Greetings. I am trying to change the way I eat (for my health in general and to lose weight). Left to my own devices, I would have sugar/salt/cheese for every meal. I’m realizing the only way for me to stay “on the wagon” as it were is to plan my meals.
However.
There are days when the best-laid plans go all to hell. Days when I’m tired. Days when I’m stressed. Days when iwannacheeeeezeburgeromigodrightnow!!!
It’s hard to ignore the siren song of fast food on those days.
I need to stock some fall-back foods that will satisfy my (totally) emotional eating needs, but not destroy all the work I’ve done all week.
Do you have any ideas for things (like a not totally diet destroying casserole) that I could cook in advance and freeze in single portions? For frozen meals that actually taste good? For something I could grab out of my pantry and eat right away?
Some days, you know how it is. It’s hard to find a middle ground between a salad and a case of ding dongs. I’m looking for that middle ground. Thoughts?
Popcorn, if not drenched in butter and such, is filling and snackily satisfying. I haven’t gotten any in a while but I used to buy the 100 calorie kettle corn packs.
I’m no expert and I don’t know what numbers you’re shooting for as afar as calories or grams of fat or anything. I decided this summer to get serious about weight loss and have been doing well and losing very gradually by keeping my consumption at around 1800 calories a day.
I too am prone to emotional eating. Also sometimes I wnat something crunchy or hot or whatever and when that happens a Yoplait chocolate mousse yogurt will NOT work. I keep raw almonds and dried fruit around. And when the craving is more dessert-y those chocolate mousse yogurts are alright.
Low fat string cheese fits the bill nicely (assuming you like string cheese). If wanting a cheeseburger right now ever takes you to a Burger King they offer a veggie burger which, if you ask the, to leave the mayonnaise off, has fewer than 300 calories and feels like you’ve had some fast food. I tried slim fast shakes but all they offered was calories. They always seemed to me like I should still eat a sandwich.
I don’t know what your work situation is. I have access to a fridge, freeezer and microwave, and don’t have to share them. I keep cereal and fat free milk on hand almost all the time.
I have the same problem with tired & stressed days. Unless I plan for it, those usually end up being pizza or takeout burritos or some other bad-for-you thing.
I’ve found my freezer is my friend on those days. Soups and chilis are easily frozen and yummy - chili especially, it’s very easy to make a big batch of it and freeze it in individual portions.
Also good freezer-food are sausages. I make my own, but that’s only because I live in the middle of nowhere. Assuming you live someplace with a variety of grocery stores, I bet you can find sausages that are pretty healthy. Throw 'em in a skilled, put some veggies on the side, meal in 10 minutes.
Another easy & healthy meal is beans and rice. Open a can of beans, make your favorite rice, add some hot sauce and whatever else you have lying around - cheese/onions/etc. And that reminds me, dried bean/rice packages like Zatarains are easy to throw veggies and meat into and make a healthy meal.
Chef’s salads can be thrown together easily if you have the veggies/lettuce/deli meat in the fridge. A lot of healthy eating, for me at least, comes down to making sure I get to the grocery store. If I have veggies in the fridge, I’ll make a salad or veggy side - if I don’t, I’ll just eat an extra large portion of the bad-for-you stuff.
Also useful - I went to the local restaurant supply house and bought take-out plastic containers. You know, those ones they have at the grocery store deli. They come in 1, 2, and 4 cup sizes, can be re-used a couple times, and are really easily stacked in the freezer when filled with yummy stuff.
Everyone’s got different weaknesses. I started my first serious diet about 4 months, have lost about 20 pounds, and here’s what works for me.
A person can pretty much eat all the vegetables and lean meat they want. I buy frozen (sometimes fresh) vegetables and grill them on the stove with shredded ham or beef.
Because I’ve never really liked veggies – unless loaded with butter – I season them very freely with salsa, soy sauce, curry powder, coriander chutney, and garlic powder.
The vegetables fill me up and the meat supplies the needed protein (and is tasty.)
Take good vitamins every day, get enough calcium, and don’t cut out fat entirely.
Sometimes I’ll start with a $3 pouch of Indian cuisine from Trader Joe’s and turn that into two meals with added vegetables and meat.
There are also some foods that I can’t resist and need to just keep out of the house. If there were bowls of Reese’s Cups and Pringle’s Chips lying around, I’d soon be spherical.
There are a couople “SmartOnes” frozen dinners that are ok. There’s a pasta, chicken and Broccoli that I used to like (sorry I can’t remember the name). The serving is really small though.
A cold dinner of things like pickles (almost no calories, just watch the sodium), hardboiled eggs, chunks of roast beef and a few slices of good cheese, takes no effort and hits all the major food groups.
A meatloaf, which you can make on the weekend, cut into slices and freeze, is really fairly low in calories if you use lean meat (I use lean beef, ground chicken, and ground turkey).
Trader Joes has some frozen Indian dinners which are EXCELLENT. The Chicken Tikka Masala is 300 calories, and you can add some frozen peas for bulk & veggies since there’s plenty of sauce to cover them. They also have a cajun-flavors frozen salmon which can go straight from freezer to oven without defrosting. Add some bagged salad or raw veggie of your choosing and you’re golden.
I basically fill my kitchen with foods I like that happen to be good for me. When my schedule was busy, I also made it a point to have meals or snacks that could be ready in under 5 minutes.
My favorite quick meals:
PB sandwiches
Shrimp (frozen shrimp thaws quickly) and microwaveable brown rice
Lean Cuisine Glazed Chicken and Rice Pilaf
Pasta and pesto sauce
Microwaveable frozen corn or broccoli with a little butter and black pepper
Linguine carbonara-- slice bacon, cook linguine, add bacon, black pepper, one egg, and grated parmesan
I’ve also made and divvied up:
Turkey chili
Meat or cheese lasagna
Beef or chicken curry
Baked spaghetti
Beef stew
Honestly, anything’s fair game for smart eating. Just make sure you watch your portion sizes.
So many good ideas! I’m going to print out this thread and put it on my fridge. Maybe build a little shrine, do some praying for strength when the pizza man beckons…
Trader Joe’s is supposed to open here sometime “this year”. They better frickin’ hurry up! That was reported in April and now it’s September! My checkbook and waistline can’t wait!
Regarding freezing individual portions, anyone have any tips on how best to do that and avoid freezer burn? Tips for reheating? I admit, I’m probably overthinking it, but that’s what I do. It’s a lifestyle, really.
Frozen cooked shrimp is the shizzle. Defrost in minutes under warm water, saute with some garlic, add broccoli and/or snow peas and/or snap peas, cover pan and steam over low heat for 5 minutes (the shrimp gives off liquid so don’t add water) & commence nomming!
About reheating, I wrap each slice of meatloaf tightly in plastic and write the date on the outside with Sharpie so I don’t forget how old it is. To reheat, remove plastic wrap and either microwave until edible or re-wrap in tinfoil and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
Anything that’s mostly water, like soup, chili, or saucy stews, doesn’t freezerburn easily. Just make sure its tub is properly sealed.
For sweet stuff, if that’s your poison
Sugar Free Jello (has I think 5 calories)
Sugar Free Pudding - 60 calories yes that’s LESS than the 100 Calorie Pack!
Sugar Free Popsicle - 15 calories / Sugar Free Creamsicle - 40 calories / Sugar Free Fudgesicle - 70 calories
All-fruit type fruit popsicle (Edy’s Fruit Bar, Froz-Fruit, etc)- 80 calories, except for coconut (damn!)
1 Pre-packaged Ghiradelli dark chocolate Square - 55 calories
I haven’t been freezing my meals, just dividing and refrigerating. It means I sometimes eat the same thing a few meals in a row, but I’m ok with that. I use plastic locking containers in a 2-cup size, which is perfect for my portion sizes.
I like savory snacks, too, but mostly cheesy or sour cream/ranch crunchy things. Can’t help with the warm and gooey, sorry.
As for freezing, my standard meal is based around frozen vegetables so I don’t worry about individual portions.
The vegetables are already chopped and just get poured out of bags onto a hot griddle.
They’re cooked in seven minutes. If you like things seared it might take longer. If the veggies are in big chunks, covering them while they cook helps to trap some heat.
Add the meat (I use shredded deli slices) and however much seasoning it takes to make things yummy. Ginger paste is also good.
Cauliflower, okra, french cut green beans, broccoli, yellow squash, zucchini, leaf spinach, peppers, carrots, and celery are all lo-cal and readily available frozen and chopped. Corn, peas, beans and onions are higher in calories but not evil things.
Hummus is a delight, goes with veggies and pita type things, also Edamame dip, which is kind of like hummus but it’s made from soy beans instead of chick peas. I know you can get it at Costco, I’m sure other places have it.
We eat tons of soups: make it up in advance and freeze. Black bean soup is especially good, but we do it with everything. Beans are really filling, and you can make it salty to taste, and you can add sour cream or cheese if you need that bit of fat.
For snacks, I’m currently keeping a box of Mini Wheats in my car. They’re basically whole grains and sugar. Yikes–I just looked at nutritional information and realized that they’re much higher-calorie than I thought (about 9 calories/piece)–but I’ll still probably keep them there, hoping their high fiber content will fill me up enough that I don’t start craving cookies and such.
