Weird, i don't know how to plan meals

[barelynangel]

I am a pick up, order out, type of girl. I don't cook, and i honestly do not know "how" to plan and cook meals or even shop for meals i would have to prepare.

I know that sounds weird, but when i sit and think about it.. i honestly don't. I realized that my way of life basically let's me eat what i have a taste for...so how do you plan a day and sometimes a weeks worth of food when you have no clue what you will have a taste for at your next meal much less a day or two later?

Many people have a family that they "plan" meals for and budgets.. but i don't...its just me...

So my question comes down to this.... how does one person plan meals, cook meals and shop for those meals. i look at my recipes and it seems very overwelming.

Atkins is completely back to basics.. but how do you retreat to the basics when you have no clue how to live within the realm of those basics.

I guess this would be directed at people who live alone, because most family people plan and shop for more than i person... but i can use the advice of anyone as long as its not... just pick something and make it and make more than you want and freeze it.

I hope this makes sense. Thanks..
angel

[barelynangel]

As an addendum, i would enjoy if there is someone out there who could work with me on this.. help me plan, teach me how to shop, etc...
if someone wishes to and has the time.

Thanks... you can email me off list if you would like to be a mentor on this for me.. at barely_n_angel@yahoo.com.

angel

[Kent]

Make a list of things you like to eat or are hungry for this coming week. What sounds good to you? My wife and I have a bunch of staples, like Roast beef, steak, and spicy sausage stir-fries. Around that make a list of the vegetables or veggie dishes you like to eat. You don't have to plan the exact meal yet just get the ideas running in your head. Purchase ingredients and mix and match the entrees to the sides you feel like that day. Eventually you will be hungry for everything you have purchased, and if not, while some things will go waste and some will not. This method may not work for those who hate the monotony of a few weekly staples, but it has worked for us so far.

[LyssaRene]

You aren't alone.. even though I have a child I was also dumbfounded when it came to starting this. I was so used to eating out or cooking what I normally cooked (pasta dishes) I wasn't even sure where to begin!

Here is what I did, maybe it will help.

I started basic. I bought tuna, you can't get any simpler. That is what I ate basically for a week while I read a ton on here and made lists of what sounded good and what I could have. I promised myself I would try one new thing a week so it would be fun but not frustrating. I picked things I liked and just cooked and made something with them. Recipes are way to much for me, I am simplistic. I bought the basics, mushrooms, ground beef, chicken, then added on.

It can be overwhelming when you are so used to one way. Just dig in and make it fun. Go to a new grocery store and spend a few hours just reading labels and walking around. New ideas will come to you.

And don't worry about cooking for one! You can cook enough to have lunch leftovers tomorrow with!

[Moochiecat]

I've always loved to cook, but I was a little overwhelmed and under-educated when I started Atkins. While I was really learning what I could do with my meals, I kept things very basic, and right in line with the Acceptable Foods list for the first weeks

Salad and ?
I knew that the basics for lunch and dinner would be salad, so I bought salad fixings. (but avoided iceberg lettuce, because there's not much in it nutritionally. I bought leaf and romaine)
I picked a few dressings that I enjoyed so I had variety. Paul Newman's Italian, and Kraft Ranchers choice.
For a protein, I would get chicken breast, slice it up, and saute it in olive oil and then add spices...either cajun, or tabasco sauce...or curry powder, and then I'd put that on top of my salad.
You could also saute beef strips up in a splash of soy sauce and chopped garlic and throw them on a salad as well.
Canned tuna or salmon on a salad is great as well.

Doing this, I was able to come home and think "Hm....what do I feel like for dinner tonight?" and could go through my list of options.

So that was my foundation of meals for a while until I branched out.

Keep it simple while you look around at the recipe link at the top of the screen and the recipe forums.
This is also a good site:

http://users3.ev1.net/~fontlady/index.html

because she actually tests and reviews the recipes she posts, and she makes it clear which are Induction friendly, and they're all really easy ones.

This is obviously a big change in your life and it might help to think about it as being a really exciting time for you...think about all the cool things you're going to learn how to cook as time goes by! :yes
And omg..think of all the money you'll save!!

[spazzyhilo]

I can relate, I'm a Sagittarius and planning anything in advance is almost impossible. Personally, I have a habit of making plans - then changing them 50 times before the day of, then doing something completely different when that day arrives. I've never been much of a planner.

So I have to do it on a daily basis. Plan my meals out for that day. its kind of a pain but it works for me because then I dont go hungry trying to find out what I'm going to have for dinner when I should have eaten it an hour ago.

I also keep foods on hand that are quick and easy to make because I dont want to spend all my time cooking. I always have eggs and mushrooms, bacon, sausage, bell peppers, and cream cheese on hand. I usually also have steak and chicken and whatnot for when I feel like cooking - which is almost never.

[barelynangel]

Thanks for all the replies so far, I was able to do this way of life by ordering out but as moochie pointed out lol it costs a lot of money especially when i rarely eat leftovers. And not only do i have a determination to lose weight but also to try and start saving some money......So when i sat down the other weekend and said okay we need to get serious here and start cooking meals and such so i can get seriously back on plan... i looked at all of these recipes and then said damn eating out is easier lol.. i didn't know how to do it...

Thank you for the reminder to start and keep it simple and about having staples so to speak on hand. i think i wanted to go from me lol not even sure where my kitchen is to Julia Childs impersonator. Spazzyhilo, i am a sag also... i can completely relate to the trying to figure out what i want when i should have eaten an hour ago.. thats when the delivery or take out please comes sooooo in handy lol.

So to begin, i will buy a whole bunch of staples and work from there..that way it won't be so overwelming.

Thanks again, and please keep the ideas and advice coming.

angel

[spirittalker]

Keeping it simple is the best advise. Also if you can bring yourself to eat left overs cook a bunch of food one day a week and nuke everything throughout the week. Also, go through the recipes you would like to try and write down all the ingredients you will need. Then go shopping with that list. Your first trip may be rather pricey but bear in mind once you have aquired many of the items(i.e. spices and such) they will last for quite some time.

[yankee]

Thank you so much for this recipe link! It's going to be very helpful in planning out real meals. When in doubt I make a hamburger but they're really getting boring......

[MotherOfGizmo]

Thank you so much for this recipe link! It's going to be very helpful in planning out real meals. When in doubt I make a hamburger but they're really getting boring......

We have a whole section here on ADBB dedicated to cooking and recipes! You guys should check it out. In addition we have a Recipe site, look up at the top of the screen to the right of the Atkins Diet Bulletin Board banner...check out the recipes there, most are simple and will give you some variety!

[1sexy_mama]

I am not single anymore but I know where you are coming from. Hard to cook just one person however you have the advantage of planning out your leftovers for subsequent meals.

As a Mom with a fulltime job and two little ones grocery shopping is hard and I hate to grocery shop with a passion. I have to cook "regular" for rest of the family and make sure I can eat something legal too. I plan out my meals on the calander every month. For me that is how I figure out what I need for groceries and saves money. I won't be tempted to grab take out.

Each day I just write out what is for dinner. Breakfast and lunches work themselves out on their own. One day I write roast, then the next day I write French dips and salad (using the leftover roast beef) Of course I don't have a bun with my french dip but the rest of the family does. I also shop weekly for fresh veggies and fruit for the kids. That way there are always veggies in the fridge.

[Effie]

I like to cook, but I definitely get overwhelmed when I want to try a new recipe, so I imagine that's what you're feeling 7 days a week. This has already been said, but start with just one new recipe. It doesn't have to be complicated either. One of my favorite things to make is a "Chicken BLT" bowl. All you need to cook is the chicken and the bacon, and then you just chop it up with lettuce, tomatoes & mayo. After I made that once, it became a standard. I usually cook a whole bunch of chicken breasts ahead of time anyway, so then during the week it's just a matter of putting all the ingredients together -- no cooking required (unless the bacon if I didn't precook that either).

The next week, add one more recipe. Pretty soon you're cooking from memory and starting to experiment and it isn't overwhelming at all. As for planning, I'm still on induction, so I just buy everything that I'm allowed and then figure out what I want to do with it later. Trust me, nothing goes to waste!

[softnred]

I can relate. I hate cooking during the week, and both my son and I tend to be "what do we feel like" eaters, but with Atkins it's vital that one plan ahead. I've found a solution that works for me: During the weekend, I cook up many things for the next week; flax bread, BikerGoddess pizza, some crustless quiches, and a turkey breast or pork roast or chicken......you get the idea. Once a dish is done, I separate it into meal-sized portions, and put everything in containers or ziploc bags, then put them into the freezer. I get out more containers and put together a salad for every day of the week. Then, each morning, I just pick what I want for lunch and snacks, and throw it into my lunch bag. When I get home, I just have to take what I feel like out of the freezer and warm it up.

Yes, it takes more time during the weekend, but during the week it's totally worth it!!!

~JoAnne

[byugrad]

I live alone and have found that what works for me is to:

(1) buy really good quality meat at the butcher (not grocery store). They usually have some semi-prepared things (like bacon-wrapped turkey kebobs or flank steak stuffed with feta, artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes or carne asada). All I need to do is pop them in the oven or on the George Foreman grill while I make a salad and veggies.

(2) pick up a roasted chicken from the grocery store and have some chicken for dinner one night. Then after it cools, pick it off the bone and make it into chicken salad with mayo, tarragon, garlic powder, chopped celery and a little grated onion. That should make enough for a couple easy lunches.

(3) rather than buy bagged lettuce, buy a couple heads of romaine and chop it up yourself and store in zip-lock bags -- either all in a large one or inidividual bags with enough for one salad each. Add a half of an avocado and a sliced green pepper, along with your favorite dressing and you've got a very filling salad.

(4) for a big splurge, buy a can of chilled, pasturized crab and make a crab salad. Add it to the other half of avocado or make into crab cakes which can stay refrigerated until you're ready to fry them up.

(5) someone already mentioned this, but I ALWAYS make enough for 2 meals when I cook so that I have leftovers for an easy lunch or dinner the next day. For a while I subscribed to an e-mail low-carb menu planner that had 5 low-carb dinner menus every week, complete with grocery shopping list. The one I got was sized for two servings (although sometimes it was enough for 3). Since I love to cook, it got me making new recipes on a regular basis.

(6) invest in a small crock pot and Dana Carpender's low carb crockpot cookbook. It's so nice to assemble ingredients into the crockpot at night, put it in the refrigerator, then plug it in the next morning and then come home to a fully cooked meal!

Good luck. Menu planning is actually quite easy -- and once you have a few tried-and-true recipes, it will start to come naturally.
Nancy

[barelynangel]

Thanks again for all the great suggestions and advice..

i know this is a weird thread as some of you have said.. deciding on a menu is easy lol.. but when you have never done it.... it really isn't.

i do have a crockpot and so many appliances lol (yes i don't cook, don't know how, but have prolly every gadget you can think of lol and tons of cookbooks (use to have over 300 until ex boyfriend threw them all out)).

I am gonna make a pork roast next week (the kind with the strings), am gonna make some meatloaf and cook up some chicken along with bacon (gonna try that chicken BLT bowl that sounds good) and make some deviled eggs for snacks... i have a foodsaver plus so freezing stuff is not a problem....i am going to also make a broccoli and cauliflower and chicken and cheese casserole, as well as some quiches...

I think i can figure this out... i think i was just overwelmed and i have exactly 4 things in my fridge at any given time, so i was unsure how to actually start filling it up lol.

Thanks again for all the help.. i am not as freaked as i was..

angel