Meal Prep - need guidance

[Turin39789]

I like to cook, but I'm busy and if I come home and nothing is ready to go I get tired of looking for a new healthy recipie after 20 minutes and I'll generally find an excuse to eat crap.

I want to know how you plan your meals, and what you eat. How much tuna can you do safely mercury wise? I can do ok with giant box of chicken breasts, but what do you plan around it? What are healty side dishes.

Unfortunately I work in an office full of women, and they decided to do three weeks of pot luck ish(everyone brings one whole meal once) food, and I have a hard time turning down free food. I did decent this week becuse I had some time this weekend, made a small pot of chili on sunday and did 5 chicken breast in the crock pot with tomato sauce and veggies. Gave me entrees throughout the week.


When I'm being good I do oatmeal every day for breakfast, when I'm being really good I make steel cut and seperate the tupperware containers out so that I can take them each morning, but the little rolled flavored packages are easier and well flavored and take less dishes, but their better than no breakfast or whatever I can dig out of the vending machine.

My first shipment of protein powder is on it's way thanks to the amazon sale, but I'm going ot leave it on the shelf until I get this diet back in control. I had 4 months of overtime and night school that wrecked my energy and motivation and I'm getting it back on track.

With all the discussion of what to eat and when to eat it, etc. I have to figure that any of you who think about all these different things have to have a routine developed for getting good meals made without researching each meal for 3 hours a day.


Thanks.

 

[Glavinsolo]

Oatmeal each morning is a good start.
I like to make soup out of broccoli, kale, spinach, bok choy and red cabbage. 2 things of Chicken stock and 2 cans of tomato paste along with olive oil and salt makes quite a bit of soup. Homemade soups are easy to make, cheap, healthy, filling and easy to bring to work. It is also fun to experiment with the soups. In a large tupperware it will last about one week in the fridge so you have that guilt to eat it for lunch each day.

Dinner should always be low carb. Like skinless boneless chicken breast, broiled fish, veggies and a salad.

Dunno about your tuna mercury question. Take fish oil if you don't have enough fish in your diet. I have several doctor friends and they all agree it is the #1 supplement to add to your diet.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: Glavinsolo
Oatmeal each morning is a good start.
I like to make soup out of broccoli, kale, spinach, bok choy and red cabbage. 2 things of Chicken stock and 2 cans of tomato paste along with olive oil and salt makes quite a bit of soup. Homemade soups are easy to make, cheap, healthy, filling and easy to bring to work. It is also fun to experiment with the soups. In a large tupperware it will last about one week in the fridge so you have that guilt to eat it for lunch each day.

Dinner should always be low carb. Like skinless boneless chicken breast, broiled fish, veggies and a salad.

Dunno about your tuna mercury question. Take fish oil if you don't have enough fish in your diet. I have several doctor friends and they all agree it is the #1 supplement to add to your diet.

My fiancee's a veggie, so she's got her own issues, but she's got me making her more and more soups. I used to use canned soup as a healthy-ish(low calorie) lunch, but too much preservative and salt.

That's still my problem with the soups. Just made her a cranberry wild rice soup, but rice = carbs, stock = salt, I think I've started to get too nit-pickey until I just give up.

I love tuna, tried eating it plan for awhile, but still fall back on a little mayo + pickle relish that I learned as a kid, but I saw a post recently that was suggesting a can every two weeks as being the max safe amount.

I feel like I should eat oats, dry chicken breasts, drink water, and ocassionally take a shot of olive oil.

 

[onlyCOpunk]

You just have to plan.

I usually sit down every Saturday and make myself a menu for the week (of dinners at least). Then I go grocery shopping on Sunday for the week and keep the menu on the fridge so I remember what all I bought food for. My meals usually consist of a peace of meat with two servings of vegetables whether they be served on the side or mixed in.

If your fiancee doesn't eat meat, then tofu is a good alternative. I often buy it just because I like it so much. You could spring for the fake meatish stuff, but it's usually pretty pricey for what it's worth. I tell you it's a hard routine to get in to cooking for yourself everynight, but really once you get the basics of prep down it shouldn't take too much time and effort to prepare a meal everynight.

Another good idea is a crock pot. You just throw everything into it before you go to work and dinners ready when you come home. Good in the winter, and stews last for a really long time in the freezer.

Also if concerned about fruit intake, just remember a kiwi fruit contains more vitamin c then an orange. and is much easier to eat no peeling required.