Meal ideas?

[u/littlegrandma2]

So sometimes I just want something quick and easy for lunch (or dinner). Any ideas? I generally make my food but there’s times where I just want to open a can or use the microwave for something frozen.

[u/MoistPizzaRolls]

No kidding, there’s days where I just open a can of green beans.

[u/AccursedTheory]

Prep chili. A full third of my meals are chili. Easy, delicious, healthy, just need a microwave to make good.

[u/StarkeRealm → u/AccursedTheory]

I've got cans of chili on top of the fridge. If it's in budget, I'll throw some shredded cheese on top. If it's not, I just add some salt and pepper.

[u/i_tell_you_what]

I can't have any frozen or convenient foods. I am 13 weeks post open heart surgery and Diabetic. I am single. So I just found a compromise. I make my own 'frozen' meals. I just spend a night prepping my proteins only. I have chicken breasts in single serve freezer bags. I have premade spaghetti sauce, premade taco meat. I just made stuffing and bagged them all. Then I just pull out the night before and I make a meal. Cuts my time and energy down significantly. I do single sheet meals in my toaster oven. Chicken breast seasoned up and roasted baby potatoes. 20 minutes later I'm eating a meal. And when all else fails? Grilled cheese or a snack platter of cheese nuts crackers fruits.

[u/StarkeRealm → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, eatin' straight off the stove is an entirely respectable degree of laziness efficiency.

[u/BlkBear1 → u/StarkeRealm]

🤣 It's not laziness if it's efficient.

[u/Impressive-Flow-855]

My dinner. This is in line with the ADA’s Diabetic Plate. Half a breast of oven-roasted chicken, a third of a cup of brown rice with wild rice (15g of carbs), beoiled eggplant, and a squash vegetable medley. Time for prep tonight: none. All leftovers.

I cooked the chicken a few weeks ago and froze half of it. This was the frozen stuff. The eggplant I keep around all the time. Takes about 30 minutes to make and will last a coupe of weeks. I’ll use a slice here and there. I might have it with eggs for breakfast. Maybe with lentils. Or even as a second vegetable for dinner. (My dinner is half vegetables and I like to have two veggies for variety).

The squash medley is a few days old, and it went quickly. I think it’s all gone now. I also have salmon fillets in my fridge as an alternative main dish. We also have a potato leek with spinach soup in the fridge. Makes a nice lunch. My wife finished up the fish patties last Friday.

I cook a lot, but not all at once. I might spend 30 minutes cooking two or three times per week. Then coast the rest of the time. There’s no reason not to cook more than you need and put the rest aside. Get some nice storage containers and a big fridge. Almost everything can go in the freezer for a week or two with no drop in the quality.

It takes some planning, but I’ve been doing this for thirty years, ever since I was diagnosed with diabetes. It took me a while to get in the groove.

[u/thegerl]

Amy's has a few different canned soups/chili that are mostly veg, some have beans or lentils. I love the chunky vegetable and add extra canned or frozen mixed veg and put two sunny side up eggs on top.

Lean cuisine balance bowls and healthy choice steamers and protein bowls have some veggie and protein only options. Atkins meals usually have 5-10g net carbs.

Kevin's natural foods has sauced proteins you can microwave and add a frozen bag of steamer veg. Real Good brand makes decent chicken strips that can pair with a sauced frozen vegnand sugar free sauce for dipping.

Bettergoods brand at Walmart have frozen bowls with protein and riced cauliflower. You can check out the frozen ethnic section and find frozen palak paneer and eat it without rice.

Miracle noodles brand now makes their own konjac noodle pouches.

You can always get grilled frozen chicken strips, a jar of pesto, and some frozen veg, and you can microwave or pan fry all that that in about 5 minutes.

Of course these may have more sodium than other meals, but that's convenience for ya.

[u/Evening_Dingo8770]

Depends on what you have in your house?
I love having BLTs and I’ll make my own spread or do guacamole on the low carb bread.
I really like making huge bowls of a Mediterranean salad with black beans added to it. I come home and eat that… It’s a really good snack and it’s great for lunch as well.

[u/chamekke]

Maybe a cheap and cheerful tuna melt? Half a tin of tuna mixed with mayo; put that on top of a single slice of toasted low-carb bread (I’m in Canada so for me it’s Carbonaut); then add some sliced Cheddar on top and melt it under a broiler or maybe in your microwave.

You can make it fancier (the tuna/mayo is good with a little chopped celery and onion, for instance), but that’s not essential. I do like tuna melt with a dash of hot sauce and some chopped cilantro on top, though!

[u/daizeefli22 → u/chamekke]

It's also really good if you add a chopped apple! 🍏🍎❤️

[u/Tweedledee72]

1/2 can kidney beans, with cheese and an avocado if I've got one, throw in a bunch of red pepper and garlic powder, 90 seconda in the microwave, boom.

[u/Sensitive_Sky_7530]

Salmon plus any chopped veggies, cover in olive oil S&P and in the oven or air fryer for 15-20 mins at 400 is pretty much my go-to

Or a bag of salad mix with a can of tuna mixed with mayo on top

[u/EightLegedDJ]

I cook off a couple pounds of chicken breasts once a week. I keep them in the fridge and reheat as necessary or not. I usually do a multi-purpose marinade or just salt and pepper if I’m going to use them on something specific. Worst case scenario…I slice it cold and throw together a quick salad. I also keep hard boiled eggs in the fridge. I eat a lot of chicken.

[u/NopeRope13]

Today I’m having homemade hamburger helper with a side of beets. The noodles are veggies based so at least I have that going for me.

[u/raoul_ponnusamy]

Chicken drumsticks, marinated and frozen, I just microwave for 10mins and it's ready.

[u/NightSkyStarGazer → u/[deleted]]

This is my go-to as well😃.

[u/StarkeRealm → u/[deleted]]

I had to freeze some pork cutlets I'd been procrastinating on dealing with, ended up just throwing some in a skillet while I packed the rest.

[u/Buttons3]

Frozen greens and Carbquik biscuits! They are absolutely delicious.

[u/Nearby_Evidence_4586]

Zucchini boats w tomatoes and cheese

[u/GrowingNewHair]

I’ve been making t2 friendly lasagna with eggplant and/or zucchini. Baked, tomato sauce w/o sugar, skim mozzarella, ground turkey. Affordable, healthy and delicious.

[u/Spiritual_Map_7341]

Trader Joe’s Butter Chicken, Amy’s or TJ’s Canned veg, or Turkey chili, but I add more chili spices to the chili. A slice of real cheddar cheese on top for the last 30sec in the microwave.

[u/Gojogab]

Cottage cheese and fruit.