I appreciate all the help and encouragement...
 

I truly have appreciated all the help and encouragement I've received on this board. I'm sorry I haven't been able to be a full time member from the get-go. Porter has been teething and in only five more days we are getting our first house!! :carrot: I can understand if you are frustated with members you give advice to and then never see again. I promise once we are settled in I will be a full fledged attendant.
I hope you don't mind, I am coming here for some more helpful advice. I've lived at home (read- with mom) all my life which means I've been subjected to foods I shouldn't be eating (and eating way to much of). Now I will have my own house and my own rules. I want to never bring the "bad" stuff in except for special (rare) occasions. I don't have the will power to fight the urge. So I want to play the out of reach means out of the mouth game.
If you are still reading this, thank you lol. Can you suggest foods that you would have in your house that are filling, good for you, easy to make and don't need an oven to prepare (I won't have a stove at this place for awhile. To compansate I will have an electric frying pan for rice and such, then a Hamilton Beach grill and a microwave.)

I have already made a short list
-brown rice
-fresh veggies
-yogurt
-1% milk
-fresh fruit

It's a very small list, I know. I've tried to sit down and think of exactly what I want so I don't run back to old habits, but with port not wanting to be put down and packing I don't have time. I guess just think of all the stuff you'd want if you were starting over? I refuse to have cereal in my house. I am a full fledged carb addict and my drug of choice is cereal.

Thank you so much :^: :smug:

I don't cook, so this will be easy for me :D . Question: Is your Hamilton Beach grill like a George Foreman grill? If so here's what I "cook" on my GF grill:

- salmon
- swordfish
- lean red meat/steak
- Boca burgers ("veggie" burgers = low in fat, high in protein)
- Quorn filets (hard to find, but yummy + low in fat, high in protein -- they actually are better when cooked in the oven, though.)

I don't eat chicken or turkey, but of course you can do that on your grill, too.

Boca also makes veggie breakfast "sausage," which I SWEAR tastes just like the real thing. And there are also Quorn "hot dogs" which I hear are good but I've never tried them.

I also eat:

- low fat string cheese
- low fat cottage cheese
- no sugar added tapioca pudding
- Nabisco 100-calorie packs (as a treat)
- EAS protein shakes
- almonds, walnuts, cashews (eaten in moderation = good source of protein)
- 100% whole wheat toast
- cashew or almond butter (instead of peanut butter)
- tuna salad (made with fat free mayo)
- Instone High Protein pudding (you can get it online + the chocolate tastes like ice cream IMO)

...and like you said, fresh fruits and veggies. You can make a nice stir fry by grilling lean chicken on your Hamilton beach and then putting it on the electric frying pan with veggies and low-fat Pam. <--- and I've totally exhausted my cooking repertoire with THAT advice!

Hi Ashley,

Don't forget cans of tuna and white meat chicken, eggs, spray butter, 35 calorie whole grain bread, tea (green probably better than black, but both are good antioxidants), if peanut butter is not a trigger, it's a great protein - I buy the Simply Jif (much lower sodium) - hmmmmmmmmmm, if I think of anything else, I'll write more -

Good luck and congrats on your own place!

Hi,
I was wondering how you were doing. Congrats on your house and good luck with your son's teething! I love your picture of the two of you...

Once a week, the day after grocery shopping, I make a big tupperware bowl of salad fixings...romaine and/or baby spinach, plus cucumbers, red peppers, sprouts, carrots, mushrooms, just whatever's on sale at the store or whatever I'm in the mood for that week. I wash and chop all the veggies and stick them in the bowl with a damp paper towel on top. (Don't know why, but the paper towel keeps it fresh longer. This lasts me for 5 to 6 days) I seal it up and stick it in the frig, and I always have a healthy meal on hand when I don't have time to cook. I add leftover cooked chicken, steak, deli turkey or ham, hard-boiled egg whites, or tuna for protein. Plus I keep a couple of different flavors of fat-free or low-fat salad dressings on hand for variety. You can also stuff this into a pita for a "salad sandwich".

If you like fish, I make tilapia, perch or walleye filets (dipped in egg whites and skim milk and rolled in bread crumbs) on my GF grill. They get nice and crispy and the grill cleans up just fine if I throw some wet papers towels on it when I'm done cooking and let it sit for awhile.

I also keep natural almonds on hand for snacking. I count out 20 of them and eat them slowly. Very filling and good! I also pair them with an apple or a sugar-free or fat-free pudding cup, which makes a very nice snack!

Just a few ideas for you. Keep us posted on how you're doing!

Wonderful ideas guys! I completely forgot to add chicken although it is the staple meat at my house. I also love black beans, always have. I should get some. Isn't fish quite expensive (we're in Utah) I can't do most things that cost more then average. Right now it's simply not in the budget (I have to pay off some credit cards.)

string cheese
cottage cheese
tuna
Almonds
multi-grain bread
eggs or egg beaters?

Sadly crunchy peanut butter is a trigger for a loaded PB+J...The smooth has never appealed to me much. Elly, I LOVE the idea of doing a salad that will last nearly a week WOHOO!!

What is a good fast protein for in the morning? I was thinking of having a bowl of regular oatmeal with sugar which is great but won't hold me forever. I need a protein with every meal. No idea what to cook with it. Meat is out for the morning. Maybe I could get away with a string cheese?

Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!

I boil 7 - 8 eggs on Sunday and keep those in the fridge. It's a nice, quick protein snack (or addition to breakfast) and one a day is fine. Cottage cheese is great in the morning, too. I usually have string cheese at about 9am (I eat about 6 times a day -- lots of snacks keep to keep me from being hungry). Also, a protein shake. I drink EAS which come ready-made or in powder. The ready-made ones are great because you can just toss one in your purse if you're in a hurry. I've also been known to have tuna for breakfast :) but I'm weird.

As for fish, sometimes it's cheaper to buy the WHOLE fish at a fish market or grocery store counter (I suspect fish markets are hard to find in Utah ;) ). You can ask the person at the grocery store to filet it for you, and if they charge you, bring it home and cut it up yourself. Put all the filets in Ziploc bags and freeze them. Just a thought.

Also, have you ever tried Splenda on your cereal instead of sugar?

I love oatmeal with 1/4 cup of dried blueberries and chopped walnuts. Sugar is unncessary!

Oatmeal is a good breakfast idea or an omelet. You can cook 2-3 egg whites and throw in some veggies and cheese (measure your cheese out, so you know how much you're eating). Another easy breakfast is a protein shake. There are TONS of protein powders out there, I usually get the Spirutein Vanilla and I'll throw it in a blender with a banana, some milk (measure that out too), some cinnamon and nutmeg and it's delicious! Try to look for a flavor you like and you can do lots of different things with it to have lots of variations so it doesn't get boring.

I'd suggest to have some baby carrots/broccoli/cauliflower/celery/cucumber something like that that is raw on hand and if you need a snack, go with one of those. You can always combine it with some peanut butter if you want some protein in there too.

Good luck!!! Keep asking questions, that's the way to figure things out because the people around here know what they're talking about!

Yes, out of sight, out of mind works for me too.... Sometimes I wish I lived alone just for the food reasons... When I can I prepare foods on Sunday. Grill some chicken strips, make some brown rice to have ready for a quick meal. I also cut up the veggies and clean the fruits so they are easy to grab and go. I LOVE oatmeal for breakfast. I keep whey protein powder handy and some frozen strawberries to make a milk shake for a quick snack after a workout. My handy dandy hand Braun mixer has been a god send for those shakes :hun: ...