How to stop being unhealthy...

[rad]

Cooking something different isnt hard and can be healthy. Sticking a jacket potato in the microwave, grill/oven/fry a pork chop/loin and then carrots cooked in microwave or on hob.

 

Sometime batch cooking is the best way if living alone. I used to spend one evening cooking a packet of Mince with a sauce and veg, this was divided up into 4. Same night I'd do a batch of Chicken with Chicken tonight sauce (others are available) and then divide that up. Freeze it and then all I would have to do is get out a meal bag in the morning, that goes in the microwave and then bung on a pan of pasta.

 

Ok, if Im honest I too stuff a pizza in the oven when I really cant be bothered to cook

[mrbios]

I had a mega lazy tea tonight, microwaved carrot+swede mash, a cheese and cauliflower bake (it's like a breaded thing you stick in the oven) and fish fingers

 

I like to think of it as healthy, but I'm guessing the microwave aspect kills off a lot of the good stuff.

[witch]

Microwaving isn't particularly bad but it is the cheese and cauli thing that is the worst thing in that meal. Probably didn't need the cheese though but on the whole not too bad @rad More than one vegetable, I hope! My sons always use frozen mixed veg which gives good variety and is quick and easy.

[hardtailstar]

by a blender like http://www.amazon.co.uk/Breville-Blend-Active-Personal-Blender-Family/dp/B00KM15WKA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425462527&sr=8-1&keywords=blender

 

Chuck frozen/fresh fruit, ice cubes and some juice in it, blend it up and drink it instead of fizzy drinks etc.

 

I usually make one in the morning and drink it during the day.

[ButterflyMoon]

@rad have you sneaked into my kitchen on batch cooking days I do this too as living alone means you could get lazy foodwise. I never learnt how to cook for one so I buy and cook like I still had my lads at home. I can get roughly 12 dinners from the 3 for a tenner butcher meat deals. Cooking doesn't need to be complex it just needs to be wholesome and tasty.

[unixman_again]

Try sitting on a Swiss Ball rather than a chair. One of our PE teachers does this and I guess he should know the benefits.

[hardtailstar]

@rad have you sneaked into my kitchen on batch cooking days I do this too as living alone means you could get lazy foodwise. I never learnt how to cook for one so I buy and cook like I still had my lads at home. I can get roughly 12 dinners from the 3 for a tenner butcher meat deals. Cooking doesn't need to be complex it just needs to be wholesome and tasty.

 

any good recipes for doing this? Ive often thought about it but not actually known what to do. Preferably ones that I can heat in the morning before work and then eat cold at lunch.

[pcstru]

@radCooking doesn't need to be complex it just needs to be wholesome and tasty.

Quite. Many of the worlds great dishes are very simple 'peasant' food and many cooks tend to try and overdo things - too many ingredients, too many flavours.

 

Perhaps we should have a thread for simple, quick, healthy recipes.

[Joanne]

For tasty and healthy AND easy, I tend to buy Swartz spice rack jobbies. My current favourites are Spicy italian and Spanish. ASDA do some own brand spice mixes too like jerk and morrocan.

 

Cut up some chicken breast, add spice, fry in olive oil OR coconut oil. Serve with steamed vegetables. Replace normal potato with sweet potato ET VOILA. 20 mins and easy peasy.

[edutech4schools]

I have been feeling very tired recently so on Sunday I gave up sugar, sweets and crisps. Had a headache for 3 days now but it is getting less each day. Never believed I could cut sugar out of my life but I have and will let you know if it helps.

 

Having this headache just shows how ingrained sugar has been in my body, otherwise I would not be feeling the effects of not having it.

[Arreks]

Lots of fruit, cook healthy dinners and gym twice a week.

[Joanne]

Lots of fruit VEGETABLES, cook healthy dinners and gym twice a week.

 

Corrected that for you.

[elsiegee40]

And if you are one of those that "don't like vegetables", make chilli or bolognaise (using turkey mince reduces the fat content) and chop/grate veggies small and fling them in that. Gradually increase the proportion of the veggies

 

Frozen veg is just as good as fresh by the way

Edited March 4, 2015 by elsiegee40

[Garacesh]

Corrected that for you.

Your diet needs over 9000 Vegeta-bles!

 

Housemate has an exercise bike so I've ninja'd use of that and in return said she can use my 4kg hand weights. Fair trade.

Did about 8KM in 20 minutes* whilst waiting for my food to cook last night.. Is that good? xD I dunno. Felt good afterwards, though.

* The first 10 minutes were on Setting 4, but that was getting extremely tiresome so I knocked it down to 3 for the remainder, rather than stop.

Edited March 4, 2015 by Garacesh

[Arreks]

Corrected that for you.

 

Well by healthy dinners I mean lots of vegetables! so fruit and vegetables! so there!

[Joanne]

too much fruit can be bad because of all the naturally occurring sugars....

[Earthling]

@rad

 

Cooking doesn't need to be complex it just needs to be wholesome and tasty, and done by someone else.

 

Fixed that for you.

 

Can't you tell I live alone, as well.

[kennysarmy]

To prevent being just sat in your chair all day I'd definitely drinking lost of water - two fold benefit then

[Earthling]

Sitting down all day is an easy one to get into in this job, more so than when I was on mainframe operations back in the day, when there were tapes/disks to be unmounted/mounted, cards etc fed into various readers and so on.

 

I'm a bit of a restless person in work. I pace up and down in the office when I have to think through a problem, I get up and walk into the storeroom next door and back, if I get bored I find something on the Help Desk to do in an outlying block, install some software on a particular pc/laptop, change a toner cartridge, anything so I don't have to stay sat down for too long. I've found all these things help to ward off boredom, and to stay relatively fit at the age of 62. I'm lucky enough to be able to walk to work, too, if I don't need my car immediately after work.

 

My colleague, on the other hand (same age) sits down in his chair all day long and I would consider him to be bordering on, if not actually, clinically obese.

 

At home, I'm completely the opposite. A mind is a terrible thing to waste on housework.

[witch]

I'm now standing up reading this thread!

This looks like a good site: 50 Batch Cooking Recipes : Food Network UK

 

TBH though it is all the old favourites that are easy to cook up in batches - chicken/beef/lamb stew,(plain or spicy) spag bol (with low fat mince or Quorn), any pasta bake, tagine, chilli, risotto, veg bake, etc.

[hcs-tom]

I'm now standing up reading this thread!

This looks like a good site: 50 Batch Cooking Recipes : Food Network UK

 

TBH though it is all the old favourites that are easy to cook up in batches - chicken/beef/lamb stew,(plain or spicy) spag bol (with low fat mince or Quorn), any pasta bake, tagine, chilli, risotto, veg bake, etc.

 

+1 For this. Slow cookers are a good tool if you like meals don't have the time/inclination to cook beyond food preperation (chopping etc). Bring it in to work the following day and you'll save a few quid against the sandwich shop.

 

I've lost 7lbs since January thanks to doing nothing but CV (running, football, gym etc.) and finally addressing my diet. Chocolate is my vice, but i've replaced the trackers/mikados etc. that usually clogged up my drawer with fresh almonds which satisfies the mid-morning/afternoon sugar cravings.

 

Also plenty of H2O, A litre of it ice cold to start your morning if possible. Get's your metabolism cooking.

[Earthling]

I eat a lot of baked potatoes and things like tuna or avocado, scotch eggs. Main reason being they don't take a lot of preparation time. Two hours in the oven while I work on my model railway or do the housework (as if) and dinner's ready.

[rad]

If you want real lazy cooking, I would recommend the cook in the bag meals from Colemans or Maggi So juicy. They tend to come on offer for 50p a bag, this is one example - Colman's S/Shake Mediterranean Chicken S/Mix 33G - Groceries - Tesco Groceries

 

Simply cut up carrots, potatoes, peppers, onions etc, add meat and follow instructions. do it up, leave in oven and you have a meal just like a slow cooker.

[sippo]

This reminds me of my youth/early 20's.

 

When living alone I would live on pasta. One of the 'baddies' I liked to eat were Microwave Sausages. Man what was I thinking?!

[Poults]

I have a friend who is nearly 30 and he still cooks bacon, burgers and sausages in the microwave