Re: Busy guy needs some advice

[amdawson]

Well, I don't want to hijack another thread, but the subject line seems appropriate.
Perhaps it's worth some of the LC regulars chiming in on some tips for busy guys to be successful on LC.

For me, I'm sick of lunchmeat, and with nuts and cheese, I either eat too much, or if I don't, then I'm hungry. So for lunch at work, I've had a hard time finding convenient foods that I can take to work for lunch, especially after I got sick of plain lunchmeat.

The jackpot in this lottery would be for me to find some satisfying, convenient low carb foods that don't have to be cooked and/or prepared very much in advance...stuff I can just throw in a lunchbox and enjoy on the fly. Things like boiled eggs, veggies, etc. are great, but by the time I cook them, slice them, wash my tupperware, and clean up the kitchen, I get frustrated with the amount of time and effort it takes to prepare a small snack that only satisfied me for 30 minutes.

So.....any suggestions for us stereotypical kitchenophobic men for convenient LC foods that don't require lots of preparation? I like the idea of a "health bar," but so far, like Frank said, they are mostly candy bars. Even the ones with no added sugar have 30 or 40 carbs due to the grains and fruit.

[lczeledoc]

You can buy burgers without the buns, that's LC. Also, you can try grilled chicken from Pollo Loco or KFC. Or Rotisserie chicken from the market.

[amdawson]

You can buy burgers without the buns, that's LC. Also, you can try grilled chicken from Pollo Loco or KFC. Or Rotisserie chicken from the market.

yeah, i do all that, except the fast-food chicken. the rotisserie chicken is a recent addition that makes a few good meals, usually. the stores around here smother them in bbq sauce or some other msg-laden crap. hard to find a plain one. whole foods is good for that.

[Dutchess2009]

Well I am not a guy...but I absolutely hate to cook. I do not eat lunch meat at the moment.....I do eat a lot of chicken and fish when on maintenance. What I do is no more then 2x per week stop at the store, pick up some meat, veggies, or whatever you want. I will make different meals in one night...to have over the next 4-5 days, put them in seperate containers, then each day pick one that looks good. That way I am only cooking in the kitchen once (usually with a glass of wine so it is not too painfull). I also eat a lot of canned tuna and shrimp...easy way to get my protiens in for the day.

[Gaelen]

The jackpot in this lottery would be for me to find some satisfying, convenient low carb foods that don't have to be cooked and/or prepared very much in advance...stuff I can just throw in a lunchbox and enjoy on the fly. Things like boiled eggs, veggies, etc. are great, but by the time I cook them, slice them, wash my tupperware, and clean up the kitchen, I get frustrated with the amount of time and effort it takes to prepare a small snack that only satisfied me for 30 minutes.

- protein shakes, homemade and frozen in water bottles to grab and go
- a big bag of chicken wings, skinless chicken breasts or chicken drumsticks which you can cook in the microwave at work with a splash of Italian dressing (bottled, organic to minimize extra junk) or just plain old butter and some Mrs. Dash. No microwave at work? Cook them at home, package them up in portion sizes in ziploc bags, and grab a bag for lunch.
- a big bag of fish fillets (salmon, orange roughy, mahi-mahi, even tilapia), given the same treatment as the chicken. Another good coating for the fish or chicken microwave lunch: a packet of mustard and a squeeze of lemon juice and a pat of butter on top. Seriously no-fuss.
- buy your veggies precut/washed/sliced in bags in the produce section. Keep a bag of veggies or greens or both at work in the 'fridge, and add to them the protein du jour. Microwave those fresh veggies you'd prefer to eat cooked with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice and a pat of butter. Those foil packed bags of tuna or salmon, and even whole cans of drained baby clams, work well with precut/washed veggies for fast meals.
- you can buy jars of pickled boiled eggs. That would be zero prep.
- use a salad bar for what it's got! Bring protein (cooked chicken, tuna, salmon, sausage--anything portable) and add it to fresh greens, cut melon, washed berries, shredded cheese, even...already boiled eggs...from your local salad bar.
- buy bulk packs of sausage links (nitrite free), grill them all at once, package in ziplocs and freeze. Grab portions as needed. Can be eaten cold, or reheated in microwave.
- around here, London broil cuts have been $1.99/lb for weeks. Buy a 3-5lb piece, grill or broil it, slice it, package it into indiv. servings in ziploc bags, and grab and go for meals. Can be eaten cold, dipped in mustard, dress up a simple side salad from McD's or Wendy's--you name it.

Improvise. Think outside the sandwich, and typical foods, and stop worrying about how much time it will take to cook it, clean it. Just enJOY it.
The world is a lot bigger than Whole Foods, and your local rotissierre chicken counter (although that's not a bad choice, either...)

As for "by the time I cook them, slice them, wash my tupperware, and clean up the kitchen, I get frustrated with the amount of time and effort it takes to prepare a small snack that only satisfied me for 30 minutes" I see several ways to minimize all of that (for instance, use disposable wraps/bags instead of tupperware to hold things that don't need to be cooked. Even--waxed paper bags or packets, like in the olden days before Saran wrap and ziploc bags. ;)

Minimize how many times you cook, how many pots you cook in, what you store stuff in. If there's a fridge at work, then you could theoretically boil a dozen eggs, pack them in a ziploc bag, take them all to work at once, grab as needed until they run out, and toss the bag when it's empty. The pot only needs a rinse so the kitchen cleanup is minimal. You basically boiled water for 15 min., to produce 12 eggs, which will take you a half a minute each to shell. Shell them directly over a paper towel or wastebasket, and there's no cleanup on the eating end of the deal, either. If that's too much effort to put into your food...well...think of it as an investment in your health.

Unless you plan to eat it raw or just buy everything already prepped and at serving temp, there's some cooking, cleaning and storing involved in food consumption. I've known people who'd invest $500 in a bow-flex machine but wouldn't spend 15 minutes cooking themselves something simple. While a bow-flex is a wonderful machine, 15 minutes a day spent cooking to improve your health is just as important, and you have to ask yourself, Is that too much time to invest in my health? I'd rather spend 15 min. cleaning up after prepping the food I'll be taking for lunches than spend that time racing around in noontime traffic...much less stressful, much bigger long-term payoff. But YMMV.

Welcome in.

[Frank Hagan]

Costco has "Flatout Bread", a kind of tortilla with flax and whole wheat. Probably not safe if you are going gluten free, but it has only 6 - 8 net grams of carbs. The things are pretty large, and rectangular (with rounded corners). About the size of two regular tortillas if they were conjoined twins. I lay it flat on the counter, lay down a few ounces of lunch meat or sliced chicken breast, turkey or steak, use fresh ground pepper and salt, and then drizzle yellow mustard on it. Then you roll it up, taquito style rather than like a burrito, and it makes a great portable low carb meal (you can pack a lot into them). Not messy when you eat it either (as long as you keep the open end sealed with the plastic wrap).

I've also gotten into the habit of grilling extra when I prepare something. A grilled chicken breast will last a few days in the fridge without any problem, and it makes a quick snatch and pack lunch entree in the mornings. Cooking ten chicken breasts on the grill takes as long as cooking two, so the only extra time is putting the cooled food into plastic bags and throwing them into the fridge.

I eat hard boiled eggs too, but I hate to peel the things. I end up with most of the white on the shell, and this tiny, pitiful egg. Then I found out you can add a teaspoon of olive oil to the water and the shells practically slide off the eggs. It cut the peeling time down to about 5 seconds per egg.

lczeledoc - since you are in California, have you tried an In-N-Out double-double protein style? 11 grams total carbs, 3 grams fiber. I skip the tomato and onion, and order a "3x3 protein style, spread only" (three of their small meat patties and three cheese slices) and get a great tasting fast meal. I like it better than the "standard" ones with the buns now.

[amdawson]

Dang, GRREEEAATT advice, everybody!!!!! Thanks so much!
some of the tips i've already done with some reasonable success (your london broil is our chuckeye steak for 1.99/lb)

i am intrigued by the microwave chicken and fish....i might have to ponder that one for a little while before i am willing to give it a shot, but it can't hurt to try!

I eat hard boiled eggs too, but I hate to peel the things. I end up with most of the white on the shell, and this tiny, pitiful egg. Then I found out you can add a teaspoon of olive oil to the water and the shells practically slide off the eggs. It cut the peeling time down to about 5 seconds per egg.
I haven't tried the olive oil trick, but my trick is to crack the shell, then roll the egg around on the counter so that the shell cracks all over, then it comes off pretty much all at once.

Unless you plan to eat it raw or just buy everything already prepped and at serving temp, there's some cooking, cleaning and storing involved in food consumption.
That's a good point...I might as well just own up to the fact that eating requires food prep, especially healthy eating. I think the big problem is that I'm in a tiny grad school campus apartment right now with barely any counter room and certainly no dishwasher. I actually like the cooking part. It's the cleanup that gets me.

But for some quick hits, has anybody found any low-carb protein bars or protein shakes that are any good?

That way I am only cooking in the kitchen once (usually with a glass of wine so it is not too painfull). I also eat a lot of canned tuna and shrimp...easy way to get my protiens in for the day.
Great idea on the cooking w/ wine in hand. I will definitely try that. Last time I bought tuna, I accidentally bought the kind in oil, so that frustrated me enough to keep me away from it for a while. But I just got a few cans of tuna in water this week at the store. Also, guilty pleasure -- hot dogs.

[Spruce Goose]

The forum software drives me batty sometimes. I typed up a nice big post but it took too long and I was logged out. Normally I accidentally hit the back button thinking I can copy/paste my message but the post is gone. If I don't hit the back button and just just back in, it'll post unless I typo in which case my post is gone. And and when I try to go back to see the new posts that I hadn't read yet? Yeah, those are gone because I'd been logged out so they aren't new anymore. <rantoff> Sorry about that! Recreating post:

You could always look into doing some prep for your week's meals at a time other than when you're getting ready to eat. My wife busts out the big pan on Sunday's and cooks enough scrambled eggs and sausage for the week. Spread it out over the containers. Morning comes? Pop container in the microwave for 1.5 minutes, put a couple slices of cheese in and cover it so it melts as I walk back to my desk at work.

Cook bigger dinners so there are more leftovers? Some people are really into casseroles and that sort of thing. Along those lines you can use a crockpot to make pulled pork, that's good eating for a few meals. Cut up a roast and put it in the food processor so you get shredded beef that cooks fast (or reheats in the microwave if you cooked it and stored it). Browned hamburger works in a lot of situations.

Sammich in a bowl. I know you said you're tired of lunch meat but I spruce it up with pepperoni or some other meat to change the taste. Cut up the lunchmeat, put it in a container, put in some mayo and shredded cheese then mix it up.

Hot dogs. I've recently fallen in love with heads of romaine lettuce. They make perfect "buns" for hot dogs. You can even load up whatever you like on a hot dog. You can pack these or even just the hot dogs and a small container with condiments.

I keep beef jerky around the office in case I need a snack.

I bought some protein powder. Unflavored kind works if you can't find one you like. I put in water (sometimes a little heavy cream) and a little da vinci's sugar free syrup (lately I've been on a kick with using banana and raspberry).

[maxlharris]

How I eat at work:
1- Protein Shake, RTD. $2.19/can at Trader Joes, 35g protein, 2-3g carbs. Easy, peasy, and really, pretty cheap.
2- Chicken joint across the street. They give you an option of salsa mild, salsa hot, and BBQ sauce. I bring just straight hot sauce from home. That's 4 options (the two salsas and the hot sauce, and just as it comes off the grill... they don't rotisserie, they butterfly and grill)
3- Leftover dinner.
4- Go to a local diner, get 2 eggs with bacon and a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese.

If I were a wider eater, tuna fish in the can seems like a quick place to start. Ditto any canned fish.

[Spruce Goose]

Forgot the tuna. Also you can get chicken in cans like tuna (and other meats). Easy stuff.

[laughingW]

But for some quick hits, has anybody found any low-carb protein bars or protein shakes that are any good?Not me but hot dogs are good for that purpose.
Or, make a big batch of beef hash with onions and whatever, and put a serving in a disposable sandwich bag. You can eat it out of that or heat it up and then toss the baggie.

I've cooked in those tiny spaces and I came to prefer the one-dish meals where you make a bunch at once and eat it until it's done. then make something else. I like it that way but some people like something different every single meal and that would not work for that.

[amdawson]

great tips, everybody. just what i needed.

picked up some trader joes shakes tonight. had tuna for dinner. we'll see how it goes tomorrow :-)

i dont feel hungry at least.

[Sharvo]

I love all your lazy suggestions - I'm right there with ya. One of my all time lazy tasties is a suggestion that was in one of the Eades books. It's tuna that comes in a jar with hot peppers. The brand I buy is called Callipo and the tuna is packed in olive oil. You can find this in any Italian grocery and most larger grocery stores (at least inToronto). So I leave a jar or two of the tuna and a bag of spinach in the frig at work - just grab some baby spinach out of the bag, put it in a bowl and pile a slightly drained whack of spicy tuna on the greens and call it lunch (or dinner if you're stuck there late). It's suprisingly good and tastes nothing like your usual tuna salad. btw, don't tell anyone else about this, ok? I'm afraid if it gets too popular there won't be any Callipo tuna left when I get to the store.

Also, there's an "up-scale" deli not too far away and they have a good grilled chicken Ceasar packaged for lunches (dressing, etc in separate containers) - I usually pick up a couple of those a week, but there's only about 100gm of chicken so it might be light for a guy.

I know you don't want to cook, but consider throwing a couple cut up chicken breasts, a garlic clove, chopped onion, chopped celery, a little chicken broth, white wine and thyme into a slow cooker. I have everything in the cooker by 10pm and pack it into lunch tupperware when I get up at 6am - that'll be 4 meals prepared while I slept - how much lazier can you get than that!!!!

Has anyone seen Dana Carpender's LowCarb Slow Cooker cookbook yet? I hope it's good - I just ordered it.

Good health,
Sharvo

[Spruce Goose]

Has anyone seen Dana Carpender's LowCarb Slow Cooker cookbook yet? I hope it's good - I just ordered it.
Seen it but haven't ordered it yet. It is on my list however. Please let us know how you like it!

[isisrose]

This is something that I have been doing for a few years now, it's natural and cheaper than lunch meat. I buy a big thing of chicken (usually on sale for $.99 lb or even less, but even not on sale under $1.59 lb where I shop), cook it on the weekend, let it cool and then strip into pieces and store in my tupperware. I make chicken salad out of it or just put it on a salad.

Also it comes in handy sometimes when I have a long day and don't feel like making dinner, I have chicken already cooked up and can throw together a quick and acceptable meal. Considering that lunch meats are usually around $4 lb. at least by what I see this is a real bargain and without all the chemicals a better health bargain too.

[isisrose]

Has anyone seen Dana Carpender's LowCarb Slow Cooker cookbook yet? I hope it's good - I just ordered it.

I just got her 500 Low Carb Recipes and love that! Will have to keep my eyes pealed for this.

[Spruce Goose]

Good idea on the chicken. I'm definitely suggesting that one.

Not only would it work for quick meals, I can also use it for when the baby (hmm, he's almost 1 maybe I should call him "kid" or "child" at to not convey the wrong age range with baby) needs something to eat. Also a few of our meals we use things like chicken but you have to cook it separately and it's a big pain (ie, zucchini crusted pizza w/ alfredo sauce, chicken & bacon). With pre-cooked chicken it'd be much easier.

[maxlharris]

I forgot.

I don't worry about sodium and stuff like that, so maybe this doesn't work for you, but I have been know to buy hot wings, in bulk (like 100 at a time) from joints like Buffalo Wild Wings and Wing Stop (not Wing Street, the one owned by Pizza Hut...). Parse them out into 12-15 wing packages and FEAST. I might have to do this for next week. Give myself a break from shakes.

[SandyHanson]

One thing my husband and I like is pot roast, ground up with onions, with mayonnaise and any other things that happen to strike our fancy at the time. It makes a great sandwich filling, but I just put a mound of it on my plate and eat it like that. It would be easy to put in small plastic containers to carry to work.


I just got her 500 Low Carb Recipes and love that! Will have to keep my eyes pealed for this.

I've borrowed this from the library a couple of times, and plan to get it soon. It has a LOT of good recipes and ideas in it!

[isisrose]

Also a few of our meals we use things like chicken but you have to cook it separately and it's a big pain (ie, zucchini crusted pizza w/ alfredo sauce, chicken & bacon). With pre-cooked chicken it'd be much easier.

Exactly!!! I can not tell you how many a nights I came home and realized I didn't take anything out to thaw and then there was that already cooked chicken to save the night! ;)

[amdawson]

This is something that I have been doing for a few years now, it's natural and cheaper than lunch meat. I buy a big thing of chicken (usually on sale for $.99 lb or even less, but even not on sale under $1.59 lb where I shop), cook it on the weekend, let it cool and then strip into pieces and store in my tupperware. I make chicken salad out of it or just put it on a salad.

Also it comes in handy sometimes when I have a long day and don't feel like making dinner, I have chicken already cooked up and can throw together a quick and acceptable meal. Considering that lunch meats are usually around $4 lb. at least by what I see this is a real bargain and without all the chemicals a better health bargain too.

Just wanted to report that these chicken ideas really were great this week! The other night for dinner, I opened up a bag of IQF chicken breasts. Instead of cooking one, I put the whole bag of them in a big pot of boiling water with a bunch of garlic and onion powder. After dinner, the rest of them had cooled a bit and I cut them all up and threw them in a tupperware. (Also, boiled chicken seemed weird, but it ended up tasting good, just didn't have the brown color it might have gotten from the foreman grill or from a skillet).

The rest of this week, they've made great lunches and dinners. I put a serving into tupperware with some lemon pepper seasoning, close it up, shake it up, and microwave it, or did the same thing last night with some raw broccoli pieces and soy sauce -- voila! microwave stirfry!

Maybe the nuker isn't the horrible food-ruiner I've always thought it was!

[Gaelen]

...Maybe the nuker isn't the horrible food-ruiner I've always thought it was!

I once lived out a year of self-done kitchen renovation with only a dorm-sized cube fridge, a hot pot and a microwave. I ate just fine, and didn't really do much more take-out than I do now.

If I didn't have a microwave at work, some days i'd never have a hot meal. ;) I know some people think a microwave is only useful to heat water and maybe melt butter...I actually cook in mine and the ones at work all the time.

[fflynn17]

How long does the pre-cooked chicken keep in the refrigerator? That sounds like a great quick idea for lunch, but I worry about it going bad...

[isisrose]

Just wanted to report that these chicken ideas really were great this week! The other night for dinner, I opened up a bag of IQF chicken breasts. Instead of cooking one, I put the whole bag of them in a big pot of boiling water with a bunch of garlic and onion powder. After dinner, the rest of them had cooled a bit and I cut them all up and threw them in a tupperware. (Also, boiled chicken seemed weird, but it ended up tasting good, just didn't have the brown color it might have gotten from the foreman grill or from a skillet).

The rest of this week, they've made great lunches and dinners. I put a serving into tupperware with some lemon pepper seasoning, close it up, shake it up, and microwave it, or did the same thing last night with some raw broccoli pieces and soy sauce -- voila! microwave stirfry!

Maybe the nuker isn't the horrible food-ruiner I've always thought it was!

Glad it worked for you. You can also bake up a big batch as well. It doesn't take much longer to cook a batch than to cook a single serving. I really love doing this, and it is a huge money savings as well (and I think healthier than processed deli style meats).

[isisrose]

How long does the pre-cooked chicken keep in the refrigerator? That sounds like a great quick idea for lunch, but I worry about it going bad...

In tupperware (I was lucky enough to get a huge vintage collection on ebay last year at a tremendous bargain) I find mine keeps for about 7 - 9 days. In foil not so long. In other storage containers I would guestimate 5 - 7 days. You could even use the freezer type bags that you pump the air out of (I do that with egg plant that I've cut a portion out of and find that it doesn't turn brown etc..) and that would probably work well too. You would just have to pump the air out after each opening and closing. The main thing in storing this is to get out and keep out as much air as possible. That is probably why foil doesn't store it so well.

[maxlharris]

I know some people think a microwave is only useful to heat water and maybe melt butter.

I find that a stove top does a better job of both. Especially the water.

On the flip side, the wave is perfect for:
popcorn
bacon
and anything else where browning isn't as important as internal heat.

[juliasmith]

Just marry someone who wants to b a housewife n she will cook for u