Biggest Loser healthy meal planning thread

[pjlla]

Boring title.... oh well.

Here is a place to us to talk about meal planning (what we do, how we do it), and healthy meals! We can put some recipes here, but there is also a great BL recipe thread available.

I'll start things off by listing a few of my "stand-by" meals!

Tonight's meal:

bbq pork sandwiches
unsweetened applesauce
oven roasted asparagus

SUPER easy... pork loin in the crockpot for the day.... shred and add favorite bbq sauce (homemade, bottled, light, sugarfree, low carb, whatever). Serve on light whole wheat rolls or Sandwich Thins.

Applesauce.... jarred is okay, but homemade is easy and yummier. We don't serve sweetened applesauce here, but I do put a shaker of cinnamon sugar on the table to top it off, as desired.

Asparagus.... wash, snap off bottom, pat dry. Place on a jelly roll pan and either drizzle with EVOO or spray with PAM. Roast at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes.

You could also serve a green salad, either in addition to the asparagus or in place of it.

Baked potato night:

A large baked potato for each person

Possible sides: bacon bits, sour cream, salsa, cheese sauce (homemade can be made light), steamed broccoli or other veggies (great way to use up leftover veggies), chili.

This is another super easy dinner for my house. I can wash the potatoes ahead of time and put them in the oven and set the auto-start!

I do make my own cheese sauce. Another fast, easy thing to do... and I can make it light(er) and tastier than jarred sauce.

If I feel like we need more veggies, I will serve a side salad with this.


One more...

Salmon burgers!

I found a GREAT crusty salmon patty in the freezer department. Not cheap, but fairly light and very yummy! Ocean Beauty Sea choice herb crusted salmon burgers. 200calories, 8 gr fat per patty.... 3 points on "old" WW. They are delicious and quick and easy... oven, toaster oven, pan fry. I serve them on Sandwich Thins or on a green salad or with a side of brown rice! And I feel good eating it because I know I'm getting those healthy Omega-3 fats!! Plus they are made from wild caught salmon... that is supposed to be much better for you than farmed.

Along with the salmon and roll or rice, I also serve a fruit salad and a green vegetable such as sauteed green beans with caramelized onion or a broccoli salad!

I'll share more another day! Who's next???............P

 

[dumbo_buddy]

these look like great recipes! i'd like to try the pork sandwiches. just curious, you put the BBQ sauce in after you make them? what do you put in with the pork in the crock pot? a little water at the bottom?

slow cooker chicken
4-6 chicken pieces (I usually use chicken legs, but you can use thighs or breasts)
Can of Cream of Mushroom soup (use the 99% fat free. it's prob alot of salt but still overall not bad)
1 jar of medium - hot salsa, depending on your preference

throw everything together in the slow cooker, cook on low for 6 hours.

Salsa Chicken
2 chicken breasts
1 cup salsa
1 cup sugar free peach preserves
Brown chicken so it's cooked through on a pan. Add salsa and peach preserves. Stir together and let it simmer a few minutes.

I used to cut up the chicken first then serve it in a tortilla with spanish rice and cheese. but to keep it healthy i keep the breasts in tact and serve it over some brown rice with veggies

 

[Rose&Mike]

P--thanks for starting this. And thanks for reminding everyone about the recipe thread. I don't do a very good job at promoting it.

 

[pjlla]

these look like great recipes! i'd like to try the pork sandwiches. just curious, you put the BBQ sauce in after you make them? what do you put in with the pork in the crock pot? a little water at the bottom?

slow cooker chicken
4-6 chicken pieces (I usually use chicken legs, but you can use thighs or breasts)
Can of Cream of Mushroom soup (use the 99% fat free. it's prob alot of salt but still overall not bad)
1 jar of medium - hot salsa, depending on your preference

throw everything together in the slow cooker, cook on low for 6 hours.

Salsa Chicken
2 chicken breasts
1 cup salsa
1 cup sugar free peach preserves
Brown chicken so it's cooked through on a pan. Add salsa and peach preserves. Stir together and let it simmer a few minutes.

I used to cut up the chicken first then serve it in a tortilla with spanish rice and cheese. but to keep it healthy i keep the breasts in tact and serve it over some brown rice with veggies

Thanks for posting so quickly! You might want to share your actual recipe over on the recipe thread! The peach preserves sounds like a nice addition. I made a salsa chicken (or was it pork?) recently with pineapple mango salsa.... YUMMMMMM!

As far as the pork is concerned..... I don't put anything in the crockpot with it. THe loin I buy usually has one side that has a layer of fat. I sprinkle garlic powder and a bit of sage all over (if I have time and I remember...otherwise NBD) and then put it in the crockpot with the fat side up, so it is a bit self-basting. Then when it is fully cooked I cut off the layer of fat and throw it away. Then I shred the pork with two forks and return it to the still-warm crockpot and top it with the bbq sauce.

P--thanks for starting this. And thanks for reminding everyone about the recipe thread. I don't do a very good job at promoting it.

We've had a few weird posts over on it lately.... perhaps a few trolls looking for a new audience?? But I am figuring as we do more talking about meal planning here, people will be compelled to post their recipes. Hopefully we will be able to keep most of the actual "recipes" over on that thread, and keep this thread for talking about meal planning.... healthy ideas, subsitutions for lower fat/carbs, shopping for healthier foods, how to plan ahead, etc, etc. You know how much I love PLANNING! ........P

 

[pjlla]

Okay.... here are some more meal ideas. (Notice I say "ideas" and not recipes..... I'm not big on things that require a real recipe! )

Homemade chili

corn bread or corn Vitamuffins

sauteed greens (kale, spinach, chard... maybe with a bit of onion or leek)


To lighten up this meal, I frequently use half lean ground beef and half soy meat substitute. I also will add a half can or so of fat-free refried beans about halfway through. If you mix it through well, you can't even detect it. I also add more whole beans too..... although DD isn't a bean fan and will try to pick them all out (but she has yet to detect the RF beans!) And of COURSE, you will pull out your pre-browned beef from the freezer (where you put it when you did a big cooking weekend to make busy days easier!! ). Then the thawed meat, tomatoes, seasoning packet, and beans can all be dumped in the crock pot in the morning and be ready to go when you get home at dinner time!

Corn bread.... quick and easy to make from a mix or to pick up at the store.... I usually save the expensive Vitamuffins for myself and give my family corn bread from a mix.... but I lighten up the mix and substitute applesauce for part of the fat and use skim milk and egg whites. They don't seem to mind it one bit!

Sauteed greens.... again, really easy. Pick your greens, grab a big pan, spray it will PAM and you are on your way! If you are adding onion/leeks, start with that, as it will take a bit longer. Kale also takes longer.... chard and spinach will take the shortest time. It is a nice way to make spinach without it being all watery and drippy at the end. Garlic is also a nice touch.


I recently introduced my family to the pleasures of a yogurt parfait night! I thought I might get objections, but I didn't

1 tub of vanilla yogurt (your choice..... I use Stoneyfield Farms fat free french vanilla)

assorted diced fruit

something crunchy..... lowfat granola, FiberOne cereal, GrapeNuts, sliced almonds.... DD even likes Rice Krispies.

If you need a bit more substance, how about toasted bagels or some sort of light muffins on the side? Next time I make this meal, I'm including an assortment of my homemade breakfast cookies (shameless plug for the recipe thread here.... RECIPE FOUND ON BL RECIPE THREAD!)

We had it recently, but I'm definitely adding to the usual rotation for a hot summer night!

Okay.... enough rambling here! Come on folks.... start sharing! How do you prepare for a busy week? Do you cook ahead?? Use your crockpot?? Institute a full week of sandwiches?? ..................P

 

[lovetoscrap]

Here is my 2 week dinner plan that I started a few days ago. I follow South Beach so I work to keep the carb count low and emphasize the protein and veggies. I do include a carb in most meals for my children who would live on pasta if I let them. DH usually has a serving and I usually have about a half a serving. I don't fill in the actual veggie until I go to the store and see what looks good unless I know of one that goes well with that particular meal.

My family isn't very adventurous when it comes to carb options-- pretty much we stick with plain pasta, noodles and potatoes. They also only have a few green veggies they will eat so I try to rotate them around. (snow peas, snap peas, asparagus, green beans, broccoli, spinach).

The ones with (SB) are South Beach recipes and can pretty easily be found on the internet.

Easy Chicken in Wine Sauce (SB)
angel hair pasta
green beans

Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts (menus 4 moms recipe)
bow tie pasta
broccoli

London Broil
carrots
corn
spinach


Pork Chops
Sauteed Snow Peas
baked potato


Asparagus Soup w/ Parmesan sprinkle (SB)
Chicken Caesar Salad


Beef Tips with Gravy
Egg Noodles
veggie


Lemon Chicken
Angel Hair Pasta
asparagus

Roast Beef (eye of round roast)
roasted potatoes
veggie


Ham Steak
Noodle Roni ( my kids favorite )
veggie


Garlic and Soy Grilled Pork Chops (SB)
rice
grilled veggies


Sesame Chicken (SB)
couscous
broccoli


Steak
green beans
beans (ranch or chili )


New Beef Burgundy (SB) *recipe posted on the BL Recipe Thread
egg noodles
veggie


I try to have everything on hand for at least 5 of these meals at any one time. Sometimes I stick strictly to a schedule and sometimes I mix them up based on my mood.

And some days I forget to take something out of the freezer like today so we are going out!

T
We've had a few weird posts over on it lately.... perhaps a few trolls looking for a new audience??

Just be sure to report them so that they can be looked at and cleaned up if needed.

 

[pjlla]

Just be sure to report them so that they can be looked at and cleaned up if needed.

I usually do, but it seemed harmless so I just made a comment and forgot about it.

Thanks for sharing your meal plans!

BTW, when I was posting earlier about the salmon burgers, I forgot to mention that the same company makes an UNCOATED salmon burger.... so I assume it would be much lower in carbs. Honestly..... I prefer the herb crusted ones, but I have bought the plain ones and enjoyed them. I thought this info would be helpful for you and other SB'ers out there! .........P

 

[dsnyfan608]

My new found accompaniement are peppers and onions. Tonight I made chicken cutlets, seasoned them with Mrs Dash then placed a bunch of onions and peppers on top. I made a side of sugar snap peas. YUM!!

 

[jbm02]

..taking notes!!!

 

[lisah0711]

Ooo! I love a brand, new, shiny thread!

Thanks for starting the new thread, Pamela! Maybe you can add a link to the recipe thread in your first post.

We will do a few or several days meals ahead of time. It depends on how busy it is and whose turn it is to be in charge of dinner. I am fortunate because my DH will plan, shop and prepare a meal but it tends to be a big production and use every pan that we own. Whether I am grateful for his efforts or frustrated by them depends on my mood that day! Mostly I do try to be grateful that I'm not the one in charge of meals all the time!

Meal planning can be a little tough because DH will not eat fish. He also does not like pork but will eat it occassionally. It has to be cooked as something that doesn't resemble pork roast which his mother cooked every week -- I can see why -- cheap and easy and tasty what's not to like about that? So beef, chicken and tofu -- it gets old.

I will plan a few meals and then we decide on what we want that night. We try to have simple meals on week-nights because everyone is tired and no one wants to cook.

Last night was:
Chicken breasts "poached" in the oven
Roasted carrots, potatoes, parsnips and onion

Tonight is:
Beef roast in the crockpot with potatoes,carrots and onions.

Can you tell I found a 10 lb bag of potatoes on sale for $1.88 yesterday?

Oh and a variation of pjlla's barbeque pork roast in the crockpot is this one for Chile Verde Pork http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38258715&postcount=38

Thanks for this thread! I'm looking forward to lots of good meal ideas to answer the perennial question of "what do you want to eat?"

 

[pjlla]

EVening all!

Tonight's dinner was a change of plans..... I got a craving after talking about a recipe with someone today and so I moved NEXT Sunday's meal to tonight! It was SO WORTH IT!

Puffy Noodle Kugel

Al Fresco brand all-natural chicken sausage

oven roasted broccoli/cauliflower

I felt like I needed to serve something really salty and savory with the sweet kugel and the chicken sausage was just the ticket. Maybe next time I'll use the sweet apple sausage, but this time I had the sun-dried tomato sausage handy.

The kugel was a first time attempt and it was FABULOUS. Not exactly "diet" food, but I lightened it up the best I could.... lowfat cream cheese, Fiberone lowfat cottage cheese, two whole eggs and four whites (instead of 4 whole eggs), No Yolks egg noodles, skim milk. Not exactly low carb either.... but the kids were literally fighting over who got the leftovers for breakfast! If I could just find a whole wheat/high fiber egg noodle, I'd feel better about making this again.

I'll post the kugel recipe over on the recipe thread tomorrow, if anyone is intersted.

Tomorrow night, as I mentioned earlier,is chili in the crockpot, corn muffins, sauteed greens. The hamburg is browned, drained, and rinsed and in the crockpot with the seasoning mix, diced tomatoes, and beans. The crock is in the fridge. Tomorrow morning I just pull it out, put it in the base, and turn it on!

I've got most of my menues through mid-May written up, so I'll be back tomorrow to post more meal ideas!..............P

 

[pjlla]

Ooo! I love a brand, new, shiny thread!

Thanks for starting the new thread, Pamela! Maybe you can add a link to the recipe thread in your first post.

We will do a few or several days meals ahead of time. It depends on how busy it is and whose turn it is to be in charge of dinner. I am fortunate because my DH will plan, shop and prepare a meal but it tends to be a big production and use every pan that we own. Whether I am grateful for his efforts or frustrated by them depends on my mood that day! Mostly I do try to be grateful that I'm not the one in charge of meals all the time!

Meal planning can be a little tough because DH will not eat fish. He also does not like pork but will eat it occassionally. It has to be cooked as something that doesn't resemble pork roast which his mother cooked every week -- I can see why -- cheap and easy and tasty what's not to like about that? So beef, chicken and tofu -- it gets old.

I will plan a few meals and then we decide on what we want that night. We try to have simple meals on week-nights because everyone is tired and no one wants to cook.

Last night was:
Chicken breasts "poached" in the oven
Roasted carrots, potatoes, parsnips and onion

Tonight is:
Beef roast in the crockpot with potatoes,carrots and onions.

Can you tell I found a 10 lb bag of potatoes on sale for $1.88 yesterday?

Oh and a variation of pjlla's barbeque pork roast in the crockpot is this one for Chile Verde Pork http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38258715&postcount=38

Thanks for this thread! I'm looking forward to lots of good meal ideas to answer the perennial question of "what do you want to eat?"

First of all.... YOU'RE WELCOME! My pleasure!

Second of all..... what kind of liquid did you poach the chicken in?? Broth, white wine??

I've got a great, low-fat potato soup recipe if you need another way to use up those potatoes! Let me know!................P

 

[dumbo_buddy]

i need to go to the recipe thread and start looking up some of these meals. i'm so bad at preparing meals without directions. you know those people who look in the fridge and pantry and come up with what to make? yeah, i can't do that.

dh is out of town until saturday (ugh) so i'm on my own with food. which you might think is a good thing b/c i can just monitor everything but it's when he travels that the evening munchies are always at it's worst. when the little guy takes his nap today i'm going to make some yellow split pea soup. i'll make enough for the week. i made a 12(?) bean soup last week. had the soup for lunch and a couple times at dinner i put it over rice. it was good and i allllllmost didn't miss our traditional pizza friday nights during lent. almost.

 

[lisah0711]

Second of all..... what kind of liquid did you poach the chicken in?? Broth, white wine??

I put 4 chicken breast halves in a pyrex sprayed with Pam. Then I spread around a bit of kosher salt, some bottled fines herbes (because that is what I had in the kitchen handy), and a can of chicken broth. Last time we did poached chicken in broth on the stove it was rubbery but plain chicken breasts get too dry in the oven. I would add poultry seasoning and maybe some garlic next time. It was very moist and I sprinkled lemon pepper on mine. We have extras for DH's lunch this week now, too.

i need to go to the recipe thread and start looking up some of these meals. i'm so bad at preparing meals without directions. you know those people who look in the fridge and pantry and come up with what to make? yeah, i can't do that.

You may find that it comes to you more as time goes on. But then I've been cooking for a family for almost 20 years and I still can't make all the dishes be ready at once so we all have our challenges!

Tonight is one of my favorite menu planning stratgies: GRAZING! We have lots of left over beef and chicken and vegetables. If you want something other than that you find it and fix it yourself. It's great for a busy Monday night where everyone will be tired from the beginning of the week and the time change. We graze at least once a week to use the leftovers or if we have a late lunch at the office.

I love all these ideas!

LTS, is the Beef Burgundy on the recipe thread?

 

[lovetoscrap]

LTS, is the Beef Burgundy on the recipe thread?

No. I will find it and post it. It is sort of a pot roast with a lot of wine in it!
ETA: Posted it. Totally forgot it was a SB recipe, but one I have adapted in a few ways


We went out last night and DH and the kids had Alfredo so we are having the Asparagus Soup and Caesar Salad tonight to help balance it out! And I have to cook on Tuesday's because DH has an activity in the evenings so I am going to do the Roast Beef tomorrow. Hopefully it will work out because I have to take DD to the Ortho in the late afternoon for a repair, but we dont' eat until late since DH doesn't get home until after 7 so it should all work out.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I'm here. I have no idea what I'm doing but I'm here!!

 

[lisah0711]

I'm here. I have no idea what I'm doing but I'm here!!

Showing up is a great first step!

 

[lovetoscrap]

I'm here. I have no idea what I'm doing but I'm here!!

Now stand up and say "Hi, I'm Buffy and I am meal planning challenged"

Okay?

Everyone: HI BUFFY!

Now quickly, pick 5 dinner entrees that you feel are not unhealthy and you can make within any time or budget restrictions you have, and that the majority of your family will eat, and list them here. You can look back at what has already been posted on this thread or on the Biggest Loser Recipe thread for help, but don't spend very long on it. Just pick the main dish (usually the protein) not the sides.

I'll be waiting. . . .

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Now quickly, pick 5 dinner entrees that you feel are not unhealthy and you can make within any time or budget restrictions you have, and that the majority of your family will eat, and list them here. You can look back at what has already been posted on this thread or on the Biggest Loser Recipe thread for help, but don't spend very long on it. Just pick the main dish (usually the protein) not the sides.

I'll be waiting. . . .

huh???? Pick what, from where??? Hello!!!! You said I was challenged!!!

Uh, tonight we are having taco pop overs.

Pilsbury buiscut, rolled and smooshed in a muffin pan, stuffed with taco meat (97% fat free btw) with taco seasoning. And baked. Probably 2-3 tablespoons in each pop over.
Yes? No??

I'll top with tomatoes, the kids will top with taco sauce, cheese and sour cream.

 

[lovetoscrap]

huh???? Pick what, from where??? Hello!!!! You said I was challenged!!!

Uh, tonight we are having taco pop overs.

Pilsbury buiscut, rolled and smooshed in a muffin pan, stuffed with taco meat (97% fat free btw) with taco seasoning. And baked. Probably 2-3 tablespoons in each pop over.
Yes? No??

I'll top with tomatoes, the kids will top with taco sauce, cheese and sour cream.

Pick from things you already know how to make.

This meal sounds yummy, but the biscuit is probably high in fat and I know I would need to eat several of those to feel full, adding more fat and calories.

I would make that for the kids but have my taco meat on a salad, or in a low fat tortilla-- pile on the veggies! And get some Fat Free refried beans (Old El Paso makes a very good one) and add that to your meal (and the kids) as a side or on the tortilla. Beans are filling and add extra fiber and protein to keep you feeling full. But you want to be sure they are Fat Free if you get the refried ones. OR get some black beans (canned) and heat those up to put on a salad, as a side, mix in with the meat etc.. And no reason the kids can't just have theirs as a soft taco on tortillas or with hard corn shells. Less cooking and fuss too. Make the meat, heat the beans and throw everything on the table to make your own-- or at least be able to sit while you help the younger ones make theirs.

For cheese we don't like reduced fat cheese but if you can stand it then start substituting it. We prefer to get Sharp Cheddar Cheese-- the flavor is strong so you can use much less of it for the same taste in a dish.

So now you have one meal planned that you can use. Obviously you aren't going to be able to make those changes tonight but write this down. Index cards are nice to write a whole meal on. Choose the options you like best to plan for.

Taco Pop Overs
Fat Free Refried Beans or Black Beans
tortillas or
Salad fixings (lettuce, tomato, cheese)

There you go! One planned dinner done!

Now here is where you plan ahead a little: what do you think you are having tomorrow night?