I need new food!

I have been dieting since June.  I feel like I been living off of basically frozen meals, or chef boyardee microwavable cups of spaghetti and stuff like that. 

Very seldom do I cook, which I know I need to start!

I love salads! but I get bored iwth the bagged lettuce, so I usually buy premade salads from the deli dept.

Give me some ideas for healthier new foods please? :)

 Just recently I have been eating Boca Veggie Burgers. They are 90 calories each...I put them on a whole wheat bun, the load it with pickles, tomato slices, and lettuce. I find they are very filling and yummy!

I have a bunch of ideas...I will get back to you on some of them...

I usually just take my plate (smaller plate)...fill 1/2 with veggies, 1/4 with meat (lean), and the other 1/4 with rice or potatoes....that usually works well on portion control.

YUMMY ACORN SQUASH ...

Take an acorn squash and half it. Scoop out the goop.  Spray I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray on the squash halves, then sprinkle your favorite spices. (For sweet, I add cinnamon, nutmeg, Splenda) ... (For savory I add garlic powder, chil powder, and lime/onion).  Then you just bake them in the oven. (They can also be microwaved SEPARATELY for 5 minutes each).   Very healthy, very low calorie.

HERBED BULGUR ...

Get a rice cooker. Get some wheat bulgur. Measure out 1 cup of dry bulgur to 2 cups of water. Toss in 2 packets of low sodium chicken bouillon and your favorite spices ... onion powder, garlic powder, curry powder, oregano ... and flip on the rice cooker. It shuts off when its done. Stir well and fluff with a fork. About 150 calories each for the 4 servings you just made. Yum! Yum!

EGGBEATERS SCRAMBLES ...

Go buy some Eggbeaters. (They even have flavored ones!) Chop up your favorite veggies ... I like mushrooms, onions, pepper. Sautee them with a few spices. Pour in some eggbeaters and make a delicious scramble. You can even add a tablespoon or two of real bacon bits, some low fat cheese, or even some turkey sausage! Woo hoo! (And salsa is nice, too!)

MINI PIZZAS ....

Take 2 toasted Thomas' multigrain english muffins. Add a tablespoon of pasta sauce or salsa to each of the four halves. Add a slice each of Kraft fat free cheddar singles. Add a few slices of turkey pepperoni. Add some italian seasoning. Grill in your toaster oven ... yum! yum! yum!

=^..^= MOLLY

 

I looove Trader Joe's Vegetarian Masala Burgers.. so yum on a toasted english muffin with some red onions, lettuce/spinach and tomato.  A little spicy a ton of taste. 

yve's veggie dogs are great, too.

Also, I cuy cous cous, cook acc'd to directions, then mix with lemon juice, cucumber, red onion,  tomato, fresh basil, a tsp of olive oil and a little salt/pepper.  soooo yum.  I eat it with a bl sl chicken breast and zucchini cooked on ye olde george foreman with a little garlic grill seasoning.

I also like to make whole wheat pasta and mix with one of the following:

2 trader joes turkey meatballs, cut up, 1/2 zucchini or yellow/white squash, 1/5 red onion, clove garlic, dash red pepper flakes, 1/3 red bell pepper, 1/5 green bell pepper, 2 mushrooms oregano and basil, 1/4 c trader joes basil marinara sauce (or 1/4 c diced tomatoes)

3 oz chicken breast, lemon juice, 1 TBS olive oil, 2 artichoke hearts cut up, 2 mushrooms, 1/4 onion, clove garlic, salt, pepper to taste (i like red pepper flakes).

1/4 c shredded carrots, 1/4 c shredded cucumber, 1/8 c bean sprouts (place on top raw), 1 tsp seshuan (sp?) sauce, 1 tsp peanut butter, 3 oz chicken breast,  clove garlic, 1/4 yellow squash, 1/5 red onion, 1/2 sm red bell pepper.  Garnish with some peanuts and cilantro.

I also like to make tuna salad with tuna, red onion, cucumber, celery and a little plain yogurt and put in a whole wheat pita with some raw spinach.

I like asparagus sauted with olive oil, red onion, brussels sprouts, garlic, squash and a little red wine and lemon juice. i eat it with brown rice and grilled tilapia or salmon with lemon and pepper.

I like brussel sprouts sauted with garlic, red onions, olive oil and a little salt/pepper.  usually eat this with brown rice and grilled/baked chicken

Try new salads.  Make a taco salad with salsa and tomatoes, onions, cheddar cheese and black olives, maybe a little sour cream and crumbled chips in it.  Taco meat, seasoned chicken, or go without meat if you want.

Chicken parmesan salads.  Throw in some breaded chicken chunks, spaghetti sauce, mushrooms, parmesan cheese, and you're good.

I work in pizza and ate salads a lot, and after a while I had to find new ways of eating salads so I wouldn't go nuts.  I'd do chicken, bacon, and ranch salads, Italian salads with banana peppers, olives, grilled chicken, and dressing, or weird pizza combinations.  Like the taco and the chicken parmesan.  Garlic chicken, barbeque chicken, buffalo chicken, Hawaiian salads, vegetable tosses (more random vegetables than lettuce with dressing), ham and cheese salads.  Basically the lettuce was my new pizza crust and the dressing was my sauce replacement.

try homemade stir fry without the oil it is super low cal i put the recepie on here early....also popcorn is  a great snack...

I have a great cookbook!  Eating Well Serves Two.  The recipies make enough for two people so if it is just you you can cut in two and save the next for lunch the next day.  I've made so many meals out of it.  Most meals are very quick and are extremely tasty.  Sometimes I'll double a recipie so that there is enough for my husband and me for dinner and I can have leftovers for the next day.  I highly recommend this book.

buy those frozen veggies that steam in the microwave - it'll help you ease into cooking & get more veggies into your diet. then you can move on to buying fresh & cutting them up & steaming them in the microwave :-)

to rev up your salads & winterize them, try topping them with a little dressing for flavor (i like fat free honey mustard or Asian toasted sesame), a little fat free cottage cheese, maybe some canned tuna or a boca burger patty or some canned kidney beans, and a couple of servings of hot steamed veggies. it sounds strange, i know, but it really turns a salad into a satisfying meal. i've done it with steamed broccoli, cauliflower, peas, carrots, squash, cabbage and corn and any of those work great in a salad.

I bought an G.Foreman grill that I use all the time. It came with a cookbook and is very easy to clean. I have made grilled veggies and added them to wild rice. Baked apples,peaches or pineapple. Kabobs are easy and a nice change. I take a low fat tortilla and add fat free refried beans with onions. Then I fold it and grill it like a grilled cheese. There are a million soups and salads. I like to take dark greens and mix them with mandrain oranges. I add what ever I have on hand. Sliced almonds,dried cherries,pineapple tidbits,chow mein noodles,sweet onions, ect. Anyway, invent your own! What do you like?

Find some yummy, healthy chili and soup recipes on allrecipes.com and spend an hour on the weekend making a batch.  You can eat what you want then refrigerate or freeze the rest to eat during the week or later!  It's a good way to load up with veggies, by putting them in soups - and a bowl of soup or chili with a slice of wheat bread is always a perfect filling, healthy meal - especially since it's getting colder.