I see lots of posts from people who are just starting out and get overwhelmed trying to find new recipes and preparing everything fresh, so I thought I would post a typical "if I don't eat this it's going to be fast food" meal.
The best of us will have all of their dinners prepped and planned and they'll have great backups in their freezer for a quick meal (life goals!), but that's not me. I frequently fail to have something planned for dinner, and in the past, that would have meant takeout or fast food, but now, I do try to keep some things stocked so I can throw something together quickly.
Those things include canned meats, canned beans, quick-cooking grains, jarred condiments that go well in grain and bean salads like olives, pickled vegetables, etc. And I usually have some fresh items in the refrigerator, along with some leftovers, and some frozen, prepackaged protein in the freezer.
Tonight, it's a frozen breaded fish fillet which I know is not great, but it's "close enough" and a chickpea salad that I made with roasted red peppers, olives, celery, lemon juice, and because I wanted something creamy, a dollop of mayonnaise, though I would usually use olive oil. If I had any leftover vegetables, I would have thrown those in too.
It took just a few minutes to throw the bean salad together, and 10 minutes to cook the fish in my toaster oven. Not great, but super easy, and better than a cheeseburger and fries.
This is basically what I do when I have nothing planned: throw together a bunch of things in a bowl with some olive oil and acid.
by Electric-Sheepskin
8 Comments
I love this. It’s real life consistency. Progress>Perfection.
I do something similar with canned beans (prefer to cook from dry) in the pantry, frozen or canned fish, and freezer veggies for when I just don’t have the energy for fresh prep. I try to cook extra and freeze it when I can for easy future meals but with a large family to feed leftovers are rare. I figure as long as I try to stick to my plate portions it’s a win over takeout for my health and budget. I am also leaning towards more simple preparations instead of “recipes.” Baked fish with olive oil and Old Bay, boiled broccoli, baked sweet potatoes, etc. Just simple cooked, seasoned and plated foods.
Thank you. I’m only six weeks in going cold turkey from highly processed foods, added sugars, fried foods, etc, basically a total junk diet for decades. but I’v never been much of a cook and am inherently lazy away from work. Also, it’s just me so buy/prep for one is a little added complexity. Anyway, while i’m not fully nailing it, i’m way closer to the diet’s goals for vegetables, fruits, whole grains, evoo, fiber, etc and have had virtually no urges for the old stuff but key is having easy assembly options and more occasional, and typically on weekends, longer prep/cook options. My plates won’t win style awards either. But i’m still building the habit and eventually more true lifestyle. But the change in every aspect of my health, energy, weight, sugar level rollercoaster, cravings, etc is night and day. Amazing. Canned beans, canned and frozen veg, and other “mostly MD/healthy” pre-packaged options have just had to be a key part of the mix for the start, and probably longer term, else I couldn’t keep it up. Edits: spelling.
This looks like a perfectly fine meal! Not every meal has to be the prettiest or perfect
Looks yummy! I like to make a hot chickpea salad, and eat the leftovers cold. One can is two portions for me, so it’s a nice way to make something for one person quick.
In a small pan, saute shallots (or onion or leeks) until tender. Stir in minced garlic and saute until fragrant. Deglaze with a tablespoon of white wine (or white wine vinegar or veggie broth). Add drained chickpeas, 1 tablespoon broth, fresh lemon juice, red peppers, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium until chickpeas are tender. Garnish with extra drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice and parsley.
I appreciate the mayonnaise comment. Just so you know I was able to buy a mayonnaise made with olive oil the other day. Taste pretty good it definitely is not the same as the original but I can get used to it I’m sure.
I mean, yeah on the spirit of the post and the salad. I can’t say that the fish counts as close enough. If that counts as MD then pretty much anything does
Same my friend, I like to call it a fleximediterranean diet – and your doing good! Keep it up.
I love chickpea salad. I throw in whatever onions and veg I have on hand plus a little feta and toss it with a white wine vinaigrette.