One thing I'd add - stay away from canned veggies if you're after the health benefits - canned veggies have none. The cooking and canning process essentially kills all the vitamins and nutrients. If you want the ease of canned while staying healthy, get frozen veggies.
Low energy during the day, need to change my diet
- Thread starter L_Sludger
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Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
Even canned spinach? It's advertised as fresh... or something.
Yes; canned anything from the grocery store has no nutritional value. Look at the label compared to frozen veggies.
Even canned spinach? It's advertised as fresh... or something.
Yes; canned anything from the grocery store has no nutritional value. Look at the label compared to frozen veggies.
+1 on frozen stuff over canned. Any nutritional stuff aside, it just tastes better to eat frozen. Take kernel corn for instance - much, much better frozen. Spinach, too.
I can sympathize sludger - with my job, I'm essentially relegated to craapy fast food for half the work week, and I can feel it. Once I cook a few fresh healthy meals, I feel a lot better.
But it is kind of nice obliterating a big fat Carl's Jr. Burger and onion rings. In all honesty, when doing physical work, it's the calorie fuel that I need. I've tried eating salad at work when I need to bust [censored] - doesn't work!
But it is kind of nice obliterating a big fat Carl's Jr. Burger and onion rings. In all honesty, when doing physical work, it's the calorie fuel that I need. I've tried eating salad at work when I need to bust [censored] - doesn't work!
If you have low energy you may only need to incorperate caffeine (sp??) into you're diet!
If you want a good side dish, boil up some spinach and when it gets going really good stir in a beaten egg. You wouldn't think it would be as good as it is.
A couple of my staples from when I was single (and now a family man)...
Meat and cabbage thing.
1 lb ground beef/lamb, fried with a large chopped brown onion and some garlic (fresh crushed, or dried).
add
2 carrots diced
2 zucchinni diced
a couple of good handfuls of green beans, sliced
1 packet chicken noodle soup
Some curry powder.
Mix on heat until returns to sizzling sounds return.
Add 1/4 head of shredded cabbage, and cook down.
Usually don't have to add further liquid, as the veges add some. I add chinese cooking wine (just because I can), and maybe some soy/mushroom soy depending on how it tastes near the end.
For dinner, I serve with yellow rice (absorption cooked with turmeric, and cardamom seeds).
For $12, I can feed the 4 of us Sunday Night, and take two work lunches.
The meat/cabbage works great on toast for breakfast too.
Meat and cabbage thing.
1 lb ground beef/lamb, fried with a large chopped brown onion and some garlic (fresh crushed, or dried).
add
2 carrots diced
2 zucchinni diced
a couple of good handfuls of green beans, sliced
1 packet chicken noodle soup
Some curry powder.
Mix on heat until returns to sizzling sounds return.
Add 1/4 head of shredded cabbage, and cook down.
Usually don't have to add further liquid, as the veges add some. I add chinese cooking wine (just because I can), and maybe some soy/mushroom soy depending on how it tastes near the end.
For dinner, I serve with yellow rice (absorption cooked with turmeric, and cardamom seeds).
For $12, I can feed the 4 of us Sunday Night, and take two work lunches.
The meat/cabbage works great on toast for breakfast too.
Other fave is beef stew. Way better with a $15 crock-pot, but can be done in an hour and a half with a little tougher meat.
1-1/2 lb of chuck/gravy beef, chopped.
Mixed with 2 tbspn of tomato paste, and a tbspn vegemite. Tomato paste seems to tenderise the beef.
Placed as a layer in bottom of big pot.
Add a layer of
Onion
Celery
Carrot
Parsnip
Swede
Chopped pumpkin (finely chopped, it breaks down and thickens the gravy)
1 lb tin of chopped tomato.
Cook...add water as needed
depending on the starch that you want, either :
- add potato
- serve with buttered toast
- make dumplings (wholemeal self raising flour, butter, milk), and add on top of stew for last hour of cooking).
- serve with mashed potato
Usually get the 4 of us fed, plus two work lunches (or three breakfasts with stew on toast) for around $15.
If I want to make it a bit more speccy, add a can of guinness instead of water.
1-1/2 lb of chuck/gravy beef, chopped.
Mixed with 2 tbspn of tomato paste, and a tbspn vegemite. Tomato paste seems to tenderise the beef.
Placed as a layer in bottom of big pot.
Add a layer of
Onion
Celery
Carrot
Parsnip
Swede
Chopped pumpkin (finely chopped, it breaks down and thickens the gravy)
1 lb tin of chopped tomato.
Cook...add water as needed
depending on the starch that you want, either :
- add potato
- serve with buttered toast
- make dumplings (wholemeal self raising flour, butter, milk), and add on top of stew for last hour of cooking).
- serve with mashed potato
Usually get the 4 of us fed, plus two work lunches (or three breakfasts with stew on toast) for around $15.
If I want to make it a bit more speccy, add a can of guinness instead of water.
It's possible that your dietary imbalance has damaged your thyroid. If you've developed hypothyroidism you need to address that before you make dietary changes, otherwise no amount of dietary changes will result in weight loss or reduce the fatigue you're feeling.
I had breakfast this morning, StevieC-style - with a stovetop "fried" egg on top of a slice of toast, with a little tomato. It was very, very delicious. Mid-morning snack was a banana. Lunch was the roast beef deli sandwich and an apple. Mid-afternoon I did a little exercise at the very crowded gym and ate two sticks of string cheese, half a can of spinach, and I baked five drumsticks in the oven. When drizzled with buffalo wing sauce, they were very delicious.
I feel a lot better already. As I get into this habit of cooking for myself, I'm going to add some variety to my methods. A slow cooker would be a great thing for me. I might try for lentils tomorrow for dinner, instead of the chicken.
Thanks for the responses, everybody.
I feel a lot better already. As I get into this habit of cooking for myself, I'm going to add some variety to my methods. A slow cooker would be a great thing for me. I might try for lentils tomorrow for dinner, instead of the chicken.
Thanks for the responses, everybody.
Keep us posted
Good for you for starting to eat better and work out. A little fun exercise goes a long way to making me happier too.
Yes, the more natural you eat, I think the better off you'll be.
As a bachelor, consider frozen vegetables. Freezing them often locks in the nutrients and in SOME cases, they can be better than what is sold as fresh. Of course your mileage may vary.
When I was a bachelor, I did the crock pot thing, I also used my George Foreman grill to grill up a chicken breast to go along with my vegetables. Or when it was warmer, I'd fire up the outdoor grill and do 4-6 breasts and use them throughout the week.
You can mix them in a salad. Don't be afraid to put some fruit in your salad too, such as dried raspberries or orange slices with a healthy side of dressing.
I don't soak my food in dressing but put a single serving on the side and dip my fork in the dressing before I take a bite of the salad. I typically don't even use a whole serving of the dressing.
It's about finding balance, and using moderation.
Then again, sometimes I simply crave those chocolate frosted donuts
But if that's a once or twice a month thing, instead of daily, it's probably not going to kill me.
As a bachelor, consider frozen vegetables. Freezing them often locks in the nutrients and in SOME cases, they can be better than what is sold as fresh. Of course your mileage may vary.
When I was a bachelor, I did the crock pot thing, I also used my George Foreman grill to grill up a chicken breast to go along with my vegetables. Or when it was warmer, I'd fire up the outdoor grill and do 4-6 breasts and use them throughout the week.
You can mix them in a salad. Don't be afraid to put some fruit in your salad too, such as dried raspberries or orange slices with a healthy side of dressing.
I don't soak my food in dressing but put a single serving on the side and dip my fork in the dressing before I take a bite of the salad. I typically don't even use a whole serving of the dressing.
It's about finding balance, and using moderation.
Then again, sometimes I simply crave those chocolate frosted donuts
But if that's a once or twice a month thing, instead of daily, it's probably not going to kill me.
Oh, and bacon makes everything better, again in moderation.
Chuncks of fresh cooked bacon in a mix of peas/cubed-carrots or in green beans with a touch of butter is amazing...
JHZR2
Staff member
Where can you get small servings of fresh bacon to cook up like that? I can only easily get a big plastic package of pre-sliced...
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Where can you get small servings of fresh bacon to cook up like that? I can only easily get a big plastic package of pre-sliced...
I meant cook up a slice in the microwave and seal the rest up in a Zip-Lock freezer bag and put it back in the fridge for eating later or freeze the rest.
I know I buy Bacon when it's on sale, divide it up into small sandwich bags and freeze them that way I can take out one bag at a time which has 3 slices in it and not stand the chance that the rest will go bad.
Where can you get small servings of fresh bacon to cook up like that? I can only easily get a big plastic package of pre-sliced...
I meant cook up a slice in the microwave and seal the rest up in a Zip-Lock freezer bag and put it back in the fridge for eating later or freeze the rest.
I know I buy Bacon when it's on sale, divide it up into small sandwich bags and freeze them that way I can take out one bag at a time which has 3 slices in it and not stand the chance that the rest will go bad.
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