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Boring Meals.. Any ideas?

#1

jillpep , 04-14-2006 10:51 PM

Hello Everyone,

I am feeling the blahs lately with my meal choices. I feel as though I have run out of good ideas for supper meals. I would appreciate it if I could get some new ideas on what are people's favorite healthy meals are to make.
Thanks,
Jill

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#2

sotypical , 04-14-2006 11:25 PM

mmmm I like what I just made for dinner!

I had boneless skinless chicken breats, I put them in a pan (with a lid) with cut up baby carrots and celery and a bit of onion. I then COVERED it in hot sauce; lots of hot sauce and a couple dash of a garlic spice. Put the lid on and baked it in the oven for an hour at 325. I also boiled some baby potatoes and ate those with a bit of salsa.

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#3

srmb60 , 04-15-2006 07:38 AM

Have you looked at the food lists at Body for Life? I really like their food ideas. They have recipes too.
Chicken and fish are very versatile. Like sotypical says spices sometimes are the key.

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#4

Jayde , 04-15-2006 08:15 AM

Try a site like allrecipes.com and look over the many different cuisines from around the world. You might feel like discounting many recipes because you don't have or have never heard of some of the ingredients but if you look into it I am sure you could find what you need.

I don't know what kinds of foods you like. Or if there are any ingredients you absolutely wouldn't try.

I eat some strange things according to some people. So... maybe I shouldn't suggest anything specific unless I am sure you wouldn't be repulsed.

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#5

dalai_lala , 04-15-2006 09:02 AM

Also, chiming in with SusanB... the cookbook for Body For Life is pretty good. Simple, quick recipes that "normal" people would eat (that is, not gourmets... I am a lousy cook)! You should be able to find it at the library. It's Eating For Life, author Bill Phillips. I don't like the dude himself, that's just me personally, but he does have a good cookbook... meh!

Also, when I remember to do them, I love crockpot recipes. Just set everything up in the morning and by the time you get home from work or whatever, dinner is done! Ding! And the house smells great... Yum!

Lately I've also been taking cuts of meat... chicken, lean beef, or lean pork... seasoning them (Cajun, Jerk, Montreal, rosemary & garlic, Thai seasoning, etc) or marinating them (Worcestershire & garlic, the new Mrs Dash bottled ones, soy and ginger, etc), dropping them under the broiler as needed then pairing them with a nice vegetable medley and/or small red potatoes w/healthy butter spray and parsley. You can get some great veggie medleys in the frozen section in all kinds of combinations; I like those, 'cos again, I'm a lousy cook and it's easy.

Good luck!

-Lala

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#6

cemetarysiren25 , 04-15-2006 09:11 AM

Stuffed cabbage in a crock pot!!
Medium head of cabbage
1 cup brown rice
1 small onion
1 lb. lean ground beef
2-3 cans tomato soup
1-2 small cans spaghetti sauce
1 cup water

Cut cabbage into bite-size peices. Brown ground beef and drain.

Add cup of water to the bottom of crock pot. Add a little of tomato soup and sauce. Add layer of cabbage, sprinkle some meat and rice on top. Keep layering until crock pot is full. I like to season it with some kosher salt and white pepper.

I usually cook it on high for 3-4 hours. Or, you could cook it on low for 6-8 hours. It's SOOOOO good!!

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#7

jillybean720 , 04-15-2006 09:30 AM

In an attempt to add some veggies to my diet (since I'm super picky and don't like many!), I recently bought a bag of broccoli coleslaw mix (in the prefrigerated case of the produce section with like the bagged salad mixes and stuff). It's just shredded strips of broccoli, a little red cabbage, and a little carrot. I cut up a package (about a pound, I think) of boneless, skinless chicken breast into little chunks and marinated in teriyaki sauce overnight (though I'm sure you don't have to do it so long--I just find it easier to prep my meals the day before if I have time). Then I cooked the chicken in my wok with the whole bag of coleslaw mix and added some more teriyaki sauce (which can be high in sodium, but you can usually find a low-sodium kind at the store), and voila! I didn't even serve it with rice or anything because the strips of broccoli were kinda like crispy noodles themselves. It was surprisingly good, and insanely easy! Next time, I'm going to try a ginger sesame marinade

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#8

veggielover , 04-15-2006 12:12 PM

I made whole wheat egg white french toast today. (whole wheat bread, skim milk, egg white, dash of cinnamon and pure vanilla, lightly sprinkled with pure maple syrup) It was fantastic and literally close to no fat! (about 250 calories, for breakfast!)

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#9

Ready2ShedLBS , 04-15-2006 02:21 PM

For breakfast I always to the same thing.. oatmeal.. with either rasins, apples, or banana. My morning meal has the highest caloric intake.

As far as dinner recipes I have a few but I wont get to involved so here is one... Stuffed Peppers

Take large bell peppers, cut off the tops and clean out. Brown some lean ground turkey, season with Lawrys Seasoning salt. Brown rice (cooked) some onions, ground cumin and paprika, 1/2c of chicken stock mix and stuff. Bake on 350 for about 35 mins. You can also add cheese if you like, its good either way

This one is very tasty. I have alot of recipes that are healthy.. I am going to compose a list and post in recipes and link it to my siggy for everyone to see. I just take traditional recipes and tweak them.

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#10

Safiyah_is_Fluffy , 04-16-2006 04:41 PM

lentils!!! they are awesome, you can make them the india way with heavy spicing (you can buy the mix at grocery store) or the arab way, pomegranate juice, garlic and eggplant, simmered and serve with rice or whole wheat flatbed/pita, they also eat alongside of it anaheim peppers stuffed with coriander and garlic then fried (I always drain the peppers after cooking them to take away extra fat)

It is a really healthy meal, lots of fiber little fat and very tasty, nothing bland!

if anyone wants any exact recipes let me know!!!

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#11

sierra_ttw , 04-16-2006 05:05 PM

Check out the Self and Shape websites - I try a new one from one of those sites at least once a week - the recipes are great!

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#12

Misti in Seattle , 04-16-2006 11:33 PM

I agree with the post about allrecipes.com. I have found some fantastic recipes there for my crockpot which are soooooo easy and yummy!

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#13

jillpep , 04-17-2006 01:19 AM

Thanks
Thanks for the ideas so far.. I think it is hard for me because I am a really picky eater and I don't like any seafood at all including fish, which seems to limit quite a bit of healthy things. Thanks again

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#14

jillybean720 , 04-17-2006 05:46 AM
Nah, I'm a very picky eater, too. I don't eat fish at all, either. IT's one of those things I know is good for me, so I have a few cans of tuna in my cabinet, but they've been sitting there collecting dust for months and months There are still plenty of other healthy choices. Typical dinners in my home include:
- turkey burgers on whole-wheat buns
- fat-free hotdogs (can get high in sodium, but if you've not eaten too much throughout the day, shouldn't be too bad) on whole wheat buns
- boneless skinless chicken breast (sometimes in a stir-fry, sometimes with a bit of bbq sauce and low-fat cheddar cheese, sometimes marinated in fat-free Italian dressing and baked, or with any other number of easy marinades you can buy now...)--usually served with baked poatoes, brown rice, or wheat noodles mixed with some veggies and some of whatever marinade I used on the chicken
- low-fat Healthy Choice smoked sausage (or keilbasa--to me, they taste about the same)--sometimes sliced and cooked in the crock pot with a mixture of grape jelly and chili sauce (sounds gross, I know, but it's amazingly delicious!) or sliced up in a skillet on the stove with some chopped veggies and just some Pam spray
- pizza made with Boboli whole-wheat ready-made crust, sauce (I make my own if I have time and am not lazy), cheese (I use fat-free mozzarella first and then top with regular so my bf can't tell I used fat-free), and turkey pepperoni, plus of course any veggies you might like on your pizza
- whole-wheat pasta with home-made sauce (3 small cans low-sodium tomato sauce, 1 regular can of tomato paste, 1 regular can of petitie diced tomatoes, about 1 cup of frozen chopped spinach creamed in the Magic Bullet, some chopped frozen onion, some turkey sausage, and seasonings to taste--oregano, Italian seasoning, garlic, Mrs. Dash, and just a hint of Splenda to cut the bitterness)
- burritos--ground turkey breast browned in skillet with onion, chili powder, garlic, ground red pepper, and salsa; shredded lettuce; fat-free cheddar cheese (bf can't tell it's fat-free when it's all wrapped up!); large La Tortilla Factory wheat tortillas (they're low-carb, high-fiber, and pretty low-cal at 100 each)
- if I'm really in a time crunch (or really in such a bad mood that the thought of cooking makes me want to beat people up--it has been known to happen ), I'll do Lloyd's barbecue shredded pork on whole-wheat buns. If you watch your serving sizes, it's not all bad as far as fat and calories go (although there are some hidden trans fats in there, but if you have only 1/4 or 1/2 cup, then you're not getting even 1 whole gram of trans fat)
As you can tell, I'm not one for complicated recipes I don't much like to cook at all, and anything that requires much preparation ahead of time I usually forget to do. For me, quick and easy is the name of the game, and finding a little variety in healthier foods (I say healthier instead of healthy, because I know some could still stand improvement, but they're all still a million times better than what I used to eat *ahem*fast food*ahem*) isn't too hard if you try--sometimes, ya just gotta dig around for ideas Oh, and sometimes I even buy things that I know are healthy just for that reason, but I don't know what to do with them, so I just Google the ingredient "+recipe" and figure something out
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#15

almost there , 04-17-2006 07:14 PM

I eat alot of chicken breasts with onions and I season the chicken with Mrs. Dash (there are a variety of flavours). I will add some vegetables to it and maybe a little bit of cheddar cheese ontop (i love it and eat it alot) or salsa ontop of it.

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