Need help eating at home! :)

Hi folks! As the majority of you know, Floyd and I are both banded. As most of you know as a bandster our food needs (what we can and can't tolerate) are pretty much the same as RNYers. We eat out WAY TOO MUCH and want to start eating at home more often. Here is my problem. I have a LONG day and don't have a lot of time when it comes to cooking at night. If anyone would like to help, please reply with the types of meals you prepare for dinner that are band friendly. Crockpot recipes are good, grilled recipes are good, anything helpful is good! hehehe We do not eat bread, rarely eat pasta or rice, and hubby doesn't do salads very well. Chicken works okay as long as it's legs or wings. But again, ANY help is appreciated. Tips, ideas, websites, etc. Easy is good, cheap is good, fast is good.

Hi honey! I have one word for you: crockpot!!! Without it, I'd be lost and my brother and KB would starve! If you can tolerate cube steak, put it in a Pam-sprayed crockpot, sprinkle brown gravy mix over it, just kind of eyeball the amount, and pour in (about) 1/2-3/4 cup of water, and cook on high for 8-12 hours. The longer you cook it, the more tender it becomes, and it makes a good gravy, I guess you could cook it on low all day, too, you'd just have to experiment to get it to the right tenderness. The same for chicken thighs and chicken gravy mix, or chicken thighs and jarred spaghetti sauce, or chicken thighs and salsa (then remove the chicken and add a pint of sour cream to the salsa mixture, stir and serve over chicken), Italian sausage, peppers, onions and jarred spaghetti sauce, boneless beef short ribs and brown gravy mix - well, you kind of get the picture. Also, you know shrimp cooks up quickly. Also, another fave concoction of mine, which looks disgusting but is loaded with protein: Morningstar Farms chicken or beef fajita strips, sauteed in a little olive oil, then combine with diced, spiced tomatoes (don't drain), Great Northern beans or black beans, and parm cheese. Just mix all together, and for extra protein, you can add mozz cheese on top. Also, you can use the Morningstar Farms fajita strips in salads for you, fajitas for Floyd (buy low-carb tortillas), etc. You know how busy my schedule is, too, and I guarantee that all of this stuff cooks up quickly. The great thing about the crockpot is that once you're home, all you've gotta do is nuke some veggies. Bird's Eye has those new steamer veggies which seem to be really good. Just be as creative as your limited time allows. McCormick's makes a good white chicken chili mix and I like their traditional chili mix, too. You can also make a shell-less taco, just layer the meat, veggies, cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc., in a bowl. McCormick's also makes good chicken roasting bags - the seasonings and cooking bags are included - they have a couple different varieties, and although the recipes generally call for chicken pieces, you can use boneless breasts (I have a problem with white meat, too), or boneless, skinless thighs. I use www.allrecipes.com, I really like this website. You can type in the ingredients you have on hand and it'll give you recipes for those ingredients. You can also type in different searches, high protein, sugar free, etc., and it'll come up with lots of possibilities. Okay, help this helps a little. Since you and I both like to cook, we'll have to get together on a Sunday and see what we can come up with! Tia

I make some kind of beans just about every week. I'll even mix three different kinds (pintos, baby limas and white beans). I put them in a slow cooker with lean smoked ham peices or just a couple spoons of light butter (country crock) with salt and pepper. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours. Either way they come out great and are very easy on us. Very high in protein as well and if you are worried about gas, sometimes adding one whole potatoe to the crock pot helps. Now don't eat the potatoe (unless you're home and can handle the gas alone HAHAHA). I like to mix different beans and have even used chicken instead of ham (1-2 small chicken thighs with skin). I personally need the additional fat from the chicken since it's basically the only fat I get each day. Almost any stove top receipe can be converted to a slow cooker version. Good luck, Robin

I wish I was a chef to come help you I cook alot of chicken and easy dinners. I but those stoufers stir fry things. Thye have shrimp fried rice that I add egg to and the egg scrambles so it's just like ordering chinese and i use the steak teryiaki one they have. There quick and easy. Perdue has hose perfecr portions chicken in different flavors. They have an italian one and a tomato basil one (thats my fav) they are good too.

Single girl here girlie who doesn't cook anymore unless I can microwave it or stick it under the broiler for five minutes! Sorry....wish I could help more BUT I do have a bunch of WLS friendly receipes that I will copy and give to you on Sunday. The majority are quick and easy and you might see some stuff that will appeal to the three of you. Super busy at work....know you are too so probally catch up with you tomorrow. Won't be home early tonight so won't be able to catch you on line...tanning and have to make a stop after ~Heather

I see you're on the other side of Baltimore. But for me, the solution to "real" meals that are easy to fix for just a couple of us (my husband, my teenage daughter, and me), has been "Let's Eat" (letseatdinner.com). THere are other companies like them starting up, but I really like Lets Eat because you can get the entire nutritional breakdown for your meal -- including total sugar and protein per serving. AND you can prepare the meals yourself if you have some very specific meal issues. I, howver, pay to have them prepare them for me. All I need to do is pick the stuff up, put it in my freezer, defrost a day ahead, and follow the directions on the package. The way it works is: * on the website, you log into your local Lets Eat (mine is in Ellicott City) and select a day for your food to be prepared (or for you to prepare it). * you go thru the menu and select the meals you want, and indicate if you want them "halved" -- I always do that, and for the two of you, you will want to do that too. * on the day of your appointment, you go and pick the stuff up. The food is good and varied, and I no longer throw out lots of leftover ingredients. Cost is about $20 for one full meal, split into two meals for my family.

It is rather ironic....but since having my surgery...I actually cook more... Just about every day I make some kind of meal... Or I will make something that will be usable for a dinner...the famous leftovers before they are even firsts...lol!!!! I hate to admit to being dull and boring...but every Friday night, I plan my menu for the week. Generally my Saturday night is a big meal, Sunday night is my big meal, Monday is light or leftover, Tuesday is a new fresh meal, Wednesday is left overs, Thursdays are leftovers or out to eat... Rachel Ray has nothing over me...because from start to finish most of my meals are 30 minutes or less. It is just about planning and organizing.

Heather, I've been working on a website for my support group and have been rounding up recipes to post to the recipes pages of the site. Give it a look if you want. There is a page with just crockpot stuff too! http://www.wvweightloss.com/recipes.html is the link directly to the recipe pages! Lea 410/269/175??