Meryl,
I've been lurking for awhile, but I started out a serious
health-improvement crusade :) about a year ago with the Maximum Weight
Loss Plan. I have a SAD husband & a picky 6 yr old and was already
juggling with meals, so I knew I'd have to find some quick & easy things
I could depend on if I was going to stay on plan. I'm not strictly McD
anymore, but have lost 70 lbs... my activity level has increased so
drastically that I have been able to modify (aka cheat :>) the plan &
still see slow but steady improvement. Anyway... these are really from
the book, but I came to rely a LOT on: hash browns, veggie baked-
beans, veggie chili, canned vegetables & beans, and potatoes-- baked,
mashed, boiled or broiled. Also BBQ sauce, steak sauce & mustard.
Sounds boring, huh :) :) :) :)
I didn't eat these things every day, but kept them on hand always. Ore Ida
has hash browns that are formed into rectangular patties. Read
the labels-- they have bagged hash browns with stuff added. Also read
labels on the other frozed potato products. My grocery carried some
generic shoestring potatoes for awhile that were just potatoes. But I
think I was the only person who ever bought them & they disappeared.
Read the labels on the canned products too. I found brands I could live
with, but some of them have an unbelievable amount of salt added.
Read the label on the steak sauce-- some have anchovies, most have tons
of salt.
So I would eat baked beans dumped over hash browns, chili over a baked
potato, oven "fries" or water-mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes w/ black beans to
which I had added chopped onion, green pepper & a shot of hot sauce--
or any other combination of the above. And these became my staples-- like
sandwiches or spaghetti night for SAD eaters-- not too exciting, but
filling & nutritious. I think it helps a lot to be realistic about how
much you can really put into food preparation, and to be prepared for
those times when have big hunger & NO time or energy to put into it.
Those were my most dangerous times. But I actually began to crave baked
beans on hashbrowns :) :) :) when I was out & the big hungries hit.
- Marya
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