What's For Dinner?

[rayyychul]

For some strange reason, I want McDonald's. However, I know that won't happen and I have no idea what my mom is planning for dinner.

[Dodger Thirteen]

Nothing today. Too nauseous to eat. Drank 32 OZ of caramel apple cider with whipped cream from the library, though, in order to a) hydrate and b) get some sugar in my body so it doesn't crash on me again.

Mmm. Nausea.


Also: library cider is godly.

[onlyaworkingtitle]

Had hot dogs for dinner. Mm, healthful.
Now having a 1am granola bar. Best kind? I think so.

[embonpoint]

Pretty sure we're having sausage and mash for tea. Though I'd rather have it in some kind of casserole-type thing; I'm bored of it.

[tosney]

Salad :/

Trying to eat healthy gets boring after awhile.

[embonpoint]

^Healthy eating =/= salad. You can have GREAT meals that are still really healthy and are filling and satisfying and may not involve any salad at all.

[tosney]

^ What if you're vegetarian?

I guess I do know that, but I've been trying to eat more fruits and veggies and less bread type stuff because I tend to do the opposite which is how I came to the conclusion of salad more often. I've been trying to have one every day in place of a usual, breadier meal so I get more veggies in.

I've been meaning to look up unique salad recipes though.

[embonpoint]

I guess it does get harder if you're trying to cut out/down on carbs as well, but it's totally possible. I don't know how you feel about vegetarian substitutes for meat, but I love Quorn things, even as a meat-eater. Also, carbs aren't the evil that most people make them out to be; yes, you should limit your intake, as you should with everything else, but eating them isn't bad. You should see how much pasta my sister eats and she's the fittest, slimmest person I know.

If it's mainly about eating more fruit and veg, then ok, but you just have to make sure that you're eating enough and that the changes you're making are sustainable; soooo many times people decide they're going to eat more healthily, but then they make such drastic changes that a week later, they've gone back to usual.
I hope I don't sound too 'know-it-all'-y; my mum's been a slimming consultant pretty much my whole life. I can ask her for recipes/meal ideas and stuff, though, if you want?

[tosney]

Don't worry about it sounding like a know-it-all, you don't and it's stuff to think about. And yeah, it is about eating more fruit and veggies. Before I started trying, I'd normally eat cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, and pasta for dinner a lot of the time so I definitely wanted to eat more fruit and veg to be healthier. I eat meat substitute for protein sometimes and its pretty good, but since I get sick of it if I eat to much I try to eat other things like egg/beans. Thanks for the advice!

And you would really do that? I don't want to be too much trouble but a couple good recipes or two would be amazing.

[embonpoint]

I think the easiest way would be if I just put a load of ideas here and you can pick which sound like you'd like them, and I can send you the recipes? They'll all be Slimming World recipes, or adaptations of them and stuff like that, so if you like, I can include their syn-value (like Weight Watchers points), so you have an idea of which are healthiest and stuff?
And it's no trouble!

-Baked tortilla salad baskets (requires Yorkshire pudding pan, which you may not have)
-Baked coucous with chilli vegetable sauce
-'Mega stir-fry' (this is a meat recipe, but meat can be switched out)
-Moroccan chickpea/vegetable stew.
-Bubble and Squeak Cakes (sort of like vegetarian fish cakes; potato and cabbage, spring onions, tomatoes etc)
-Khichri (like kedgeree but without fish)
-Red pepper, spinach and sweet potato tortilla
-Vegetable samosas
-'Multi-mince' (obviously, a Quorn mince you'd use instead of meat). This is my mum's basic meal/sauce thing; can be chilli, can be bolognese, can be.. some kind of mince thing. You can put whatever you've got in it, really, in terms of beans and vegetables and that and it works with rice, or pasta, or potato. So you can vary it quite a lot but still stick with the same base.
-You can make quite nice sauces for things just with stock and onions and some peppers and things like that; maybe not fabulous haute cuisine, but it means that you're not just eating plain food and it's quick and easy.
I haven't included fish recipes, but I can find some if you do eat fish.

Generally speaking, if you cook without fat and choose lighter options, then you'll do alright. Smaller changes are the best ones, because they are the ones you can keep up with.

It might not suit you/your lifestyle, but a lot of the time, home-made versions of things like sauces in jars and packets and stuff can make a big difference.

Also, if you want chips/fries, it takes longer and obviously, they don't taste exactly the same, but you can chop potato and bake them in the oven with Fry Light (low-cal cooking spray? I don't know if it goes by the same name where you are, but that sort of thing) and they do the job alright.

Spices are super important, too. My food tends to either be totally bland, or really hot, but still kind of bland, because I don't know which spices to use; things like turmeric and cumin and stuff (I can ask my mum specifically).

[tosney]

Mmm!

I would love the recipies for the Bubble and Squeak cakes and the Vegetable samosas. And I love chick peas, so the Moroccan stew too? Thank you so much!

The potato-fries sound delicious.

I'm the same way with spices. I do tend to pick a combination that sounds interesting to me, which sometimes works and sometimes really, really, doesn't.

Thank you for all the advice and stuff, I really appreciate it.

[Dodger Thirteen]

Mmm, I love spices. I'd suggest a basic spice assembly of garlic, onion, chili flakes, thyme, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. If you like Asian/Indian spices, go with tumeric, coriander, cumin, garam masala (basically just a blend of Indian spices that have been toasted and ground together), curry powder, fenugreek.

If you can, try to go to a local place that sells spices by the amount, rather than just a plastic container. I have a place near me that sells them and, let me tell you, the place smells AMAZING and the spices are so much better than what you'd normally find at the grocery store. Start by googling co-ops in your area, and see where that leads you to.

[onlyaworkingtitle]

PESTO PESTO PESTO. Put it on EVERYTHING. Basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil. YUM YUM IN MY TUM.

Also, stop by your local farmers' market for the best fresh herbs.

[Dodger Thirteen]

Mmm...pesto.....

Tonight, tacos para la cena. Made pancakes (with cinnamon, apple pie spice, and vanilla), eggs, and bacon for breakfast.

[embonpoint]

GARAM MASALA! How could I forget that?! It's my mum's favourite thing.

We had takeaway tonight - woooo!