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Post by rikita on Oct 6, 2012 12:30:04 GMT
Just wondering how much you know this situation/what you do about it...
I do usually plan to eat more or less healthy, and I'd like some more variety in the things I eat - but I just don't manage.
THe other day, for example, after working overtime and being horribly tired, I found myself in the supermarket wanting to buy something nice to cook (always not easy anyway, something I like, Mr. R. likes, that is healthy and easy to make, as I am not a good cook) and realized I am so exhausted I can't even think about what to make, let alone make it - so in the end I bought pizza... So much for eating healthy...
I try to find recipes well before the evening (or try out new things on the weekends), but somehow even that doesn't work out most of the time...
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Post by onlymark on Oct 6, 2012 13:15:31 GMT
There have been times when my life was similar. The solution I found that was best for me was to plan out anything up to a week in advance what I would eat. I'd then buy the ingredients before the nights came when I couldn't be bothered or had time to go shopping. It took some organising at the one time per week I did the menu plans but then it went smoothly for the times I went straight home and followed what I needed to do. This was before the advent of the internet whereby things can now be less time consuming in the organisation but with the downside of have too much choice. What I am saying is a website like the following one any use? It's by the UK National Health Service. There will be, I'm sure, a German version if needed. You browse through the recipes for the day, select what you want and then save/print off all the ingredients to buy to cook all the dishes for the week/few days. You can involve Mr. R in the selection no doubt. www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pages/supermeals-menu-planner-recipe-finder.aspx |
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Post by onlymark on Oct 6, 2012 13:20:36 GMT
There is a certain amount of duplication on there but keep flicking through and it does change a bit.
Just an idea.
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Post by bjd on Oct 6, 2012 13:55:57 GMT
What about getting Mr R involved -- have him shop and cook for one or two meals a week?
It's not going to get any easier for you with the baby, so get him started on helping out with the drudgery now.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2012 14:33:52 GMT
I like to keep on hand all sorts of possible salad ingredients -- lettuce, bell peppers, tomatoes, celery, onions, cabbage, carrots... and I have found that I can whip together a big salad in no time at all, and even make it the principal dish if I add meat, cheese, smoked herring or whatever.
Then again, I have only myself to please, which makes it considerably easier.
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Post by htmb on Oct 6, 2012 15:35:17 GMT
All really great suggestions which I have also followed at various stages in my life. I found it most important to plan out meals once a week so that I'd have everything I needed to use to prepare a delicious, healthy meal. I had some standard favorites i repeated and also varried it up by trying new things. I also occasionally froze portions so i only needed to defrost and add a good salad to make a quick and healthy meal. At one point, when there were only three of us left at home and we all had our own ideas about what we each wanted to eat for dinner, we occasionally had "yoyo" night, which stood for "you're on your own."
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2012 15:58:21 GMT
Rikita, do you have a freezer? That can definitely help a lot. A number of things can be cooked even without defrosting, although others require a brief thought in the morning to take them out and put the item on the kitchen counter or in the refrigerator.
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Post by rikita on Oct 6, 2012 16:45:34 GMT
thanks for the link! will check it out, it looks quite interesting... not buying in the evening would mean i have to go shopping on saturdays, which i guess might be a good idea anyway... all other days i don't have time before work, and it is late after work... |
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Post by rikita on Oct 6, 2012 16:47:09 GMT
What about getting Mr R involved -- have him shop and cook for one or two meals a week? It's not going to get any easier for you with the baby, so get him started on helping out with the drudgery now. ah, actually we take turns in cooking (or putting the pizza in the oven, if it is one of those days again), and shopping... i have the impression he often has the same problem though... though on the days were he has more energy he cooks very nice meals - he is a much better cook than me (though also tends to cook not the healthiest things...) |
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Post by rikita on Oct 6, 2012 16:49:25 GMT
All really great suggestions which I have also followed at various stages in my life. I found it most important to plan out meals once a week so that I'd have everything I needed to use to prepare a delicious, healthy meal. I had some standard favorites i repeated and also varried it up by trying new things. I also occasionally froze portions so i only needed to defrost and add a good salad to make a quick and healthy meal. At one point, when there were only three of us left at home and we all had our own ideas about what we each wanted to eat for dinner, we occasionally had "yoyo" night, which stood for "you're on your own." Rikita, do you have a freezer? That can definitely help a lot. A number of things can be cooked even without defrosting, although others require a brief thought in the morning to take them out and put the item on the kitchen counter or in the refrigerator. freezing portions sounds like a good idea... i sometimes considered that but haven't tried it yet... well we get a new refrigerator soon, with a big freezing unit (we have bought it, they haven't delivered it yet though) so when it is there, i think i should try that... |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2012 0:39:47 GMT
I have a lot of little plastic boxes for freezing things. Often when I cook something, I see immediately that there is too much for a meal of even two meals -- and that's my limit for the same item, so it is good to be able to immediately freeze it.
You are of course supposed to label what you freeze, or you end up eating "freezer surprise" like I do all the time. Once there are ice crystals on it, you wonder "Is it a curry? Is it a stew? Is it chicken or fish?"
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Post by rikita on Oct 7, 2012 13:03:32 GMT
that might lead to interesting results if you end up combining two completely different things...
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Post by auntieannie on Oct 8, 2012 16:50:07 GMT
ok, some people shop once a week only and also cook most of their meals for the week on one day such as Sunday and freeze/ refrigerate to be used during the week.
Some people make 2 or 3 times the quantity of one specific meal that freezes well and then have portions of it in the freezer.
food shopping when hungry and tired is never a good idea. First of all, you will buy more than you need and secondly you will buy things that your body perceives as quickly gratifying. i.e. rich in carbohydrates and fat. but enough of the bla bla...
One thing I would encourage you to start preparing as soon as your new freezer is delivered, is portions that you keep in the freezer for use in the first 2 to 3 months after baby is born. Because for the first 5 weeks at least you will NOT have one minute for you. You may not even have time to wash yourself, let alone sleep...
I notice that I will cook say a stew or a simple curry one evening and eat it the next. I will have another meal ready prepared for the night, which I will eat whilst the meal for the next day is being cooked. I don't know how big your kitchen is but if you can start preparations on a meal the night before (when it is Mr R to cook?) it might remove a bit of the pressure of presenting a healthy meal that night.
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Post by onlymark on Oct 8, 2012 16:59:39 GMT
I found when I was in Egypt and the Philippines that employing a live-in maid/cook solved any problems I had.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2012 17:15:32 GMT
Hey, Mark has a great idea, rikita!  Auntieannie is absolutely correct in writing that you should never go shopping for food when you are hungry. If you are starving and thinking "I must go to the supermarket immediately" it can be a disaster. Eat something before you set foot out the door. |
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Post by htmb on Oct 8, 2012 17:22:48 GMT
Would it help if we each supplied a couple of our favorite recipes that hold up well if frozen?
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Post by onlymark on Oct 8, 2012 17:52:42 GMT
I normally do eat something before I go shopping but the times I didn't I've returned with some interesting things to try, different to what I'd normally buy.
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Post by rikita on Oct 8, 2012 19:06:49 GMT
yeah i know the problem of hungry shopping... i went shopping for my lunch break the other day, as i hadn't taken a lunch along, and came back with enough food for three lunch breaks...
preparing the evening before might work sometimes, but i will have to see - our kitchen is kind of small, so two people cooking at the same time wouldn't work...
yeah, some recipes are always nice, to get some inspiration!
true, i suppose i should already prepare something for the time when our baby is really small... though i also plan on visiting my mom and/or her visiting me and hopefully feeling all sorry because i look so hungry and in need of some nice food...
well, someone to do the cooking for us would be ideal - unfortunately a live-in maid in a two room apartment might be a bit complicated... though various people back in peru asked me if i don't want to take them with me to be my empleada in germany...
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2012 19:43:19 GMT
Frozen spaghetti with meat sauce heats up wonderfully well, to the extent that it is one of the dishes that often tastes better than when it was served fresh.
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Post by htmb on Oct 8, 2012 21:45:12 GMT
We make a chicken tetrazzini dish that freezes well (chicken, spaghetti pasta, and a white sauce). And, of course, bean dishes, soups, chilis and stews will often freeze well. I love making a large pot of a hearty vegetable beef soup and freezing portions for future meals, particularly in the wintertime.
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Post by auntieannie on Oct 8, 2012 21:54:33 GMT
Yes, make batches of tomato sauce, and meat sauce. Mixed vegetable soup also freezes well.
What do people think of chilli (whether con or sin carne) and other pulses when frozen and then thawed and reheated?
make vegetable curries and then you can add things to it when you reheat?
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Post by Don Cuevas on Oct 8, 2012 22:59:17 GMT
Yes, make batches of tomato sauce, and meat sauce. Mixed vegetable soup also freezes well. What do people think of chilli (whether con or sin carne) and other pulses when frozen and then thawed and reheated? make vegetable curries and then you can add things to it when you reheat? Chili is good, and not too hard to make. Baked beans and franks. Italian style meatballs, simmered in tomato sauce, then frozen in 2-3 serving containers. Most soups, but cream soups freeze less successfully. Veg soups, meat soups, minestrone are good choices and freeze well. Pasta sauce. I make my own, but a good quality bottled sauce is fine. Buy frozen ravioli. It makes a very easy meal with some pasta sauce and a salad. Stew. Takes a while to prepare and cook, freezes well, makes a great supper with some crusty bread. Desperation supper: popcorn. Add parmesan type cheese and/or nutritional yeast flakes for a quick and nutritious, easy meal. |
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Post by rikita on Oct 9, 2012 6:13:23 GMT
i like soups, so those will be a good option... and true, with a soup it usually doesn't make that much difference if you make a small pot or a big one...
btw, i decided on meals for this week from onlymark's link (for the two more days during the week that it is my turn to cook for now, and on saturday i will chose the meals for the weekend and next weekend)
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Post by onlymark on Oct 9, 2012 7:40:44 GMT
It was only an idea rikita. I'm sure there must be better sites around. The thing I like is the complete shopping list for all the dishes and to be able to organise that properly. Saves a lot of time if you can buy all the stuff in one go - except maybe the foodstuffs that go off quickly which I'd buy on the day of the meal.
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Post by mich64 on Oct 9, 2012 15:52:56 GMT
That is a very helpful link Mark. It provides good food choices and allows some structure and directional assistance.
I think it will be helpful to you Rikita.
I remember the first few years I was married that I too had a difficult time working and then having the time to prepare an evening meal every night, it really became a chore and something I began to dread.
By finding simpler menus, freezing sauces, using leftovers on Mondays and doing a take out on shopping night I began to develop a system over time.
Now I am like Kerouac, as long as I have salad items in supply, sometimes I just open a can of shrimp or flaked crab and add it to my salad and I have a satisfying dinner.
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Post by onlymark on Oct 9, 2012 15:58:58 GMT
........sometimes I just open a can of shrimp or flaked crab and add it to my salad and I have a satisfying dinner. That'd be my starter, never mind dinner. |
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Post by mich64 on Oct 9, 2012 16:34:03 GMT
I understand Mark.  It is enough for me for my dinner but I forgot to mention that I still have to make a full dinner for my husband! Most of the time I just need a salad. If I roast or BBQ him some chicken breast, I will add that to my salad sometimes.  |
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Post by rikita on Oct 9, 2012 20:14:49 GMT
It was only an idea rikita. I'm sure there must be better sites around. The thing I like is the complete shopping list for all the dishes and to be able to organise that properly. Saves a lot of time if you can buy all the stuff in one go - except maybe the foodstuffs that go off quickly which I'd buy on the day of the meal. well the recipe i tried today was good though - very easy to make (took like 15 minutes only) and i liked it and mr. r. too. and it is nice to get suggestions when you don't know yet what you are looking for - makes the process easier than trying to figure out first what you want to eat and then search recipes... |
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Post by rikita on Oct 9, 2012 20:18:14 GMT
what i did notice today though is that shopping for a whole week probably won't be feasible for now after all - i only shopped for two dinners today, plus some stuff for breakfast and to take to work, and a few sweets - and my backpack was full, and heavy enough to make my stomach hurt a bit when i went home... don't know if i am too oversensitive there, but i really don't like carrying too heavy lately... might be easier to buy more later on, when i can put all the food into the lower part of the pram (then i will only have the stairs to tackle with the shopping...)
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Post by htmb on Oct 9, 2012 20:53:11 GMT
Oh, dear, carrying heavy things is not going to be good for you at this point. I certainly wasn't thinking through the logistical part of your shopping process, and didn't think about an issue with stairs either. How many flights of stairs do you have to deal with? Will you have to haul your pram up and down the stairs, or will you be able to store it downstairs?
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It is enough for me for my dinner but I forgot to mention that I still have to make a full dinner for my husband! Most of the time I just need a salad. If I roast or BBQ him some chicken breast, I will add that to my salad sometimes. 