I Am Not A Good Cook - Any Ideas Regarding What On Restaurant Foods That Will Work Well With The Plan

[janerose 109]

Great ideas - I thank you all.

If I could embrace cooking I would - I am not a young person - I have attempting cooking for many years - It is just not something I do well - I can write a story, I can make you laugh, I can run an event for 40,000 people no problem - cooking - well we just don't get along too well

[MegInNOLA 531]

My husband and I are both sleevers. We find it easiest to "cook" not-cooked meals--let me explain. We get ingredients at the store that we can combine into meals that suit us without a lot of preparation. For instance, rotisserie chicken, salad greens, prepared hummus, cheese, fruit, cooked shrimp, tomatoes and Salad Dressing, etc. We keep these in the fridge and each of us can get what we feel like having, and there's minimal cooking (sometimes I nuke some Soup or some Beans or melt some cheese on top of something in the toaster oven) involved.

You don't have to be a great cook--especially if you're not cooking for a family! Today for lunch I sliced up a 1/3 of a cucumber and dipped it in some hummus. YUM, and no cooking involved.

[Amanda 3.0 140]

Hi,

My wonderful Doctor told me to embrace my kitchen and start to cook my meals to help me keep within in the program. Well, I have tried - I either burn it (lots of smoke detectors going off) or it just lacks flavor.

So, I am wondering if anyone else has this issue and how they solved the problem.

I would appreciate any suggestions -

Hi janerose,

Just wondering if you have ever taken any cooking lessons? Considering the high cost of eating out, you could easily invest in a few cooking lessons and come out ahead in the long run.

recipes are more than just following the ingredient list, as you already know. The right temperature is everything, and knowing your own equipment makes a huge difference. For example, I love my gas cooktop, but it does run hot, and I have to keep that in mind when I cook.

You could take a cooking lesson in your home, perhaps from a friend whose cooking you enjoy.

Or, you could check if one of the local higher-end grocery stores has a cooking class (Central Market, Whole Foods, etc.)

Or another idea is to do as another suggested, crock pot meals. You really can't go wrong with those.

Even look on Amazon and purchase a highly rated children's cookbook.

Learning to cook would be very liberating. There are so many hidden ingredients in restaurant foods. We've all ready about salads that manage to cram tons of calories in. Also, it is so much nicer to cook and immediately freeze portions for later consumption, rather than throwing food away or eating the same thing for three or four days in a row. Pulling a small portion of frozen casserole or Soup from the freezer is like having freshly made food.< /p>

Even though many of the restaurants have food that is "decent" on the nutrition panel, there are often additives that are kind of gross. Examples are treated lettuces in salads, and meats that are "conditioned" with chemicals.

You could even buy a tray of frozen turkey meatballs and a healthy organic jarred Pasta sauce and reheat at home. You would still end up spending less and eating, for the most part, better.

Good luck, and let us know if you find a good resource!

[janerose 109]

Meginola - Exactly what I was looking for! You had some great ideas for someone just like me! I will go to the store this weekend and stock up on all those great easy to make and tasty good foods.

Amanda, thanks but at this stage of my life - I don't want to cook for myself anymore - I brought up a family who I cooked nightly for and did a great job of providing meals; that part of my life is over; I now enjoy not coming home from the long days of work and having to "put something together"

We are all different people with one common thread - the sleeve

[LoserMama 37]

Well, I am the queen of dining out. And I am pleased to say that at my six week checkup my NUT reviewed my logs from myfitnesspal and told me I had managed to do pretty darn well eating out almost every day and still staying within guidelines. So if you are on myfitnesspal, i am guessing you can look at my diary and see my choices.

Long list of examples that she thought were good choices:

Red Robin: Ensenada chicken Platter (half) and just eat half of a chicken breast and a few bites of the salad.

Red Lobster -- Grilled Shrimp Skewer or Shrimp Scampi

McDonalds -- Grilled Chicken sandwich (chicken only, no bun) and some kids apple slices

Chinese Buffet -- chicken skewers, or shrimp or the insides of wontons.

Qdoba type places -- Naked burrito, no rice, chicken ,just eat a little bit of the chicken and Beans

Carinos -- lemon rosemary chicken -- eat just the chicken and some sauce

Panda Express -- kung pao chicken or green bean chicken

Pf Changs -- hot and sour Soup, kung pao chicken

Steak/barbeque type places -- smoked turkey or barbequed chicken

Jimmy Johns -- get their meat wrapped up in lettuce as an unwich

General Buffet places -- just focus on the Protein and ignore the rest

[Lilee84 648]

1 case of canning pint jars with lids (one time expense, but then you'll have them forever)

Where do you get these? I'd love to try this!

[PdxMan 4,292]

We have them at our local grocery store. If they don't have them, ask if they know where nearby.

Check Craigslist:

http://orlando.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=canning&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=

[longer-life 139]

Where do you get these? I'd love to try this!

I have seen them at Walmart.< /p>

[longer-life 139]

I can write a story, I can make you laugh, I can run an event for 40,000 people no problem - cooking - well we just don't get along too well

This made me smile. You sound like my sister. Perhaps a combination of the advice you have received here will work for you. Consider logging your foods on a website like myfitnesspal.com, so you have an idea of your calories, Protein & carbs you are consuming. They have tons of foods eaten at restaurants there. You can make this work! Best wishes!

[lsereno 2,525]

Janerose,

I'm with MeginNola. I buy lots of stuff that doesn't have to be cooked, such as:

• costco Rotissere chicken: I add it to canned Soups, eat it plain with BBQ Sauce, chop it with a little lite mayo and eat on crackers, or mix it in with a package of stir fry vegetagbles
  
• Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt: I like it as a smoothie: 1 cup yogurt, splash OJ, 2 frozen strawberries, 3 tablespoons Splenda, and 1/4 cup Water. Blend and Yum! Also good as parfait. I mix it with splenda and thin a little with OJ, then layer with splenda sweetened berries and Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal.
  
• lunch meats: My latest fav is Gallo Lite Salami 55% reduced fat (the 95% reduced fat is NASTY!)
  
• Light string cheese and Babybel cheese
  
• Whole grain crackers
  
• Whole wheat bread, well toasted
  
• Canned chili, 99% fat free beef
  
• Canned tuna, which I like mixed with a little liite mayo and some honey mustard
  
• Frozen turkey meatballs (I add these to Soups for extra protein)
  
• Beef jerkey
  

For eating out on plan I like:

• Shrimp or crab cocktail at the seafood place
  
• chicken, beef, or shrimp skewers at the Asian restaurant
  
• Smoked chicken at the BBQ joint
  
• McDonalds: Grilled Chicken salad
  
• PF Changs: Oolong Tea Sea Bass
  
• Subway: Sweet Chicken Teriaki with cucumbers and red onions on whole wheat ( I eat only a few bites of the bread)
  

Everyone has to find a way to make the plan work for them. My biggest quick tip is find some prepared meats you like and add them to other take out stuff to get enough Protein in. The deli counter has a lot of good choices too. And I like the salad bar area because I can just pick and choose a few veggies instead of winding up with bug bunches lot of stuff that I throw out.

Lynda

[circa 333]

Janerose, you can do this at home. Just give it a try. This Sunday afternoon, before the Super Bowl, run to the grocery store and pick up:

1 pound ground turkey

1 onion

1 green pepper

2 carrots

2 cans of diced stewed tomatoes

2 cans of kidney Beans

Chili powder

1 case of canning pint jars with lids (one time expense, but then you'll have them forever)

Dice the veggies

Heat up a pan (5 qt)

Add turkey and brown

Add 2 Tbsp chili spice

stir

Add veggies, tomatos, Beans

stir

cook on low for an hour stirring occassionally

Rinse jars, fill and toss in the freezer.

Grab one on the way out the door.

I do this every other week. It costs me about $5 and I have healthy, tasty lunches everyday. The prep time is around 10 minutes. That's it.

Do it once and you'll see how easy it really is.

And, you can do this with many other soups/foods as well. I love my little pint jars.

Have I told you lately that you're a genius?!

I bought the anchor glass bowls with plastic lids to do the same - got them on Amazon really cheap when I ordered my mr. coffee cup warmers :tongue2:

Love the recipe!

[CHELL 41]

I haven't been sleeved yet but I would just like to offer another suggestion on the canning jar idea. If you don't want to invest in the actual jars, the same thing can be done with ziplock freezer bags. I actually do this now with my chilli, sauces, casseroles, etc. Just package them in the quart size bags (you can fill half or quarter full) and grab one out of the freezer in a pinch. They can easily be thawed in the microwave or by emersing the bag in Water. Pop in a bowl, heat, and you're good to go.

[CHELL 41]

Also, spaghetti & meat sauce works well frozen. You can easily brown your meat (ground beef, turkey or whatever) and package that in freezer bags as well. When you're ready to eat it, you can thaw the meat in the microwave, add your favorite sauce, reheat, top with parm cheese, and voila! In place of the Pasta, you can try it over shredded zuchinni or a (I'm sure I botched the spelling - LOL).

[tiffanye 2]

I can say I feel like I will struggle with this too! Everything my family (extended) does revolves around eating out... so some of these suggestions are helpful!!!

Some tips I can offer....

If you can shop at trader joes (havent tried whole foods but try there too) THEY HAVE A LOT OF FOODS that all you have to do is heat it up!! Very easy!!!! healthy and organic!!

def invest in a george foreman!!! I love to cook turkey burgers on them!! although some meats get very dry, such as turkey.. because there is low fat in the meat and all the fat drains!! however I love to add some salsa and sometimes low fat cheese to the mixture ... it helps keep the meat moist!!!

its hard eating out but there are a lot of places becoming more 'healthy' but I would always check the nutrition facts before ordering!! high sodium and sometimes carbs in things you would never guess!

good luck to you!

[doggz109 41]

Well, I am the queen of dining out. And I am pleased to say that at my six week checkup my NUT reviewed my logs from myfitnesspal and told me I had managed to do pretty darn well eating out almost every day and still staying within guidelines. So if you are on myfitnesspal, i am guessing you can look at my diary and see my choices.

Long list of examples that she thought were good choices:

Red Robin: Ensenada chicken Platter (half) and just eat half of a chicken breast and a few bites of the salad.

Red Lobster -- Grilled Shrimp Skewer or Shrimp Scampi

McDonalds -- Grilled Chicken sandwich (chicken only, no bun) and some kids apple slices

Chinese Buffet -- chicken skewers, or shrimp or the insides of wontons.

Qdoba type places -- Naked burrito, no rice, chicken ,just eat a little bit of the chicken and Beans

Carinos -- lemon rosemary chicken -- eat just the chicken and some sauce

Panda Express -- kung pao chicken or green bean chicken

Pf Changs -- hot and sour Soup, kung pao chicken

Steak/barbeque type places -- smoked turkey or barbequed chicken

Jimmy Johns -- get their meat wrapped up in lettuce as an unwich

General Buffet places -- just focus on the Protein and ignore the rest

I am very impressed you are able to eat those things six weeks out. You must have a sleeve of steel!!!