Tuesday, July 16, 2013

The Scenario

I have a couple of scenarios I need help with.

Scenario 1:
I have planned a good healthy dinner. For any number of reasons that meal doesn't pan out--the crockpot took longer than I thought, the meat was bad, I forgot to pull out the meat to defrost. I need a replacement meal that's fast because my family is hungry.
The only fast and easy meals I really know are not healthy--fast food, take out or frozen food that can go right in the oven.
What should I have on hand to make a last minute quick and easy but healthy meal?

Scenario 2:
We are out running alllll the errands. We ate breakfast but are out far longer than we thought and we are starving. It's lunch time and we are all reaching the "hangry" point. Easy solution is to go through the fast food drive thru.
What can I do to avoid this situation?

I find that I know what I should be eating and that I should be exercising and all of that jazz. I know WHAT but what I am struggling with is the HOW, particularly when I'm under a lot of stress. I have developed habits to deal with the stress and kind of feel stuck in them.

I have asked my doctor to send me to a nutritionist and he blew me off because he sent me to diabetic education classes years ago. I don't need to know shit about my blood sugar. I know that stuff. I need real life problem solving skills when it comes to food. Shopping lists would be nice.

Maybe there's an app for that.

7 comments:

  1. You could make healthy casseroles or foods that you can freeze and pull out and cook..Much better then the store bought..You just have to take the time to cook them or prep them before hand. I have to do that now because I work nights and if I didn't do this the kids would eat PB&J or Ramen Noodles. haha
    For the snack thing you can keep or take something with you to snack on till you get home.(carrots, apples, or Nuts..that is a good healthy snack.

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  2. for the crockpot... I also keep grilled chicken (frozen) in my freezer, so that i can throw that in the oven if need be. and you can also do tuna fish/canned chicken. i keep canned veggies and canned fruit in my cupboards and smart taste pasta. I can ALWAYS throw together a "healthy" meal quickly.

    okay...fast food wise, if you choose to hit a drive thru, ask for a grilled chicken sandwich (no dressing/mayo) ask for fat free ranch or low fat dressing of some sort on the side, so you have control of what and how much goes on the sandwich,also, eat only half of the bun (this will cut calories) or you can ask for a salad, with lowfat dressing. NO FRIES! NO FRIED FOODS! As for the kids, it's okay once in awhile, just not every day :)

    snacks... almonds are fantastic for you, of light string cheese and crackers, or a apple and light string cheese. i struggle with snack time, because of my allergies, sorry i can't be of more help!

    ~ Katie

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  3. Scenario One happens to me all the time!! If you like Fish, Gordon's makes a delicious seasoned frozen Tilapia that is only 80 calories per filet! They are delicious and healthy! And I keep canned or frozen green beans and frozen veggie medleys (the steam ones you cook in the microwave)on hand ALWAYS to pair up with that and to use as sides with other planned out meals. I also have a delicious recipe for tuna cakes using canned white tuna. If you aren't a fan of fish, then I would recommend buying some of the Tyson grilled chicken that comes already prepared in a bag. No, it isn't organic and clearly they use preservatives because they stay good longer than fresh chicken, but they are tasty and AWESOME to keep on hand. I usually keep that and whole wheat tortillas on hand for some quick chicken wraps (I make them greek or fajita style, depending on my mood). Those are my main "go to" meals for that...

    Scenario two...even fast food restaurants have healthy options now. Just ask for their nutrition information because sometimes salads aren't so healthy. I would also suggest keeping a little bag with you with things like nuts, dried fruit, protein bars, a banana or if you have an insulated tote you could throw an ice pack in, take a cheese stick or some refrigerated munchie veggie or fruit. Always go prepared to be out longer than you thought you would be. Even if you're not, who cares! At least you'll still be prepared!

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  4. 1. Have a "cooking day" in which you prepare all of your food for the week. Yes, it's a lot of work for one day but planning is a key element in success. Also, there are some frozen options that aren't horrible, stock a few of those in the house for the nights when everything's going wrong or you just aren't up to cooking.

    2. stock healthy snacks in the car. All the time. Granola bars, fruit strips (I can send the link for the homemade ones for you), nuts, raisins, other things that won't get gross in the heat or cold. Also, while it may be cliche, Subway is a good fast food for those days. Yes, you can make bad choices at Subway and make anything unhealthy, but the calories, fat, carbs, etc. are all spelled out for you. Also Start using MyFitnessPal app! Seriously, it's the best thing ever, and you already have an account! YOu can look up foods that you're thinking about eating and see what healthier choices are there.

    3. In order to break habits, you have to make new ones. For me, I had to put signs around my house. I have on that says "Good things come to those who work their asses off and never give up" with "Good things come to those who wait" crossed off. Another one, on my fridge, is "Whatever the problem is, the answer is not in the fridge." Think about it this way, you have rules for your children and you would not allow them to abuse and hurt themselves or others as we have done to ourselves. It's about not eating before bed, and making sure you eat breakfast. I know for me, I had to actually treat myself like a child. If one of my babies is upset, I don't hand her/him a pint of ice cream. I give hugs, love, and we talk it out. You have an awesome support system and a hubby who adores you beyond words. Start small... you didn't get unhealthy and overweight one night while sitting on your butt with a Big Mac, this isn't going to be fixed with one Jazzercise routine followed by a salad.

    As for the "How" and shopping lists, there are actually a lot of them throughout the internet with calorie counts per meal and everything. I know that Jillian Michaels has one to go along with her Ripped in 30 that's about 1200 calories a day (which, btw, is NOT a healthy intake to stay at for long - it's a good jump start for a month, but then you're body will go into starvation mode and hold onto every caloric morsel it can... learned that one the hard way too!)

    You can do this - but you have to be patient, it's going to suck completely, you're going to want to give up at least 5 times a day...but just look at those beautiful babies of yours and remember that you want them to grow up to be healthy, strong women... by conquering this battle and living a healthy lifestyle, you are setting them up for success by example.

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  5. Subway is a good go to when your out. Having chicken breasts on hand is helpful. If you contact the local hospital you maybe able to set up your own meeting. Also if your not a member join Sparkpeople.com , they offer meal ideas, a calorie tracker, meal tracker, exercise idea and tracker

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  6. I don't know if you do this, but I use flylady.com it's made me more aware of how i schedule my time. I have a sitdown and a calender. When i plan things out, i'm better prepared to handle things not planned. like the going out and being hangry. I usually try to keep nuts in my car and bring juice or water because it is hot. You can always go to taco bell if you need to. they have an awsome selection of "healty" fast food. I can't do the whole day cooking thing. i've tried and i'm super amazed at the people who can pull it off.
    lol you know me, i'm not an organized person. I realize that if I want to make healthy habits, i need to at least do my homework so that it's easier on me so i don't sabotage my efforts. love ya!

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  7. Fast Food can be healthy if you stick to salads with no cheese or croutons and regular dressing because a few extra calories is better than all the sugar contained in low fat items. Grilled chicken sandwiches work too, I skip the bun. These days all fast food places have a decent amount of healthy options if you know what to look for.

    I have problems all the time with certain food preps not working out for one reason or another. I am trying to be more proactive with my meal planning and always having a back-up plan. I am looking more into freezer meals and doing bulk cooking. There is a lot of stuff on Pinterest for that.

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