What’s for dinner? The non cooks version.

[FifiLux 419]

2 hours ago, Bypass2Freedom said:

Ooh, I haven't even tried grapes yet! If I am honest I feel a bit nervous to try most fruits for some reason! I have only had kiwis which are lovely!

I have been trying to get some fruit and eggs into my diet as eggs used to be a no go and honestly a lot of the time I don't have the room for fruit so today I made banana pancakes that were nice and light;

0.06 tsp/pinch cinnamon
1 banana
0.25 cup oats, dry
2 eggs
0.06 tsp/pinch salt
15 g, 70% dark chocolate chips (optional)
1 tsp smooth Peanut Butter (optional)

I got 8 pancakes from the mix and depending on the daily carb/protein/fat allowances you are taking it works out at the below. So that is at least two lunches sorted for me, today and tomorrow, with a couple of pancakes left over for a snack maybe.

Now I just have to find something to do with the last egg I have

Edited July 8 by FifiLux

[ShoppGirl 4,728]

9 minutes ago, FifiLux said:

I have been trying to get some fruit and eggs into my diet as eggs used to be a no go and honestly a lot of the time I don't have the room for fruit so today I made banana pancakes that were nice and light;

0.06 tsp/pinch cinnamon
1 banana
0.25 cup oats, dry
2 eggs
0.06 tsp/pinch salt
15 g, 70% dark chocolate chips (optional)
1 tsp smooth Peanut Butter (optional)

I got 8 pancakes from the mix and depending on the daily carb/protein/fat allowances you are taking it works out at the below. So that is at least two lunches sorted for me, today and tomorrow, with a couple of pancakes left over for a snack maybe.

Now I just have to find something to do with the last egg I have

These sound delicious!!

[ShoppGirl 4,728]

I usually have a caramel “proffee” for Breakfast but all the talk about using leftovers reminded me I had sautéed peppers and onions in the fridge so I made myself a nice egg white omelet. I was having them for lunch just about everyday for a while and got burnt out on them but forgot they are quite tasty.

[learn2cook 573]

I’m into charcuterie for summer meals. I got some mini boards at Dollar Tree. I’ve been playing around with horseradish and mustards to change it up. I tried some pickled peppers and olives for flavor. In the winter I like hot foods and cook up big orders of chicken and meatballs, freeze and use as needed. I love a salad but it can get boring and early on after WLS they were not digested. Cue pictures of cute charcuterie boards now lol. We’re having pre-cooked shrimp on ice for dinner tonight!

[ShoppGirl 4,728]

6 minutes ago, learn2cook said:

I’m into charcuterie for summer meals. I got some mini boards at Dollar Tree. I’ve been playing around with horseradish and mustards to change it up. I tried some pickled peppers and olives for flavor. In the winter I like hot foods and cook up big orders of chicken and meatballs, freeze and use as needed. I love a salad but it can get boring and early on after WLS they were not digested. Cue pictures of cute charcuterie boards now lol. We’re having pre-cooked shrimp on ice for dinner tonight!

Oh how fun. Do you make Like little flowers out of pepperoni and all that? I have seen some really cute ideas online for them boards. I just never feel like I have an Occasion fancy enough to make them For. Mayne I should do a board one of these days just for fun. I would like to see if them roses are as easy as them make them look in the videos. 😂 . I need to try shrimp again. I decided that I don’t like it when I was young and I have not tried it again since. I like lobster and snow crab but i think it was more of a texture thing for me with the shrimp. I am such a kid when It comes to food. I need to just make myself try it since it’s a good lean Protein. I love salad. I am so worried that I will not be able to tolorate it after the SADI. Some people on the DS board said they cannot. I need to ask if it’s just the lettuce or if they Can’t do raw veggies either. I don’t mind salad without lettuce. At home I use very little lettuce anyways and when I’m out I eat around it to save room for the good stuff.

[NickelChip 1,195]

Tonight I decided I'm making myself zucchini "spaghetti" with marinara (I buy a brand with no added sugar) and precooked turkey meatballs from the grocery store. It only takes a few minutes and everything is pre-made so the prep and cooking time is minimal. A little sprinkle of parmesan on top and it'll be good to go!

[BlondePatriotInCDA 451]

13 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

I’m the same way. I am just seriously not much of a cook and im a picky eater so my menu options are limited. But I’m limited even further because my husband won’t eat what I eat so I’m cooking for one.

Sounds just like me! Although, my husband occasionally eats what I eat. I'm picky, have food texture issues and despise cooking, so I too eat the same thing over and over.

[ShoppGirl 4,728]

7 hours ago, NickelChip said:

Tonight I decided I'm making myself zucchini "spaghetti" with marinara (I buy a brand with no added sugar) and precooked turkey meatballs from the grocery store. It only takes a few minutes and everything is pre-made so the prep and cooking time is minimal. A little sprinkle of parmesan on top and it'll be good to go!

Omg. I so wish my grocery had those ingredients now. You just reminded me. There is a store like 45 minutes from me that has the fresh zucchini spirals and they even have a deli that makes their own Turkey meatballs that were really tasty. I’m sure that the marinara is not the greatest nutrition wise and they could’ve added a bunch of crap to the meatballs because they don’t list the nutrition label on prepared food in the deli. I could inquire to see if they have it, but I wasn’t strictly counting anything then.

Anyways, this was a meal that i actually enjoyed. And I never really thought about how convenient it is considering. I really need to start shopping there more often. The prices are a little high but the quality and variety of healthier choices is 100 times better than the stores that are right down the street from me. It’s kinda sad that I will make that trip for other things without hesitation, even restaurant food but I don’t tend to drive that far for healthy food. Something to really think about 🤔

Do you mind sharing the brand of your sugar free spaghetti sauce? Are the meatballs frozen? Is there a particular one you prefer?! This is definitely something I am putting on my list!!

Edited July 9 by ShoppGirl

[ShoppGirl 4,728]

6 hours ago, BlondePatriotInCDA said:

Sounds just like me! Although, my husband occasionally eats what I eat. I'm picky, have food texture issues and despise cooking, so I too eat the same thing over and over.

Well, hopefully this thread will help both of us add a little variety into our food life. lol

[NickelChip 1,195]

8 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

Do you mind sharing the brand of your sugar free spaghetti sauce? Are the meatballs frozen? Is there a particular one you prefer?! This is definitely something I am putting on my list!!

My go-to marinara brand is Bove's, which is made in Vermont and only contains plum tomatoes, olive oil, fresh onions, fresh garlic, salt, and fresh spices. It's delicious, but is pricey and can be harder to find if you aren't in New England. But the one I will get if I'm not able to find Bove's (or if I'm feeling like a cheaper option) is Ragu Kettle Cooked Tomato basil, which you can get at Walmart and Target for under $3 a jar. It's about as close to homemade as you will find from a bigger brand and the ingredients look like things you keep in the kitchen.

The turkey meatballs are fresh but precooked from Shady Brook Farms and can be found in a lot of grocery stores. The ingredient list is kind of terrible, though. They are tasty and heat up in 2 minutes, but once I actually looked at all the crap in them (I tossed them in the cart without checking), I will probably opt for a frozen version in the future if I don't want to make homemade.

Speaking of frozen, they make frozen zucchini spirals, and I think you can get butternut squash and beet spirals, too.

When made with fresh (not frozen) ingredients, I just toss it all in a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. dinner done!

[ShoppGirl 4,728]

14 minutes ago, NickelChip said:

My go-to marinara brand is Bove's, which is made in Vermont and only contains plum tomatoes, olive oil, fresh onions, fresh garlic, salt, and fresh spices. It's delicious, but is pricey and can be harder to find if you aren't in New England. But the one I will get if I'm not able to find Bove's (or if I'm feeling like a cheaper option) is Ragu Kettle Cooked Tomato basil, which you can get at Walmart and Target for under $3 a jar. It's about as close to homemade as you will find from a bigger brand and the ingredients look like things you keep in the kitchen.

The turkey meatballs are fresh but precooked from Shady Brook Farms and can be found in a lot of grocery stores. The ingredient list is kind of terrible, though. They are tasty and heat up in 2 minutes, but once I actually looked at all the crap in them (I tossed them in the cart without checking), I will probably opt for a frozen version in the future if I don't want to make homemade.

Speaking of frozen, they make frozen zucchini spirals, and I think you can get butternut squash and beet spirals, too.

When made with fresh (not frozen) ingredients, I just toss it all in a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. dinner done!

I feel bad if I made you toss your meatballs that you liked. lol. The frozen ones can go into the microwave too, though. Just may take a little longer. I am going to have to try differnt brands of the meatballs because the ones I have in the freezer now are still there because they were kinda rubbery for lack of better word. Probably should just toss them too. Or I should just find out more about the deli ones because if they weren’t too bad for me they were really good. I haven’t had very good luck with the frozen zucchini spirals. They are always mushy. I actually have one of the devices where you can make your own but i am a lazy cook. Anyways, I think I can pull this meal together now, thanks I’m actually pretty excited 😆

[learn2cook 573]

On 07/08/2024 at 17:51, NickelChip said:

Tonight I decided I'm making myself zucchini "spaghetti" with marinara (I buy a brand with no added sugar) and precooked turkey meatballs from the grocery store. It only takes a few minutes and everything is pre-made so the prep and cooking time is minimal. A little sprinkle of parmesan on top and it'll be good to go!

I’ve done this with spaghetti squash! The kiddo liked it too.
No, I don’t make little fancy stuff because by the time I figure out I’m hungry, I’m too hungry to care about rosettes.

[ShoppGirl 4,728]

Well. I am waiting on my appt to know for sure what my pre op is supposed to be because the girls at the front desk don’t know but I THINK I have two weeks left to eat what’s in freezer and panty so I don’t think I will be having anything healthy to post on here. Hopefully by the time I get back to normal foods there will be lots of new ideas to keep me on track.

[Spinoza 1,360]

I cook for my family so basically I adapt all of our meals to suit my post op diet.

For dinner tonight I had ragu in lettuce leaves with added parmesan. Heavy on the veg. Basically spaghetti bolognese without the Pasta.

I have so many favourites now. Stir fry veg and whatever Protein - chicken, pork, beef, tofu, tempeh.

Beef chilli without the rice.

Chicken or beef fajitas without the tortillas.

Sunday roast dinners with the veg but not the carbs.

Fish pie without the potato topping.

Stews and casseroles with veg only.

At 2.5 years post op this is second nature to me. I am really lucky in that I can eat anything. Protein and then veg is my priority but if I have room I fit in fruit too. Still have to be really careful re carbs - they are NOT my friend.

[ShoppGirl 4,728]

1 hour ago, Spinoza said:

I cook for my family so basically I adapt all of our meals to suit my post op diet.

For dinner tonight I had ragu in lettuce leaves with added parmesan. Heavy on the veg. Basically spaghetti bolognese without the Pasta.

I have so many favourites now. Stir fry veg and whatever Protein - chicken, pork, beef, tofu, tempeh.

Beef chilli without the rice.

chicken or beef fajitas without the tortillas.

Sunday roast dinners with the veg but not the carbs.

Fish pie without the potato topping.

Stews and casseroles with veg only.

At 2.5 years post op this is second nature to me. I am really lucky in that I can eat anything. Protein and then veg is my priority but if I have room I fit in fruit too. Still have to be really careful re carbs - they are NOT my friend.

Some really great ideas. Thanks. I googled the Tempe and I’m not sure if I’m adventurous enough for that quite yet but i keep saying I’m going to attempt to make tofu And give it a try. Or should I maybe have it at a restaurant first? Just so i know how it’s supposed to taste. Do they even have tofu at non-vegan restaurants? I don’t think we have a vegan one near me. Maybe my friend does- She is in a little bit bigger town.