Forcing myself to continue healthy eating

Marie5656

Marie5656

SF VIP
Location
Batavia, NY
Past few months I was relying heavily on "fast" meals, and on the go stuff. Now I am working hard on getting back to eating healthier. Yesterday I made myself a nice taco salad..used ground turkey as the meat. I had forgotten how much I liked them.
I have stocked up on more fresh veggies and fruit too. A few years ago I "invented" a kind of chicken stir fry. Cubed up chicken, green peppers, onion, potatoe and sautéed in a pan. Sometimes I even cut up tomato into it. Season it up with whatever I have on hand and enjoy. I usually make enough for left overs the next day.
I was always of the feeling that cooking for two was not much off from cooking for one. I was wrong, I have found I sometimes still make a bit too much. I made scrambled eggs for breakfast yesterday and found I could not finish them all. So I gave the left overs to the furkids.
 

Good for you Marie. You'll feel all the better for it too if you can stick to it... but I know it can be hard, especially after such a trauma that you've had losing your husband, and it would be easy to comfort eat, so Good luck !!:)
 
hollydolly said:
Good for you Marie. You'll feel all the better for it too if you can stick to it... but I know it can be hard, especially after such a trauma that you've had losing your husband, and it would be easy to comfort eat, so Good luck !!:)
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Thanks, Holly. You are right. But I am slowly moving to just having healthier options in my house. Bought pistachio nuts and popcorn for snacking.
Hard this is remembering to actually eat the fresh stuff I am buying, before it goes bad.
 

I know how it is Marie, it's hard sometimes to cook for one- even while freezing portions.

Sometimes I cut up fresh veg mixtures, roll them in olive oil and salt and spread them single layer on a sheet pan and roast in a 400 oven 30 to 60 min. depending on their size.

Fresh asparagus takes 10 min.

Only the best for you!
 
I am reminded that I have some homemade soup in the freezer. Will have to take it out. I also had bought a corned beef brisket on sale at St Patricks day. (Rick was Irish). Plan was to make it when he got home. I may invite some company over some time and make it up.
 
Marie5656 said:
Hard this is remembering to actually eat the fresh stuff I am buying, before it goes bad.
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Try shopping at a store where you can buy individual produce items. The other day I went to Wegman's and bought 2 bananas, 1 red bliss potato, 1 green pepper, a box of mushrooms and a bag of spinach. The bananas will go into a couple of smoothies made with some almond milk, a packet of artificial sweetener and a splash of vanilla extract. I feel silly buying one potato but it helps me to keep an eye on portion control and eliminate waste. Part of the green pepper went into a batch of tuna salad and the rest will go into some scrambled eggs. The spinach and mushrooms will appear for dinner as sides, breakfast with some eggs and then the leftovers will be added to a can of Campbell's cream of something soup with some stock/water added to thin the soup and reduce the calories.

Buying individual items also works in other areas of a large supermarket. Don't be afraid to ask for 3 slices of ham at the deli, one roll in the bakery, 1 pork chop at the meat couter, etc...

I also buy individual SF applesauce, fruit snack packs, pudding cups, V-8, etc... The individual servings seem to cost more but they eliminate waste, help with portion control and ultimately become a better value for me than the larger packages.

Shopping every two or three days gets me out of the house and allows me to only buy what I need.

Concentrate on the fresh fruits and vegetables then fill in with a few treats/indulgences/convenience foods, etc...

Keep a couple of Lean Cuisine entrees in the freezer for the dark days!

Please keep us posted on any tips that come your way, we all can use ideas and inspiration when it comes to cooking for one person.
 
Glad you're sticking to eating healthier Marie, stir fry is easy and you can make it whatever way you want, the chicken sounds good! My husband's been making us stir fry meals with some scallops we bought on sale in one pound bags, they keep very well in the freezer. He sautes onions, crushed garlic, sliced mushrooms, broccoli crowns in a little bit of olive oil until everything is tender, he adds the scallops last so they don't overcook. He also uses a stir fry sauce and Chinese 5 spice, but we like things a bit spicier. We get those boil in bags of Uncle Ben's white rice, easy to make and handy, and serve it over that.

Also have made similar dishes with cut up ham steak pieces, onions, green beans or sweet peas, and potatoes, when everything is tender and the flavors meld together, it's a great comfort food but not that unhealthy.
 
I'm trying to eat healthier, too, and have been for the most part but at times don't have much of an appetite and the fresh veggies sometimes go bad. Just checked the broccoli I cut up the other day--still looks okay but I think I need to get more of a variety of veggies because I get tired of having broccoli every day or so. I get it because it's so nutritious but one can only stand so much of the same thing. I often get berries. I got some blueberries today and love them. I switch the type of berries I get. They are very good for us. I also like to have plain lowfat greek yogurt with walnuts and berries. It really appeals to me for breakfast. I've been eating alone for a long time so I'm quite used to it.
 
Marie--one thing I do with produce like peppers and mushrooms is to wash them and cut them into pieces (slice the mushrooms). I spread them on a baking sheet and freeze, then put them into a ziplock freezer bag. Then when I need them for a recipe, they are ready to go, just pull out what you need. The vegetables won't be good thawed to eat raw but they work fine in recipes.
 
Just get yourself on to veggie casseroles and don't fear enjoying a treat now and then and meat in sensible portions. Low cal ice creams is everywhere now (just a hint).
 
I try to shop once a month and it's very hard to get fresh produce to last that long so I cook it up first.

We eat a lot of salads (because I love salad)

We will have a salad and some grilled chicken or boiled eggs for protein..

Stir fried Brussels sprouts are a favorite.

There are a lot of things that you can freeze..In my opinion it's way better than anything in a can.
 
After losing my wife I too struggled with meals. I still just barely get by. I had no knowledge of cooking and haven't gained much skill. I know if my girl was here she would want me to eat so...... I try.
 
AZ Jim said:
After losing my wife I too struggled with meals. I still just barely get by. I had no knowledge of cooking and haven't gained much skill. I know if my girl was here she would want me to eat so...... I try.
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Jim, you underestimate yourself. From what you have posted, I think you are doing well in improving your cooking skills. Go to a site called www.allrecipes.com The recipes there are pretty simple, and not too exotic. I go there often.
 
Seeker said:
I try to shop once a month and it's very hard to get fresh produce to last that long so I cook it up first.

We eat a lot of salads (because I love salad)

We will have a salad and some grilled chicken or boiled eggs for protein..

Stir fried Brussels sprouts are a favorite.

There are a lot of things that you can freeze..In my opinion it's way better than anything in a can.
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Your note on canned stuff. I subscribe to a couple newsletter mags and I read last month the taboo on canned veggies is outdated. Aside from the typical sodium concern the vitamin content is substantial. I will admit the "facts" on what is healthy nd what is not changes with every sunset
 

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