Food rut - help?

I'm in a food rut - eating the same thing every day - and need some suggestions to get my mind interested in some different things.  I'm open to any and all suggestions!  As some background, here's what I'm eating most days: Breakfast:   2 cups coffee w/ 1 cup 1% milk 1 packet Quaker weight control oatmeal 1 banana Snack: 1 c. cottage cheese w/ SF preserves Lunch: lean cuisine veggie (green beans or spinach) Snack: Breyer's Light yogurt 1/3 cup AllBran Buds Snack #2 (if I'm going to the gym after work): 1 slice Brownberry natural wheat bread 3 slices smoked turkey 1 slice 2% Deli Deluxe American Cheese Dinner: either another lean cuisine (if I'm the only one home for dinner) or lean protein (chicken, pork, beef, fish) veggie salad Snack: 2 SF fudgesicles Thanks in advance for any suggestions!   Kellie

I do the same thing, get in ruts. As a matter of fact, I was getting really sick of my breakfast of 2 eggs everyday that i knew if I didn't change things up it would start to derail me. So, I started to find different things that would work - I always eat lots of protein in the morning, I had read somewhere that if you drink 20 ounces of water and have 20 grams of protein before 10am that it helps with  weight loss. Something about jump starting the metabolism first thing in the morning. I've been mixing it up with summer foods, like fresh fruits and vegetables. My favorite treat lately has been strawberries and sugar free cool whip - it's perfect for summer and I feel like I am indulging with a sweet treat. I've also been getting fresh green beans and watermelon - I just love summer food. (in Colorado the only time we get fresh fruit and veggies is in the summer, so I take advantage of it while I can). I also grill a lot - just put the meat and veggies in aluminum foil, season them really well and leave it on the grill until it is done. It's easy and when I use liquid smoke with it them it gives me that 'summer' feeling (can you tell I like to eat by seasons? In the fall I'll be all over apples and trying to find some way of eating them with caramel - I've got to find a low fat, sugar free version!) You eat so well I can't think of anything else to say! I guess just try to fix some things in different ways, i  know that helps me. Some days I'll fix a hamburger patty, then the next day I'll use it with refried beans to fix a low carb burrito. Or, I'll use chicken to do stir fry one day then use it for grilling the next day. I've been using a great cookbook for post-ops called "Before and After" written by a lady who had surgery and didn't want to get bored with food choices. Her website has some recipes if you are interested in looking - every recipe I have tried is great!  http://www.bariatriceating.com/ourhomeandre.html Hope this helps! pam

Thanks for your reply, PJ.  I haven't been eating eggs for a while, so may try alternating that with my morning oatmeal.  I like the idea of the grilling packets - sounds very easy and fast.  I buy summer veggies from the local farmer's markets and could use whatever's available in the foil packets.   I skimmed some of the recipes at bariatriceating.com - there were a number of things that sounded really good, so I'll try some of those recipes too.   I feel lucky that I recognized that I'm starting to get bored, which can lead to eating things I should not if I'm not careful.  So I'm trying to preempt any problems by switching things up before I start eating things that should not be part of my diet!   Thanks again for the suggestions! Kellie

Hey Kellie I think we all go through this. I went through this even before surgery deciding how to change up what I ate and to keep from getting bored The recipe messageboard is good and sometimes I do a post around mealtimes on the main board like "what's for lunch" or what's for (whatever meal you're thinking about) to get new ideas.  I actually wanted to do that yesterday and got busy. Your menu looks yummy and has given me ideas!!!  There's also a daily post on the WLS grads board for accountability each day of our menus and that may give you some ideas.  Good Luck!!

Thanks for the reply, Niecy.  I poked around at the Grads board, as well as the recipe page at bariatriceating.com.  I got some new ideas, as well as reminders about some of my old standbys (chili, apples w/ string cheese, graham cracker w/ a little peanut butter, apple slices with a little peanut butter, egg salad on toast).  I think I just needed some input to get me motivated to shake things up!   Have a great day :-) Kellie

I like a couple of the high protein cereals out there--Kashie Go Lean Crunch, Target's version, and there's an organic one that I really like but can't remember the name of.  I will also make some mini crustless quiches in a muffin tin and freeze them.  Those are a quick egg based breakfast. Many people eat tuna or egg salad, but don't forget you can make a ham or beef salad as well.  I get 1/2 inch thick slices of deli meat and chop that up.  Sometimes I add curry seasoning, some raisins, or nuts, and just play around with it to make it a bit different.  In fall and winter I'll add the cubed deli meat to soup to increase the protein. You might want to check out Cooking Light magazine for ideas.  While they are not high protein/low carb, many can be adjusted.   Good luck, Sally

Hi, Sally.  Can you send me a quick recipe for the crustless quiches?  I think there may be one in the South Beach Diet book, but if not, I'd appreciate your recipe.   I like the idea of ham salad - hadn't thought about making my own, and the deli version is too high in fat.  But if I bought lean ham, that would be okay.  I also like the idea of adding raisins or nuts to meat salads - I've got some chicken salad in the fridge waiting for celery (made it last night, then realized we were out of celery).  Think I'll add some raisins and sliced almonds to it for some extra flavor and crunch!   Thanks again for the suggestions - I really appreciate it!   Kellie

I made a chicken salad one day and had it several times since. I took the white canned cchicken, put some grapes, boiled egg, SF pickle relish, onion and mix with Miracle whip free. Then when I put it on my plate I put a slice of tomatoe and maybe cheese on it. It is good and good protein. Pam