sadie_eats's Journal, 06 November 2014

It's OK. You're starting a new routine...and before long, it'll all be habit. Give it time. 

I struggle with the same issue plus I want to make sure that my kids (ages 4 & 2) have healthy options. Here's a few things that I have found to work for my family: 1. Try doing some planning & prep work on the weekends. There's recipes that you can do the majority of the prep work ahead of time, stash it in the fridge or freezer for quick cooking during the week. (I found recipes for this by googling healthy & quick dinner ideas with a little trial and error). 2. Crockpot - if you don't have one, get one. They are great. You can throw stuff in the night before, stash it in the fridge overnight and then turn in on before you leave in the morning. When you get home, grab some salad or veggies for a size and you're ready to go. 3. Have some "healthy" or "less bad" options for backup. Pre-made frozen stuff isn't all bad if used in moderation. For example, we'll make frozen chicken fingers and use them for wraps or salads. It's quick and easy and not too bad for you. Happy cooking:)  

Thank you! I appreciate the tips, advice, and motivation. :) 

Crockpots! They save me all the time! then by the time you get home dinner is done!  

I second the crockpot suggestion - we love ours. The other thing I do is cook more than what we will eat, then freeze the leftovers. That gives me something healthy that I can through in the microwave in a pinch. We have teenage girls, so weekdays can be a challenge. A fair number of nights I come home to an empty house with little in the fridge - just grab one of the frozen leftovers and in 10 minutes you are eating. 

Ground turkey patties and steamed veggies are always my go-to quick dinner. 

The very best cookbook and all recipes are so very easy to make is by Better Homes and Gardens Diabetic Living Slow Cooker Recipes. I have made about 20 of these recipes and they are all very very good and super easy. I highly recommend this book. 

when I get home from shopping I go ahead and divide up some items to go into lunches or quick snacks. I have little bags of celery, tomatos, cucumbers. I also divide up cottage cheese into bowls and stack them in the fridge. I can grab a couple things and a bag of tuna and I have a superfast lunch. If I portion them out quickly, I can't cheat putting some extra in and saying it's a 1/2 cup, especially since I will short change one of the servings I'm preparing. Fast prep foods are amazing. a roasted chicken from the deli, take of that skin. 98% fat free lunchmeat. Frozen precooked chicken that I can toss in with some veggies and a small amount of noodles and you have a quick and low cal dinner.  

I will save these suggestions for future use! Thank you all so much. I NEED the advice badly so I can stay on track! :) 

For me some chilled fridge items are handy, smoked salmon,mussles,ricotta cheese and yes, definitely tuna. Seafood slant for me but easy and quick to dip into and noto cooking. It takes time to adjust your habits, so keep on smiling :) your doing good. 

It's soup season here. Dumping a bunch of veggies, water, and seasonings in a crock pot and turning it on is super easy.  

Have you ever planned out your meals breakfast, lunch, dinner on your calendar for the week or even month? What about pre cooking your meals and putting them in the fridge for the week? Just having something planned helps, you can always change your mind. Plus Pinterest has great healthy recipes. I do a lot of crockpot and one pot meals in these colder months with a side salad.  

When you do have some time, make up a few things that will freeze well! That way when you are pressed for time or getting home late you can pop it in the oven and Wah Lah! Crock Pot cooking is always great! You can start it in the morning and it is ready when you get home.  

crock pots are very easy to get a meal in one dish. First there are timers that you plug in to the wall and the crock pot into it. I think it will turn on with the time you want it to start cooking and when to stop. I went to this meeting once and they said to save time and money is to have a cook day and get TV divided plates. put meals in them that you want to eat through out the week or month, caver them with tinfoil and put them in the freezer just like TV dinners you buy from the store. For a balanced diet half of your plate should have veggies, a quarter of your plate protein, and a quarter fat. 

Sundays are crock pot day for me, then I have lunch for the rest of the week.