Healthy Eating Help

nda_roxybabe · November 2016

I am struggling. I've always been thin and kind of eat whatever I want and have never been really consistent about having 3 actual meals a day. Cereal for dinner is a norm as is not having lunch. I eat meat, I just don't like it in things (pasta, mexican, salad).
Obviously since finding out I'm pregnant I've been trying to eat more consistently and healthier, but its hard! I do meal plan and will do all my lunches for the week on Sundays, this definitely helps.

A typical day for me the past couple months has looked like this;
B: A bar, yogurt, oatmeal, or a chickfila breakfast sandwich (hey, protein!)
L: Soup, sweet potato chili, chicken salad
S: Apple or a bar, if at all

This is where it gets bad. A grilled cheese or corn dog from culvers, baked potato, In n out... it's bad. We don't cook during the week.

I am normally great about making a green smoothie every morning, but have totally slacked off on that since I've been pg.

What has everyone been eating that they feel good about? I need ideas!

onebadmotha · November 2016

The only things I've been consistently doing this pregnancy that I feel good about are drinking lots of milk & water and taking a prenatal every day. Other than that, it's been a sh*tshow.

I did make this for my lunches this week/DS's dinners, and it's really delicious:
https://thrivinghomeblog.com/2012/03/a-healthy-better-mac-and-cheese/
Yes, it's mac & cheese, but it's fairly healthy. I added a bunch of broccoli to it as well (just bought the frozen steamable bags, nuked it and mixed it in before baking). Next time, I might throw in some chicken as well.

RainyDays86 · November 2016

We are also really bad about doing too much takeout because cooking in the evening is so hard. Have you ever used a slow cooker? I love using ours because I am usually too exhausted to cook when I get home from work. Yesterday I made sloppy Joes and they were pretty good and it was great to come home and have it basically done. I can't find the recipe, but if you google "slow cooker sloppy joes" there are a bunch of recipes. You can also google "slow cooker meal prep" and get a bunch of recipes that you can make ahead of time and then freeze and throw in the slow cooker when you're ready to use them.

Another idea is to buy healthier frozen meals to just have on hand. That way if you get home and are hungry, you have something you can throw in your oven. I know Amy's has lots of good options for both single and family meals.

achays11 · November 2016

A big yes to the slow cooker! We throw everything in before we leave for work and the house smells amazing when we get back.

My I usually just have a yogurt and granola for breakfast and a piece of fruit for a snack. Lunch is leftovers of what we had for dinner or I will order something. We try very hard not to eat out during the week and our dinners are very simple. A protein and a veggie. Pre-pregnancy we weren't keeping carbs in the house, but now we occasionally have pasta or turkey burgers.

Keep in in mind, it doesn't have to be elaborate to be healthy.

MoshiMoshi7 · November 2016

Another vote for the slow cooker!

We used to be terrible about cooking on weekday but since I decided to get healthier after I had DS, we've been a lot better. The biggest help has definitely been meal planning. I try to find recipes that take less than 30 minutes to prepare. I also buy things like prechopped garlic and onions to cut down on prep time.

Also, anything you can cook on the weekends is a huge help. For instance, we'll cook a whole chicken on Sunday and put leftovers in enchiladas/soup/tacos sometime during the week. We also make big batches of things that are freezable (soups and chilis) and that is a simple defrost for a weeknight home cooked meal.

I think it takes time to get into a routine. It felt pretty daunting when we first started but now its just part of our night time process.

nda_roxybabe · November 2016

Ahh yea, I could do that. Part of the problem is H usually has a big lunch and does not have much of a dinner. He is also crazy picky. I suppose I could make something just for myself and any leftovers could be dinner or lunch the following days.

ChristinaWild · November 2016

It might not work for you, but have you thought about setting aside some time on the weekend to cook or prep a couple of meals, so that you don't have to do so much in the evenings? I hate cooking during the week, so on Sunday I'll usually make a couple of meals. I'll stick half of each in the freezer to pull out later in the week. Then all we have to do is heat up dinner instead of full on cooking.

Of course, after saying all of that I have to fully admit to the ridiculous number of nights I've either had my husband grab us takeout or just snacked. It's definitely not a perfect plan, but I think it helps!

nda_roxybabe · November 2016

@ChristinaWild I do that for lunches. I hate cooking which doesn't help. Hmm.

Jens_Hoes · November 2016

@nda_roxybabe My husband is SUPER picky as well. I have a rotating "menu" of things I'm allowed to do. Pasta with meatballs is super easy because all you do is heat everything up (meatballs are already cooked), or pasta with pesto sauce. I also make lasagna, sausage and peppers and chicken fajitas in the slow cooker. He has a very "unrefined" pallet, so sometimes I make english muffin pizzas in the oven. Although last night we both had cereal for dinner

Buzzfeed has a nutrition newsletter thing that I signed up for and they send me stuff once a week with different recipes, sometimes I don't use any and sometimes I use a bunch.

nda_roxybabe · November 2016

@Jen_Shoes All of those things are right up our alley! We actually made pasta with turkey meatballs over the weekend (the only time we cook). English muffin pizzas have me intrigued. Lasagna is a good idea too, but I dont like meat in it so it'll just end being carbs, haha.

nda_roxybabe · November 2016

What's everyone been snacking on?

Jens_Hoes · November 2016

nda_roxybabe said:

@Jen_Shoes All of those things are right up our alley! We actually made pasta with turkey meatballs over the weekend (the only time we cook). English muffin pizzas have me intrigued. Lasagna is a good idea too, but I dont like meat in it so it'll just end being carbs, haha.

The one I make is veggie because I'm too lazy to cook the meat before putting it in the slow cooker

starphish18 · November 2016

nda_roxybabe said:

What's everyone been snacking on?

My snacks are usually things like yogurt, granola bars, veggies (like carrots, cucumber, celery) with ranch, popcorn (I pop it on the stove and add grated parmesan and paprika...delish), sometimes baked chips, and fruit if it sounds good (still not up to eating as many sweet things as before). Another good one is to roast chickpeas with a little oil for about an hour, then toss in whatever flavorings you want (like maybe curry powder). They get really crunchy and are delicious to snack on.

erinh2005 · November 2016

@starphish18 never heard of this but sounds amaze! Are we talking from canned?

starphish18 · November 2016

@erinh2005 Yeah! Here's an example recipe:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/crispy-chickpeas0.html?ref=amp

You can google "roasted chickpea recipe" and get a lot of ideas for flavors to add. I've done curry powder, or just sea salt is also great.
ETA: Just make sure to add spices at the end so they don't burn.

erinh2005 · December 2016

@starphish18 thanks so much! Can't wait to try this!!

Cubslove12 · December 2016

My biggest issue is... traditionally My DH and I do chicken or fish and two veggies, steak salad stuff like that...I still don't want anything to do with meat or fish.... I made lemon chicken, roasted potatoes, and broccoli last night.... I ate potatoes and broccoli... I miss eating healthy all I do is carbs lately. I think I need more vegetarian options...

psherman42wwsa · December 2016

Cooking on week nights is a pain. I'm always looking for fast easy options. We have kroger here in MI and they will put salmon or whatever fish in a baking bag with lemon, butter and some seasonings. You just pop it in the oven and it's pretty tasty. That paired with some steamable vegetables, easy healthy meal. We do that often. After dinner we wreck our healthy eating by eating ice cream sandwiches....

I also get a lot of those hot rotisserie chickens, my 1 year old loves it and I can use the left overs to make a pot pie or something.

I usually snack on string cheese, granola bars, cuties or nuts.

MrsFox2008 · December 2016

I really focus on a healthy breakfast and lunch. I really enjoy a piece of fruit and Greek yogurt with granola mixed in for breakfast. For a snack I enjoy carrots and cucumber dipped in ranch or/and a piece of fruit. Lunches mostly consist of left over dinner from the night before and a small salad. For dinners I'm obsessed with cooking in the crockpot, although I'm really trying to find healthier recipes for the crockpot and recipes that don't have a lot of salt!

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