Fast, easy "food"

[Jeepbabe]

Does anyone have a "quick" menu to work from? I mean, I'm working almost 60 hours a week and really don't have time to prepare food. I can only eat so much string cheese and hard boiled eggs. I need a food list for "convenient" foods so I don't slip back into the fast food routine. Thanks!--De

[4myself4mykids]

Re: Fast, easy "food"

I suggest batch cooking....

-make a meat/veggie quiche-makes 6 servings with total of about 10 mins prep and 30-40 mins then in the oven. *good for any meal too!
-if its warm enough where you live-start the grill or fill the oven/broiler and fill it full of your favorite meats after its done pack it in baggies or individual storage containers so you can grab and go. Gr Chuck patties, round steak cut into single servings, chicken, chops-your wallet is the limit here!!! Make an assortment if you get tired of things quickly. Just a couple of ea thing. I personally buy whatever meat is on sale, buy a family pack and get busy cooking it all up at once and pack it into individual servings.
-if the above doesn't sound good, how about popping a chicken, turkey/turkey breask or roast in the oven while a side dish/quiche is baking? Requires almost no work and the oven is on anyway! Round steak with a bag of frozen peppers thrown on top and baked is really good too. Once again, just put into single serve containers after its cooled.
-buy pre-cut veggies or cut them yourself and put in individual baggies. Celery is quick, radishes/pepper strips
Snow peas-no prep

If that's still too much prep time (Consider doing it on a day off/I do it on grocery day), how about a package of turkey breast lunch meat with cream cheese rolled up? Cans of tuna-take a squeezy bottle of mayo and a small jar of dill pickle relish to work with you for the fridge. I have a can opener in my desk and a fridge at work so I can take my mayo and relish and keep it there-a lot depends on what kind of amenities you have a work-fridge, microwave, etc. You could easily just pack your canopener and mayo/relish in your lunchbox though with an icepack. I have a friend who has no amenities at her place of employment except a micro in the vending room, but she has her own office and has gotten a dorm fridge from freecycle/cheapcycle and keeps it stocked with her weight watcher foods.
My fridge at home is full of pre-cut veggies in baggies, just like stuffed baked potatos (cauliflower dish) in single serving containers (some in freezer too), grilled gr chuck patties (some in freezer), deviled eggs and already cooked bacon with 3 slices in ea baggie. Chicken breasts in freezer from last week. I grab whatever baggies I want for the day and I'm ready to go and stay on plan for the day. I'm scheduled to work 4 days/nights this week, but could easily go a week without cooking with just what I prepared yesterday.

[chicamarun]

Re: Fast, easy "food"

I suggest the batch cooking also - make something that's portable and easy for the week or a couple of things.

I do a lot of quiches and casseroles where I can freeze them and I wrap up individual portions and freeze them - ready to go

[ValidRouge]

Re: Fast, easy "food"

Convenience Food mentality and eating habits are what got a lot of us into this mess. If you look at people who have made it to goal, they rarely eat "convenience" type products or at food establishments that are considered "convenient".

With that said, they make eating REAL FOOD (fresh/frozen meats and veggies) convenient by batch preparing food. I have a full time job and I'm going to school to get my Masters Degree. Trust me, I have NO TIME. So, I do grocery shopping and cooking on the weekend.

For instance, Saturday i went to Albertsons. They had a big 10 for $10 sale this weekend. I bought ground beef, pork chops, 10 lb bag of chicken leg quarters and 4 ounce individually wrapped salmon portions. All fresh meats, no preservatives, no processing. I cooked the ENTIRE 10 lb bag of chicken legs and put them in quart size baggies in my fridge. Now, any time I need a meat, I grab one of them ready to go. I also buy frozen vegetables and keep them portioned. In OWL, I eat an entire 10 ounce bag of the frozen veggie of my choice at one sitting. So, grabbing a bag on the go is easy. Just pop it in the microwave. On induction, keep them in 1 cup portions. Better yet, divide them and put them in those new steamer bags, so all you have to do is grab and go.

Buy a dozen eggs and boil them all. Peel them and put them in baggies ready to grab and go.

[Debi2007]

Re: Fast, easy "food"

I have found success with crock-pot cooking as well as the other great ideas listed already. I work 12 hour days and often do not have time to come home and cook. By the time I get home - my family is ready to eat. So, in the morning I grab a meat from the freezer, put some seasonings on it, add some broth or water and low-cook it all day. It is delicious by the time I get home. You can even add veggies if you want, but I usually throw those on really quick when I get home. Then the leftovers get thrown into ziplocks and are ready for snacking.

[julirama723]

Re: Fast, easy "food"

I'm a griller and a batch cooker. I also like finger foods.

GRILLING--I love chicken breasts, and I always make my boyfriend cook extras so I have protein for lunch. Same with steak, I always make more than I can eat for dinner so I have leftovers for lunch.

BATCH COOKING--I boil a LOT of eggs at a time (like, 1 so I can eat them hardboiled, or make egg salad, which is GREAT on bell pepper chunks or cucumber slices! I also made sausage this weekend and fried up a small batch, the rest is in the fridge, ready to cook in minutes.

BATCH PREP--When I get veggies, a lot of times I'll divide them into single-serving baggies, that way I can just grab a bag or two each morning and go!

CONVENIENT FOODS--NOT convenience foods, but foods that are really easy to prep! String cheese is excellent--it's already portioned for you! I also like to boil an omelette in a bag--I let it boil while I finish getting ready and breakfast is done when I'm done! Butter or oil the inside of a resealable sandwich bag, crack your eggs into it, add spices/seasonings, as well as any veggies you might want, and zip bag shut. Mix the egg with your fingers, dump into a pot of boiling water and let it cook for 10 minutes or so, no stirring or turning required!

[ValidRouge]

Re: Fast, easy "food"

I concur with the crockpot cooking. What's great about that, too, if you are cooking in a crockpot for just yourself (or even for your family) is that there are always lots of LEFTOVERS which makes great convenience food!

[PinkWoman]

Re: Fast, easy "food"

Last night I got home at 6:45pm and I knew DH was minutes behind me. I grabbed boneless skinless chicken breast from the freezer and did a 4 minute quick defrost in the microwave just to take them from concrete to still icy. During those 4 minutes, i chopped a green bell pepper, took the ends off snow peas, slivered 1/2 an onion and chopped 12 mushrooms. I did a very quick stir fry. Not finished yet!
While the stir fry was cooking, I combined a pound of ground beef and a pound of ground pork, 1/2 cup of ground flax and some allspice, cajun seasoning, red pepper flakes and ground black pepper. Mixed that and pressed it into a metal loaf pan, into the toaster oven for an hour. Yup, simple meatloaf (comfort food for DH when he was growing up).
Point to my story is that all meat had been frozen as it was bought on sale in the last couple of weeks. Just 30 frantic minutes gave us a sit down dinner by 7:15pm, and the meatloaf, once cooled, was cut into slices and portioned into containers in the fridge. Great for any meal or snack. Just had a slice with my soft boiled eggs for breakfast! There is also enough chicken and veggie left for lunch today.
I agree, the only way to follow this WOE and not be in the kitchen for half the day is batch cooking.

[sadie147]

Re: Fast, easy "food"

I too like batch cooking and the slow cooker! One thing i find really convenient is to poach a few chicken breasts and keep them in the fridge, that way you can use them for chicken salads, or quickly grill them (they're already cooked so they don't need much) and use them in stir frys etc.

Tuna is always a go to for me too...as are boiled eggs. Cutting up lots of veggies and keeping them in ziplocks for snacks.

Juli mentioned the omlette in a bag: I recently bought veggie steaming bags that had a microwave recipe for an omlette in. they work really well! you just break the eggs into the bag, carfully mix them with a fork, add a little cream and your ingredients cheese whatever, seal and an pop it in the microwave for a couple of mins. Because it' uses steam the eggs don't come out dry like when you're microwaving them. You need to use the micro steaming bags though as they have vents to allow some of the steam to escape while keeping the bag sealed.

Buy a dozen eggs and boil them all. Peel them and put them in baggies ready to grab and go.

I just saw in the grocery store they actually sell pre-boiled, pre-peeled eggs here now! they come in a little sealed packet of two. I was floored LOL.

[astrogirl]

Re: Fast, easy "food"

I've seen hard-boiled eggs in bags of 10 in with the fresh eggs. I think they are Eggland's Best. Pre-peeled.

I find rotisserie chicken is pretty useful. Breasts get mayo'd up, dark meat and wings get eaten as is, and the carcass goes for soup.

[partytrouble]

Re: Fast, easy "food"

i am also a rotisserie chicken girl. add fork, and eat. could not be faster, more filling, or tastier. i do NOT cook so i rely on stuff like that, hard boiled eggs, string cheese, swiss and deli roast beef roll ups, precut deli celery to dip in blue cheese or ranch dressing, precut cauliflower to dip in sourcream with ranch dip, or like everyone else i prepare a BUNCH of meat on the grill and then portion and freeze. crockpot is also a lifesaver!!

[FunnyActressInLA]

Re: Fast, easy "food"

I have found success with crock-pot cooking as well as the other great ideas listed already. I work 12 hour days and often do not have time to come home and cook. By the time I get home - my family is ready to eat. So, in the morning I grab a meat from the freezer, put some seasonings on it, add some broth or water and low-cook it all day. It is delicious by the time I get home. You can even add veggies if you want, but I usually throw those on really quick when I get home. Then the leftovers get thrown into ziplocks and are ready for snacking.

Waving to Debi!!!! Hi Debi, remember me? Wow you've lost so much weight! I wish I would've stuck it out with ya instead of giving up but I'm back and so glad you're here!
xxoo
F.A.L.A

[sher801]

Re: Fast, easy "food"

Forget the can opener for the tuna, I buy the vacuum packed tuna envelopes. All you do is cut open and eat with a fork. They laugh at me at work cuz I juut eat tuna out of an envelope.

I also LOVE Steak Umm's. They only take 2 minutes to brown by themselves or 3-5 minutes when sauteed with canned mushrooms and onions.