My GF had an esophagectomy done a few months ago.
She is ok now but eating is still a bit of a struggle.
She really hates cooking but necessity makes her have to.
So, any ideas on really simple recipes that are low calorie and high protein? No fried anything. Low fat as well (she can not tolerate high fat foods…of course some fat is necessary but needs to be at a minimum).
Emphasis on “simple.”
I can’t help with the health aspect of it, but if she has (or wants an excuse to get) a Crockpot or Instant Pot, it makes everything pretty easy.
Especially since you (you, OP, specifically) can prep an entire mean the day before in a crock pot and all she has to do is pull it out of the fridge, turn the crock pot on and ignore it for the next 8+ hours.
A lot of the Instant Pot recipes are pretty easy as well. You can skip things like browning the beef/chicken and go right to ‘toss everything in, put the lid on cook on high for 10 minutes’ without losing much. Again much of the dicing and chopping can be done the night before so all she might have to do is add things in a certain order and sautee them.
Protip:Put broccoli in the Instant Pot with a quarter inch of water or so, set it to Zero minutes. When it gets up to pressure, it’s done (though I give it about a minute before letting the pressure out).
Drop ingredients in and forget sounds great.
Does that need an Instapot?
Seared Ahi? Couldn’t be simpler, lower fat, or higher protein.
Scrambled eggs (use fewer yolks than whites if they’re too high-fat for her)
Boiled or fried eggs
Thanks (really).
The one thing she does now is egg whites and toast.
Which is fine…but a little boring. I am hoping to find a little more variety for her.
Plain Greek yogurt, Splenda, fruit and some Special K Protein cereal. If she can’t eat the cereal in whole flakes, crush em a bit. If she needs some good oil and fat and fiber, add flax meal.
I like cottage cheese too. Same add-ins as above. Melon is good with cottage cheese as are sugar free fruit cups (drained). My favorite is pears.
People often like cottage cheese to be savory. I dunno what sort of stuff they put with savory cottage cheese tho.
Any of our favorites from this thread -
Because seriously, hummus of any variety (tailored to preference, whether Southwestern or Pan-Asian such as I posted), with pitas, soft or hard breads, etc of any sort is going to pack in some serious nutrition and you can (as I do) leave out the tahini to drop the fat.
Otherwise, I’ll second the slow cooker/crockpot option. One of my go-to easy dishes - boneless pork (shoulder or country ribs), 2 jars of a decent green salsa, one mild flavored beer. Start overnight, shred with a fork in the morning, serve that afternoon after it’s basically turned to shreds soaking in the beer/salsa mix. Serve on rice, tortillas, or what ever you like. Add a bit of cheese if you want, or mix with low/no fat refried beats for even more protein.
Take canned tuna. Add any of: diced peppers, green onions, scant mayonnaise, teriyaki sauce, jerk sauce, wasabi, sesame seeds. Serve on toast or with repeatable rice cup.
If she likes seafood, any fish or shellfish is high in protein. Fry fillet in butter, add lemon juice. (Although fried challenging OP, is still healthy.). Could also roast, broil, grill. Serve with canned baked beans.
Make salad with baby spinach, feta cheese chunks, rotisserie chicken leftovers, bacon, on hand vegetables (pepper, celery, carrot), boiled egg, olives, scant dressing of choice
I was going to suggest homemade hummus, very light on (if at all) the tahini, and skip the olive oil. Just throw a drained can of garbanzo beans in a food processor or blender, add garlic, lemon juice, and salt. (optional little bit of tahini, but you won’t miss it).
Canned chicken, broken up and mixed with a little low-fat mayo or some Greek yogurt, add some pickle relish, and you’ve got chicken salad. (or tuna) Eat on toast or straight.
Cook up some ground beef or ground turkey, add some Sloppy Joe mix or sauce (you don’t need to use the whole can or jar).
When I was a kid, we ate “Brownie Stew”, so-called because we learned it in Brownies (it was that easy, and we liked it enough that my mom made it a lot. I see it’s also called Campfire Stew, Hobo Stew, etc). Brown a pound of ground beef (or turkey) and then stir in a can of Campbell’s vegetable soup. Voila! Can serve it on toast or buns. Probably good with other soup varieties, too. (I haven’t had it in 55 years, so my memories of it might be through rose-tinted lenses.
Mmmm …hobo stew …memories …good stuff! Definitely a crock pot if you don’t do that already. Tons of recipes online or just dump stuff in there and leave it for a while.
Sounds like a good time to learn how to cook beans. Very easy to make and essential to complete nutrition. I’d start with lentils, because you don’t even need to soak them overnight. Rinse a couple of handfuls and cover with an inch or less of water in a pot. Add the following: a finely chopped small onion (or half of a big one), a peeled and chopped carrot, a bay leaf, about two-thirds of a teaspoon of paprika, salt and high-grade olive oil. Simmer over medium-low heat until tender but not mush (about 40 minutes). Remember to check every so often and add water sparingly, as needed. Eat the lentils with rice for the protein aspect. If it seems like a lot of work, I promise it won’t be once you’re familiar with the recipe. Takes five minutes to get it all into the pot.
Canadian* Bacon** done up in the microwave - cover because lots of popping from the water - four slices about 45 seconds. YMMV*** Quick snack bites, 4% fat, lots of protein. With egg on toast/bread/crackers.
*not Canadian
**not bacon
***Your Microwave May Vary
Chicken breasts sauteed with just salt and pepper are surprisingly tasty if you do them right. Hardly any oil is required, and it’s as simple as can be otherwise.
Salmon “pate” 3 Minute Salmon Pate – fusion craftiness
or Salmon “mousse” https://healthyrecipesblogs.com/salmon-mousse-recipe/
(Lots of variations on these recipes are available online)
A snack I came up with at about age 10, so super simple:
Unwrap a stick of string cheese, and peel into halves or thirds. Lay on a tortilla. Microwave for 15-20 seconds, depending on your nuker.
Roll up immediately, so the cheese melts the whole thing together.
Shovel into mouth-hole.
My favourite ingredient is chopped up radishes - fresh and spicy, lovely purple colour. A simpler alternative would be chives. Lots of salt and pepper. Eat with bread, on its own, or maybe with celery sticks or strips of bell pepper.
I love cottage cheese with cucumber and lots of black pepper.
A slice of lean cold cuts, wrapped around a pickle, cut into pinwheels. If permissible, spread a little cream cheese on the cold cut before wrapping.
Canned sardines. Deviled eggs with a little yogurt or cottage cheese in place of mayo. Scooped out cucumber filled with chicken salad, tuna salad, or salmon salad.