Lately I've been trying to fine tune/get some kind of grip on my nutrition now that I'm out of the dining halls and into my own kitchen. I've been doing it now for about three weeks and have pretty much been eating the same thing, all day everyday. Anyways, I am currently living alone and was wondering, what do all you domestic ladies do for meals outside of lean pockets/frozen things [i'm trying to avoid those]? Thanks so much for all of your help.
If you don't mind leftovers - I currently just cook a healthy meal and eat it for several days. I also eat a sandwich or salad for my lunch so I'm not eating the same meal in a row.
I might have sirloin steak with peas, broccoli, and couscous.
chicken stirfry over steamed rice
Benefits are a warm meal for several nights but not having to cook and clean up every night.
I buy frozen boneless skinless chicken breast tenderloins because it is so easy to take two out and cook it at any time. I buy instant brown rice so it only takes about 6 minutes to cook that. For meats that is harder to cook just one portion, I will plan out my meals so it can stretch into a few dinners. Like a pork tenderloin one night, the next night I will make a stir fry out of the meat, and later in the week I may make it into a salad. I think the key is planning so cooking one time can last you a few meals, or at least save you time.
As far as getting variety, I try not to do the same carb with dinners every night. I may have quinoa ( a new fav of mine) one night, brown rice the next, and a sandwich wrap the next. Same with veggies. I have to say I don't mix up my meat very often.
I'm hugely boring when it comes to food. I'm a college kid living by myself, and my guy is in Iraq so I'm only cooking for me.
I could eat the same thing every. single. day. And be happy, lol. Which makes it convenient, once I get in the habit of eating something healthy and low cal, I can eat it everyday and not worry about planning much.
On any given day, this is what I eat:
Early AM:
- coffee with a splash of milk and a bit of splenda sweetener
- about 30cal at the most
Later AM:
- mocha smoothie (fat free yogurt, coffee, sugarfree chocolate syrup, sugarfree hazelnut syrup, 1 banana, ice)
- 200-225 cal depending on the size of the banana, I always just count it as 210
Lunch:
- low carb tortilla
- 3 fat free cheese singles
- 1 slice deli turkey
- salsa and spicy mustard
- 2.5 cups frozen veggie stir fry mix
- total 285 cal
Dinner:
- skinless boneless chicken breast (about 7oz)
- 2.5 cups frozen veggie stir fry mix
- about 275 cal
Snacks:
- 1 bag of light popcorn: 200 cal
- 1 orange: 85 cal
This isn't all I eat in a day, but this is my base. I'll add calories wherever I'm hungry. If I'm hungry in the morning, I'll have oatmeal also. If I'm hungry at lunch, I might have soup or some chicken. At dinner, I might have some sweet potato or rice or something. Or I'll add some more snacks.
I am in love with this website: http://www.eatingwell.com
It has amazing (and amazingly easy) recipes that are delicious and so healthy and the best part is that it gives you the nutrition info for everything. They even have categories like low calorie, low sodium, etc so that you can narrow your searches. The recipes are usually for 4 servings, so you'll have leftovers, but the stuff I make from that website is usually so good, I'm more than willing to eat it 4 days in a row .
My boyfriend and I just moved out and cooking for 2 can be a pain as well (most stuff comes in packs for 4 people grr) so we just make heaps and keep it in the fridge for lunch/dinner for however long it lasts
I currently use a diet website where you can choose what meals you have (all come roughly to 360 calories which allows space for a 120 calorie snack)
However when I am in a rush I make myself Baked Beans on toast, which is yummy and only take 5 minutes.
It's a big thing in the UK, not so sure about the US. And depending on what type of bread I use is anything between 200-300 calories so I usually have a banana as well.
I live on my own so I'm almost always cooking for one person (except when my boyfriend is here every second weekend). I generally just make normal 'family' dishes but halve the ingredients to get one or two meals out of it. I make things like chili or soup and freeze individual servings. If I buy a jar of pasta sauce and only use half of it, I freeze the rest for another dish later on. Buying a big pack of chicken means I can have chicken over several days or freeze individual servings and take them out when I need to. Just be creative, and don't be afraid to put stuff in the freezer to eat later! It makes life quite easy when you've had a busy day and don't feel like cooking
i usually cook one big batch of something (like soup/stir fry/curry) a week and keep staples on hand for when i don't feel like eating the same thing.
staples: wheat bread of some sort
- for sandwiches
- english muffins for breakfast sandwiches or
w/ laughing cow cheese
- bagel thins (i've been toasting these up with
avocado and salsa)
- pitas (good for making mini pizzas) greek yogurt (good with honey or chocolate
syrup...or as a substitute for sour cream/dip) soy milk
string cheese
egg beaters
- i can whip up a greek omelet in 5 minutes tomatoes
feta cheese
spinach
- good for salads or whatever meal i feel like
adding spinach to something good for snacking (usually wheat thins, soy crisps, or popcorn)
i still haven't eliminated frozen food. i still eat tv dinners on occasion. i also like veggie chicken patties for bbq chicken sandwiches. also, frozen veggies make stir fry really easy. i'm told that they have a good amount of nutrients since they're frozen at the height of freshness
Last edited by tomato sunshine; 05-23-2010 at 08:23 PM.
I second the cooking a big meal and eating it for a few days. I live with my parents but don't always eat what they eat depending on whether or not its on plan (I also rarely eat red meat).
If you go and look on the subforums on here they usually have recipes or you can use one of the websites suggested on here.
Veggies and salad are my common stock. I eat a lot of salads for lunch because my biggest meal of the day is typically dinner.
Meal Ideas for One
