Posts: 7,019
3/26/13 11:12 P

Convenience foods are a problem in my house.
When they are in the house I tend to eat much more.

current weight: 148.8

219 196.75 174.5 152.25

130

SparkPoints: (25,356)
Fitness Minutes: (18,906)
Posts: 1,096
3/26/13 1:16 P

They're a little higher in sodium than I like, but I do buy the Amylu chicken patties with caramelized onion at Costco.. they make a very rapid, filling and satisfying meal when it is too late or I am too tired to eat more appropriately!


I also buy prepared salad greens in the produce department. I find that although they cost more I waste much less and have salad at least once, sometimes twice a day. I also buy the coleslaw mix and use it for tacos, sandwiches, much more.

Pounds lost: 74.5

0 26.75 53.5 80.25

107

SparkPoints: (12,343)
Fitness Minutes: (5,302)
Posts: 350
3/21/13 6:47 P

Cordon Swiss Chicken (I get it at costco). Individually wrapped raw chicken (real not the grounded preformed stuff) with a stuffing of ham and swiss cheese - 290 calories per piece. Great done in a convection oven. Just add a salad or some steamed veggies and you have a very satisfying meal. Keep a box of these and a bag of nice frozen veggies in the freezer and an effortless supper can be ready in 30 minutes...

I love the 100 calorie snack packs of hummus (Garden Originals is the brand I currently have) add some baby carrots and celery and you have a very filling (and healthy) snack. Even my husband likes it!

I guess bags/boxes of mixed greens and baby carrots should go on the list too.

Posts: 2,313
3/1/13 6:45 P

I buy Hanson's salt free mini-pretzels. 20 makes a serving - I use them for one of my daily snacks.

I also buy the diabetic friendly Boost drink and have that for lunch every day.

current weight: 156.5

169 159.25 149.5 139.75

130

Posts: 543
1/2/13 7:47 A

Re: "not starting from scratch" or similar ...

[1] as below -- frozen veggies, but more so for me: frozen berries, since they're often not in season fresh, and even if they are, they can go bad before I finish them. Great in smoothies and oatmeal, etc.

[2] but instead of a frozen food, I'd go with leftover use for 'not starting from scratch', in particular: quiche. I mean: pie shell, 2 eggs, some 'dairy,', and a couple handfuls of leftover veggies, cheese, and perhaps meat from the fridge ... voila! 'refrigerator pie,' 6 or 8 servings ...

current weight: 193.3

287 262.75 238.5 214.25

190

Posts: 7,019
12/23/12 3:47 P

I like to cook smarter, not harder.
I cook up a batch of steel cut oats once a week for breakfasts and have it portioned out and ready for the microwave in the mornings.
Another thing I do is toast the oats in a dry pan before adding the water.

current weight: 148.8

219 196.75 174.5 152.25

130

Posts: 8,597
12/23/12 10:10 A

Yes, I'm doing a half ham for Christmas Eve and bought supplies to make eggs benedict for breakfast :-) and potato ham chowder in the crock pot, etc. Ham is so very versatile!

Pounds lost: 6.0

0 11.75 23.5 35.25

47

Posts: 200
11/25/12 5:39 P

I took advantage of HEB's buy a half or whole spiral sliced ham and get a 12 pound turkey free. I heated the ham then took it apart slice by slice, wrapped the slices in foil, and put them in gallon freezer bags for the future. And no, I didn't use the glaze on it that came in the package, it was so sweet that I trashed it! I got about 18 individual servings in the form of slices. What was left, not sliced, I cut into chunks and wrapped and froze also along with the ham bone with some meat on it. I'll dice or shred the chunks one at a time and will probably get at least 3 meals out of each one. The ham bone will go in the slow cooker along with a pound of dried red kidney beans, after they've been soaked of course. Once the beans are done I'll pull out the ham bone, take the meat off, dice it and add it back to the beans. I'll then separate the ham and beans into single serve portions and freeze them. Had my first slice for dinner last night and it was good, what I really enjoyed was the fact that it wasn't extremely salty like so many hams are.
I fixed the turkey early, the Saturday before Thanksgiving, cut it into small pieces, at least the breasts, and froze it. I used on piece of breast meat for Thanksgiving dinner as well as dinner the next day and still have some left for tonight. I find this the easiest way to cook, take a piece of meat, generally chicken or turkey or an occasional pork loin chop or small steak, cook it and add something for a vegetable with it. I'm tired of throwing out food that I don't eat, it gets expensive very fast.

Posts: 7,019
9/30/12 3:49 P

Love to cook for a crowd and portion it out to freeze.
Instant dinners and save tons of money.

current weight: 148.8

219 196.75 174.5 152.25

130

Posts: 5,283
9/28/12 8:42 A

Smart Ones frozen meals with a salad.

Pounds lost: 3.0

0 3.25 6.5 9.75

13

SparkPoints: (74,597)
Fitness Minutes: (53,555)
Posts: 4,683
9/27/12 12:09 P

canned tuna!

current weight: 142.0

195 178.75 162.5 146.25

130

SparkPoints: (33,402)
Fitness Minutes: (24,016)
Posts: 3,035
9/27/12 8:20 A

Rice cakes!

current weight: 138.2

211 189.5 168 146.5

125

SparkPoints: (185,140)
Fitness Minutes: (175,698)
Posts: 9,633
9/24/12 1:01 A

Frozen veggies, canned fruit

Posts: 5,283
9/22/12 11:06 A

Thanks, SHERMOR13. These were excellent suggestions & made me hungry just reading them. Will definitely do this as I live alone, too.

Pounds lost: 3.0

0 3.25 6.5 9.75

13

SparkPoints: (6,516)
Fitness Minutes: (0)
Posts: 512
9/21/12 4:50 P

I bought a roast on sale on Saturday, put it into the crockpot. I'm alone, so I ate it for dinner Saturday evening and Sunday evening & added veggies. The on Wednesday night I pulled it out of the fridge & used it again....but this time, I started with putting a whole wheat tortilla in a nonstick skillet, topped with cheese & thin slices of onions, as the cheese started to melt, I shredded some of the left over roast & put on 1/2 the tortilla; folder over & browned on the other side side. I did 2 of them for myself - with some salsa on my plate. They were SOOO delish.

I have a bit more of the roast & probably for Saturday lunch, I'll shred more of it & put bbq sauce on it & eat with coleslaw!

I love doing the same thing with chicken or whatever I buy that I can stretch for several days & use differently!

Pounds lost: 55.0

0 18.25 36.5 54.75

73

Posts: 455
8/26/12 4:04 P

On the weekends we grill extra meats (steak, salmon, chicken, pork tenderloin) and use it during the week on sandwiches, wraps and salads (summer).

May SparkPoints: 933

0 250 500 750

1000

SparkPoints: (8,889)
Fitness Minutes: (5,492)
Posts: 22
8/26/12 12:07 P

One of our must haves is rotisserie chicken. We buy 1 sometimes 2 and have it for dinner then pick the chicken clean putting it into freezer bags with 4-6 oz. in each bag. One goes in the fridge, the rest are frozen and taken out as we need.. We use it for sandwiches, enchiladas, soups, salads and pastas. It makes my life easier and it is cheaper than sandwich meat etc. If you take all the skin off it reduces the sodium too.

SparkPoints: (185,140)
Fitness Minutes: (175,698)
Posts: 9,633
8/25/12 8:58 P

steamfresh frozen veggies. so easy to have an extra serving without needing a lot of time to cook/prep them or worry about them going bad.

Posts: 1,634
6/11/12 3:20 P

Tried some Boca burgers last night. Filling and lower in calorie than hamburger.

Kathy

Posts: 260
6/10/12 7:52 P

Hi, tonight I will just heat up some left over hamburger patties,fresh corn and potatoes and gravy,Today we had a large lunch at our local Applebees and really enjoyed it.So tonight will eat less,hopefully.

Pounds lost: 0.0

0 14.5 29 43.5

58

Posts: 1,634
6/6/12 4:49 P

I'm with you on the chicken in the stores. Frequently I buy a bag of boneless chicken breasts, cook up about 6, and have them available for salads, omelets, etc.

SparkPoints: (22,079)
Fitness Minutes: (22,329)
Posts: 90
6/5/12 6:55 P

Gotta love the cooked chicken waiting for you to scoop it up and take it home from Krogers or Sam's. Also love the fish that is ready to be steamed straight from the back you can get tilapia and cod, easy lots of protein.

Posts: 1,634
6/2/12 2:19 P

Some of the salads on the website are terrific and keep well.

Kathy

SparkPoints: (6,516)
Fitness Minutes: (0)
Posts: 512
6/1/12 9:03 A

Fresh veggies prepped when gotten home from store; making a simple fruit salad, so it's ready to go.

Obviously frozen veggies are great

Pounds lost: 55.0

0 18.25 36.5 54.75

73

Posts: 3,637
5/27/12 3:12 P

Canned fish (low sodium) is a god send. Pair it with some white beans or cannelini, onions, peppers, greens and vinaigrette you have a good start on a meal. Just throw in some good bread.

Beans are easy to cook from scratch and sodium free. Since they freeze well, make a big batch, portion them up and toss in the freezer.

Cheers,
Catherine

Posts: 1,634
5/14/12 7:04 P

The frozen mixed fruit is always a good thing to have available to snack on. Stella loves it too, but the chunks have to be cut up more for her. It's also good for refreshing drinks.

Kathy

Where in OR do you live? I have a family reunion in Turner (I think that's the name of the town); I'll be staying near Portland with relatives and driving back and forth.

Posts: 260
5/13/12 12:13 P

Good Morning All,"Foods that make life easier"I like that topic.I am always looking for an easier way for many things but especially cooking.My hubby loves the instant foods but I like the more natural foods without preservatives and try not to eat the fast foods like hot dogs but hubby loves the beef dogs with the crescent rolls wrapped around them so I make a bunch then freeze them individually and he then can just help himself to them whenever he wants.
I do enjoy the frozen vege's and probably once a week make TopRamen soup add some frozen vege's and some left over meat and call it dinner,he loves that and it is easy for me.Today will fix a full dinner for the two of us.I will have some grilled shrimp and he gets lobster but that is OK because I am not a great fan of lobster.Once a year for him is enough to keep him happy!!Not sure what I will fix him for Fathers Day!! Maybe a steak and baked potatoes.We do love to eat and cooking it ourselves makes it taste so much better and saves us a bunch of money.Well Happy Mothers Day to all of you, CLin Oregon

Pounds lost: 0.0

0 14.5 29 43.5

58

Posts: 1,634
5/12/12 6:53 P

I love the frozen veggies too; but I love to thaw them and roast them. Roasted brussels sprouts were a bit hit for a family dinner--not a one left. I also have tortillas, beans, rice on hand. Even for my granddaughter, I can use a tortilla with cheese--nuke 'em for a quesadilla; she loves it!!

Kathy

SparkPoints: (3,052)
Fitness Minutes: (845)
Posts: 101
3/31/12 9:27 P

I definitely agree that frozen veggies make life easier. But just a little prep makes my life easier and cheaper.

When I get home from the grocery store, I prep EVERYTHING that I bought. All produce gets diced and stored in clear tupperware containers, meat (when I ate meat) would get divided and put into the fridge, tofu gets put into a container, herbs get chopped, veggie snack packs get made, etc. That way, when I do have to cook, I can just grab things and throw them in a pan, instead of having an hour of prep. Also, when I want a snack, I can just grab a handful of freshly chopped, peeled carrots or something.

I used to buy tons of veggie trays, etc, but paying 3.00-5.00 for a veggie tray that would cost .28 cents to make (I did the math, I can make 6 trays for the same price as buying one,) was getting to be too much.

SparkPoints: (22,820)
Fitness Minutes: (14,796)
Posts: 386
3/29/12 9:09 A

Frozen vegetables make life easier! I know a lot of people don't like casseroles, but I do and when I make them for myself I have leftovers - perfect for lunch the next day :) Having stuff around like tortillas, beans, and rice make for easy dinners as well because you can make all kinds of "tex-mex" food.

Posts: 2,015
2/20/12 1:26 P

My niece gets together with several friends once every 6 weeks or so. They all bring ingredients for an entree - like enchiladas, chili, each brings something different. The ingredients are ready to assemble and each also brings whatever dish or container they want the entree to go into.

So they gab, laugh etc etc while they assemble the food. Each walks away with 4 or so completed recipes ready to go in the freezer and then they pull it out when wanted. She says it helps so much....

SparkPoints: (51,383)
Fitness Minutes: (76,227)
Posts: 5,108
2/19/12 11:16 P

I do the same with soup! I also keep the Soup at Hand for work when I just don't have anything else available. Hey, we do what we can!

May Minutes: 264

0 375 750 1125

1500

Posts: 330
2/18/12 4:54 A

I always have some tinned soup or even some 'cup of soup' sachets in work.

I am a Social Worker and sometimes struggle to find the time to have a proper lunch break so I make sure that I have some quick things to hand. I do occasionally find myself having a tin of soup at home too- especially on the days when I haven't finished work until gone 9!!

Pounds lost: 0.0

0 18.75 37.5 56.25

75

SparkPoints: (185,140)
Fitness Minutes: (175,698)
Posts: 9,633
2/13/12 12:42 A

My hubby is a picky eater so there are not a lot of options that i can keep on hand that we both eat. but i like low sodium canned soups and store bought whole grain bread.

dried fruit is a favorite. i have a food dehydrator so i look forward to doing my own.

Posts: 216
1/29/12 2:17 P

I like using the turkey Italian meatballs. They are easy to count calories. You can make a meal or make a sandwich.

SparkPoints: (1,908)
Fitness Minutes: (0)
Posts: 70
1/29/12 1:37 P

Frozen meatballs,yes I need to make a batch and freeze them.We have a large door freezer and I freeze almost everything.A lot of meat especially.I do like the frozen TV dinners BUT have them for lunch instead of dinner and for me just the right amount of calories even though they are a little salty!!Hubby doesn't like them at all but I have thought about making my own TV dinners and freezing them,that way I know what is in them.

SparkPoints: (5,455)
Fitness Minutes: (80)
Posts: 88
1/27/12 5:02 P

I'll be honest - I just don't have the money (or the desire) to use most prepackaged 'convenience' foods. I will use pre-shredded or pre-chopped veggies in the produce department. I also feel that frozen veggies & fruit are a Godsend. Most of my foods that make life easier are things I do myself. Buy a large package of meat & portion it out for servings (thank goodness for the home vacuum sealer!), & if you partially freeze meat you can slice it for stir fry & freeze packages of that too.

SparkPoints: (51,383)
Fitness Minutes: (76,227)
Posts: 5,108
1/25/12 9:23 P

I gave up frozen dinners about a year ago... you won't miss them. Some nights it's hard to come up with dinner, but I've got a small go to repertoire and I'm working on adding to it.

I do use some frozen things still - Morningstar Farms, chicken sausage, the meatballs for the crockpot recipe, but I'm getting to where I prefer more organic, non-preservative foods.

May Minutes: 264

0 375 750 1125

1500

SparkPoints: (11,461)
Fitness Minutes: (6,378)
Posts: 613
1/25/12 8:12 P

So I totally agree that boxed foods are super easy, and I'll bring a Lean Cuisine in for my lunch a couple days a week, but man oh man are they packed with sodium.... My new years resolution this year was to cook more dinners at home for my boyfriend and I (where I can control the amount of salt) and bring leftovers into work with me. My crockpot has made my life easier so far this month and I've only had one Lean Cuisine so far.

SparkPoints: (13,421)
Fitness Minutes: (4,552)
Posts: 488
1/17/12 2:21 P

i devote one day a week to cooking (ugh!!) I made tv dinners for the rest of the week. then all we have to do is heat and eat. also make up big batches of things like meat balls, chili, soup etc to have on hand.

SparkPoints: (18,421)
Fitness Minutes: (14,563)
Posts: 489
1/8/12 11:11 A

I hate to say it but the 1 food that makes my life "easier" is boxed cereal! A cup of high bran, less sugar cereal and a cup of milk is dinner on those days when I've forgotten to fix or thaw something (much less often since I've been using the SP meal planner!), or I'm too tired, too lazy, or too busy to eat a proper meal.

But for easier cooking when I don't have a recipe to follow, I try to always have some cut up veggies in my freezer. I buy them when they are on sale and they stay in my freezer for a long time. It's so easy to just put a cup into the crock pot with some chicken stock, spices and some kind of protein serving, and let it stew while I'm at work or whatever.

And tofu. Easy, quick protein, no thawing necessary! I buy a block every payday so it's always in my fridge. Another option if I forget to thaw some meat out for dinner!

Posts: 4,324
1/7/12 4:37 P

I think every store is high on some things and low on others. On my bicycle, I get get the sales at all of them and no gas prices. I admit to purchasing from Schwan's home delivery just for the convience of delivery. It is a little pricey but they do have healthy choices and many of the items end up costing about the same as the store. It also keeps me from the store snack attack.

SparkPoints: (51,383)
Fitness Minutes: (76,227)
Posts: 5,108
1/6/12 7:56 P

I agree! But, I'm finding that where I live anyway, many items are actually cheaper at Whole Foods than the grocery store. The opposite is also true. I'm not adverse to making my own, but liked the idea of trying the frozen ones since that is what the recipe called for.

May Minutes: 264

0 375 750 1125

1500

Posts: 499
1/6/12 10:56 A

Whole Foods is so expensive. I have made and frozen meatballs for years. Just stick with lean beef or turkey and cook them tp 80% and freeze. If you can find the time to make your own they will always have exactly what you want in them.

0 375 750 1125

1500

Posts: 8,645
1/6/12 6:28 A

Hmm, I don't have a Whole Foods near me, but I could make up a batch up meatballs and freeze them! I think that is a great idea.

May Minutes: 0

0 92.5 185 277.5

370

SparkPoints: (51,383)
Fitness Minutes: (76,227)
Posts: 5,108
1/5/12 7:54 P

Another thread has somewhat evolved to a discussion of foods that are still healthy but don't require starting from scratch, i.e. foods that make life easier. So, this thread is born.

I'm trying to avoid heavily processed foods and foods with preservatives, but I also sometimes need a little help as I'm single and don't have a ton of time in the evenings. So this post has to do with meatballs.

I just tried a new recipe that called for frozen meatballs (I've learned to try the recipe as is the first time and then decide how to modify). I'd never bought frozen meatballs, but got some from Whole Foods - nothing fake, just what's in there, including no hormones for the beef.

While I really need to scale down the recipe, I'm thinking about keeping a pack of the smaller meatballs on hand, maybe even try the turkey or chicken ones, as it would be really easy to add one or two to a quick pasta dish. Since the serving size is more than two, I'd still be able to keep the calories in check.

May Minutes: 264

0 375 750 1125

1500