Struggling with food

krlyr

Do you like greek yoghurt? Very simple and a good source of protein. Egg would be another good source of protein if you like it - you could boil a few at a time and keep in the fridge for easy breakfasts/snacks. You could make egg muffins/frittatas/crustless quiches and freeze breakfast or lunch sized portions, another easy way to get a meal in and a nice protein hit.

Or if you really want to simplify it, I'd get a protein shake without all the added extras in the Herbalife - you'll probably save a bit of money too. I take protein shakes sometimes after exercise, I have a whey-based chocolate flavoured one I prepare with almond milk and frozen banana - tastes like a chocolate milkshake which is a bonus!

Breaded fish and chicken isn't too bad - it's healthier to have without, but if you like it, it's not the end of the world. I'd probably not eat it every day but once in a while I'll make a katsu curry with a southern fried chicken breast, or a battered chicken breast burger.

Is your diet restricted because of personal taste or because of convenience? I was terrible with my diet when I was in my late teens/20s because we'd been raised on a limited diet (chicken nuggets and chips, burgers, etc. - no salads, very little veg, etc.) but in my 20s I made a point of trying things at least once before writing them off, and I've actually discovered lots of new foods I really enjoy.

Pollycat

Citygirl1 wrote: »

Thanks for your replies. I don't have the Herbalife to lose weight, just to give me more protein. I don't like porridge so wouldn't have that for breakfast. Might start having the shakes for breakfast and something else for lunch. What about breaded chicken and fish, is that too processed? M&S breaded food is fresh chicken and fish. Its so easy to put in the oven but not exactly a ready meal.

You asked that question in your earlier thread:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5724153

Nargleblast

Scrambled eggs on toast or maybe a bacon sandwich would be quick to do for breakfast. If you don’t like porridge then how about putting muesli in a bowl with extra fruit and nuts and milk - leave to soak overnight and eat as is in the morning. Or plain yoghourt with honey, sliced banana and almonds? Toast and peanut butter and banana?

Lunches can be a sandwich and some fruit and yoghourt, or beans on toast. If you have the oven on for a meal, add 3 or 4 potatoes (washed, pierced with a knife and rubbed with oil and salt) and cook to make your own instant jacket potatoes which can be reheated and served with your choice of filling. Things like bolognaise, chilli or curry - make enough for 3 or 4 meals and portion up the leftovers so you can have a takeaway without having a takeaway!

Look at the Grocery Challenge thread for more ideas.

Citygirl1

krlyr wrote: »

Do you like greek yoghurt? Very simple and a good source of protein. Egg would be another good source of protein if you like it - you could boil a few at a time and keep in the fridge for easy breakfasts/snacks. You could make egg muffins/frittatas/crustless quiches and freeze breakfast or lunch sized portions, another easy way to get a meal in and a nice protein hit.

Or if you really want to simplify it, I'd get a protein shake without all the added extras in the Herbalife - you'll probably save a bit of money too. I take protein shakes sometimes after exercise, I have a whey-based chocolate flavoured one I prepare with almond milk and frozen banana - tastes like a chocolate milkshake which is a bonus!

Breaded fish and chicken isn't too bad - it's healthier to have without, but if you like it, it's not the end of the world. I'd probably not eat it every day but once in a while I'll make a katsu curry with a southern fried chicken breast, or a battered chicken breast burger.

Is your diet restricted because of personal taste or because of convenience? I was terrible with my diet when I was in my late teens/20s because we'd been raised on a limited diet (chicken nuggets and chips, burgers, etc. - no salads, very little veg, etc.) but in my 20s I made a point of trying things at least once before writing them off, and I've actually discovered lots of new foods I really enjoy.

My diet is out of convenience. I was brought up on home cooked food.

Just out of interested whats the name of the shake you have? I thought Herbalife was the healthiest, well that's what my friend says who sells it

krlyr

Your friend gets paid for selling it I have a few brands but sites like Myprotein or similar will sell protein powders with much less of the crap in. Ingredients for the Herbalife below..




Cooking from scratch can take a bit longer than ready meals but there are ways you can make it more convenient. You have a slow cooker - it's simple to just through in some meat and spices and voila, half your meal cooked for you. And if you have the freezer room, batch cooking makes things a lot easier. Your slow cooked meal can go in portions in the freezer, you can batch-cook yourself some mashed potato, some rice (cook, run under cold water to cool, freeze - perfectly safe to reheat), jacket potatoes can be frozen, you can even cut and parboil a batch of homemade chips or wedges to freeze and then cook in the oven like oven chips. Once you get into the swing of it, it doesn't take that much longer to make your own homemade, healthier alternatives to foods you like.

pelirocco

Citygirl1 wrote: »

Thanks for your replies. I don't have the Herbalife to lose weight, just to give me more protein. I don't like porridge so wouldn't have that for breakfast. Might start having the shakes for breakfast and something else for lunch. What about breaded chicken and fish, is that too processed? M&S breaded food is fresh chicken and fish. Its so easy to put in the oven but not exactly a ready meal.

Why do you think you need more protein ? Its pretty difficult to be protein deficient

Citygirl1

krlyr wrote: »

Your friend gets paid for selling it I have a few brands but sites like Myprotein or similar will sell protein powders with much less of the crap in. Ingredients for the Herbalife below..




Cooking from scratch can take a bit longer than ready meals but there are ways you can make it more convenient. You have a slow cooker - it's simple to just through in some meat and spices and voila, half your meal cooked for you. And if you have the freezer room, batch cooking makes things a lot easier. Your slow cooked meal can go in portions in the freezer, you can batch-cook yourself some mashed potato, some rice (cook, run under cold water to cool, freeze - perfectly safe to reheat), jacket potatoes can be frozen, you can even cut and parboil a batch of homemade chips or wedges to freeze and then cook in the oven like oven chips. Once you get into the swing of it, it doesn't take that much longer to make your own homemade, healthier alternatives to foods you like.

Thanks for that. I have a small slow cooker. Trouble is with freezing stuff I go off it and don't want to eat it after a while or I get paranoid about reheating it. Slow cookers are handy though, even for say one portion of chicken.

ladymarmalade

Lunches are easy to vary, especially with a bit of prep beforehand.

I like to take hummus with either carrot sticks, chopped peppers or cucumber sticks.
I also often use feta in my cooking and so then use the leftovers to make a feta and olive snack pot.
Pasta is quick and easy to prep too and eat cold the next day e.g pasta and pesto or tuna mayo and sweetcorn pasta.

Do you meal plan? It can be difficult if you are on your own as it's often cheaper to buy things in bulk. For example, if you buy a pack of pitta bread, you could use some to take to work to have as a sandwich or to dip in hummus and then use some more to make a pitta pizza (load up with passata/cheese/fave toppings). Then if you have passata left you can make a pasta sauce with it. if you make meatballs to go with your pasta, you can make extra and use the leftovers in a meatball sub sandwich and so on and so on.
I love meal planning and compared to what I used to spend, I save about £20 between two of us.

krlyr

Citygirl1 wrote: »

Thanks for that. I have a small slow cooker. Trouble is with freezing stuff I go off it and don't want to eat it after a while or I get paranoid about reheating it. Slow cookers are handy though, even for say one portion of chicken.

Cook meals you enjoy but cook a few. Easy to go off chicken curry if you eat it every night for a week - but if you have a rotation of 5 meals in the freezer (plus whatever you fancy cooking fresh in the week) then would that help?

As for being paranoid, you seem to recognise that this isn't necessarily a rational way of thinking. As long as the food wasn't left on the side warm for days, has been frozen at a steady temperature (no leaving the freezer door ajar all night) and is reheated to piping hot, you're unlikely to have any issue. I've been batch-cooking and refreezing for years with no issue - and 'risky' foods like rice, chicken, eggs. Infact, the only time I've given myself food poisoning was with a Chicago Town oven pizza!

purpleivy

'Looking at what you eat, I would say that to eat more healthily, you need to up your fruit and non starchy vegetables, eat a breakfast that has some protein in it and to cut the snacks. 'Light' products tend to have more sugar and less fat. We have been fed the line for years that in order to be healthy we need to eat more carbohydrates and lower fat. More recent healthy guidelines show the reverse to be better for you, so that your insulin levels remain steadier throughout the day. If you eat proper meals with adequate protein and fat, you shouldn't need the carby snacks. This is why lots of sources these days advocate a protein rather than carby sugary breakfast. Far more sustaining.