weird food question maybe?

[yawn.3x]

So I've been trying to eat as healthy as possible because i'm going back to the gym and everything, and when I was really into fitness a few years ago it was always easy, but now that i'm older I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I'm having trouble figuring out what I should eat for Dinner and sometimes lunch.

As much as I want to cook, I can't always because of work etc.. and I try to avoid frozen foods. What are some quick healthy foods that I could quickly prepare?

Breakfast is never an issue, it's mostly just Lunch and Dinner. I'll sit in the kitchen and wander around aimlessly for something to make / eat and then end up just snacking on crackers, a granola bar, some random fruit, etc.. Same thing with dinner.

[CanucksFanMike]

for lunch you can get healthy lunch meats, cheese, and bread to make a sandwich from the grocery store (i guess that technically is cooking but it only takes less than 5 mins to make).

Dinner is a tougher one because if you want a good, homemade, healthy dinner it takes time to make (things that are quick usually are not as healthy).

[Krazz]

Invest in a crock pot.

[yawn.3x]

for lunch you can get healthy lunch meats, cheese, and bread to make a sandwich from the grocery store (i guess that technically is cooking but it only takes less than 5 mins to make).

Dinner is a tougher one because if you want a good, homemade, healthy dinner it takes time to make (things that are quick usually are not as healthy).

[hockeyville88]

I used to have the same problem. Time was always an issue so we were eating frozen lasagnas, pizzas, chicken fingers, and so on wayy too often. At a certain point I had an aversion to all those foods.

Just a few months ago we invested in a barbeque and it has changed our life! We go down to Trader Joes in the States a lot and we get salmon burgers, turkey burgers, grain fed sausages, fresh chicken breast, etc. And of course no one does fish better than the local BC farmers so we get fresh fish and veggies and, on any given night, we'll throw whatever we have on the grill. The BBQ itself adds so much taste to the food that we no longer have to douse our meals in heavy sauces. A very light sprinkle of rosemary and lemon usually does the trick. Takes less than 30 minutes to prepare (we thaw any frozen items from the morning) and it tastes fantastic.

A friend told me to go to thrift stores and look in their books section for BBQ recipie specific books. I just got an amazing one from Value Village for only $3 and it has amazing (and very healthy) recipies that we can try.

If you're into things like that I'd definitely suggest barbeqing.

[-DLC-]

Crock pot is an excellent idea...throw everything in there and have a healthy dinner without much effort at all.

Also - I just got a panini maker. So great - I throw a flatbread on there with a bunch of veggies (and cheese...shh) and it's a quick/excellent meal. (I got mine with my Air Miles - a Cuisinart and I'm loving it so far).

[Gino Odjick]

Honestly, it's all about cooking one giant meal that's versatile enough so you don't get bored of it/ you can throw in something different each time. You can always make a big pot of chili, a pan of lasagna, any casserole and store portions of it in the freezer so you don't have to thaw out the whole thing and eat the same thing all week.

But anyway, here's what I do for fresh foods. I'll use my example for salads.

Precook some chicken and put it in a tupperware container. Chop some veggies and do the same (you can even freeze them if you chop a butt-load). Buy a head of lettuce and BOOM - you can mix together a salad throughout the week whenever you want. Dress it up with a light vinaigrette, toss in a boiled egg and presto - you got yourself a salad that can fill you up and provide some protein for gym time. You can also throw in chickpeas, shredded carrot, cheese cubes, walnuts, and fruit. That covers lunch.

For dinner:

You can do a stir fry. Boiling noodles or rice doesn't take long and throwing veggies in a wok with some oil really doesn't take long. In 20 minutes you can have yourself a decent, healthy dinner. Or precook some rice and store it in the fridge. Stock the freezer with some nice cuts of different types of meat. Example: seer a cut of salmon in a pan, throw in dill/salt & pepper/lemon juice, cover for 10 minutes.. At the same time, steam some asparagus for 5 mins. Boom. Dinner.

Also, as mentioned above, thawing is key. It's a little difficult at first to plan out your meals but if you do it for a week, you'll get the hang of it and it'll become second nature and you can avoid eating the same thing over and over.

[Grapefruits]

I bought one of those George Foreman type grills a couple years ago and they are great! You can cook meals pretty quick and healthy.

[Jai604]

Honestly, it's all about cooking one giant meal that's versatile enough so you don't get bored of it/ you can throw in something different each time. You can always make a big pot of chili, a pan of lasagna, any casserole and store portions of it in the freezer so you don't have to thaw out the whole thing and eat the same thing all week.

But anyway, here's what I do for fresh foods. I'll use my example for salads.

Precook some chicken and put it in a tupperware container. Chop some veggies and do the same (you can even freeze them if you chop a butt-load). Buy a head of lettuce and BOOM - you can mix together a salad throughout the week whenever you want. Dress it up with a light vinaigrette, toss in a boiled egg and presto - you got yourself a salad that can fill you up and provide some protein for gym time. You can also throw in chickpeas, shredded carrot, cheese cubes, walnuts, and fruit. That covers lunch.

For dinner:

You can do a stir fry. Boiling noodles or rice doesn't take long and throwing veggies in a wok with some oil really doesn't take long. In 20 minutes you can have yourself a decent, healthy dinner. Or precook some rice and store it in the fridge. Stock the freezer with some nice cuts of different types of meat. Example: seer a cut of salmon in a pan, throw in dill/salt & pepper/lemon juice, cover for 10 minutes.. At the same time, steam some asparagus for 5 mins. Boom. Dinner.

Also, as mentioned above, thawing is key. It's a little difficult at first to plan out your meals but if you do it for a week, you'll get the hang of it and it'll become second nature and you can avoid eating the same thing over and over.

[Hugemanskost]

for lunch you can get healthy lunch meats, cheese, and bread to make a sandwich from the grocery store (i guess that technically is cooking but it only takes less than 5 mins to make).

Dinner is a tougher one because if you want a good, homemade, healthy dinner it takes time to make (things that are quick usually are not as healthy).

[key2thecup]

George Foreman Grill.

[The Sedin's 6th Sense]

I have wraps often and it can be either a lunch or dinner thing. Very filling, healthy if you make it healthy, and it's easy to make. I'm vegetarian, so mines are usually always healthy to begin with.

How I make it:

First I warm the wrap in the microwave for about 10 seconds, make sure it's not cold and also make sure it's not too warm otherwise it will break apart when handling. *Have cut salad, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes...whatever you want ready to add in the wrap*. After heating the wrap a bit, I lay it down and spread some whipped cream or whatever it is on the surface if it, not all of it, just a portion of it. After that, I put my salad, cucumbers, peppers, beans and cheese at times in the wrap, and sometimes add some spices in it - very little amount when I do though. When everything's in, fold the wrap up (need a good technique), stare at your success for a brief moment, pour some milk/juice/whatever you want to drink alongside the wrap and enjoy your meal I put all the cut salad and everything in bowl before hand and mix it all together so it's ready and easy to put in the wrap when you want it.

Really filling but I wouldn't recommend this as a daily food - gets boring and stale if you eat it too often, so just have this as a meal to make every 3-6 days if you want the enjoyment to last and if your open to trying what I said Hope this helped, good luck!

[Jai604]

Oh, I almost forgot. Having a bunch of different sauces lying around is always helpful so you can make different stir-fries and dressings.

I always have in my fridge/pantry:

Red-wine vinegar

Rice vinegar (Japanese stuff)

Chinese black vinegar

Soy sauce (Chinese, Japanese, Mushroom)

Worcestershire sauce

Sesame oil

Honey

Mustard

Ketchup

Olive Oil

Grapeseed Oil

Miso (Shiro and Aka)

Ketchup

Sriracha hot sauce

Lemon juice

Cooking wines (Asian ones like Chinese and Japanese, as well as bottles of cheap red and cheap white)

Gochu-jjang (Korean red pepper paste)

Den-jjang (Korean miso, basically, much saltier than the Japanese kinds)

Pepper flakes (of different varieties)

Five-Spice

Star Anise

Off the top of my head. There are a whole pile of other things in my pantry but you get the idea.

[yawn.3x]

Thank's for all the great idea's everyone. I'm gonna try the George Foreman grill. That will be pretty cool. But it's not the meat i'm having issues with making, it's the side dish. For example, if I make chicken; what kind of side should go with it? Ideally rice?

[Grapefruits]

Thank's for all the great idea's everyone. I'm gonna try the George Foreman grill. That will be pretty cool. But it's not the meat i'm having issues with making, it's the side dish. For example, if I make chicken; what kind of side should go with it? Ideally rice?

[Jai604]

Easy way to cook veggies is to cut them into long pieces, throw them on a baking sheet, drizzle some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, coarse sea salt, and fresh cracked pepper. Chuck em in the oven and broil them on low.

Bell peppers are awesome this way, as is zucchini, eggplant, potatoes, pretty much anything you like. Cauliflower is good this way too.

I dont' know how much you like white rice, but if you don't, a great way to make tasty rice is to cook it with chicken stock instead of water, add some herbs. A great way to make rice is to throw a few Chinese sausages on the top while the rice cooks. Trust me on that one .

[Gunner Garrison]

Easy way to cook veggies is to cut them into long pieces, throw them on a baking sheet, drizzle some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, coarse sea salt, and fresh cracked pepper. Chuck em in the oven and broil them on low.

Bell peppers are awesome this way, as is zucchini, eggplant, potatoes, pretty much anything you like. Cauliflower is good this way too.

I dont' know how much you like white rice, but if you don't, a great way to make tasty rice is to cook it with chicken stock instead of water, add some herbs. A great way to make rice is to throw a few Chinese sausages on the top while the rice cooks. Trust me on that one .

[DarthNinja]

Thank's for all the great idea's everyone. I'm gonna try the George Foreman grill. That will be pretty cool. But it's not the meat i'm having issues with making, it's the side dish. For example, if I make chicken; what kind of side should go with it? Ideally rice?

[Hugemanskost]

When eating, divide your 9" plate into a half and two quarters.

Your protein should be set in one of the quarters in correct serving size - about 3oz.

Your starch, rice, potato, corn, grain, pasta, should go in the other quarter.

The half should be filled with veggies with a focus on green ones.

Yum!

[-DLC-]

I had a GF grill but the reason I prefer the Cuisinart Panini Maker is because the plates detach for placing in the dishwasher or, at least, easier clean up. I got rid of the GF because you had to clean it intact and it could be time consuming. Sure - the non stick surface should mean you could just wipe it down but, for burgers, it could become a sticky mess.

So it's virtually the same things but the Cuisinart wins for this feature. As well, the "grill/panini" plate can be flipped over for a flat/skillet surface (to do eggs, pancakes, etc.).