Nutrition help!

[MidwesternGal]

--I didn't know if this belonged here, in a FP thread, or in Cooking! Please feel free to move if it should be somewhere else!--

I need help with getting some nutritional, but very simple meals ready for myself!

I'm 10 weeks pregnant, and starting to (hopefully!) come out of the sicky stage.

We live in an apartment with a small kitchen, and neither my DH or I really like to cook that much and aren't that great when we do. Before I got pg, we lived on hamburger, chicken, potatoes, carrots, apples, sometimes a salad, and lots and LOTS of deli sandwhiches!

Anyone have some quick, EASY nutritional meals that don't require lots of funky ingredients? (Seems like all the "healthy" recipies I find have lots of ingredients that I don't have on hand or are expensive to add to my grocery list.)

Thanks in advance!!

[carrie9142]

I don't have many recipes, but just wanted to say I think you will get a better response in Cooking crossposted to Pregnancy/Parenting.

[Yolanda]

http://www.kraftfoods.com/main.aspx?s=recipe&m=recipe/knet_recipe_grid&Rpage=9&u1=keyword&u2=chicken

This is a great place for recipes. You can type in whatever meat and it will pull up a bunch of recipes. If you want, I have found some pretty easy ones I can post. Let me know :)

[PaulsGirl]

Midwesterngal, Congratulations on your pregnancy! Here is a book I found hugely helpful for ideas on what to eat, and none of them require "funky ingredients" ;)

Every Woman's Guide to Eating During Pregnancy (Paperback)
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0395986605.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

It's great because it breaks it down into trimesters.

[carrie9142]

/OT/

PaulsGirlYour avatar is so stinkin' cute!!! I love ducky anything and that is an especially cute hat :) Pulled down over an especially cute baby face ;)

[maniach]

There are so many things you can make!! I don't know about pregnancy, but just in general the whole nutrition thing. I know what you mean about the "fancy" recipes, though.

So, here are some ideas:

Pasta is about the easiest thing in the world to make. Buy dried pasta, spaghetti sauce and some kind of protein filler. I like whole wheat pasta... so much better for you. I eat tofu "meat"balls but my FI doesn't do tofu so I make him regular ones. They are frozen and microwavable so it's really easy to make different stuff. Make a nice salad with romaine, cucumber, peppers, tomato, mushrooms, etc and serve. The good thing about the salad is you can make it in a huge container with a lid (tupperware, rubbermaid, etc) and store it and have it several nights in a row.

If you wanted something fancier, I have made lasagna with turkey italian sausage. You can't even taste the difference. Just get lasagna, sauce, the sausage, ricotta or cottage cheese (I like the latter... ricotta is icky), mozzarella and parmesan. Cook the noodles and the sausage (not together, obviously). Mix the cheeses with one egg. Add the sausage to the sauce. Layer pasta, cheese, sauce. Repeat until pan is full (you can use a square dish, just cut the pasta small). Bake at 350 for about 30-60 minutes until cooked through.

There are "specialty" salads. I get bagged lettuce and toppings for all kinds of salads. I make a southwest salad (with jalapenos, black beans, black olives, corn and tomatoes with grilled chicken breast on it) and caesar (there are even kits for this; Ken's makes really yummy low cal caesar dressing, too -- just add grilled chicken breast) and greek salad (romaine lettuce or bagged salad, cucumber -- I use the wrapped ones because they are seedless, tomatoes, feta cheese, pepperoncini, red onion and Athenos makes a tasty greek vinaigrette. Top with the inevitable grilled chicken breast and you have a tasty meal).

I have made stuffed chicken breast where you pound the chicken breast out flat and stuff it with something -- I like sun dried tomato pesto and goat cheese (I like boursin), not sure if you can eat that. It may not be cooked. But I think feta is and you can probably use that.

I have made shrimp with grape tomatoes and basil. Grocery stores have giant bags of frozen shrimp and it's great because they come peeled and deveined and it only takes like 10 minutes to defrost them. Just season the shrimp with salt and pepper, saute in olive oil, and when it's pink through, you add the grape tomatoes and basil that you cut in a chiffonade (fancy way of saying roll it up short ways and cut into thin strips). I like it over pasta.

Another tip is to make brown rice. It takes longer but is so much healthier. A lot of times I have made like 4 cups of it on Saturday and throw it into a 1 c. ziploc container or bag and freeze it. Then when you want to eat it you just microwave it. This goes well with plain old grilled chicken breast (gotta love a lowfat chicken).

I have started making pork loin. It is very tender and low in calories. I serve this sometimes with the brown rice and a salad or veggie. If you grill it whole it takes like a half hour, so I have been known to cut it into rounds about 1/2" thick and cook just the rounds. So much faster.

Then there are tacos with ground turkey or chicken (not as good, but it works) and fajitas. If you are a sour cream junkie like me, a low fat ranch like Hidden Valley Ranch Light is a pretty good substitute (don't get fat free, it's just not worth it).

Can you tell I have been known to both eat low-cal AND super fast? I hate having dinner take a long time!!! If I think of anything else, I will come back!

[PaulsGirl]

/OT/

PaulsGirlYour avatar is so stinkin' cute!!! I love ducky anything and that is an especially cute hat :) Pulled down over an especially cute baby face ;)

Thanks!! :)

[MidwesternGal]

Thanks so much for the tips ladies!

Yolanda-- I'll have to check out Kraft recipies!

maniach--great recipies! they're so easy, you didn't even have to post an actual "recipie"! I love that!!

PaulsGirl--Thanks for the book recommendation. I'll have to check Amazon out!

Thanks again everyone! Hopefully this will keep some of those lbs off that I knew will creep up if I eat really horribly!

[j*east]

I'm subscribing, and also popping in to say that some stores (Trader Joe's comes to mind) sell pre-cooked brown rice in vaccuum sealed bags. This has changed my life. 60 seconds in the microwave and it's ready to go with baked chicken, salad, whatever. I'll add a recipe or two later when I have more time. :)

[j*east]

Here's my recipe for chicken and black bean rice. I usually serve it with corn and/or a green salad. If you like spicy, add more of the spices and some cayenne pepper. I include measurements for spices here, but for myself I just shake it on and taste and stop when it's spicy enough. :)

This is adapted from a burrito recipe, but I like just eating it this way. You could put it into tortillas if you want.

Also, if you don't have exact amounts of the specified ingredients, it's okay. This is a very low-maintenance recipe.

1 cup brown rice, cooked. (I use pre-cooked, like Trader Joe's, or just follow package directions)
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 28 oz can diced or crushed tomatoes (I like crushed, but if you like chunky tomatoes, go with diced)
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
I teaspoon each ground cumin and chili powder (I use at least 1 tablespoon--this is mild)
Cayenne pepper (optional) for extra spice
2 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 c. fat free sour cream (or low fat or regular is fine)

1. Cook the chicken. You can cook them in a pan with a little olive oil, 4-5 minutes per side. Sometimes I microwave or poach (cook them in water) instead. Let me know if you need details. When cooked, shred or cut into small pieces. Bonus points if you're using leftover chicken. Rotisserie chicken would work too--just use the breat and not the skin.

2. Combine chicken and all other ingredients except sour cream and cheese in a big pan, non-stick if possible. Cook over medium heat until bubbling and heated through, stirring a few times. Taste and adjust spices.

3. Before serving, stir in sour cream and heat through, but try not to boil. (Sour cream may separate if boiled, but it's still edible. It will just look a little different.)

4. Serve about one cup to each person. Sprinkle with grated cheese. You can mix the cheese in, but I use it less and taste it more (and thus save some fat and calories) if it's on top. If you like, add corn on the side, a green salad, tortilla chips or tortillas.

This doesn't look like much, but it has lots of protein and fiber, plus lycopene from the tomatoes, and it's really good, fast, and easy. You could probably add red or green peppers for more vegetables, or substitute ground beef or soy for the chicken, or take out the chicken and add more beans.

:)

[kemaji]

Check out Rachael Ray's recipes from her TV show on FoodTV. She prepares everything in 30 mins and her recipes are generally straightforward and easy to make with common ingredients.

www.foodnetwork.com