Me, I like breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks to be a no-brainer, particularly on the weekdays. Supper's where I put in as much variety as I can dream up (and get DSp to eat!)
I've found this great-tasting high-fibre multigrain cereal, so most mornings it's about 30g of that with a half cup of skim, and 2 coffees with hazelnut flavoured creamer. I gladly give up 100 calories for that creamer...yummy. In the winter, I sometimes eat some Quaker Instant Weight Control Oatmeal instead. Either way, I'm full from 6 AM 'til noon. And, because I have meds to take, I have 3 full glasses of water down the hatch by the time I pour my second coffee.
Lunchtime is usually a home-made frozen entree, 2.5 oz of grilled chicken, 3/4 C frozen veggies, 60g brown rice and 1 tbs. of sauce, different varieties. Afternoon snack is always a non-fat probiotic yogurt.
I usually have a lot of variety. When I make salad, I usually make salad for a few days (keeps well in the fridge). If I do have a salad every day for a few days, I will switch up what I put in it. Also, I freeze a lot of stuff that I cook. Right now I have 15 bean soup with ham and shephard's pie in my freezer. There's always non-frozen leftovers and sandwich possibilities around as well. So those are all choices I could have for lunch. As for dinner, I try to switch that up as well and try out new recipes a lot and sometimes double them.... then I freeze single portions (love the twist top tupperware) and then I'll have variety for lunches
Breakfast is maybe the only thing I don't switch up. Its usually a smoothie, oatmeal, or cereal with some fruit. On the weekends I will make eggs but not during the week - too much cleanup before I leave for work!
My menu varies weekly, whatever strikes my fancy at the market that particular week. I just try to stay within my caloric range while eating somewhat healthy.
I don't typically eat the same meals at the same times, but will eat the same foods all week. For instance yesterday I had a spinach salad and asparagus for breakfast with eggbeaters for dinner, today eggbeaters with smoked salmon for breakfast and probably the salad at dinner.
I'm certain I'd have more routine if I worked more outside of my home. I elect not to go to my office as much as possible!
If I like certain foods I don't mind having them over and over. I too like to keep my meals simple. I work from home so I can make eggs for breakfast each morning and I do. I have always felt that having a good protein-source breakfast is a good way to start the day. I make up a week's worth of turkey bacon to go with then put it in a Tupperware container and keep in the fridge. I take out two slices each morning and reheat them in the microwave.
As for lunch, that is the only meal during my day that varies. I have homemade chili or whole wheat pasta with homemade no sugar pasta sauce if I am having something hot. If I am having something cold, I will make a sandwich with lean lunch meat, a small apple and sometimes a carrot stick. I don't like salads much. I have been dieting on and off for 25 years and I am just plain sick of them. The only time I eat them now is when I am out at a restaurant.
Supper or Dinner is usually baked or grilled lean meat, a starch for my DH (not me) and lots of steamed vegetables. I have my 75 calories "Sweet Treat" after my evening meal. It seems like that is the one time of day when I crave something sweet. I usually have sugar free Jello or something that I have made sweetened with Splenda.
I eat about 3 or 4 diferent things for breakfast. My favorite is an omlette with eggbeaters veggies, ff cheese and whole wheat toast, I also have cereal, yogurt and fresh fruit, a smoothie made with yogurt and lots of fruit.
Lunch varies...
snack is 5 large pitted prunes( i love them) or a ww cheese stick.
dinner is what ever i am making for my family ...i may just change the veggies for me, or add more veggies.
I plan my meals the day before and make sure my calories total right.
debi
My breakfast is the same every day. On weekdays it is 1 cup FF plain Greek yogurt with 1/2 cup Trader Joe's High Fiber Cereal and 2 oz fruit (always raspberries if they are available at my farmers' market). On weekends it is 3 slices bacon, a low fat muffin with cream cheese and jelly, and 1/2 cup FF cottage cheese.
My snacks are also usually the same. On weekdays, I always have a bowl oatmeal or oatbran and one of Meg's Fiber One Muffins with FF cream cheese. I have two or three more snacks throughout the day and I have about ten different choices that I pick from for those.
I mix things up quite a bit for lunch. My SO won't eat shellfish or some of my favorite veggies, so I'll often make recipes for lunch that sound good to me but that he won't eat. I probably try four or five new recipes each month (each recipe usually lasts three to six days, since it will usually make multiple servings).
I also mix things up for dinner. I try at least one new recipe every week and there are many weeks where I am trying two or three new recipes. I spend a lot of time researching both lunch and dinner recipes.
I also mix things up quite a bit for my after dinner dessert. I'm always looking for new, low calorie dessert recipes.
I have some standard breakfasts that I rotate:
egg white scramble with ketchup, peanut butter toast, fruit
kashi waffle with peanut butter, fruit
cottage cheese with fruit, peanut butter toast
"fried brown rice" - brown rice, egg whites, veggies, 1t soy sauce, & fruit
lunch varies - wraps, soup, egg salad, open face sandwich, hummus, lite cheese and some veggies
supper varies alot - depends if DH is going to be home. Monday supper is pancake night at our house. Have 12 grain pancakes with boca soy bacon or turkey sausage and sf syrup.
I almost always have cereal as my evening snack. Depending on how many calories I have left in the day - I choose the cereal, fruit, and milk in amounts that keeps me in my calories change. It's usually oatmeal, cherrios, bran flakes or specail k with strawberries.
Last edited by Beverlyjoy; 05-02-2008 at 07:32 AM.
For breakfast, lunch and snacks I have a few staple meals to choose from. Like for breakfast I'll have either cottage cheese with a piece of toast, my Kashi cereal, toast and peanut butter or a fruit smoothie. I know exactly how many calories all of that is but I still get some variety if I feel like it.
Lunch, same thing. Turkey sandwich, or maybe grilled chicken with salad/tortilla/quinoa. Dinner usually results in the most variety because I may go out one night or when I live at home during the summer it's whatever everyone else is having...but I know how many calories I have to work with since my other meals are pretty consistent so it ends up being fine.
Last edited by rockstar87; 05-02-2008 at 11:38 AM.
I admit that I tend to eat the same things for a few months and then switch it up for a few months. I'm not sure why I do that.
During the week my menu looks something like this:
Breafast: oatmeal, or egg mcmuffin (when in a real hurry), or toast w/ lowfat cheese ,or just lowfat margarine and low sugar jam)
Lunch: one of 5 different microwave meals, or rice and broccoli, or leftovers from the night before, or salad, or sushi.
Snacks: Kashi Bar, or cottage cheese or fruit
Dinner: Either lean steak, fish, chicken or pork with a salad or vegetables. I tend to eat steamed broccoli, or baked/roasted squash, or mashed cauliflower (like mashed potatoes).
On the weekend I mix it up a little.I often will have eggs and toast, or cereal for breakfast and I may take more time to experiment with lunch and dinner.
How do I switch things up?
This week instead of cheese toast I am using a little bit of pimento cheese spread on my toast (from whole foods ... not low fat, but I monitor my portion).
I'm trying some new multigrain pita chips for a snack.
Height: Tall enough for my feet to reach the ground
Sounds like mine is about the same as the others, pretty boring and about the same thing most of the time...lol
I have either eggs, special K & Skim milk, or a high protein smoothie for breakfast
lunch is lean turkey& Vegi's, or (if I didnt have it at breakfast) high protein smoothie
Dinner is 1/3 to 1/2 of whatever we are having as a family for dinner...but I skip the fattening gravy, butter, salt, ect....
basically all I drink is water, 1 diet pop per day, and once in a while crystal light. I have herbal tea once a day also.
Last edited by StillTryin; 05-05-2008 at 05:29 PM.
I go through phases, One week I will eat the same thing for breakfast every day, then I will decide that I want something else. Right now I am in a yogurt and cinnamon mood for breakfast. Lunch has been a turkey sandwich for about 2 weeks now, and dinner rotates pretty regularly. I've recently discovered taco bells 160 (i think) steak taco fresco thingy. I have only had it once, because I am saving it for "special treats" but where have you been all my life fresco tomatos!!
I was thinking about this very thing this morning. I feel like I should add a little more variety to my menu, but I don't really want too. The past couple of weeks I have bought new things at the grocery store, but they have gone to waste.
For breakfast I always (for the past month or two anyway) have
1 cup diced watermelon
1 serving a fiber one cereal
1/2 skim milk
1 carton of yogurt (keylime pie fiber one yogurt has really rocked my world)
1 cup of light OJ (i'm thinking of switching to 1/2 cup of regular OJ because its cheaper)
The other day I felt in the mood for a big breakfast and added a 1/2 cup of lite apple sauce. Funny, a year ago a big breakfast would have consisted of bacon, eggs, biscuits, gravy, potatoes, and who knows what else.
The rest of the day is usually the same stuff just at different times and maybe in a different order. I really need more variety, but I have found stuff I like that is good for me. I guess I'll have no choice but to change when I quit liking it.
During the week I rotate in about 3 different breakfasts, and lunches are 2-3 different ones.
Dinners I tend to have more variety, but not too much. It makes shopping much easier. Usually my side dishes with dinner are the same (fruits and veggies) - but the protein quotient changes.
Since I am on 3 types of diets during a week, my food is VERY varied. I do low carb 3-4 days a week, then low fat/count calories the rest of the week.
So, I might have just eggs and bacon on my Carb day, while I may have a reduced fat biscuit with low fat bacon (gwaltney's--delicious and lower fat than turkey, which I hate) on my low fat/cal counting days.
On Carb days, I may have a steak and salad for dinner--on low fat days, a chicken breast, low fat biscuit or Whole wheat toast, low fat Mac and cheese, and a veggie...
So it all depends on the way I'm eating that day. One thing great about following two plans is that pretty much, during the week NOTHING is forbidden. If I am craving dumplings, I can have them when I switch to Cal counting/low fat. If I want a huge steak, or a big cheese omelet, then I eat them during my low carb days.
I've been trying to add a bit more variety back into my diet. I tend to find something I like thats easy and stick with it. I've been eating Kashi cereals for breakfast for months (but atleast I am not hungry until lunch and can resist the donuts in the breakroom). I am now spending more time in the grocery store reading labels trying to find healthier versions of some of my old favorites with too many calories. I also bought Hungry Girls new book and she has some inventive ideas. The oven fried onion rings were pretty good and satisfied a craving.
How much variety do you insert into your menus?
Same old same old......
