Healthy food ideas.

[JPD]

For the past few years I've been living mainly on candy and snack food, and I am trying to get out of that habit, but am having a hard time coming up with ideas.

The main problem I have is there are so many foods I don't like. If I don't have a food I like available; and no snack food I won't eat (or I'll make snack food).

Right now it's even harder due to not really having a working fridge/freezer.
(This should be replaced by end of July/Early August.

Most of the 'real food' that I like can't be easily made in single servings, and right now I have no way of storing left overs.

What are some healthy meal ideas that can easily be made single serving, with no left overs or left over ingredients?

[draggar]

Eliminate soda and juice and drink water - lots of water (brita filter will be your best friend).

Ramen noodles - cheap, not perishable, and filling but high in salt (drink more water to even out your system). Nuts for a snack, maybe even rice cakes and crackers.

You can try dehydrated chicken - get a dehydrator (under $50 on amazon.com) and dehydrate the chicken until it's crisp (usually 36-48 hours).

Dried fruit from the supermarket (or make your own with the above mentioned dehydrator).

Instant oatmeal or cream of wheat for breakfast.

Single service soy millk (the shelf stable type)

[ArcticChicken]

A good way to transition from flavored drinks to water is tea. Find whatever flavors you like, hot or iced, and sweeten them to your usual taste, then gradually cut back on the sugar or honey until you aren't using any.

Single serving meals are hard. When you have access to a freezer, a good thing to do is make large meals, and freeze them in single serving portions, that way you can just grab something out of the freezer and stick it in the microwave or on the stove.

The way I've trained myself to eat things I don't like is to try it in an 'exotic' meal. I've started eating many more vegetables than I used to because my boyfriend started taking me out for Thai and Indian food, once I got used to them there I started enjoying them in american food.

[Food Lady]

I have ideas, but they require a refrigerator. hmmm I guess I'd keep fruit around, which is good for a sweet tooth, and snack nuts. Ordinarily I prefer raw nuts, but roasted ones last longer. Cheese can be kept at room temp, and tastes better that way. After all, it is a way of preserving milk at room temp. But being that it's summer, that may not be wise. If you do it, pick a harder cheese like aged cheddar, as softer ones really need to be refrigerated. I agree about the ramen as a temporary measure until you get refrigeration. Don't keep tea at room temp; it will start to ferment. If you want to get off soda, flavored seltzer is good, though it's not sweetened. Maybe you could keep a small cooler with ice from the gas station for a few weeks. Deli slices could be kept in that for sandwhiches, along with a small jar of mayo. Root veggies like sweet potatoes and carrots can be kept at room temp. Do you have a toaster oven? It's too hot to use the large oven for this (and a waste of energy), but you can roast root veggies and onion chunks in a toaster oven. Just line the tray with foil, put down veggie chunks, and drizzle with oil. Bake at 450F for 15 to 20 mins. Sprinkle lightly with salt. This is wonderful for killing any fast food cravings I might have. It's still oil-cooked food, but you contol what kind of oil and how much salt. And there are no leftovers if I'm around, though if you left some at room temp for a day, it probably would be fine. Keep some muffins around for breakfast.

[PepperElf]

Rice in a rice cooker. It will last a couple of days without refrigeration, so you can make a small serving and then just use it until it's gone. and it only takes like 20 minutes.

for snacks:
Popcorn. even if you cook it in oil it's still healthy as long as you don't add a lot of crap to it. and without the perishable toppings it's easy to store it in a plastic bag. i don't do microwave popcorn cos it's so fucking expensive compared to the stove-top stuff. and really you're not saving much time.

powdered milk if you want milk drinks. no need to refrigerate it until you make it. so you can use it in coffee or as a drink.

bananas - you can keep them on a banana hanger.

dried fruit


and, one of my own little "tricks" for staving off hunger. eggs for breakfast. even if i don't eat the yolk (i cook the yolks up for the dog), the protein helps curb hunger. or other protein if you don't want that.


peanut butter of course.

coffee - it's low cal until you start adding sugar and creamers, so you can save there by using low-cal substitutes or using less creamer. i personally found i fucking hate the sugar-free hazelnut, so instead of that i just use creamer i like, but cut the serving size in half

[csquared]

When most people think healthy snacks, they think fruit. While fruit is good for you, they are high in sugars/calories. You should have four servings of fruit each day, but that is all you should have.

Vegetables are the better choice. Carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, cabbage, etc. You really need to eat it without a dressing. That is where you get the calories (I never realized how much sugar they put in the packages of dressing mixes). It is more cost effective to buy a head of whatever and cut it up, but those pre-cut bags are REALLY handy.

Popcorn - Get a Nordic Ware. The only thing that beats it is a West Bend Stir Popper and the Nordic is easier to setup and clean up. Fast, easy microwave popcorn without the expense of the bags. Popcorn is a starch, so don't go overboard. 6 cups popped is a snack (without butter - Sorry).

Here is a quick and easy chicken dinner idea. 30 minutes from freezer (after you get your freezer fixed) to tabletop and can be made as a single serving. The trick is to divide your chicken into single servings, bag and freeze. Per the diet I am on, a serving is four onces, uncooked, three cooked.
Poached Chicken:
You can defrost your frozen chicken in a microwave. When I do that, I usually cut it up into bite size pieces. If you slow thaw it, you can pound it (you want it thin)
Per serving, 2 Cups chopped vegies of your choice (the bagged vegies are so easy).
If you are using onions, leaks, peppers or mushrooms, you may want to saute them in olive oil first.
Add 1 cup of chicken broth to pan. Heat to boil.
Add chicken. reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 7 minutes.
Add rest of vegies. Cook 3 minutes.
Serve with 2/3 cups rice or 2/3 cups noodles or 2 slices of bread.
For desert, two servings of fruit: 2 Cups melon or 1.5 cups pineapple, two oranges, etc.

That meal fits the dinner requirements for the diet I am on. 3 meats, 2 vegetables, 4 carbs (two starch, 2 fruit).

ETA: Forgot to mention, season the chicken and vegies to taste. Something as simple as Mrs. Dash. Or use Fine Herbs, an Italian mix, Southwest Adobe, etc. Experiment.

ETA2: Something else I forgot. Add chicken. Cover. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 7 minutes.

[AccountingDrone]

Rice in a rice cooker. It will last a couple of days without refrigeration, so you can make a small serving and then just use it until it's gone. and it only takes like 20 minutes.

No.Just NO.

If you must, get single serve boil in bag and make it per serving. Memory says they have brown rice in boil in bag/instant.


I have always been fond of wasa crispbread, a really good solid crunch, decent amount of fiber and a great base for building open faced sandwiches on. Hubby's favorite is a layer of peanut butter, a layer of sliced avocado and a topping of fresh alfalfa sprouts or radish sprouts. You can make your own sprouts relatively cheaply at home. Our roomie tends to slurp up an amazing amount of nutella on wasa, my favorite is rye, layer of boursin spreadable cheese and a paper thin slice of prosciutto, or a rye wasa, thinly sliced extra sharp cheddar, thinly sliced apple and everything glued together with major grey chutney. Too much sugar for me normally, but as long as you are not diabetic you are good to go.

[Jester]

I have lots of great ideas....once you get your refrigeration working. Ask me then.

Until then, I'm about as useful as a magnet in a woodworking shop.

[NorthernZel]

Vegetables are the better choice. Carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, cabbage, etc. You really need to eat it without a dressing. That is where you get the calories (I never realized how much sugar they put in the packages of dressing mixes). It is more cost effective to buy a head of whatever and cut it up, but those pre-cut bags are REALLY handy.

Although, if one really needs a dressing for one's veggies, instead of pre-made dressing and/or dressing mixes, use a small cup of either Fromage Frais or Greek yoghurt, which have a much lower fat percentage compared to ordinary sour cream, and season it yourself.

Pro-tip: Before I attempt at making a new dressing, I go to the store and look at the ingredients list on the back of the pre-made dressings/mixes. In that way I know what to put in my own dressing, I just have to experiment a bit re: measures.

[Jester]

Regarding dressings, I have to say, I have made my own dressings at various times, and it is surprisingly not difficult.

[csquared]

Making your own dressing is an excellent idea. As I mentioned, the amount of sugar in those packaged and pre-mades. And lets not forget the salt.

Instead of an Italian Dressing mix, just use an Italian Herb mix, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Low cal and good fats.

[crazylegs]

If you can get corned beef in a can then at least you can make the occasional sammich, although not too regular because of the salt (hence the 'corned' bit) content.

While it's best to only eat 4 portions of fruit & eat more veggies it is better to eat more fruit than that if it's replacing junk food. Apples, oranges, bananas, pears and other fruit won't need to be kept cool - especially if you only buy a couple of days worth at a time.

Other than that I'm all out of ideas I'm afraid...

[ralerin]

Easy peasy Greek-ish dressing is olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper and a pinch of dried oregano. Mix together, and mmm.

[Jester]

Instead of an Italian Dressing mix, just use an Italian Herb mix, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Or, if you prefer (and are of the inclination), make your own dressing as above, but add your own preferred herbs/seasonings. Mine would be heavy on basil and oregano, but you can really make it however you want to.

Easiest salad dressing in the world: juice of one lime, tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Delicious, healthy, and quick to make. A moron could do it. I'm living proof.

[Barracuda]

I can't really offer advice without more information. All you say is "there are a lot of foods you don't like." I need to know which ones you do like before offering cooking advice. As far as eating healthy--Look at Mediterranean dishes. This includes, by the way, some Middle Eastern dishes. Hummus is very tasty and good for you in limited quantities. It is also easy to make yourself, find a recipe online. Avoid a lot of pasta, but some is ok--it should be lightly spread throughout a dish, though, not the main base of it. Dressings are easy, Jester, but it's hard to make exactly enough for one use--and they do tend to spoil, although an oil based dressing with no dairy in it can last a few days without refrigeration. A very simple idea is a little cooked pasta, an array of your favorite veggies, some meat or fish (shrimp can be good, so can lean meat like white chicken meat,) then you toss them together in a pan with some olive oil and sautee them with some garlic, and maybe a few fresh herbs and a pinch of salt and pepper. Rosemary and thyme work very well together with garlic. Don't overcook the veggies; they should be starting to get somewhat limp but still have a little bit of a crunch left. Mushrooms are a great flavor additive, and fresh ones taste great when cooked with just a little salt and pepper.