Convenience protein foods

[kirstenb1]

How about cooking chicken breasts in the crockpot? Cook them with a little chili powder and lime or lemon Juice on low for 6-8 hrs. When you get home, shred up the chicken. Divide it in half. First night, serve chicken quesadillas with black beans and cheese. Spoon mixture into a flour tortilla divided in half, bake for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

Next night, use the rest of the chicken for BBQ chicken sandwiches, or chicken noodle soup, etc. Healthy and yummy!!

 

[NotUrsula]

Have you tried pre-cooking meat portions on weekends?

It looks like you are not that big on one-dish meals, so perhaps you could buy a lot of meat at once and then cook the meat on a weekend and freeze it cooked in single portions -- then you can just warm it up and perhaps put a sauce over it before serviing with the side dishes that you make fresh.

Also, fish. If you buy it frozen (NOT breaded stuff; flash-frozen), then stick with firm-fleshed varieties. You can take it out of the freezer in the morning and drop it in a baggie full of marinade to leave in the fridge. By the time you get home it will have thawed, and you can broil it in 10 minutes.

 

[TiggerTails57]

How about cooking chicken breasts in the crockpot? Cook them with a little chili powder and lime or lemon Juice on low for 6-8 hrs. When you get home, shred up the chicken. Divide it in half. First night, serve chicken quesadillas with black beans and cheese. Spoon mixture into a flour tortilla divided in half, bake for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

Next night, use the rest of the chicken for BBQ chicken sandwiches, or chicken noodle soup, etc. Healthy and yummy!!

I second the crock pot idea......

 

[BigEeyore]

I am a cottage cheese fanatic! I'll eat it with just about anything (I am vegetarian so it is my "go to" protein source). 14 grams of protein in just half a cup, low fat, and a bit of calcium.
Also like the Morningstar Farms veggie burgers. You can switching to veggie versions of things like hot dogs and burgers, see if your family notices!

 

[Imzadi]

Imzadi, you suggested that pasta before, and we are having it tonight for the first time. I have tried other whole grain pastas but DH didn't like them & didn't want me to buy them. I'm hoping this one he likes.

I've been trying to eat & cook better. Seems many of us are these days.

It takes a couple minutes longer to cook than regular pasta, so make sure you heck for doneness. Also, do NOT salt the cooking water. They already salt the Barilla Plus.

How about canned tuna fish?

There is also canned salmon. I was walking around Costco. They had free samples of their canned, pink Alaskan salmon. It was actually good. Not all canned salmon are. Some brands are slimy, fishy & too many bones. Costco used very little mayo to dress it. It is a nice change from same old, same old tuna.

My mom likes to have it with ranch dressing or a ginger dressing.

There is also canned chicken. Trader Joes makes a great one. For those days you really only want to open a can, it's instant chicken salad.

I'm vegan. For the days when I get home STARVING, I like to have hummus, nut butters, and bean dips prepared and waiting in the fridge. Put any of these on whole grain bread, add a big salad or a bunch of steamed veggies and you're good to go.

Hummus and bean dips are also really good toppings for baked potatoes, or can be rolled up in wraps with sliced veggies.

Nut butters can also be added to hot pasta or popped popcorn or turned into a dip for fruit.

Teresa, can yo give some bean dip recipes? I've only made refried beans. They already came canned from El Paso, and were for burritos. But, I'm interested in other types of bean dips.

And what nut butters do you use for pasta and how do you add it to the pasta? Are there other ingredients added?

 

[Silent1CB]

It takes a couple minutes longer to cook than regular pasta, so make sure you heck for doneness. Also, do NOT salt the cooking water. They already salt the Barilla Plus.

Thanks. I never salt my water anyway. Grew up with dad with high blood pressure so I do not use salt when cooking. People can at it at the table if they need it. There is enough salt in other foods to take care of it usually.

 

[mamacatnv]

Whats wrong with Shake N Bake? I use their traditional bread coating for chicken and pork all the time.

I for one use my crockpot sparingly, I find that for my taste it overcooks most meats. I will use it to do corned beef, turkey thighs over red potatoes, soups and chili but never ever chicken breasts ick.

Trader Joes had a large assortment of pastas and rice (brown) already cooked in seal a meal type bags.

Some of the tricks I use:

Cook up a pot of brown rice or barley over the weekend, then store for easy reheat.

Freeze meats in a ziplock with a marinade added, then the meat will marinate while it defrosts and will be ready for the grill or whatever when you get home.

George Forman grills cook meats in a very short amount of time.

I do buy quite a few of Costco's entrees to have on those really busy days:
The pollo asada is delish,
carnitas, shredded beef, pork verde, pot roast, chicken terriyaki and pulled pork. Heat and add veggies/tortillas/taco fixings or what ever goes with it - I don't always do a grain/carb. I always do a veggie or 2 with lots of protein.

I also will grill and or bake: Chicken thighs or breast (boneless/skinless) pork tenderloin, turkey italian sausage, shrimp and tri-tip

I use Shake and Bake traditional often

I rarely if ever serve a yellow or orange veggie. I serve a lot of broccoli, romaine salads w/cucumbers, bean sprouts & celery, string beans, zucchini and asparagus are common also.

Tonight we are having an asparagus, chicken & udon noodle stir fry.

 

[Imzadi]

Last night on Top Chef Masters, the judges were really raving about a tasty sausage. It turned out to be from Whole Foods. I don't know which one it was though.


I also learned about a new way to make hard boiled eggs. I get tired of the same old eggs. These were pink pickled eggs. They are flavored & colored with beet juice, vinegar & sugar. The person said the pink goes over great at at Easter. I suppose instead of using beets, a plain pickle vinegar juice could be used be used for St. Patty's Day and the juice colored with green food coloring. Maybe orange food coloring for Halloween.

Here's the basic recipe I was told:

Pickled Eggs and Beets
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quick-Pickled-Eggs-and-Beets/Detail.aspx


Ingredients
* 8 eggs
* 1 (15 ounce) can sliced beets with liquid
* 1/2 cup white vinegar
* 1/2 cup white sugar (or brown sugar)
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)


Directions
1. Place egg in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, soak in cold water, then peel. Place eggs in a glass or plastic container. (Don't pickle the eggs in a metal container, or they will become slimy. )
2. In a saucepan, combine beets, vinegar, sugar, water and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over eggs. Cover, and chill overnight. Or 3 or 4 days for best flavor, so the eggs absorb the color & flavor throughout. (Adjust vinegar & sugar levels to taste, after first batch.)

 

[OceanAnnie]

I am a cottage cheese fanatic! I'll eat it with just about anything (I am vegetarian so it is my "go to" protein source). 14 grams of protein in just half a cup, low fat, and a bit of calcium.
Also like the Morningstar Farms veggie burgers. You can switching to veggie versions of things like hot dogs and burgers, see if your family notices!

I'm loving the spicy black bean veggie burger, by Morningstar Farms. It is really good! I also like the chicken patties.

 

[Imzadi]

I like the Garden Burgers brand veggie burgers. Their original flavor veggie burgers and the portobello mushroom ones are great. Just a little smear of mayo and I'm good to go.

St Ives makes decent veggie hot dogs. But, hot dogs in general seem to be high in sodium.

There is a veggie bacon that tastes and crisps up like the real thing, without all the heart clogging fat. But, I had it at a health food restaurant, so I don't know what variety it is.

For shelf stable tofu, that doesn't have to be refridgerated or kept in water, there is:
Mori-Nu tofu. It's comes in different firmnesses. It's great as a substitute for egg salad. (It doesn't have to be cooked.) Tofu scramble for breakfast. And to make tofu tacos (instead of beef.) Just season it with taco seasoning while heating.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I like the Garden Burgers brand veggie burgers. Their original flavor veggie burgers and the portobello mushroom ones are great. Just a little smear of mayo and I'm good to go.

St Ives makes decent veggie hot dogs. But, hot dogs in general seem to be high in sodium.

There is a veggie bacon that tastes and crisps up like the real thing, without all the heart clogging fat. But, I had it at a health food restaurant, so I don't know what variety it is.

For shelf stable tofu, that doesn't have to be refridgerated or kept in water, there is:
Mori-Nu tofu. It's comes in different firmnesses. It's great as a substitute for egg salad. (It doesn't have to be cooked.) Tofu scramble for breakfast. And to make tofu tacos (instead of beef.) Just season it with taco seasoning while heating.

I was looking for that silken Tofu! I couldn't find it. I ended up getting "soft" for some chocolate recipe I want to try. I hope the soft will do as well as the silken.

 

[Imzadi]

Sometimes it's in the Health Foods aisle. Other times, they just put it in the refrigerated section with the other tofus.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Sometimes it's in the Health Foods aisle. Other times, they just put it in the refrigerated section with the other tofus.

I did look in both sections but only one grocery store.

 

[Silent1CB]

Imzadi, wanted to let you know that we did have the Barilla Plus pasta last night. DH even taste one plain, no sauce on it, and he agreed it taste like regular pasta. Much better than the cardboard like whole wheat pastas we had tried. He says to buy it again. And he's not a picky eater!!!!

 

[Silent1CB]

Since I'm going to be alone for the next 2 wks, and part of May, and all of June, I decided to buy food that was better for ME.

I made a list from this thread and went shopping today. I'm going to have protein snacks, and not as many treats as Imzadi explained in a previous post. Interesting way of looking at it.

 

[Imzadi]

Imzadi, wanted to let you know that we did have the Barilla Plus pasta last night. DH even taste one plain, no sauce on it, and he agreed it taste like regular pasta. Much better than the cardboard like whole wheat pastas we had tried. He says to buy it again. And he's not a picky eater!!!!

Oh, I missed this post. Glad you like the Barilla Plus! I just had some tonight with clam sauce. There's never enough clams in clam sauce to be the only protein. Knowing ithere's protein in the pasta, makes this okay.

Since I'm going to be alone for the next 2 wks, and part of May, and all of June, I decided to buy food that was better for ME.

I made a list from this thread and went shopping today. I'm going to have protein snacks, and not as many treats as Imzadi explained in a previous post. Interesting way of looking at it.

Don't skimp just because you are eating alone. YOU count, too! Go have all your favorite foods you normally don't get to have, and in weird combinations, since DH will be gone.

 

[Silent1CB]

I bought more of that Barilla Plus pasta today too.

 

[princessbride6205]

Just saw this idea in a magazine - healthy Mexican pizza:
Whole Wheat tortilla as crust
Salsa as the sauce
Top with black beans, cheese (2% if desired), and additional veggies (optional)
Bake in toaster or oven

For protein snacks, I like nuts (especially almonds and pistachios) and hard-boiled eggs.

 

[Silent1CB]

I've lost 5 lbs this week by simply changing my "diet" snacks to protein snacks listed in this thread.
And the Barilla Plus pasta.
Joseph's oat, flax & whole wheat flour pitas with net carb of 4g. Made pizza with those one night.
Perdue Perfect Portions individually wrapped & frozen chicken breasts.

Its also helped that DH is currently gone, so I only have MY food in the house.

I've not hit take out once this entire week. I've cooked a nice meal for just myself each time.

Thank you!

 

[landshark]

A convenient meal for me is to make tacos. Use a lean ground meat like turkey and add a can of drained/rinsed black beans to stretch it. I love to serve it with a fresh salsa made from canned chopped tomatoes (drained), vinegar, chopped onion, cilantro, garlic, ground pepper and chili oil or flakes for heat. Make the salsa ahead of time or buy similar concoctions at places like Trader Joe's in their refrigerated section.

I'd also like to add that you shouldn't feel bad about ruining an otherwise good meal with your protein. There's nothing wrong with pizza, but maybe you should look for one that is better for you instead. This goes likewise for hot dogs, chili, etc... That Shake 'N Bake is likely far better than deep fried chicken. If it's all the preservatives that bother you, learn how to make your own seasoned breadcrumbs. Depending on the recipe, chili can be super easy to make in a slow cooker. Usually you'd just need to brown some ground meat, dump in some canned beans, measure out a few spices and let it cook away.