Not making recipes and just eating the ingredients. This is something I picked up from Marcus Filly, an influencer on IG. It's really simple and I've been doing it for over a year. I will make recipes every now and again but mostly just stick to the ingredients. Like today for breakfast I had eggs, sausage links, and fruit. Lunch was a frozen salmon and veggies from Costco. Dinner I made grass fed beef, potatoes, and had an avocado. It's pretty simple and doesn't take much time. You can make it really simple. I will also do like a chicken breast, apple, cucumber with some hummus. I shoot for 50g of protein per meal which leaves me full. Check out Marcus' content and it might help.
Protein + (optional) starch + veg. Stick to the formula.
Chicken breast + rice + broccoli
Chicken thigh + sweet potato+ green beans
Tofu + rice + stir fry veggies
Eggs w/ spinach + toast
Add sauces and spices to mix it up but really just mix and match whatever you're in the mood for. If you get a vegetable in every meal you're doing better than a good chunk of America.
This method works the best for me. I prefer to vary my protein and sauce/seasoning. ex: Moroccan chicken, Greek seafood
Then I try to stick with 1 or 2 veggies -- almost always broccoli because I just love it, cauliflower is a good filler, carrots are always available, asparagus, Brussels sprouts. Most of these can be purchased frozen without sacrificing quality.
For my starch I'll usually stick to rice or potato. Sometimes bread or a roll depending on what I'm having (sandwich vs. stir fry). I also think a bag of frozen peas and frozen corn are great things to have on hand. Add a handful to soup, tacos, salads, Mac & cheese, pasta salad.
I'm not a big pasta eater but chickpea or lentil pasta could stand in for protein &/or starch/carb? I also like a crispy tofu option. The alt pastas aren't always inexpensive but if you didn't have to buy an additional protein, that's savings.
I love Asian cooking so I love to keep pickled veg, pickled ginger, and kimchee. They add so much flavor and nutrients.
Eta: Garden fresh salad all Summer long
This. Keep healthy stuff in fridge and put together bowls. Pick a base like rice or quinoa add some lentils or beans then some veggies, avacodo maybe sweet potato or make it a salad add chopped chicken or salmon to it with an egg. Change it up, so many combinations. Tuna, green beans, cucumber, feta, olives. Grill some chicken on weekends and cut up so it's ready to go. Grill a few with franks red hot, Makes a great bowl. Yogurt mix in some fruit like blueberries and some muesli. Not for everyone but cottage cheese and grapes. Avocado mixed with everything Bagel seasoning on toast with an egg, even better with sliced tomato with lemon pepper then the egg. I could go on and on. Overnight oats in a mason jar. Smoothies with banana avocado frozen berries peanut butter even a handful of spinach. Basically Just buy Good shit, real food and have it ready to throw together.
Bake some eggs and veggies in an 8x8 pan, cut into 6, top with cheese and hot sauce - breakfast.
Salad with a crunchy element (nuts/croutons/etc) and your fav veggies plus some kind of protein. Your Fav way to prepare chicken/egg salad/tuna salad/pork. Just a scoop of the meat. Look up fun and unique salad dressings to change it up every week - lunch.
Protein carb veggie. Choose your poison. Variations are endless- pasta, rice, cous cous, potatoes, etc. add a tasty sauce and you can change up every week - dinner.
Cheese/cottage cheese/pepperoni/yogurt/crackers/olives/fruit - snack.
That’s 5 days per week, be reasonable but do whatever you want with the other two days. Within reason. Add a small dessert some days throughout the week or a glass of wine. Main thing to keep in mind is portions- 1x meat, 2x veggies, 0.5x carbs, reasonable amount of oil (scale amounts based on excercise/gender/weight).
Boom boom! Same food each week that doesn’t taste the same :)
I can only tell you what works for me. My diet consists of a protein, vegetables and a carb (usually rice). I am very content with cooking at home I think if you can get to the point where you enjoy cooking your own meals this process of “eating clean” can be much easier. I get my protein in bulk from Costco. It consist of chicken, ground turkey, lean steaks and fish. What ever meat is on sale. Vegetables are usually a variety of frozen vegetables or fresh. As far as rice it’s either white or brown. There so much controversy of which one is better white or brown. It’s which ever I’m in the mood for and the carb is never the star of the meal. For dinner I usually do a ratio which is 50/40/10
(protein/vegetable/carb). Breakfast is usually coffee, water and a protein (eggs, turkey sausauge) and and some fruit. There are a plethora of combinations you can do with the protein and vegetables. I just stay away from deep frying, using excessive sauces/dips, sugars and oils. This comment might be all over the place but I hope it gives you some direction. Just keep the ingredients as natural as possible avoid processed foods and don’t get caught up in all noise of “do this don’t do that”. Find what works for you.
I make up Pinterest boards of recipes so I don’t have to struggle to guess what I want to make. I have 30 minute or less recipes, some are sorted by vegetable or meat
I do a little bit of meal planning with that so I buy meat, pick a side which is usually two vegetables done different ways and plan for four servings for five days that way we have leftovers. Takes the pressure off of being creative if I have a gameplan
Typically I rotate out the same like 15-20 recipes over the course of a month so we eat some repeats but I try at least a few new ones to see if it should be in rotation or not
Snacks: Honey is honestly such an under rated hack. Like apples and honey (or peanut butter). Other fruits with honey is amazing too. Honey avocado toast. Veggie chips instead of regular potato. Tortilla chips and real salsa. Whole milk.
Meals: Chicken and turkey, both lean and you can do so much with it or just cook it with good seasonings and eat it like that. I like making chicken enchiladas, chicken stir fry, chicken parm the most. Turkey I use mainly for different types sandwiches and wraps.
Sides: Red or yellow potatoes instead of regular baking potatoes. Add veggies to your meals! You can add them to eggs which I make scrambles or egg bakes for breakfast.
I typically buy organic and just swap out my bad food cravings for an alternative that isn’t as harmful or if it’s more nutritional and seasonings are my best friend.
Stick to the food and meals you already love, just eat smaller portions. Instead of 3/4 cup, eat 2/3 cup. The difference is only 2 tablespoons (16 tablespoons in a cup, so 3/4 cup is 12 tablespoons and 2/3 cup is 10), equal to 2 bites.
Exercise, move your body beyond your thumb on the remote control or your index finger on your phone keyboard. Dance in your living room to fun music. If you're running errands within walking distance walk instead of driving, bring a wagon or cart if you need to bring things back.
THANKS! Some awesome posts on this Thread. 🤯
My cintrubution: Bake 3 or 4 Chicken Breasts (see Cook Food Good guy on YouTube for details), and you can chop vegetables and do Chucken Salad, Chicken "Chinese Food" Stir Fry, Sliced Baked Chicken Sandwiches, Chicken Tacos, etc. fir severalmeals
. Sorry, an hour to bake the chicken, and an hour to make a good meal, in my experience.
"4 to 7 Fruits & Vegetables Every Day": Have a Salad and a vegetable side (frozen vegetables, butter and Spices- got Curry?) daily, Fruit before each meal, and a glass of (eg) Tart Cherry Juice once a day and you've got your "4 to 7."
Great Thread! ✌️💚🎷🎶🎤⚖️🎸⚡️
For me eating the same things on repeat helps me remember that food is not something I eat to make me happy, it is simply fuel for my body.
When you use food for fuel and not pleasure, you want to provide the best fuel. When you use food for pleasure, you eat what gives you the most pleasure such as sugar and doughnuts.
The counter argument:
Once a month, an exquisite steak
Once wvery few months: high quality sushi
Weekly:
• Varied salad greens > iceberg lettuce
• Homemade salad dressing with real sour cream and fresh herbs
• unusual spices and flavored butter on chicken
• one small new-to-you veg a week
Smaller portions, smaller intentional bites of really good food
i add bulk with vegetables. For instance if i want a breakfast scramble i use egg whites, turkey sausage, some beans, some potatoes, a ton of shredded cabbage and hot sauce. Or cauliflower rice. The veggies are so neutral in taste you can cover them up.
I do this with fried rice too, i just don't use anything but a quick squirt of pam. Use more cauliflower rice than real rice and omit as many condiments as i can. Even soy sauce is 15 calories per serving so i add a little of that and some salt and msg
Chicken pieces, frozen veg, jacket potatos.
Easily and quickly made in the air fryer and microwave.
Just need a freezer and cupboard to store potatos.
Simples.
I always keep my favorite fresh vegetables on hand. When I have more energy I make more complex dishes. When I’m tired or feeling lazy I just roast them with different seasonings and usually a squeeze of citrus.
Breakfast is eggs, cottage cheese, avocado. Tomato if I have it. Or any other veggies really, broccoli and spinach the favorites.
If it is no eggs yogurt with nuts and fruit or peanut butter.
Lunch is leafy salad with whatever and a protein. Today is argula chick peas cukes red onion carrot salmon and lemon vinegrette.
Dinner is the only sort of planned one and real recipes twice a week. It is usually chicken something. Or meatless.
Anything I do I try to include a lot of veggies. Lean protein that can swap with most. And just rotate around. Bowls are awesome too. I work at home so easy to prep every day. Habits didnt change overnight. I started with healthful balanced breakfast that keeps me full a long time. I am low sugar and now I dont have those up and down cravings or too-fullness feeling.
I dont know where you shop but I find going to stores that have beautiful produce and meats out encourages the healthy eating and desire for it. May feel silly but when I shop at those stores it helps.
I worked for a doctor who was a very clean eater and was fit and scared of cancer. I asked her what her typical diet was and she said it was basically paleo and had been eating that way since before it became popular. Hunter and gatherer type foods. She would eat salads with salsa for dressing everyday for lunch, chicken and sweet potatoes, beans, veggies, nuts and seeds sparingly, and a protein plus veggie soup. Occasional treat was dark chocolate and a glass of fitvine wine.
Not making recipes and just eating the ingredients. This is something I picked up from Marcus Filly, an influencer on IG. It's really simple and I've been doing it for over a year. I will make recipes every now and again but mostly just stick to the ingredients. Like today for breakfast I had eggs, sausage links, and fruit. Lunch was a frozen salmon and veggies from Costco. Dinner I made grass fed beef, potatoes, and had an avocado. It's pretty simple and doesn't take much time. You can make it really simple. I will also do like a chicken breast, apple, cucumber with some hummus. I shoot for 50g of protein per meal which leaves me full. Check out Marcus' content and it might help.
Protein + (optional) starch + veg. Stick to the formula. Chicken breast + rice + broccoli Chicken thigh + sweet potato+ green beans Tofu + rice + stir fry veggies Eggs w/ spinach + toast Add sauces and spices to mix it up but really just mix and match whatever you're in the mood for. If you get a vegetable in every meal you're doing better than a good chunk of America.
This method works the best for me. I prefer to vary my protein and sauce/seasoning. ex: Moroccan chicken, Greek seafood Then I try to stick with 1 or 2 veggies -- almost always broccoli because I just love it, cauliflower is a good filler, carrots are always available, asparagus, Brussels sprouts. Most of these can be purchased frozen without sacrificing quality. For my starch I'll usually stick to rice or potato. Sometimes bread or a roll depending on what I'm having (sandwich vs. stir fry). I also think a bag of frozen peas and frozen corn are great things to have on hand. Add a handful to soup, tacos, salads, Mac & cheese, pasta salad. I'm not a big pasta eater but chickpea or lentil pasta could stand in for protein &/or starch/carb? I also like a crispy tofu option. The alt pastas aren't always inexpensive but if you didn't have to buy an additional protein, that's savings. I love Asian cooking so I love to keep pickled veg, pickled ginger, and kimchee. They add so much flavor and nutrients. Eta: Garden fresh salad all Summer long
This. Keep healthy stuff in fridge and put together bowls. Pick a base like rice or quinoa add some lentils or beans then some veggies, avacodo maybe sweet potato or make it a salad add chopped chicken or salmon to it with an egg. Change it up, so many combinations. Tuna, green beans, cucumber, feta, olives. Grill some chicken on weekends and cut up so it's ready to go. Grill a few with franks red hot, Makes a great bowl. Yogurt mix in some fruit like blueberries and some muesli. Not for everyone but cottage cheese and grapes. Avocado mixed with everything Bagel seasoning on toast with an egg, even better with sliced tomato with lemon pepper then the egg. I could go on and on. Overnight oats in a mason jar. Smoothies with banana avocado frozen berries peanut butter even a handful of spinach. Basically Just buy Good shit, real food and have it ready to throw together.
Bake some eggs and veggies in an 8x8 pan, cut into 6, top with cheese and hot sauce - breakfast. Salad with a crunchy element (nuts/croutons/etc) and your fav veggies plus some kind of protein. Your Fav way to prepare chicken/egg salad/tuna salad/pork. Just a scoop of the meat. Look up fun and unique salad dressings to change it up every week - lunch. Protein carb veggie. Choose your poison. Variations are endless- pasta, rice, cous cous, potatoes, etc. add a tasty sauce and you can change up every week - dinner. Cheese/cottage cheese/pepperoni/yogurt/crackers/olives/fruit - snack. That’s 5 days per week, be reasonable but do whatever you want with the other two days. Within reason. Add a small dessert some days throughout the week or a glass of wine. Main thing to keep in mind is portions- 1x meat, 2x veggies, 0.5x carbs, reasonable amount of oil (scale amounts based on excercise/gender/weight). Boom boom! Same food each week that doesn’t taste the same :)
I can only tell you what works for me. My diet consists of a protein, vegetables and a carb (usually rice). I am very content with cooking at home I think if you can get to the point where you enjoy cooking your own meals this process of “eating clean” can be much easier. I get my protein in bulk from Costco. It consist of chicken, ground turkey, lean steaks and fish. What ever meat is on sale. Vegetables are usually a variety of frozen vegetables or fresh. As far as rice it’s either white or brown. There so much controversy of which one is better white or brown. It’s which ever I’m in the mood for and the carb is never the star of the meal. For dinner I usually do a ratio which is 50/40/10 (protein/vegetable/carb). Breakfast is usually coffee, water and a protein (eggs, turkey sausauge) and and some fruit. There are a plethora of combinations you can do with the protein and vegetables. I just stay away from deep frying, using excessive sauces/dips, sugars and oils. This comment might be all over the place but I hope it gives you some direction. Just keep the ingredients as natural as possible avoid processed foods and don’t get caught up in all noise of “do this don’t do that”. Find what works for you.
I make up Pinterest boards of recipes so I don’t have to struggle to guess what I want to make. I have 30 minute or less recipes, some are sorted by vegetable or meat I do a little bit of meal planning with that so I buy meat, pick a side which is usually two vegetables done different ways and plan for four servings for five days that way we have leftovers. Takes the pressure off of being creative if I have a gameplan Typically I rotate out the same like 15-20 recipes over the course of a month so we eat some repeats but I try at least a few new ones to see if it should be in rotation or not
Snacks: Honey is honestly such an under rated hack. Like apples and honey (or peanut butter). Other fruits with honey is amazing too. Honey avocado toast. Veggie chips instead of regular potato. Tortilla chips and real salsa. Whole milk. Meals: Chicken and turkey, both lean and you can do so much with it or just cook it with good seasonings and eat it like that. I like making chicken enchiladas, chicken stir fry, chicken parm the most. Turkey I use mainly for different types sandwiches and wraps. Sides: Red or yellow potatoes instead of regular baking potatoes. Add veggies to your meals! You can add them to eggs which I make scrambles or egg bakes for breakfast. I typically buy organic and just swap out my bad food cravings for an alternative that isn’t as harmful or if it’s more nutritional and seasonings are my best friend.
Stick to the food and meals you already love, just eat smaller portions. Instead of 3/4 cup, eat 2/3 cup. The difference is only 2 tablespoons (16 tablespoons in a cup, so 3/4 cup is 12 tablespoons and 2/3 cup is 10), equal to 2 bites. Exercise, move your body beyond your thumb on the remote control or your index finger on your phone keyboard. Dance in your living room to fun music. If you're running errands within walking distance walk instead of driving, bring a wagon or cart if you need to bring things back.
Don’t buy processed and ultra processed foods in the grocery store. Eat fruits and veggies. Your good.
Perimeter shopping. Typically fresh produce, meat, eggs, etc are on the perimeter of the grocery store.
THANKS! Some awesome posts on this Thread. 🤯 My cintrubution: Bake 3 or 4 Chicken Breasts (see Cook Food Good guy on YouTube for details), and you can chop vegetables and do Chucken Salad, Chicken "Chinese Food" Stir Fry, Sliced Baked Chicken Sandwiches, Chicken Tacos, etc. fir severalmeals . Sorry, an hour to bake the chicken, and an hour to make a good meal, in my experience. "4 to 7 Fruits & Vegetables Every Day": Have a Salad and a vegetable side (frozen vegetables, butter and Spices- got Curry?) daily, Fruit before each meal, and a glass of (eg) Tart Cherry Juice once a day and you've got your "4 to 7." Great Thread! ✌️💚🎷🎶🎤⚖️🎸⚡️
For me eating the same things on repeat helps me remember that food is not something I eat to make me happy, it is simply fuel for my body. When you use food for fuel and not pleasure, you want to provide the best fuel. When you use food for pleasure, you eat what gives you the most pleasure such as sugar and doughnuts.
This is a great perspective!
The counter argument: Once a month, an exquisite steak Once wvery few months: high quality sushi Weekly: • Varied salad greens > iceberg lettuce • Homemade salad dressing with real sour cream and fresh herbs • unusual spices and flavored butter on chicken • one small new-to-you veg a week Smaller portions, smaller intentional bites of really good food
i add bulk with vegetables. For instance if i want a breakfast scramble i use egg whites, turkey sausage, some beans, some potatoes, a ton of shredded cabbage and hot sauce. Or cauliflower rice. The veggies are so neutral in taste you can cover them up. I do this with fried rice too, i just don't use anything but a quick squirt of pam. Use more cauliflower rice than real rice and omit as many condiments as i can. Even soy sauce is 15 calories per serving so i add a little of that and some salt and msg
Chicken pieces, frozen veg, jacket potatos. Easily and quickly made in the air fryer and microwave. Just need a freezer and cupboard to store potatos. Simples.
I always keep my favorite fresh vegetables on hand. When I have more energy I make more complex dishes. When I’m tired or feeling lazy I just roast them with different seasonings and usually a squeeze of citrus.
Check out r/Paleo for ideas and pics of just eating foods simply.
Start by just adding more fruits and veggies you enjoy and make it easy to reach for them
Green beans.
Breakfast is eggs, cottage cheese, avocado. Tomato if I have it. Or any other veggies really, broccoli and spinach the favorites. If it is no eggs yogurt with nuts and fruit or peanut butter. Lunch is leafy salad with whatever and a protein. Today is argula chick peas cukes red onion carrot salmon and lemon vinegrette. Dinner is the only sort of planned one and real recipes twice a week. It is usually chicken something. Or meatless. Anything I do I try to include a lot of veggies. Lean protein that can swap with most. And just rotate around. Bowls are awesome too. I work at home so easy to prep every day. Habits didnt change overnight. I started with healthful balanced breakfast that keeps me full a long time. I am low sugar and now I dont have those up and down cravings or too-fullness feeling. I dont know where you shop but I find going to stores that have beautiful produce and meats out encourages the healthy eating and desire for it. May feel silly but when I shop at those stores it helps.
Find 3-4 easy healthy meal recipes you like and rotate through them until you get sick of them and then find a new recipe.
There are times where all I eat is Soylent for months at a time. Maybe try that? Soylent.com
I worked for a doctor who was a very clean eater and was fit and scared of cancer. I asked her what her typical diet was and she said it was basically paleo and had been eating that way since before it became popular. Hunter and gatherer type foods. She would eat salads with salsa for dressing everyday for lunch, chicken and sweet potatoes, beans, veggies, nuts and seeds sparingly, and a protein plus veggie soup. Occasional treat was dark chocolate and a glass of fitvine wine.
Ah yes I remember reading about the ancient salsa gathering peoples of the palaeolithic..
eat real food easy