Quick Healthy Meal Ideas

[5ft Diva]

I hardly have time to eat these days. This is a real problem because I'm nursing and need the nutrients food gives me to fuel both my baby's body as well as my own. I find that I'm extremely fatigued because of the lack of time to eat. I'm also finding that I'm losing my milk. I'm finding that it would be best for me to eat 4-5 small meals in the day to keep my energy up as I find the bigger meals tend to make me sleepy but because there are so many of them I would like them to be extremely quick as well as healthy. Any suggestions?

[Dia Minha]

-Fresh fruit and veggies
-Nuts
-Cook a big roast or extra chicken and divide it into single serving size baggies or containers to use on salad, sandwiches, or just to snack.
-Yogurt
-Cereal with or without milk try and stick to low sugar, high fiber
-This is a new one I just came across: Take your favorite oatmeal cookie recipe (If you don't have one, I have a really good one) and cut the sugar and oil in half. Sometimes when cutting the oil, it helps to add an extra egg. Bake as you normally would and seal one or two depending on size in a ziploc bag, for a ready to go breakfast bar. Add nuts and or dried fruit to your cookie dough to add more nutrients.
-I love the meal replacement shakes, specifically Slim Fast. I buy the high protein powder and mix it in the blender with skim milk and frozen fruit. For more protein, fiber, and satisfaction try adding 1/2 cup oatmeal before blending. It is quick to make and if you put it in your hospital mug you can carry it on the go. You can also get these already mixed. I find them to be overly sweet, but they work when you just need something extra fast.
-Popcorn is high in fiber and is very nutritious, especially if air-popped. I pop a batch pretty early in the day and keep a big bowl of it out when I just need a quick pick me up. I like to spray it with butter Pam spray and sprinkle with kernal seasonings I get at Macey's. If you want to go with a microwave popcorn, just choose a light butter or 94% fat free.
-I keep canned chicken and ham on hand for easy add ins to salads or wraps.
-Tuna, right out of the can, or mix some up with light mayo and finely chopped veggies to top whole wheat crackers or wrap up in a whole wheat tortilla.
-Whole wheat crackers and string cheese.
-Single serving packages of instant oatmeal. If you get them flavored get the lower sugar. If you buy the plain add a mashed banana or unsweetened applesauce before putting it in the microwave. You could sprinkle with a little sugar and cinnamon if it just wasn't sweet enough, but usually cooking the applesauce or banana brings out the sweetness.

I'll let you know if I come up with anything else.

[5ft Diva]

Thank you, Dia. I really appreciate these suggestions. I printed this page up and will post in my kitchen. I particularly love the tuna on wheat crackers. Sounds delicious!

Couple of questions:

As far as yogurt, I have read that when eating dairy products to pick the low fat or fat free ones. Have you found a lf or ff brand that tastes really good?

How many nuts and which ones are best?

Do you have a recommendation for cereal?

Oatmeal cookies - You are saying the bar is the cookie? Correct?

Protein shakes - this would totally work for me. How often could I have one of these? Just once a day I'm guessing.

How much popcorn do you allow yourself to have or rather, how many servings would you recommend in a day? Just one?

Thanks again for the input. It's really appreciated!

[Dia Minha]

Macey's use to carry a brand of yogurt called Blue Bunny. It had fat in it, but just enough to make it a little creamy. It was sweetened with splenda so it didn't have a bitter after taste and it wasn't overly sweet. I can't find it anywhere now, but if you come across it, it is the best. Now I just get the Weight Watchers, because it is the only one that is on sale regularly and has fiber in it. It is not my favorite, because it tends to be overly sweet, but it probably wouldn't bother you. The thing to really watch out for in yogurt is to make sure you are not only getting low fat or fat free, but low in sugar as well. The yogurt is usually labeled for both. It will say regular, low fat, or fat free to describe the fat content. Then it will say light for lower in sugar. So you want something that is low fat or fat free and light. The very best thing to do is to buy plain yogurt and flavor it yourself. Plain yogurt has more protein in it per serving. This would give you more control over how sweet you want it. A quick easy way to flavor it is with some sugar free jam or preserves. Did I answer your question or did I just give you more?

Almonds are my favorite. In the snack aisle at Maceys you can find the Blue Diamond brand almonds. They have some that are all natural, with no fat or salt added. Any nut with no salt or fat is good for you, but if you are not worried about sodium and won't eat them without salt, they are still good for you. Just beware of the sodium content. Macey's also has some in the produce section that are flavored. These are good to throw on salads instead of croutons.

Shredded Wheat and Fiber One are my favorite cereal. Fiber One makes several different kinds now and all are wonderful. I like the original sprinkled on my yogurt.

Yes, two regular size cookies, would be about the size of one breakfast bar. I've heard you can cook your dough in a cake pan and cut it up into bars, but when I do them that way they tend to be crumbly on the sides and make more of a mess when you eat them.

On the protein shakes, I only have one a day. However, Slim Fast recommends two. It would just depend on what you needed. If you were really having a hard time fitting in light healthy meals, having two would be no big deal. Especially if you had one with lots of added fruit and oatmeal or such and one from a can as an afternoon pick me up, when you just don't have time to fix anything else.

I eat a lot of popcorn. I air-pop one to two batches a day. Granted my kids help me eat it, but I eat most of it. It is the only thing I have found that keeps me from eating everything in sight when I get the munchies or when I am really hungry, but it is an hour until dinner. If you eat four cups or so with a glass of skim milk it can tied you over until dinner, but not fill you up so much that you then can't eat dinner. So I guess I would say I have about 2-3 4 cup servings a day.

No problem. This is my favorite subject.

[5ft Diva]

This is great info. It has never occurred to me to put almonds in salads instead of croutons. What a fabulous idea!

The yogurt info is exactly what I needed. I had no idea that light meant light on the sugar. I thought it meant light on the fat. The things you learn....

That's all I have for now and I'm sure I'll have more questions later. Until then...

[natickgirl]

Don't know if you get to Costco much, but they have great nuts like almonds, walnuts & pecans. Walnuts are really good for you because of the kind of fat they have in them, but they are more acidic (they give me sores on my tongue). One way I can tolerate them is my grinding them in a food processor or blender and adding them to cookies, apple crisp, or other cooked things. I also do this with pecans & almonds from time to time because my family won't eat nuts...if they don't know they're in there, they'll eat it.

[5ft Diva]

I'm assuming when you say you blend them up, it's as fine as flour. Is that right?