Here in the Durso pack, we're in a bit of a food rut, for several reasons.
Doug had a doctor's appointment last week and it got us thinking about the state of our diet. On a weekly basis, I dread the grocery shopping. Not because of the actual shopping, but because of the menu planning and list writing that must be done before we enter the store.
I try to plan good meals for us, but its hard with our limited budget. Its hard to plan for meals during the week when we spend 11 hours working or en route. I try to find easy things to make and we end up eating the same things all the time, even though I try to vary it too. We want dinner to just be ready when we get home, which explains why we go out to eat more often than we should. Frozen pizza is a staple in our house and I'm about frozen pizza'd out. We had one on both Saturday and Sunday and there's still one more in our freezer for this week...
During the day I get SOOO hungry, especially a day after a run. I try to pack enough food to have adequate snacks and lunch, but it never seems to be enough. I find I could use a second breakfast aroun 9 a.m. and an afternoon snack (or two) is usually necessary too.
I think back to WAY back a year or two ago when I was really trying hard to get us to eat well. I really don't remember what we ate. Our lifestyles were way different then because I worked nights and Doug worked days. A stress fracture, a layoff, unemployment, pregnancy, baby and a new job later... I have no clue what we should be eating.
We need to lose weight again and eat better. I honestly don't know if my issues with weight are because I'm not fueling my body enough for the exercise I'm doing or if I just eat poorly. I've never been good with counting calories, especially now since I'm breastfeeding. I used to count carbs and that's not even relevant right now.
SOOOO dear readers (I do have a few readers, don't I?), I need your help. This seems like it should be so basic, but I'm clueless. So here are a few questions, in no particular order, and any input is appreciated. The questions are really broad, but hopefully I can get a focus with a little help.
1.) What can I eat during the day that will keep me full but not pack on a zillion calories?
2.) Any suggestions on planning good meals that are relatively quick and/or easy to make?
3.) Along with #3, ways to prepare ahead of time? I have considered the cooking and freezing method, but I'm clueless on that too.
4.) I've considered myself a decent multi-tasker, but in the case of our diet, I'm not. Any input, even anything not related to my questions, is appreciated.
Thanks for your help!
Hey Jess! Sorry to hear you guys are in a food rut. Here's some ideas of things we do that seem to make our crazy schedule a bit more manageable.
ReplyDelete-crock pot cooking! I bet I make soup or something in it at least once a week and then we have leftovers for later in the week or we freeze the rest of the meal for another week.
-plan your meals out and get everything ready on sunday night...chop up veggies that will go in your meals and put them in containers in the fridge so you are just ready to put it all together come dinner time.
-Spend one Saturday or Sunday a month prepping meals to freeze...if you want some ideas of things I've made and frozen let me know! Especially if you make a bigger batch of something and freeze it into 2 servings.
-Use one main part of a meal in multiple dishes throughout the week...i.e. chicken...cook it once on Monday to use as the main entree, use it as a topping on pizza on Wednesday, make chicken salad on Friday.
Hope this helps! Shoot me an email if you want. I'm totally in the same situation as you....
1.) Here are some of the foods/combinations I have found keep me full during the day, especially if I have worked out that morning. Oatmeal mixed with almonds and fruit (sliced banana, sliced apple, raisins, berries...). Frozen fruit works just as well and is cheaper, and keeps longer than fresh produce. I store a box of the heart healthy/lower sugar oatmeal packets in a cabinet at work (there are store brands of this stuff that are less expensive than Quaker). I also will mix my daily yogurt with nuts or fruit to give it more oomph. Sometimes I'll have a sliced apple with peanut butter, or celery sticks with peanut butter. The peanut butter seems to keep me full.
ReplyDelete2.) Crock pot, crock pot, crock pot!! If you have one, use it!! It is soooo easy to throw something in there in the morning, and it's ready to eat when you get home. It doesn't have to be complicated, either. Skinless boneless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs w/ skin removed for a less expensive option) with low sodium chicken broth and veggies is sooo easy. Literally you just put it in, turn it on, and it's done when you get home. You can make a big enough batch to have leftovers for at least one other meal for the week. Another easy meal I like to make is whole wheat pasta with chunky tomato sauce, and while it's cooking I add a bunch of spinach to the sauce so it wilts. You barely taste it and you get in a good vegetable.
3.) If you have one day on the weekend where you have some free time, try making meals that are easy to freeze, and then putting them in tupperware containers labeled with a date. Easy-freeze meals include soups, chilis (which can be made healthy by using ground turkey or making a veggie chili), pasta dishes, etc. You can google freeze-ahead meals and get a bunch of recipes.
4.) Just a few money-saving tips (I am pretty frugal when it comes to grocery shopping). I'm sure you know this one, but clip coupons! If they have coupon booklets in your newspaper, search to see if there are any you can use. Look at the front of the grocery store when you get there and see if they have any coupon fliers. Search online for coupons to your local stores. Also, if you plan on making chicken, or some type of meat, and they are having a sale on larger (bulk packages) buy it, use what you need for a meal, and freeze the rest.
Good luck!
Hi TriGirl! I added your blog to my following list! Thanks for the tips girls!
ReplyDelete