Hi M....
It is hard to cook healthy and tasty too...
I recently moved in with my boyfriend....so it took a lot to reform our eating habits. I was a fast food junkie, him a junk food, chocolate junkie.
We did low carb....and lost a lot....BUt its too easy to eat high fat and high cholesterol that way.
Reintroducing good carbs was the best for our metabolism. SO to keep the fats low and have taste, I cook with tons of onions, garlic and peppers...lots of herbs & spices. But still avoid breads. We will eat starch as a low carb pasta or natural potato occasionally, but it is rare. We get carbs and starches from fruits and vegetables.
Put a TV in the kitchen...You'll spend more time there....and get control of the remote..ROFL
As one of the responses said....shop the perimeter...
Fruits, Veggies, meats,...we don't ever eat breads, but eat nuts instead.
We buy so much boneless skinless chicken, Tilapia, pork tenderloin, occasional beef (cubed or good cut of sirloin - not tip), lots of pre made salad mixes (like dole), lots of fruits, onions, peppers, celery, and greenbeans in every shopping trip. Lots of egg beaters, cheezes (bricks and shredded), reduced fat parmesan, Ragu light alfredo, low fat luncheon meat (not on bread), raisins, nuts, dried fruit, peanut butter, applesauce. Cases of bottled water and Diet juices...Diet V8 Splash is a favorite!!
Lots of vitamins and low cal.
Eating healthy is expensive...
But after a short time you feel so much better and your metabolism will change. If you have more energy, you will naturally become more active without effort.
My boyfriend is double my weight...so he eats much more....and more often. I was a once a day eater....also bad bad bad.
I try to get him to eat in the morning, Egg beaters is the most amazing food out there...
or at least a piece of fruit...
If not, I know he will eat bad at work....but there is not much I can do about that.
I make sure to have lots of healthy snacks near his lounge chair....a couple bottles of water....three containers of snacks...Cashews, pistaccios, and a peanut/craisin/assorted Raisin mix (tastes like peanut butter and jelly). I also usually have beef jerky closeby also. Banana chips and a jar of peanut butter...
OMG, seriously, all this is really next to his TV chair...like his own personal set of canisters.
He will reach over and graze on a handful of nuts or raisins and drink a bottle of water instead of heading to the cupboards.
(It's a proven fact you crave when you are not properly hydrated)...
In the evening, or between meals, I bring him a snack before he has time to crave junk...a sliced apple with peanut butter (huge treat during movies)...pears....celery and tuna salad...
tuna salad in an iceburg lettuce leaf or on a slice of cheeze.
Almost any salad on celery he likes. Or, a stack of sliced low fat Turkey, Chicken or Ham, rolled up with a slice of cheeze ...dipped in horseraddish mustard or a low fat flavored ranch dressing....like south west or bacon. Low fat sour cream in soup mix is a flavorful dip.
I got him to graze on healthy snacks and eat smaller portions of the main meals by serving extra veggies.
Dole has such a variety of salads, I make a salad for every meal and also vegetable like corn or green beans. Sure, he complains...but I call him down to dinner early every day intentionally. Once he smells food, his stomache will make him eat about anything. So, he will sit and have salad while waiting for the meal. He thinks I have bad timing...lol...he has no idea it's planned that way.
I managed to get him to eat asparegus accidentally...Green giant makes a frozen veggie in butter sauce (not butter though)...corn, carrots and asparegus, he thought they were green beans mixed in and ate it up.
There is always two or more vegetables at every meal...Always a salad...I throw peas in my alfredo sauce, tiny baby carrots or peppers added to corn, green beans especially fresh with garlic butter (no, not real butter), or crisp green beans used instead of noodles under an italian dish...onion and peppers, or onions and mushrooms with beef. I sneak in a vegetable every where I can.
Some of his favorite meals...
Shishka (ok, shish-kabobs without the skewers).
I marinate Chicken, onions and assorted peppers in low fat or fat free italian dressing. I cook it on a jenn airre...(but a george foreman works well, or pan fry) with garlic and sometimes whatever seasoning I feel like adding.... When they are just cooked....I put it in a large bowl with lots of parmesan and shake it, the parmesan melts to it. (don't do it on the grill....the melted parm is messy)...even my 14yr old loves peppers now.
(I don't use table salt anymore, but parmesan is salty)
Today I am trying it with cubed beef (stew meat). We seldom eat beef....so its a treat.
Fresh tilapia fillets from the fish counter...sprayed with "I can't believe its not butter" spray and a sprinkle of "old bay seasoning"....or dill weed. I serve that usually with shrimp or crab in alfredo sauce. One time I found imitation lobster (not crab) on sale...cut it up small, put it in a little ragu light alfredo with some old bay seasoning....gave it a lobster chowder taste...but it was thick with meat...
I put the tilapia over it....he loved it and thought I was a genius. I keep a bag of frozed shrimp in the freezer and will take a handful out and cook it in a splash of oil with garlic...then spray the I can't believe its not butter spray on it.
Baked chicken in alfredo sauce served over green beans instead of pasta. Or low carb pasta is amazing!!!!
Baked chicken with ham & swiss melted on top and parmesan on top....
Baked Chicken in italian sauce (marinara, spaghetti...whatever) loaded with chopped peppers and onion. Over low carb pasta.
BTW...Low carb pasta is high in protein and fiber...very filling unlike regular pasta.
DO you have chiavettas sauce where you are? It is a very strong vinegar marinade....mixed with alfredo sauce makes a very tangy dipping sauce.
I use a lot of low carb pasta for sneaking in more fiber and low fat alfredo for flavors and sauces....I sneak in onion, garlic, green and la rouge red pepper into everything I make....the few extra calories are all good carbs. Peppers are very high in antioxidents too.
When we are too busy to cook...conflicting schedules or holiday weekends....I grab a couple rotisserie chickens from the super market or Boston market. and keep them in the fridge...BOston market sells turkey family meals by the pound also. He will eat turkey instead of heading out to a drive thru or ordering pizza. He won't reach for a salad.....but a plate of turkey? mmmm-mmm
LOL
I am leaving for the weekend to take my daughter to a competition...
I am cooking a fridge full of healthy left overs to make it convenient to graze while I'm gone....usually I try to balance the day meals....it either has fat, a touch of sugar or high sodium in order to be tasty...so, I try to mix it up not to overdose him on any of those. Being a bit overweight, he also has high blood pressure, so cooking with salt was eliminated. I noticed I taste salt more now that I don't consume as much of it...I really don't miss the table salt. Read labels...low fat is usually higher in sodium.
There is definately an energy difference eating better.
I am fortunate to have a daughter that will eat healthy with us, but I was never tolerant of the picky eater syndrome.
Hopefully I can get him to start with daily stretches and eventually some isometric excersises in the mornings....he's getting the energy now...
HMmmmm..
Good luck to you!!!
Hope you do well.