of them. I have used them on and off over the years, but they do a really good job of keep veggies fresh.
YOu could do all the chopping/cutting on one day, and use the veggies all week. I think you could do similar with the ziploc veggie bags, or similar things (green bags?). that is a big help.
Susan, do you plan for the week? My hubby hates the planned meal thing, he likes spontaneity. BUT, he loves me so much, and is getting more and more supportive as I educate him about my pre-diabetes, he is willing to go with meal planning so he will cook better for my needs and help me stay on plan when I am tired and hungry.
When I was doing the steel cut oatmeal for breakfast, I made 4 servings and measure them out and just zapped for the next few days. It takes about 45 minutes for me to cook it, so I just couldn't do it everyday.
I am now using boiled eggs, (I can do those in advance) and have them chopped up with mayo in the am. I get bored by fried stuff.
I've been having either a soft-boiled egg and a piece of toast, or a bowl of cereal and a banana in the mornings lately. Both easy and quick options. For the egg I boil the kettle and then pour it into a saucepan so that it's really quick to boil and I cant put it in for 5 minutes (during which I make my coffee) and its done.
I come home from work for lunch as I have a 3 and a half hour break before my afternoon shift, so lunch is usually a quickly prepared tuna salad or a couple of slices of bread with ham and some freshly sliced tomatoes with a yoghurt and a coffee for pudding.
Dinner is a small portion of whatever either of my parents has made plus lots of salad/vegetables. I'm lucky that my parents are good cooks and make pretty healthy stuff
I'm living at home for the summer so it makes everything a bit simpler, but I'm looking forward to going back to university and starting to cook for myself!
I pack lunch in the am before leaving. I always say I'll do it the night before but never do! It takes about 15 mins if I have to chop any veggies, shorter if I don't. Sometimes I *cook* before work (chicken breast or ground turkey/beef) which obviously requires that I get up much earlier.
Today's lunch/snacks:
ff plain yogurt
28g walnuts (premeasured and in grab-and-go baggies)
1/2 c blueberries
4oz 96% lean ground beef with tomatoes
sugar snap peas
red bell pepper (I had to cut this up)
2T hummos
1 fresh picked peach!
I am a stay at home mom so prep is not as much of an issue yet but I will be starting college soon and possibly working part time. Right now, my basic prep means having a large bag of salad in the fridge. If I don't have any salad available and I am having a busy day, it's more likely I am going to grab something less healthy. I store my veggies in "green bags" and they stay fresh for quite some time. I am also a fan of the crock pot. If I am going to be gone for the day, I throw some chicken and veggies or turkey chili into the pot. I plan to use it a lot when I start school.
First of all, I have to give HUGE props to all those who plan and cook for their families, SOs, etc. I'm single and get to plan, prepare and cook for just myself, and I've often thought how muchmore complicated it would be if I had to take other people into consideration.
I've always enjoyed routine and have never minded eating the same thing every day. This has served me well in counting calories.
Breakfast is almost always the same breakfast sandwich (light wheat bread, egg, canadian bacon, and a thin slice of cheese). It takes less than 10 minutes, fewer than 300 cals, and fills me for hours.
Lunch is a sandwich and fruit and takes minutes to pack up for work. I'll pack a banana or other fruit for a snack.
Dinner is where I have more time and incorporate some variety - chicken or fish, different veggies/salad, quinoa or other grain. I'll often bake a few chicken breasts at once, so I can eat them over the course of a few days. I also always have (canned - drained and rinsed) beans on had to use in salads or other things.
I do occasionally worry about the lack of variety in my meals, wondering if that translates to some missing nutrients. I try to use different fruits and veggies to make up for this, but honestly, the less I have to think about what I'm eating, the more likely I am to stay in my calorie range.
Breakfast is really easy, since i normally have 1/2c cereal with a FF yogurt or 2 packets of instant oatmeal. And coffee, for sure.
When I'm in school, I pack a lunch in the morning to take with me to campus. I frequently have dinner leftovers for lunch, so they get thrown in tupperware, normally with a yogurt (If I didn't have one for breakfast) and a piece of fruit...and my diet coke for the day. I also throw in a little extra in case I'm starving on campus all day.
Every weekend, my girlfriend and I pick out a few recipes we want to have for the week and buy the things to cook them. We rotate recipes with things I know how to do without a written recipe (chili, cabbage and turkey sausage, etc); normally, I cook things I can do from my head days when I have a late class or am too tired to think. If the girlfriend is home before me, I often have her start the longer cooking items for me. I also try to cook more than we need for things we eat often: brown rice, chicken, veggies, etc. They make great left-overs for school lunches or for days I'm just too hungry to cook
One thing that has worked for me is making my own frozen dinners. For example, I'll make a huge pot of soup or chili, and carefully package the leftovers into portion controlled individual containers. I write the date, calories, fat and contents onto a post it note and stick it to each container. This way, I have easy, nutritious, calorie controlled meals for lunch or even dinner when I don't have time to cook. I do the same with casseroles. My freezer is my diet friend.
Another strategy is doing one big cooking day on the weekend, where I prep three or four casseroles or meals for the week. Also even if i make food in a skillet, I like to transfer it to a baking dish so I can easily visualize four or eight serving sizes. The square and rectangular baking dishes help me to make sure the portions are even.
Also, just wanted to mention that my hubby and I love soup, so I actually make soup every Monday night. We weigh in once a week on Tuesdays, so that helps the numbers, too, LOL. I've made it almost a sport to find new and exciting soup recipes. And when I freeze the leftovers, soup makes a perfect light lunch during the week.
I try to make a variety of dishes, so I kind of look at my menu for the week and do typically one Asian-inspired dish, one Italian, one Mexican, and one homestyle like Chicken Noodle Soup or Chicken and dumplins. I also try to vary meats, like lean pork one night, chicken (most nights), and lean ground beef or lean sirloin recipes. I LOVE to cook, and it's become a passion of mine to re-vamp recipes into healthier versions by cutting back the fat. It's fun actually!
I keep a few ziplocks with a variety cleaned and sliced veggies in the fridge. That way it's very easy to throw together a frittata for breakfast or lunch; or a salad or stir-fry; or for some veggie dippers and hummus for snack.
I clear my schedule so I have time for making dinner; I get my kids and husband to help choose healthy recipes; and assign chores to whoever is home at the time. (And as my teens have taken on more of the cooking, we've had some "interesting" experiments. I just roll with it. *grin*)
I make a pan of a breakfast casserole (lots of veggies, Costco eggbeaters, just a little bit of cheese); slice, and freeze for fast microwave breakfast when necessary.
I buy the two-pack of whole chickens from Costco over the weekend. I make one for dinner early in the week, prepared in different ways; and simply roast the other to be used for lunchtime sandwich or salad meats for the family.
If I make a large batch of something, I'll freeze half of it for another week. That way I have an easy dinner, and no one is complaining about leftovers.
When I buy lettuce I immediately wash and dry it, tear up, and throw into ziplocks for salad.
Last edited by Teachyrchildren; 08-12-2010 at 01:32 PM.
I was in a panic, b/c Big Y didn't have my Ziploc Zip 'n' Steam bags. I was relieved to find them at Wal-Mart. I throw my veggies in and toss it in the micro. I have been able to eat so many veggies b/c it is so easy. I buy frozen veggies a lot b/c they are already chopped. Sometimes I add some spices to switch it up a bit. I am in LOVE, LOVE, LOVE with my Steam bags!
I cooked a cup of Barley the other day, which puffs up to a few cups. So each day for lunch, I have been measuring out my 1/2 a cup.
AND I also cooked for large chicken breasts the other day, then divided them up to 3 - 4 oz. servings.
The easier things are for me to just grab, the better!
OMG 5am! That is dedication. I don't think I would get up extra early to prep.
I am usually not that creative with breakfasts/lunches on work days (I teach at a university but always bring lunch because the food options are not good). I eat steel cut oats every weekday morning, cooked several portions at a time and kept in a tupperware in the fridge. I have been known to use the time-saving expedient of cooking an egg in the hot water pot I use to boil water for coffee. (I don't do it that often because there is a 50% chance the egg will crack and require cleanup.)
I prefer to do my main cooking on the weekends, and do things like grill a bunch of chicken breast for sandwiches for the week, and make a large batch of something that I will freeze most of. I do like to cook and experiment with new things but not on a weekday evening when I'm hungry and tired. I rotate between a few well known dinners that are usually grilled in my oven so there's not much prep or cleanup. (I have a neat-o micro-convection-grilling countertop oven.)
Like others have said, I have a big stash of pre-portioned stuff in the freezer, including cooked grains and bean dishes, frozen in muffin tins, and then put into big ziploc bags. I once realized I can even freeze my breakfast oats when I was about to leave on a trip and had lots left over. I also have frozen disks of low-cal sauces (like orange sauce) that can go onto baked chicken, fish, etc at dinnertime. But my favorite are my homemade falafels from the freezer, baked from frozen and eaten in a pita with yogurt, dill, tomato and cucumber.
I usually chop/peel most of the veggies at once in the afternoon or evening watching a tv show; I have a Gen X attention span and TV always involves multi-tasking.
I have a stash of lo-cal backup stuff in my office desk drawer if I haven't had time for lunch prep: canned tuna, canned beans in tomato sauce (a Mediterranean thing, they come in single serve cans), Rykrisp crackers, dried fruit and nuts, Fiber Bars.
Fatmad ... no I don't plan for the week. I usually know what we're having tomorrow. I have a freezer full of meat so the basics are easy.
I have those tupperware things. My daughter-in-law-to-be is a tupperware lady
Y'all have no idea how glad I am to see all these great prep-ahead tips. School starts for me in a couple of weeks (I teach at a local university), I have a 1-hour commute, and I've frankly been dreading it because I'm worried I'll drop the dietary ball, so to speak. I know in past years it has been way too easy to ask my sweet husband to call in for pizza or Chinese food, which I will then pick up on the way home. But my husband had weight-loss surgery in April and I'm on my own plan (affectionately known around here as the "Cut the Cr__/Move My A__ plan), so I think we're going to be making some pretty serious adjustments (but in a positive way) to our evening routine.
We don't really cook much any more--we used to, but we seem to be eating almost all of our veggies raw (except the beans, which we use canned/rinsed). We're pretty much off starches except for the occasional slice of on-plan bread.
Using your great suggestions and a few things I already do, here's my plan:
WEEKENDS:
I'll pack up a bunch of things for snacks/lunch into individual Baggies so I can grab and go depending on my mood that day: cut up/shred veggies, nuts in serving-size portions, hard-boiled eggs, leftover turkey or chicken, peanut butter (I have those little lidded cups that will work great for this). I'll roast/grill protein for the week and store in 3-oz packs; LOVE this idea, honestly, since that will make everything a matter of grab-and-go, even for dinner.
MORNINGS:
Same breakfast every day (already do this and love it): Double-fiber instant oatmeal with 1 TBS walnuts and 0.5 tsp flaxseed, some fruit.
Iced coffee to go (purchased coffee concentrate, locally produced, actually).
We don't have a fridge at work, either, but I have a little ice-pack thingie I can use if I carry meat or egg.
EVENINGS:
Pretty easy, since it's mostly veggies and a little protein. I eat a huge serving of cabbage slaw every day (mixed with a little broccoli slaw, sunflower seeds, low-fat dressing, craisins, and--don't gross out--flaxseed--it's really good!). Fruit for television snack (with cottage cheese if I need protein).
Again, thanks, everyone--I'm feeling better about organization and time management with this new way of eating. I love it, and I'm feeling good, but I was just worried about being able to keep it up once school starts and the drain on my time and energy (and mental energy!) kicks in.
Food Prep
