Want to be successful, but many fears! *not a cook, like few veggies!* Please help :)

[wifemomrn]

Hello, everybody! I have read most of It Starts with Food, along with glancing through Well Fed. I am desperate to change the way I eat, also hoping to improve my family's eating as well. I am definitely a food addict.

My problem is this. I am incredibly overwhelmed and worry that this plan is not attainable for me. I RARELY cook, and if I do, it's simple...like spaghetti or baked BBQ chicken. I am a full time RN, with 3 busy kiddos, who also stays busy with volunteer activities.

I LOVE fruits, but eat few vegetables (green beans, squash, carrots, celery, raw celery/lettuce) and eat little red meat. Just lots of chicken.

Looking at some of the recipes, I can't pronounce half the ingredients, much less imagine preparing them!!

Is there any hope for me?

Thank you for reading and any advice!

Melissa

[amberino21]

You CAN do this you need to cook meals you're comfortable with cooking and eating - you don't have to make complex food.

You could start with your bbq'd chicken (or bake a whole lot at once to make life easy for you), add 2-3 cups of salad or simply prepared cooked vegies, plus your fat and, Voila! a template meal

Cooking things in large quantities helps with prep - make bolognese sauce or chili in bulk and freeze portions to have throughout the week. HB eggs, tins of fish in oil or above mentioned pre-cooked chicken can easily be added to salads for a quick meal. Bake sweet potatoes and other root vegies - doing trays at a time will give you enough for a few meals (depending on how much you cook and how many hungry mouths you're trying to feed).

[AmyS]

You got this.  I don't consider myself a cook, but I roast veggies in large batches and cook meats in the crock pot and bam, dinner (and breakfast and lunch).  I don't use recipes because, well, that would make my head spin (full time music instructor, two kids, volunteer activities, you are familiar with this drill...).  Veggies, fat, protein.  Bada bing, bada boom.

[picklesandmeat]

Maximize your time - when you cook dinner, boil some eggs and throw in a pan of veggies to roast in the oven. (On foil, no clean up) When you fix breakfast, throw something in the slow cooker (get a liner, no cleanup) that isn't planned for dinner so you'll have extra meat/meals as building blocks for lunches (or, put everything in the slow cooker pot at night and refrigerate it then just pop it in the base and plug it in in the morning). If you work long hours as I used to, I'd set my crockpot on a light timer, after the cooking time I'd have it shut off & then I'd have it come on again an hour before I got home to warm up (it would stay warm enough in the pot when it was off but wouldn't cook to death). Don't overthink it! The prep from well fed was helpful but overwhelming and I found, too much food for us. I do a mini prep every 3-4 days where I make an extra meal and roast things to build on. Everything leftover goes in the freezer for crazy weeknights that I can't manage to cook. I try to make 3-4 actual recipes a week (sometimes it works, sometimes I end up just cooking the ingredients an easy way) and the rest non-recipes (burgers, tacos and breakfast for dinner are regulars). Best of luck and give it some time!

[MrsL519]

I have somewhat of a crazy schedule too. I try to cook a lot usually on Mondays (my not-so-crazy day) and then I have it for the week. My emergency meals are:

 

1. baked chicken thighs (tastier than chicken breast when you can't put any sauces on it) and frozen veggies with some olives for fat

2. frozen hamburger (make sure it's 100% beef though) with a sliced tomato and store bought guacamole (again check the ingredients to make sure it's compliant)

3. eggs in any way (scrambled, fried, hard boiled) with an apple, strawberries, or banana and almond butter

4. Ground beef with tomato paste, chopped peppers and onions (you can use frozen) all cooked together with some Italian seasoning and served over a baked sweet potato. 

 

A usually cook up the chicken thighs as I'm putting the groceries away (375 for 25 min or so? not 100% sure on the time) and only use salt and pepper to season them with so they are more flexible throughout the week. I'll also throw some sweet potatoes in the oven at that time so they only need to be re-heated in the microwave as needed. I can't remember the brand of hamburgers I buy but it is 100% beef. No, it's not grass fed, organic, ground beef but it is just beef and it works in a pinch, I believe it's Wholly Guacamole that is compliant but please check the ingredients for yourself. I'll also throw some eggs on to boil them while the chicken thighs and potatoes are cooking. I usually only do a few since I do have time to make scrambled/fried at least a few days but if you know your schedule wont' allow that go ahead and boil them all! I usually make the ground beef and veggeis on a different night. I just put a little coconut oil in the pan and dump the frozen peppers and onions right in, let those soften a little then add the beef. Once everything is cooked I add the tomato paste to make it a little saucy and some seasoning and serve it over a re-heated sweet potato. 

 

When you do cook either the chicken thighs or the ground beef (assuming you do, of course) make sure to cook way more than you expect. I can't tell you how many times I've had a chicken thigh just to hold me over in a pinch (cold, straight out of the fridge), or the ground beef meal for a 3rd time in a row JUST so I can stay compliant and not have to start over. It might sound strange but if you can set that up so you have something to eat (even if it's not what you want) that will be enough to propel you into the next day so you can maybe take the time to make something a little more special. 

 

It's not easy, that's for sure. But I think if you set yourself up right (and don't focus on extravagant meals) you can absolutely do this!!! 

Good luck!  

[Derek`]

I am not the most exciting cook, but I am enjoying and thriving with a Whole30 diet.  My meals are usually "boring" compared to some folks'

 

Protein: Grilled meat or fish

Veggies: Steamed or sauteed veggie

Fat: Simple Oil/Vinegar dressing over salad or a serving of nuts

 

Nice and simple for me.  If we want to get a little more complex, we will make up some casseroles on the weekends when we have time and freeze them.  Then just pop one in the oven for dinner.

 

If you're not that into veggies, you could stick with the ones you like.  But it would also be good to branch out and try some new ones.  Try topping them with olive oil or ghee and different seasonings.