NEED HELP GETTING IT ALL PREPARED

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
NEED HELP GETTING IT ALL PREPARED
10
Wed, 01-28-2004 - 1:55pm
My dh and I started this new way of eating this week. We like all the choices, and there certainly is enough to eat, as a matter of fact, probably more, but the right stuff. My problem is that the food choices require a lot of preparation, i.e., chopping vegies, mixing up salads, etc. I don't get home until 6:30 pm, and by that time I am often so tired, it is hard to get motivated.

I am also a "Flybaby", doing pretty well with it, but this needs some brainstorming, and I hope that I can get some help from you all.

By the way, dh needs to lose 20 and I'll be more than happy with 15 lbs.

Thanks, ingrid in tampa
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-22-2004
Wed, 01-28-2004 - 2:09pm
Hello Ingrid in probably sunny & warm Tampa!

Well, you probably prepare you menus in advance, right (with being a Fly Baby)? What if the night before, you prep for the next night's meal. Same goes for the Quiches. Make some on the weekend & freeze for the upcoming week.

When I go grocery shopping, I cut up all the veggies before I put them away (same with washing fruit). Cut veggies are more tempting to me. I also like to make a big pot of soup on Sunday night & have that for lunches the rest of the week. What about packing your lunch the night before? (Dh's, too)

I have found that I can usually mix up a big bowl of salad, too, at the begining of the week. I don't put in any veggie that can get mushy (tomatoes, cukes) but stiffer veggies hold up well. And what about Premixing your own dressing of vinegar & oil? Also, frozen veggies work just as well. For example - I have a skillet recipe for chicken & tomatoes that calls for chopped onion & peppers. Solution - frozen bag of pepper stir fry mix.

I have figured out that with a little planning & some time, I can do this well. I am on D5/P1.

Stef in cold & snowbound Wisconsin.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 01-28-2004 - 2:21pm
Thanks, Stef, do stay warm. Actually, we've had a "cold" spell with temperatures fluctuating between 60-70 degrees during the day. Time to get the sweaters out.

Anyway, thanks for your suggestions. I will try and follow your advise and do some of the prep work after the weekend shopping. Making a menu plan for the week has always been my number one problem, but I am getting better at it, and trying this plan should help.

We are only on the third day, but it's fun and has become a game. My boss lost 20 pounds without really trying, and he is encouraging, so are some others in the office. I don't really weigh myself, but I will be able to tell if I lost once some of my clothes fit again. This is perfect timing, and maybe by summer we'll all be fit and trim.

ingrid
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2003
Wed, 01-28-2004 - 2:34pm

You got some great advice but something I'd like to add that might help.

       

Avatar for atlantagirl74
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-07-2004
Wed, 01-28-2004 - 3:26pm
I use as many pre-chopped, pre-washed veggies as possible. I buy bags of lettuce, spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower. I get cherry (or grape) tomatoes and mushrooms that are already sliced. I buy celery once a week - wash and cut and put into a storage bag as soon as I get home. I cook enough veggies for two or three meals at a time. A pot of chili lasted an entire week. I made some vegetable beef soup in the crock pot and froze half of it. I hard-boil a half-dozen eggs at a time. I make tomorrow's lunch while I am cooking tonight's dinner. If I'm really pressed for time, I ask my BF to make the salads to go with dinner. Egg Beaters make a quick, easy omelette. Rotisserie chicken (breast only - feed the rest to your family) is very quick and easy. I count out 30 pistachios and make snack baggies to last for a few days. If I really don't feel like or have time to cook a full meal, I'll just have a chef salad.

I also felt overwhelmed the first week. I tried to go by the recipes and meal plan in the book - but it was just too much work! Now that I am more comfortable with the food lists and SBD theory, it has become a lot easier to put meals together. Some of the recipes in there are worth trying though - the rosemary salmon is awesome!

 

AtlantaGirl74

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 01-28-2004 - 4:51pm
Thanks everybody. Atlantagirl, you are "right on" by mentioning being overwhelmed. I was off on Monday, so it was no big deal to get dinner plus lunches and snacks fixed for the next day. Yesterday it was another story, and although dh helps wherever he can, it still took quite some time to get it all together. I plan to be more organized for next week, but as I said before, my long hours and commute are a killer.

Thanks also for the tip to cook up a batch of vegies or soup ahead. I will do that also, but dh really does not like to have the same thing two days in a row. Freezing some will help in that department.

I do believe that being organized is the name of the game to follow this eating plan. No more last minute sandwich fixing in the morning.

Thanks everybody, it's good to hear that everybody has their own problems/views with the program, but the end result is all we are interested, and that keeps us going.

ingrid in tampa bay
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 01-28-2004 - 5:15pm
Being organized and being willing to cook yourself is just about the name of the game with any good diet plan out there these days. Emphasis on GOOD diet plan. There is always the SlimFast diet, but I don't think that's a healthy way to live.

I saw a commercial for low carb Lean Cuisine and I am thinking of checking them out. As they are probably designed more for the Atkin's diet, I expect they may be high in saturated fats as well as other substances I do not want. But it can't hurt to read the label. If they are okay, they may do in a pinch when we are really exhausted.

I go to my health food store regularly too for nuts and high fiber bread and tortillas. They have good quality olive oil there too. As well as soy foods. (I'm not big on soy milk.)

Don't forget to check out the grocery stores that have salad bars in them. You can get chopped broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, etc. If you can handle the price, the extra convenience is great.

Cooking is like exercise, you have to get used to spending more time cutting and chopping than you are used to, but then it gets to be a habit and you won't notice it so much after a while.

Good luck,

Irene

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-02-1999
Wed, 01-28-2004 - 5:47pm
Hi Ingrid!

I so know how you feel! I work all day, and with commuting time don't get home until 7pm on weeknights. Unless I'm prepared for dinner -- know what I plan to make and have all the stuff to make it -- I'm in a real bind! Getting started on SBD has really helped me become better prepared, especially in the meal planning department!

Here's what I do:

1) Make at least double for dinner and package the leftovers in individual servings for quick meals later in the week (lunch or dinner).

2) Make a big pot of soup -- hearty and stewlike in this cold winter! -- and package for lunches during the week. (I believe someone else said this already.)

3) Pre-cut as many veggies as possible, and also opt for more of the frozen bags of veggies for speed.

I also LOVE the rotisserie chickens you find at the grocery store -- they're so inexpensive and easy! (The bones also make a great starter for soup stock...)

AND, best of all -- my DH has offered to help in getting dinner ready, which is HUGE! He will become my "sous chef," so to speak -- cutting veggies and meats, and/or preparing salads as needed. That can easily shave a half-hour or more from my meal prep time.

I hope this all helps -- and good luck to you!!

~Steph

P1/D10

140/?/125?










iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 01-28-2004 - 5:55pm
Get a mandoline. That's that slicer/dicer thing. It just needs a quick rinse off when you are done using it. Faster than a chef's knife, easier to clean than a food processor bowl and blade.

Irene

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 01-29-2004 - 8:53am

Hi Ingrid!!!

Susan :)

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 01-29-2004 - 1:20pm
My sincere thanks to everybody. I have read and paid close attention to all the suggestions provided. The rotisserie chicken idea is splendid, and of course I should have thought of making double/triple batches of some meals. I guess Chili is o.k. because it was mentioned. I fix it the usual way with meat and beans, tomatoes,onion, garlic, and spices. I do have a crockpot, and that's something easy to put together.

Last night we had grilled salmon, steamed broccoli, and a small mixed salad. While I was cutting up the broccoli and getting our lettuce/vegie/turkey rolls ready for today's lunches dh said that this is so much work, and he hates for me to work so hard. Isn't he sweet... Well, I told him that I will prepare more things ahead of time this weekend so that we don't to scramble in the evenings.

The wonderful support this board provides really is the best tool to get used to this way of eating, not to say diet. We have enjoyed all our meals this week, and I cannot see this changing, however, we will have company for four days next week (plus dh birthday), but I am thinking ahead to master that also.

Now we are just waiting for the results to kick in.... let it happen.

Carbs Away, ingrid in sunny but cool Tampa Bay