Healthy eating - how?

CharlieRabbit01

Looking for some advice on healthy eating.

I'm a fairly lazy cook, though I only tend to have a ready meal once a week and take out once a fortnight.

Cooking for me generally means sling it in the oven set the timer and ignore till it goes off.

I love baking (not particularly healthy) but despise cooking real food I don't really like eating I find it a bit of a chore.

a typical meal would be either boiled potatoes or potato waffles (oven cooked) with chicken escalopes or similar alternative and veg usually carrots and broccoli or peas.

I'm quite a fussy eater, I don't like spicy food or fish.

So I'm looking for a little inspiration, I can stand staring at the vegetables in my local supermarket but none of it jumps out at me.

I'm not over weight or looking to lose weight just to try to make me meals healthier.


Please bear with me when reading your posts and listing my dislikes, I do try things though before deciding if i like it or not.

Oh and I'm lactose intolerant so some but not too much dairy.

KerryBish

What about things like stir fry? That's a good way to get more veg in. Or try having something like couscous for a change instead of potatoes, it's really easy, you just add some water and soak it for a few minutes, I put chicken stock in it.
It's easier in the summer I think, when you can have salads. I sometimes do a roast chicken and just have salad with it.
Have you tried roasting veg? Put some in a dish, maybe sweet potatoes, carrots, red onion, mushrooms, red peppers etc, with some olive oil and maybe a bit of garlic if you like garlic, and put it in the oven for half an hour or so.
I'm hungry now!

**professor~yaffle**

I don't like cooking either! Maybe you could try some slow-cooker meals? Once you've put the ingredients in of a morning you can go away and forget about it till supper time.

CharlieRabbit01

Agreed definitely easier in the summer!.

Are roast vegetables the healthy given that your cooking in oil?

Not tried a slow cooker, is that not just for casseroles?

**professor~yaffle**

Well, I've just used it for casseroles and stews so far, but I think it's possible to do stuff like chicken in them, depending on the size of your slow cooker. There's a slow-cooker thread over on the Old Style board, might be worth a look?

Fire_Fox

Basic slow cooker - stews, casseroles, Bolognese, curries, soups ... some fancier ones will roast meat, bake cakes, steam fish and veg, do perfect rice or porridge with no stirring or faffing. If you want a fancier one and have the budget we have three of these in our family http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tefal-RK302E15-Rk302e15-8-in-1-Cooker/dp/B00843M30U/

I also do a lot of stir fries/ sauteeing, just everything in one non stick pan and done really fast. Tend to aim for three different colours of veg plus frozen defrosted prawns, canned oily fish like mackerel or pilchards, leftover chicken, chicken livers or eggs for protein.

I used to be super fussy until I got sick enough not to work and was forced to change my ways, I ate barely any fruit or veg, no fish, gagged the first time I opened a can of pink salmon. Absolutely adore rainbow trout now and even enjoying chicken liver if I serve it in the right combination.

You can change, it's a case of thinking what does and does not work for you (I MUST have sauces or dressings, no dry veg on the side), trying something new every week or fortnight even if just a bite. Just buy it, then come home and Google an easy recipe. There are still loads of veg and fish I don't like, but enough that I have a good variety. I'm still working on dealing with cooked root veg and squashes, texture is weird!

Chicken breast is very low in nutrients as is any skinless white potato or potato product, that is a bit of a disastrous combination. Chicken leg or turkey dark meat is more nutritious, could have purple potatoes or sweet potatoes both with their skins on for more nutrients. A really nutritious alternative to potatoes is any canned beans or lentils, just rinse and chuck into your meal hot or cold, they are packed with minerals which are just as important as vitamins from produce. Do try to eat a variety of starches, most Westerners eat far too much refined/ processed wheat or potatoes.

If you can't eat three servings of dairy a day where are you getting your calcium? One option is to roast a whole chicken for meat (cook once, eat for days) then make a stock with the bones on day two or three, make soup with the stock on day three or four. Sounds complicated but really doesn't have to be: do the stock in the slow cooker overnight, soup again in the slow cooker, using mostly frozen veggies because there is no prep and they are cheaper.

Yes roasted vegetables are healthy if you do a good mix of bright and dark colours, we do need healthy fats in moderation. Don't use too much oil and use one like olive oil or coconut oil which may have health benefits. Can roast any root vegetables (carrot, red onion, parsnip, purple potato wedges, beetroot), squashes (butternut, aubergine, courgette), mushrooms, whole corn on the cob, bell peppers, cruciferous (broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, baby cabbage), even tomatoes tho they don't go in long.

Blackpool_Saver

Healthy eating is a way of life, you have to force yourself to begin with, over time and not too much time I promise you, the good foods make you have more energy and mental clarity and you find it becomes easy.

CharlieRabbit01

well wouldn't you know, family visited this weekend and gave us a slow cooker as a housewarming gift!

now only to use it.

Its this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Morphy-Richards-48710-Cooker-Stainless/dp/B0000C6XOJ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365417023&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=ramsey+slow+cooker

now to work out how to use. and get my lazy bum out of bed early enough in the morning to put it on.

CharlieRabbit01

Blackpool_Saver wrote: »

Healthy eating is a way of life, you have to force yourself to begin with, over time and not too much time I promise you, the good foods make you have more energy and mental clarity and you find it becomes easy.

I've been slowly getting there, cutting out fizzy drinks, only one glass of squash a day then water or tea (i'm not ready to give up tea yet).

Cut down snacks (sweets, chocolate etc) to 1 portion a day.

HappyMJ

CharlieRabbit01 wrote: »

well wouldn't you know, family visited this weekend and gave us a slow cooker as a housewarming gift!

now only to use it.

Its this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Morphy-Richards-48710-Cooker-Stainless/dp/B0000C6XOJ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365417023&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=ramsey+slow+cooker

now to work out how to use. and get my lazy bum out of bed early enough in the morning to put it on.

You don't have to get up early. Prepare the contents the day before and put in the slow cooker pot and put in fridge overnight. In the morning whilst you are making your morning cup of tea pull the pot out of fridge put into the base of the slow cooker and turn on. It'll be cold for a little while longer but by the time you get home it'll still be cooked through and very hot.

CharlieRabbit01 wrote: »

I've been slowly getting there, cutting out fizzy drinks, only one glass of squash a day then water or tea (i'm not ready to give up tea yet).

Cut down snacks (sweets, chocolate etc) to 1 portion a day.

What do you think of NAS (no added sugar) fizzy drinks?

CharlieRabbit01

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Basic slow cooker - stews, casseroles, Bolognese, curries, soups ... some fancier ones will roast meat, bake cakes, steam fish and veg, do perfect rice or porridge with no stirring or faffing. If you want a fancier one and have the budget we have three of these in our family http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tefal-RK302E15-Rk302e15-8-in-1-Cooker/dp/B00843M30U/

Just got one as a house warming gift! plus recipee bou=ok though I was a bit naughty and turned my nose up at most of the recipes, so need to have another look at it and maybe substitute things i dont like with things i do

I also do a lot of stir fries/ sauteeing, just everything in one non stick pan and done really fast. Tend to aim for three different colours of veg plus frozen defrosted prawns, canned oily fish like mackerel or pilchards, leftover chicken, chicken livers or eggs for protein.

I used to be super fussy until I got sick enough not to work and was forced to change my ways, I ate barely any fruit or veg, no fish, gagged the first time I opened a can of pink salmon. Absolutely adore rainbow trout now and even enjoying chicken liver if I serve it in the right combination.

You can change, it's a case of thinking what does and does not work for you (I MUST have sauces or dressings, no dry veg on the side), trying something new every week or fortnight even if just a bite. Just buy it, then come home and Google an easy recipe. There are still loads of veg and fish I don't like, but enough that I have a good variety. I'm still working on dealing with cooked root veg and squashes, texture is weird!

Chicken breast is very low in nutrients as is any skinless white potato or potato product, that is a bit of a disastrous combination. Chicken leg or turkey dark meat is more nutritious, could have purple potatoes or sweet potatoes both with their skins on for more nutrients. A really nutritious alternative to potatoes is any canned beans or lentils, just rinse and chuck into your meal hot or cold, they are packed with minerals which are just as important as vitamins from produce. Do try to eat a variety of starches, most Westerners eat far too much refined/ processed wheat or potatoes.

I've been adding roasted sweet potatos to most of my meals when I've been using the oven my OH was skeptical on how healthy it was but I'm convinced it is

If you can't eat three servings of dairy a day where are you getting your calcium? One option is to roast a whole chicken for meat (cook once, eat for days) then make a stock with the bones on day two or three, make soup with the stock on day three or four. Sounds complicated but really doesn't have to be: do the stock in the slow cooker overnight, soup again in the slow cooker, using mostly frozen veggies because there is no prep and they are cheaper.

unfortunately I get most of my calcium from supplements or the smigin of goats milk i have in my cup of tea I'll have a go at the soup in the slow cooker

Yes roasted vegetables are healthy if you do a good mix of bright and dark colours, we do need healthy fats in moderation. Don't use too much oil and use one like olive oil or coconut oil which may have health benefits. Can roast any root vegetables (carrot, red onion, parsnip, purple potato wedges, beetroot), squashes (butternut, aubergine, courgette), mushrooms, whole corn on the cob, bell peppers, cruciferous (broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, baby cabbage), even tomatoes tho they don't go in long.

thanks I'll give roasted veg another go though without the aubergine I cant stand it all slimy and yucky.

I know you can never trust these health scare things but I read that cooking with olive oil is bad as it turns it into a bad fat? is this true?