for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks?

I am really struggling with meal choices here.

I hold down two jobs and work long hours which doesn't leave me a lot of time for meal preparation and I am finding myself getting bored of the same old 'good' foods that I have been eating which has lead to 'cheating' and a feeling of general boredom with my lifestyle change. Apart from eating salads and lean meats I really don't know what else I could be selecting that is 'good' and doesn't require a 2nd mortgage and several hours to prepare.

I am open to all ideas and suggestions and thank everyone in advance for their help!

I see you haven't gotten any suggestions yet, bummer. I don't have any really good suggestions for you myself, because I eat a pretty limited and very repetitive diet, and I don't really cook much, so I'm no help!

I'd suggest checking out the Daily thread in the Weight Loss Support forum and browsing what people list as their daily food and see if that spurs any new meal ideas!

Bindii - you might want to check out Food talk and fabulous finds thread as well, Mrs Snark is right about Daily Accountability thread, I get a lot of good ideas from there, there are also recipe threads under South Beach and Weight watchers.

Lately I've been eating oatmeal made with almond milk for breakfast, I make it at home in a container and eat it when I get to work.

I usually make a salad (I know, I know, salad) of spring mix with Italian dressing, I make that in the morning and eat it for lunch with an avocado or salmon that comes in a pouch. I add the avocado/salmon when I'm ready to eat the salad.

I also like to make wraps with spring mix, turkey or tuna in a tortilla, easier to eat than a salad

I think roasting a big pan of veggies and taking them in a container for lunch would be good, or soup or chili...

I try to take with me some fruit, too, bananas, apple, clementines/oranges. We also bought some of those single serving packs of nuts to have for a snack so you have some built in portion control.

Best of luck!

A favorite snack is to microwave up about a tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter on a plate for 30 seconds, slice a banana on top and microwave for 30 seconds more. Drizzle a tiny amount of honey on top and enjoy! Quick, healthy, protein-oriented snack! (I tend to be low on protein)

I also posted the other day about microwaving up a poached egg the other day; that's quick & easy!

Lately I've been making about 6 days worth of steel-cut oats and storing it in the fridge. It stores really well. Then you can just spoon out how much you want for breakfast, add a little water, and throw it in the microwave for 90 seconds. Take it out, stir it up, add some fruit, pop it back in for 90 seconds more. Easy.

I've also learned recently that brown rice stores well in the fridge, so you can cook up a whole pot, and then just take out what you need for a meal.

A quick way to prepare chicken is to slice breasts into strips, sprinkle on LOTS of your favorite spices, and then cook at a high temperature. Done in 10 minutes or less (other than oven-heating time).

Anyway... I hope some of these ideas help. Most of what I eat falls into the "I have lots of time to prepare" category, but these are some of the easy things I do to fill in.

I have been following The Hairy Dieters cookbooks. The food is flavourful and the meals are setup for portion control which I need.

Thanks everyone! There are some great idea's there - I know I'll be trying most of them for sure! I'll also stalk.. errr check out.. the thread in the Weight Loss Support forum for more idea's!

Thought of you yesterday, Bindii, as I prepared a really simple snack that I can work into my food plan over the next 5 days or so. I made a white bean spread that took all of about 5 minutes, and I will eat this with raw vegetables or will use it to spread on crackers or bread.

Basically, a rinsed can of white beans, a few cloves of chopped garlic, a half tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, a half tablespoon of soy sauce, a teaspoon of Tabasco -- all thrown into the food processor. Then add a bit of water to make the consistency you desire. I also add 1/4 teaspoon of ground chipotle pepper to give it even more kick. I wonder if you have Tabasco in Australia?? Probably not. Any hot red pepper liquid would do -- I bet it would be great with sriracha sauce instead, if you have that.

Anyway, like I said -- 5 minutes yesterday will give me healthy protein-oriented snacking for the next few days.

And thought of you again today! Easy,easy breakfast this AM. Do you ever make frittatas? They are very easy, basically a crustless quiche or an egg omelet, where you cook it first in a nonstick pan on the stove, then pop it under the broiler to finish.

I make 2 for an easy weekend dinner, usually mushroom -onion for DH and me, and ham or sausage for the boys. Serve alongside salad and fruit.

Now here's the kicker. Cut the leftovers into single servings, and freeze individually. Take out of the freezer and microwave for 3 minutes on 50% power. Easy and tasty!

I never used to be a freezer person,but have become a convert in the last few years. With the microwave, it makes it so easy to have wonderful homemade food at the drop of a hat.

Try different spice mixes! Whole Foods has tons of them and they manage to make things taste totally different.

I have a lot of cereal for breakfast (both hot and cold) and I will always add a little granola, fruit, or nuts. I just made a big bowl of hot cereal a couple of days ago so you might think my breakfasts would be repetitive, but today I had it with dates and pecans, yesterday with fresh sliced kiwi, and the day before, mixed berries.

One of my favorite snacks is a One Minute Muffin:

1/4 cup Golden Flax Meal
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 packet Splenda or Truvia
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 Egg (or 1/4 cup egg beaters or egg whites)
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil

174 Calories
8g Fiber
12g Protein
1.5 Carbs

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add egg and coconut oil; mix well. Microwave for 50-seconds to 1-minute. Muffin pops right out.

I top it with two tablespoons of light sour cream, a sprinkle of granular Splenda, and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.

It really only takes two minutes to make (one minute to prepare and another minute to microwave)

Yes it has fat but it's incredibly good fat (coconut oil) but if that bothers you, you can make it with a teaspoon of Fage 0% Greek yogurt (or a teaspoon of canned pumpkin) instead of the coconut oil.

These are great! Thanks guys! I think I may have to substitute some of the ingredients as I can't find some of them here (we do have Tabasco sauce though Heidi.. but I'm struggling to find the white beans.. have a three bean mix though so will try that).. but I think I can find reasonable substitutes for them.. so into the kitchen I go! I'll let you all know how they turn out!

Thanks again!

Bindii -- maybe the "white beans" are called "cannellini beans" where you live?

Ok, bindii, I finished my white bean spread today, so I made a black bean spread. Even easier.

Throw in the food processer:
-- rinsed can of black beans
-- 1/4 tsp cumin
-- 1 tbs chili powder (optional)
-- 1 minced clove of garlic
-- 3 tbs milk
-- juice of 1 lime

As the food processer is going, slowly add water to get it to the consistency you like. I probably added 1/4 cup of water.

I put my 12-year-old to the task of making this, other than the water judgement and mincing the garlic. If he can make it in 5 minutes, then so can you -- and that goes for you, too, MrsSnark

Oh I make almost that exact kinda of thing all the time, Heidi, with all types of beans. No milk, and I use a spice grinder, but same basic idea. I simply mashed the heck of of it with a fork, less clean up, and I like stuff chunky anyway. Then it is commonly stuffed into a pita pocket with veggies.

So, yeah, I have basically the same cooking skill as a preteen, lol!

yum yum yum

I make a black bean salad with a rinsed can of beans, chopped red, yellow, orange and green peppers, cumin, onion, coriander (cilantro) and lime juice.

No oil at all. It is delicious.