Here is something I did with my 4 oz of turkey breast tenderloin that was SUPER QUICK!! Like I said in an earlier post I buy the package of turkey tenderloin then divide it up into 4 oz serving put itin a ziplock bag and toss it in the freezer.
While I was making super last night I cut up extra red,yellow, & orange peppers and some extra onion slices. I popped the turkey in the micro on defrost for about 2 minutes, just so it was soft enough to cut in strips, kind of frosty yet though. (My point is VERY QUICK) Put the turkey, peppers and onion back into the bag. I mixed 1 Tbl lime juice, 1 tsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp each..chili powder, & cumin, and a few shakes of tobassco sauce, added a handful of fresh cilantro, put it all in the baggie squished it around a little and put it back in the fridge. Took me less than 10 to do this.
This morning I heatd up the Foreman grill pulled the cilantro out of the bag and discarded that, poured everything else in the bag on the Foreman,spread it out ant let it cook for 6 minutes. While that cooked I put some lettuce in my bowl, diced a tomato, and measured out 1/2 cup frozen corn, and diced a 1/4 of an avocado, topped that with the grilled turkey onions and peppers and packed it in my lunch bag with a little salsa to use for dressing. Viola...Turkey fijata salad!! The corn will thaw by lunch time and I had a Delicious, HEALTHY lunch packed in under 10 minutes.
I'd definitely echo the fact that a low-carb diet is probably not the best choice for you with your existing allergy restrictions. If you're already limited on your food choices, including protein sources, why oh why would you opt for a meal plan which incredibly restricts your food choices?? What's the purpose of the low-carb diet choice?
(I'm honestly asking - if you have a valid health/lifestyle reason for a low-carb diet, I'd love to hear the details. That said, if it's because you or others around you have lost weight with low-carb options, I would strongly suggest you try something that's going to give you plenty of options - restrictive diets such as low-carb options make it difficult to get all the proper nutrients you need, and added to your allergy issues it just seems like a challenge you don't need to face... or have time to deal with!)
Coming down to my thoughts:
a) Drop the low-carb restrictions and go for a balanced reduced-calorie meal plan.
b) Plan out your foods in the morning or the night before - it sounds time-consuming and boring, but it really helps me keep on task when I'm swamped. I spend maybe 5 minutes each evening before bed mapping out my breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and 2-3 dinner options and throwing the stuff in my cooler for the next day. (Cooler then lives in the fridge overnight.) I don't necessarily eat every planned snack, etc - but it's SO much easier to eat well when I get hungry or hypo mid-morning and I can just grab the planned snack instead of having to think about what to do.
c) As others have said - eat breakfast! Again, having things at hand makes it incredibly easy - you may not feel hungry first thing in the morning, but you'll feel a lot better when you start eating regularly instead of forcing your body to keeping going until you're ready to pass out before eating.
Planning and having the right stuff at hand makes all the difference for me. I work long hours on my feet and have limited access to food during the day, but it's been a lot easier than I thought to make the time to pause for a snack when I really need it.
One of the problems I have with the low-carb choice is how many options it's going to cut out for you - berries, fruits, whole grains, etc. With the number of allergy limitations you deal with, it seems that it would make sense to choose as many healthy, low-processed foods - cutting yourself down to protein, protein, and more protein when chicken and beef are among your limited foods just doesn't seem to give you a whole lot of choices.
Good luck! I hate to sound like such a downer, but I really hope you can find some options that will allow you to eat throughout the day - I used to eat barely one meal a day (dinner), and thought I was fine. I can't believe the difference in my energy level now that I'm spreading that same amount of food throughout the day!
so many good suggestions! But, we've all been there! One thing I might add. Plan your meals. Make a menu of what you're going to eat for the week (or a few days at least) and buy the food you need so it's in the house. That way you won't be rambling around in the morning wondering what to make for breakfast and lunch.
My personal trainer chose this diet for me to follow for a about a month in order to kick start my metabolism. After a month, it changes drastically and isn't really as strict as Atkins or South Beach. In two weeks, I have lost 11 lbs in two weeks, but I'm not sure I will make it the whole month. I don't think I could take another bite of tuna, ever!
I am going to treat myself with an order of McDonalds fries this weekend!
LoserWannaB, to follow a strict program and then "treat" yourself with fries... that kinda sounds like someone trying to get sober "treating" themselves with some vodka... Know what I mean?
Maybe you could choose something to eat that isn't tuna but is still healthy food--like, some chicken, or turkey, or some eggs...?
Hi!
I have a severe form of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. There's a TON of stuff I can't eat either: garlic, onions, alcohol, any artificial sweetener (yes, including stevia), caffiene, strong spices, etc. It's hard! I'm on WW and that's working well for me.
I would recommend not eating tuna 5 days a week. One, it's boring, and two, I've heard too much tuna can raise mercury levels. My Dr. told me to do it 2-3 times a week max. I eat oatmeal and 2 Fatfree cheesesticks for breakfast. Yay for protein! By the way, are you taking any vitamins?
Here's a few quick snack ideas, I know some are not low carb, but maybe you know of low carb versions--
celery sticks with salsa
popcorn
pretzels
chicken salad kits (like tuna kits, but chicken)
sugar free pudding, yogurt, or jello cups
dried cereal
cucumber slices/bell pepper strips
soup (I make a huge batch twice a month and freeze it)
I hope some of these help. You sound like you're really busy, especially with your 3-year old! Let me be the first to say Happy Mother's Day!
Hey ... I missed this thread on the first time around. Don't konw how!
A few thoughts - I think you definitely have to commit to making *some* time to plan meals if you want to be ultimately successful at this. I plan my weekly menu every Sunday night while I'm watching TV and every night before I go to bed I portion out my breakfasts, lunches, and snacks, whether I'm eating at home, at the office, or going o be driving around meeting clients and shooting (in which case I put a cooler in the car).
The first few times you do it, it'll take you some time, but at this point I have a list of my standbys and I just mix and match throughout the week, adding in some new ideas now and then, and it takes me maybe 15 mins to plan a weekly menu and a shopping list.
A few things that I do that are quick:
I boil a dozen eggs every Sunday. Crack them after they're cooled and put them in a zipper bag in the fridge. I can grab an egg or two in the morning if I'm in a real hurry - or I can snag one after the gym (as I did tonight) when I come home and dinner isn't ready and I'm craving something protein!
Peanut butter in a couple of stalks of celery - it's a kids snack, but it's also a great quick breakfast with some solid protein and carbs to keep you going.
3oz of deli turkey stuffed in a wheat pita or on a slice of whole grain bread (who says you have to have breakfast food for breakfast!).
1/2 cup of homemade yogurt (or you can get plain, or vanilla flavored, I just like to avoid the sugars) and 1 cup of frozen blueberries. I can put this in a tupperware bowl the night before and stash in the fridge and by the time I get up in the morning, the blueberries are thawed and I can snarf it down while I"m getting dressed.
Those are my most frequently used breakfast items, but I"m sure I can think of more as I go on tonight!
Angie and I always have tortillas ~ onion ~ lettuce ~ tomatoes ~ salsa ~ cans of black and pinto beans ~ and cheese at home...always!
We plan who is cooking dinner Mon-Thurs on Sunday, then we go pick up anything we may need for those meals.
If something goes wrong on the schedule one of just stops at the grocery store...1 mile away...and picks up a rotisserie chicken. We pick the meat off...add it to the above mentioned items for quick soft tacos/burritos. Then we boil the bones and skin to make broth to pour over our dogs kibble!
Lots of good ideas here already.
Wanted to reinforce one item Rock Chalk Chick mentioned - Don't wait until the morning to do your breakfast prep and pack your lunch. Get it all done while you are cleaning up from dinner the night before. Have the refrigerated items together in the fridge (or even in your lunch bag). Have the room temp items clustered on the counter. Have your lunch pre-assembled. Then it takes NO TIME in the morning to throw it all in the lunch bag together, eat your breakfast - or take it and eat it at work. No excuse, no morning time, and no real effort.
Also - a zero effort breakfast is cottage cheese. And it packs lots of protein. If you put a half cup in a plastic container the night before and set out a spoon, it's ready to eat.
I know people have suggested lunchmeat, but one thing that we have (that is low in carbs) as a snack is what we call a rollup: 3 slices of turkey and a piece of cheese rolled up. It's quick and easy. I'm also a fan of whole wheat pasta. We make "pizza pasta" which is a jar of pizza sauce, 2 zucchinis sliced up, and 1-2 crooknecked squash sliced up (all sauteed in a pan with non-stick cooking spray or a little EVOO); serve it over whole wheat pasta and you have a yummy meal! Good luck, you can do this, you just have to find something that works for you!
