SparkPoints: (59,065)
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Posts: 1,865
11/11/09 1:19 P

Wow, the chili sounds wonderful! I'll have to try it soon. Thanks!

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Posts: 20,380
11/8/09 6:46 P

I love these

recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?
recipe=34064

I make them and individual wrap and freeze. Then I defrost and bake with salsa over the top.

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Posts: 274
11/8/09 5:44 P

Thanks again ChefSophie! I would freeze them to use later in a quesadilla or burrito so it would be ok if they were a bit mushy.

The sweet potato burrito sounds really good...never thought of that...will have to give it a try. Great suggestion, thxs!


Edited by: TIABITS at: 11/8/2009 (17:45)

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Posts: 20,380
11/8/09 5:25 P

I think freezing depends on what you are doing with them. I freeze black bean chili all the time. I also freeze black bean and sweet potato burritos, but plain beans might get a bit mushy, if serving as a side or over rice.

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Posts: 274
11/8/09 2:41 P

Thanks CHEFSOPHIE for the black bean recipe.

Does anyone know if you can freeze black beans?

Enjoy your day!

Pounds lost: 4.0

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SparkPoints: (18,461)
Fitness Minutes: (7,318)
Posts: 3,265
11/8/09 2:15 P

Whole wheat tortilla, hummus, veggies and maybe a slice of thin deli meat or cheese. Depending on what I need.

Everything sounds good.

Posts: 20,380
11/8/09 12:43 P

Here is how I cook my black beans. Then I can reheat leftovers as I want to.

recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?
recipe=760264

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Posts: 274
11/8/09 2:38 A

Hi Nancy2010,

How do you cook your dry black beans?

I usually buy them canned but thought it would be cheaper to buy them dry & cook a batch at a time....just not sure how to cook them up.

How much do you make at one time...can you freeze them? If not how long do they keep in the fridge?

Thanks I really appreciate it.

Edited by: TIABITS at: 11/8/2009 (02:40)

Pounds lost: 4.0

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SparkPoints: (59,065)
Fitness Minutes: (55,152)
Posts: 1,865
11/7/09 6:25 A

What a great thread! I want to try all these recipes!!!

I like to make a big pot of vegetable soup - I usually use zucchini, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, low sodium diced tomatoes, potatoes some kind of beans, and either chicken or vegetable broth and freeze half of it for another week. You spend a little time getting all of the veggies in the pot but then you have lunch or dinner for several days.

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Posts: 1,918
9/26/09 11:44 P

I’ll have to give jicama a try.

My go to breakfast is instant oatmeal and a piece of toast.

A quick anytime meal is a chipotle black bean burger straight from the freezer to the microwave to the plate in 2 minutes. I like to use a lettuce wrap for it and have tomato on the side.

Pounds lost: 36.6

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SparkPoints: (158,917)
Fitness Minutes: (129,734)
Posts: 11,449
9/26/09 5:23 P

Jicama taste sweet and is crunchy. It really taste good in salads and on sandwich's

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Posts: 4,420
9/26/09 4:38 P

can't help on the jicama although i'm inspired to try one now; i am into using turkey sausage for a quick fix meal - i've gotten some interesting kinds at whole foods and trader joe's as well as more basic at the local grocery. add a roll for my husband who wants more and i've got my meal.

Posts: 1,918
9/26/09 2:09 A

What does jicama taste like?

Pounds lost: 36.6

0 16.45 32.9 49.35

65.8

SparkPoints: (158,917)
Fitness Minutes: (129,734)
Posts: 11,449
9/22/09 12:39 A

I make a pita sandwich with as many veggies as I can stuff in it and a little mayo.

veggies are:
carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, broccoli, jicama, peas in pod, roman lettuce, green pepper and cabbage.

May SparkPoints: 2,948

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Posts: 1,998
9/15/09 12:51 P

Breakfast:
- If I'm on the go, 2 hard boiled eggs (I boil big batches of them), and almonds. Oatmeal if I'm at work.
- If I'm at home I'll whip up a really filling breakfast burrito pretty quickly - 1 egg, 1 egg white, spinach, a small handful of frozen diced green peppers, and a little cheese, all in a tortilla

Lunch:
I'm a sandwich person so that's pretty simple.

Dinner:
- If I failed to set out meat to thaw, I'll just make a couple of cheese quesadillas on wheat tortillas and a big serving of veggies
- Baked chicken breaded with italian bread crumbs
- Chili is easy and cheap but it requires planning ahead since I make it in the crock

current weight: 123.6

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Posts: 49
9/11/09 8:28 P

I always have black beans on hand - either canned or a dried package I've cooked and seasoned myself (which makes it even cheaper)and frozen in 3 quart zip lock bags. With these black beans:
1) Make a black bean soup w/salsa, cilantro and some low fat cheddar cheese. (add peppers - hot or green - cumin, chili powder, etc)
2) Quesadilla - low fat, high fiber tortilla, 2-3 T drained beans, salsa, w/ low fat cheese - browned w/ 1/2 tsp olive oil - add chopped cilantro - then folded.
3)Black bean salad - mixed w/all colors of peppers, corn, tomatoes, lime juice, garlic, cilantro + a little evoo.
Can you tell I often need a fix of Mexican food??

Edited by: NANCY2010 at: 9/11/2009 (20:29)

Posts: 3,020
8/8/09 7:21 P

I do a lot of salads, from egg salad, to veggie salad, to tuna salad. I also make extra chicken when I cook so I have that for lunches and as left overs. It is wonderful.

SparkPoints: (133,435)
Fitness Minutes: (106,576)
Posts: 21,124
8/2/09 10:40 A

My go to meal is a simple, fast, and quick one pan meal.

10 oz. box frozen spinach
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup small white beans or cannelloni beans

Sauté the 1st 3 items. When that is cooked add the beans to heat them thru.

I just eat that as a meal. Some times I will add a pinch of hot red pepper flakes.

You can grate some parmesan cheese over the top. You could add a nice crusty slice of bread to go with it and a small salad.

current weight: 306.0

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7/31/09 1:05 P

oatmeal...

Posts: 17
7/27/09 6:28 P

Now that summer is here and that means-- TOMATOES!! Try a simple caprese salad (tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, and reduced fat mozarella drizzled with balsalmic vinegar and black pepper).

I also like to cut romas in half, seed them, then sprinkle a little bit of freshly grated parmesan on top. Grill them (cheese/cut side up) until cheese is melted. Yummy!

I just tried a new recipe this weekend-- Beer Marinated Pork Tenderloin. You marinate up to 3 pork tenderloins (silverskin and visible fat removed) in a mixture of 12 0z. light beer, 1/2c. low sodium soy sauce, 1/8c. Splenda brown sugar, 1-1/2 Tbl freshly grated ginger and 1 tsp. minced fresh garlic for 2-6 hours. Then drain the marinade and grill for about 30 minutes over medium heat.

Happy cooking!!

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7/6/09 6:49 P

my go-to recipe for dinner is 2 Mission brand extra thin corn tortillas (heated) then topped with 1 slice 2% sharp cheddar, 1 egg white, sautéed spinach, & salsa.

there's a pic of it here: photos-ak.sparkpeople.com/1/1/l111392527.j
pg if you want to see it. it’s so basic, easy & filling.

i make other variations too like adding black beans to the spinach. or adding nonfat, plain yogurt to the salsa and then not using cheese.

Posts: 11,488
5/17/09 9:52 A

You can get fat free cheese slices that are about 30 calories/slice. They are still pretty high in salt though. All cheese (fat free or not) are low carb. And the fat free melts just fine.

Edited by: NANCYJAC at: 5/17/2009 (09:54)

Pounds lost: 0.0

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Posts: 11,488
5/17/09 9:49 A

Breakfast: I have a large plastic jar that I use to mix several different cereals. I combine Kashi Go Lean (high in protein), Total (fortified with vitamins/minerals) and wheat bran and Fiber One (high in fiber). Then for breakfast I just measure out a cup of the mix, add low fat soy milk and some fruit.

Another breakfast go to is a bran muffin (I make 2 dozen at a time and freeze them) with fat free yogurt and a some fresh fruit. Microwave a frozen muffin for about 45 seconds and the meal is good to go.

For lunch it is usually a sandwich of some kind with either soup or salad. I make homemade soups in big batches and then freeze them.

Dinner can be just about anything. Some times I will make a whole chicken, roast, or other large piece of meat that I can use for leftovers for a couple more meals. Whatever I make is usually enough leftovers for sandwiches for lunch the next day.

Probably the two best tips for saving time and money are:

1. Buy quantity when it is on sale and freeze it.

2. Cook in batches and freeze in meal sizes.

Pounds lost: 0.0

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Posts: 142
5/11/09 10:56 P

It's funny u ask, because I am not sure, we take out of the wraper and put in a container in my refrigerator, next time i go to store, will let u know.

SparkPoints: (41,635)
Fitness Minutes: (55,907)
Posts: 1,338
5/11/09 12:07 A

Crissy What kind of cheese is it? Does it melt well? Cheese is one thing I really try to limit myself on, but if I could find a low cal/low carb one I might give it a try again...

Posts: 142
5/10/09 9:20 P

I like grilled cheese and tomatoe. I find sliced cheese at the super market for only 35 calories a slice. I use wonder wheat low calorie bread, which is only 40 calories a slice. I put a slice of tomatoe on it, toast the bread, then put everything on it, and pop it into the microwave, warms the tomatoes, and the cheesy cheese is wonderful.

Posts: 126
4/26/09 3:40 P

my key in doing this is to do it once in a week and make out of it many meals for the whole week.. it's super easy , fast and frugal ..

there are many Ideas you can vary them as you like ,, but here are ones that I do most ..

I'll open a can of ( read beans - white beans - green beans or fava beans and corn ) I'll rinse them well to take the soudiom and the preservatives out .. then mix them with finally chopped parsely , green peppers, chilies and finally diced tomatoes. then add your favorit fat free salad dreasing and you're good to go .. the next day I'll add some green salad leafs and I got salad for dinner .. the next day I'll add some cooked pasta to the salad .. if any left I'll heat it in chiken broth and it's a soup ..

for ground what ever ( meat , chicken or turky ) I brown it with onions, garlic , chili , tomato past and salt with peppers .. I'll have it in cubes in the freezer ,, then I'll heat 2 cubes per person in the microwave to use it as sloopy joe , with tomato,chedder and lettuce on a bagle , for chilli dogs or stuffed chillies , on toast with ketcup or for taco salads or with tortilla salsa , with scrambled eggs or fretatas , in quick stirfry or for pasta sauce. or with some chili and beans for a chillie dish .. work your imagenation here with ground meat..

I cut out root veggies (onions-carrots-turnips-bell peppers-potatoes-squash-pumpkin) drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with onion mix dried soup package. put them on a baking tray in the oven , when they are almost done I add the rest of soft veggies (zucini-cauliflower-broccoli-mushrooms) drizzled with olive oil and the onion soup mix and let them cook with the root veggies.
and then have them as a side dish or a meal on it's own or a stuffing for a sandwich or added to a salad next day or added to an omelette's stuffing or as a topping on pizza or mixed with leftover pasta.

** you can have any kind of veggies you like , any kind of soup for a seasoning - I tried tomato soup mix also -


I have very fine shredded carrots, bell peppers and garlic mixed and freezed in cubes , then when I'm having scrambled eggs for breakfast I throw a cube in the skillet with some diced firm tomatoes and very fine chopped scallion , add salt and pepper and scramble in a whole egg and an egg white . nice on toasted bread.


I do mash half a banana, add half a shredded apple a sprinkle of cinnamon and top my bread or bagle or on top or pb for a breakfast.

Very thinly sliced green apples goes very well in sub sandwiches or shredded and mixed with cottage or ricotta or goat cheese and some chopped walnuts maybe with a drizle of honey on top as a treat ..


another way is to oven roast onions garlic bell pepper and zucchini , puree them in a blender with what ever fat free kind of cheese you like and place it in a glass jar and use it as a spread able cheese or a dip for celery,carrot and cucumber sticks. it keeps well for weeks in the fridge ..


that's what I can remember for now , hope it helps

Posts: 286
4/20/09 10:41 A

thanks lisa and miss bear for the chicken ideas. what a great idea to put them in the freezer all ready to go. and i didn't know that about salad and ziplock bags. these tools are great!

by the way, i lost 4lbs my first week!!! i'm so elated!!! and ready to start week 2 today. you guys are the best!

Pounds lost: 5.0

0 21.25 42.5 63.75

85

SparkPoints: (41,635)
Fitness Minutes: (55,907)
Posts: 1,338
4/19/09 11:07 P

Grilled Chicken Breast-salt, pepper, garlic powder-salad with oil and vinegar dressing, fist sized baked potato with smart balance butter and LF sour cream (or steamed veggies in place of salad)

370 calories, 33 carbs (which are reduced once the fiber is subtracted)

SparkPoints: (32,156)
Fitness Minutes: (14,984)
Posts: 20,790
4/19/09 3:08 P

I buy a 10 pound box of chicken breasts when they go on sale. I cook some up with shake and bake, there are a lot of different flavors. I bake some with just salt and pepper and garlic on them. Then I freeze them in ziplock freezer bags with the air squeezed out. I can take a chicken breast out, pop a potatoe in the microwave and have a meal in minutes. I have been eating my potatoes with a bit of kraft philidelphia chip dip on them instead of butter. Its yummo. The chicken breast that just has salt and pepper on it is great cut up and heated with taco spice for soft tacos. I just use a flax flatout tortilla wrap (high fiber, high protein and low calorie). I heat up my wrap so it doesnt get soggy with the rest of the stuff in it ... then add the spiced up chicken, salsa, taco sauce or a bit of lite ranch dressing, lettuce, onion, tomato and then a wee bit of lite cheese. I heat this up, MMMM. I also use the flatout wrap, heat it up a bit so it wont get soggy ... then spread on lite ranch dressing mixed with franks hot sauce, then the cut up chicken and then lite mozza. I call it my buffalo chicken pizza, its really good. I buy a lot of fruit and veggies ... clean them up and put them in ziplock bags. You can make a salad, bag it, make sure the air is all out of it and it will last for a week in the fridge. Chicken breast is great heated up with salsa. Then just add your salad for a meal. Or heat up a breast of shake and bake chicken, cut it into strips and top your salad with it. I do eat a lot of chicken breast. I always cook more than I need if the meal will freeze and then I just package them in meal sizes and know that if I'm having a really busy day I still have a healthy meal I can eat.

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Posts: 3,865
4/18/09 11:45 P

Taco salad

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Posts: 286
4/17/09 10:17 A

thanks for all the ideas! we had a taco salad last nite, and i'm doing the tuna thing for lunch today. you guys are great!

Pounds lost: 5.0

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Posts: 1,428
4/17/09 7:36 A

A huge salad with lots of veggies, usually egg whites or tuna drizzled with flax oil or tahini.

current weight: 102.5

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4/17/09 1:20 A

hmm, there are a few - spaghetti, tacos, burgers (all easy and inexpensive)

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Posts: 1,105
4/16/09 11:23 P

Taco salad. Cook either lean ground beef or ground turkey with diced tomatos/stewed tomatos and black beans. Season with cayenne pepper, chili pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Broil a tortilla in the oven till crispy and break into pieces when it cools. Place meat mixture over crisp hearts of romaine and top with tortilla pieces. It is super filling and really hits the spot.

SparkPoints: (31,877)
Fitness Minutes: (26,215)
Posts: 475
4/16/09 10:57 P

The scallops sound wonderful.

Posts: 20,380
4/16/09 10:12 P

My meal is Simple Seared Scallops with couscous and sauted snow peas.

recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?
recipe=118865

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Posts: 286
4/16/09 5:11 P

mmmm! that sounds yummy. our family loves mexican so i could do this for all of us. thanks for sharing.

Pounds lost: 5.0

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Posts: 285
4/16/09 4:37 P

Hi! My go-to meal lately has been a mexican style vegetarian burrito. I make the ingredients ahead of time and keep them in my fridge for lunch and for dinner when the rest of the family is having something that would put me over my limits on my tracker.

Ingredients (per burrito):
1/2 cup Black beans (I buy them bagged and soak them to get rid of the sodium that comes in the canned variety)
1/4 cup Instant brown rice
Red, orange, yellow peppers and onion (sautéed in pam sprayed frying pan with cumin, crushed red pepper and ground chipotle to taste) (Usually use a whole small onion and 1/2 pepper per burrito)
1/4 cup 2% mexican or colby-jack shredded cheese
2 tablespoons Wholly Guacamole
High Fiber wrap (I've been using La Tortilla Factory large original low carb (14 grams fiber))

Nutrition facts: Calories 436, fat 17g, fiber 24g, carbs 49g, protein 23g, sodium 684mg

I just load everything in the wrap and heat it up, add guacamole and roll it.

Posts: 286
4/16/09 3:43 P

thanks! that was exactly what i was looking for. anyone else want to chime in and tell me their go-to meals?

Pounds lost: 5.0

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Posts: 18
4/16/09 3:31 P

For lunches I have tuna salad at least 1-2 times a week. Sometimes I make a sandwich out of it and sometimes i put it over a bed of lettuce. On days when I feel like I'm starving then for lunch I make a grill cheese with 35 calorie/slice bread and WW cheese, with a can of Progresso soup. I also have been browning up a pound of turkey about once every 2 weeks and adding taco seasoning to it. Then I use this for taco salads for lunch or dinners. Add some salsa to your lettuce, some cheese and FF Sour Cream and it's very filling.

I have a hard time with dinners, now that it's getting nicer out I'll grill more so can do burgers for hubby and turkey burgers for myself. Or reg brats for him and turkey brats for myself. Those are always regular rotations during spring/summer months.

Posts: 286
4/16/09 3:18 P

hi everyone,
i'm a newbie here at sparks and nutrition is my hardest part of getting fit and losing weight. so what meal do you always seem to go back to when time is short, money is tight and you really don't want to put alot of effort in? lunch, dinner or b'fast? i'm looking for meals to incorporate into our families meal calendar. thanks!!!

Pounds lost: 5.0

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