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How do I get away from boxed food?

I saw something interesting today. It said that one reason you may not be losing stomach fat is because "most of the food you eat is boxed".

 

My freezer is chock full of boxed food. I don't cook. I microwave stuff and throw things in the oven.

 

Not everything in my freezer is terrible. Some of it is boxed frozen vegetables. But a lot of it is taquitos, pizza, lean cuisine, etc.

 

How do I move away from the boxed food (without getting into cooking)? Going with pre-made grocery store meals doesn't seem like it'd be a better option.

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65 REPLIES 65

What keeps you from cooking? There are plenty of reasons it might be challenging : the learning curve, access to a kitchen, time. There are ways to work around most issues so understanding why you don't cook could help guide the responses you receive. Depending on your food choices and dietary needs there are still ways to eat "outside the box" that don't require a great deal of work on your part. A can of black beans over pre-cooked brown rice in a packet with salsa, a little sour cream and hot sauce, for example. Or chicken and some bbq sauce in a small slow cooker with a salad in a bag side. I hope you find a way to eat that works for you!

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The way I broke from it was I first made the rule i would stop at the store twice a week.
I bought the rotisserie chicken or what ever meat sounded good already cooked not fried, de-boned it and put it in serving size containers. Refrigerated (knowing that was good for three days max) it for another night. 
Then I bought grapes or other fruit that took little effort to prep for eating, and that was my snacks.

specially grapes, I buy grapes and pull off the vine and put them in a bowl in the fridge and any time I get hungry I get a hand full for a snack.

I then bought a steamer pot (cheap) and started steaming veggies. It was only me so eating out of the pot didn't bother me. Less to clean.
I bought cast iron flat skillet and started cooking with it, and then using it as my plate also. eventually wife came along and liked that so now we have several flat cast irons and cook and eat right off them and they are the easiest thing to clean that I have found.
I also started grilling on outside grill so there was no clean up.

Cooking is all about time and energy to me, I love to cook now but if it isn't on a grill or steamed or cast iron (on the grill, less mess) than I am not the cook. 

However wanting to look into slow cooker crock pot so I can get three meals or so.

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What's your aversion to cooking ? If you want to get away from processed food and boxed food , meal prep one day out of the week it will be your best friend, not only will you be eating healthier options, it will be easy to grab and go for cheaper. frozen meals add up and though microwaves are quick they are unkind in your attempts to eat healthy nutrient rich foods. the best way is to cook all your food either on the stove or in the oven and keep it in a container that will lock in the heat so that when you go to eat there is no need to nuke and no added time. I'm no cook by any means the internet has some amazing food prep ideas that are quick and easy and will have you eating healthier for less . Those lean cuisines add up in cost fast !

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Hi, I agree with you.

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I have found it very difficult to move away from the boxed foods. I started with one meal at a time, making my breakfast healthier by adding vegetables in the morning. It's a process

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Maybe make a meal plan. You need to go on to Pinterest and get easy recipes, there are plenty of them out there and cook 3 times a week and build it up to everyday. Its actually really fun to do easy cooking.

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If you love yourself, you will start cooking! It is just part of the day! I can't imagine putting my health into something pulled from a box! It is just not that hard or time consuming. Rarely do I spend more than 1/2 hour on dinner prep. But there are so many options of what to eat when you cook. I imagine there are many tutorials on YouTube. Good luck to you!

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Same here, unless I need quinoa, etc. Then I know the specific aisle and reason. I dart down for the one item, then come back out.

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Crock pot meals are a great way to approach this. Grab your ingredients, throw them in the crock pot, head to work and then bam, healthy whole foods ready as a meal when you get home.

 

Here is a head start on some ideas

https://www.self.com/gallery/slow-cooker-slideshow

https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/healthy-slow-cooker-recipes/view-all/

www.eatthis.com/healthy-crock-pot-recipes/

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Hi there,

 

To keep cooking to a minimum then I suggest a Pressure Pro or Instant Pot as these are super quick and large enough to do big batch cooking for your freezer with very little effort.

 

They are so simple to use.

Just throw in packets of skinless chicken breasts, lean steak etc with peeled and chopped veggies [or if you are too short on time to be able to peel a carrot then just tip in a big bag of frozen or fresh mixed vegetables] add tinned tomatoes or stock, press the button and 25 mins later you have a huge pot of tasty casserole with no artificial nasties in there.

 

When I make up one pot I generally get a meal for right then and then at least 5 or 6 extra portions that I can put into containers into the fridge and freezer for when I want them.

 

You can even cook meat and veg from frozen in there.

 

You can make big batches of steamed rice, veg and beans as your side dishes and I love cooking fruit compotes in there - apple cinnnamon, apple apricot, pear and ginger, apple and blackberry etc.

I can make 12 portions of compote all in one go for the freezer and again, if you don't fancy peeling or chopping veg just buy the frozen stuff and pop it straight in.

Compotes are great with a splodge of yogurt or heated up and sprinkled with a streusel crumble topping  - Also great for whacking in the occasional smoothie]

 

My fave big batches cooks are Chili con Carne [throw in the lean mince, throw in the beans, throw in some chilli garlic and onions], Chicken Jalfrezi [throw in the chicken, throw in the spices, throw in the veggies....get the idea Smiley Happy, Spaghetti meat Sauce and Meatballs etc

 

In my opinion despite the initial outlay for buying one you will eventually save a ton of money cooking like this and enjoying a meal that you have created yourself is really rewarding and might lead you to get more interested in other ways of cooking.

 

There are tons of super simple Instant Pot recipes out there and its so nice and quick that it barely counts as cooking at all.

I have a Pressure Pro King [UK version of an Instant Pot] and it also slow cooks and bakes as well as rice cooks and pressure cooks.

 

If you want any more info then PM me and I will be happy to help if I can

All the best

Sky

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Whoops I meant chopping fruit for the fruit compotes...not Veg #blushSmiley Embarassed

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When I was too busy to make food in college, I lived on soup and salad a lot... some soup can be high-sodium, so watch for that if it's a concern. I'd also swing by Subway every so often for a footlong sub, and that would be enough for 2 meals... I like meal replacement shakes, too, though I know they're not for everyone. Another thing I used to do in high school was portion control. My cross-country coach told us to limit our meals to what would fit in our palms... then wait a couple of hours before eating again (we could eat every other hour if we wanted, though!). We were also told to stop eating at least 4 hours before going to bed at night, so we had the opportunity to burn the calories we'd consumed, rather than storing them. I'm working on regaining that flat belly I used to have right now!

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Freshly.com is the answer for people who don't cook. These are pre-cooked entrees by professional chefs then refrigerated and shipped to you within 48 hours in refrigerated packages, all food is prepared from whole foods with no preservatives & nothing processed. All entrees are low calorie nutrient rich and most importantly, delicious (maybe not every one will be delicious, there are some I didn't like). You choose your entrees week by week from an extensive menu, I chose the 6 meals for 59.99. They have a 5 day refrigerated shelf life, which I have not had a problem extending a day to finish my 6th meal for the week (7th day is my cheat day). Yes, they are twice as expensive at $10/meal than your boxed food, but they're 100x healthier for you than your boxed processed foods. You can't find take-out cuisine like this for under 15$ a shot, so it's a definite value. Take it from a guy who spent years eating whatever he could order in or drive thru.

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My husband and I started the Whole30 program on January 1st. We spend 1 day - Sunday - for about an hour and do meal prep for the entire week. The biggest thing we needed to learn was to plan out what we were having for the week, buy ALL the ingredients fresh or fresh-frozen. Cook what we absolutely HAD to and portion and vacuum-seal for the freezer. Crock pots are a wonderful way to go - you take the food from the freezer, throw it in the pot, set it to low before you go to work. When you get home, dinner is ready and waiting!! Those boxed foods have extra sodium, sugar, MSG in addition to preservatives that are not naturally-occurring. By the end of January, I had lost 9.7lbs. and my husband lost 19.5lbs.!

I'm not saying you need to follow the Whole30 plan (though it's great for finding out what foods are inflammatory or toxic for you), but the same idea works - planning and meal prep. There is a website that has a great system of meal prep and freezing EVERYTHING. then you pull what you want for dinner from the freezer throw it in the crock pot. no fuss. And in about 2 hours you can meal prep for 30 days worth of healthy nutritious dinners! Take a look:  https://newleafwellness.biz  

 

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Couldn't pay me the King's ransom to eat anything put through a microwave.  Never could stand the taste.

 

You wouldn't like what I do.  I takes me about a half hour to make my salad. @ around 700+ calories it fills me up, like stuffed.  That's lunch.  For dinner I can cook meat and usually steam veggies quickly and I drink a late protein shake to ward off late night snacking / hunger cravings.  

 

The salad is the time consumer, as I put a lot of the produce section into it along with a soft boiled egg, but I make it the night before and refrigerate it. 

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Sorry to say, everything that is boxed is bad for you, even veggies. We are organic creatures so we need real food that is fresh. Yeah, it's pain but it's a fact. I'm 67 years old, take no drugs of ANY kind, no supplements, no medications, no chemicals and no sorcery and I'm in a state of health few can even comprehend. I hike, bike, trail run nearly everyday and only a few can keep up with me. Not bragging just stating a fact. I don't expect others to follow my way of life but if you want to live a long and painless life start using your brain and understand that natural and organic is the way to go. You even have to watch out for the water you drink, that's the most important. Eating natural is easy, it takes but a few minutes to make a salad, cook up some chicken or fish (be careful with that, stay with Alaskan) or cook up some yummy rice dish. Once you get the hang of it, it's a piece of apple pie. Organic apples that is:-).

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Hi Benjamin,

Well,  you have accepted that your stomach fat is because of the food that gets inside, you are half-way close to losing those unwanted pounds. You can start replacing your boxed foods with whole foods. Try eating one meal a day freshly cooked and gradually eliminate boxed foods. You might not be overweight or obese, but consuming those foods might take a toll over your body. You see packaged foods are very very high in calories, sugars and every thing unhealthy.  For an eye-opener, consider having a blood test for knowing how is your cholesterol and sugar level. It is hard to quit consuming what you have been always eating but a change for betterment is always welcomed. Moreover, your body will thank you for consuming whole and unprocessed foods.  Read several tips for replacing your boxed food with great recipes that doesn't take much time and far far healthier. Websites like Dr. Axe, MindBodyGreen and Zovon have articles to keep you motivated.

Regards,

Daniel

 

 

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Learn to cook a little bit - 4 or 5 healthy 1 pot meals - stew, chilli, chunky soup, curry etc. Do big quantities and freeze what you don't eat that day. You'll soon have enough to go for weeks at a time without cooking and everything you eat will be unprocessed and only contain ingredients that you can identify - the processed stuff'll kill you.

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Learn to meal prep.  It's not that bad and it can be so simple.  My teenage boys eat the same thing for lunch weeks in a row.  When they tire of whatever they are eating, we find a new recipe for them to make.  Start Simple and add and change up as you please. 

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I can't really cook either but I've discovered I prefer to graze over the day anyway and have small snacks rather than 3 full-size meals so I've discovered some simple healthy things that even a person who nearly burned down a kitchen at age 16 can do! (Yes, that happened and thus ended my mother trying to teach me to cook! On the plus size, the Star Trek: Next Generation episode I wandered off to watch was really good.)

 

I'm personally trying to increase protein in my diet to have more energy, stay full longer and get all my vitamins so some of my snacks lean heavily towards protein.

 

Some of my favorite healthy low-cal meals and snacks -

 

--Low fat Mozzarella cheese sticks (good protein, extra filling, 80 cals)

--Hard boiled eggs (good protein, extra filling, 75 cals, medium egg)

-- Low fat 80-cal yogurt cups. Very filling and healthy. Even if I eat 2 for a full small breakfast, still only 160 calories.

--1 Fresh zucchini or squash then saute in a pan with "I can't believe it's not butter", salt and pepper and Pam non-stick calorie-free spray on the pan - A whole huge bowlful is only about 120 calories!

--Skinny Cow Fudge bars - 120 calories each if you get an occasional chocolate/sweet craving

--Light popcorn - calories vary, but usually low cal if you use butter substitute

--Maple Brown and Sugar Quaker Oatmeal - Sometimes you just want something warm and rib-sticking! Make with water, and I add salt cause I love my salt, lol - 120 cals

-Protein or granola bars - Types and calories differ but you can get them anywhere between 100 calories for a chewy chocolate chip Quaker bar or 240 for a Protein bar with more vitamins and protein

--Fresh green seedless grapes - Almost no calories. Eat the whole bag and you'd probably barely break a 100, but it's filling and alleviates thirst when in the right mood.

--A banana with peanut butter on it - High in protein AND a delicious snack or breakfast. Under 300 calories.

--4 oz steak - 240 calories

--6 oz. steak - 320 calories - For those days when you crave your meat and protein! By itself it's very healthy and not high calorie despite popular belief. Just don't pair it with loaded baked potatoes or anything, and you'll be fine! I just cook it in a frying pan with Pam spray, salt and pepper it, flipping it every couple minutes on a medium flame until it's a nice rare. Takes less than 10 minutes all total and no prep needed.

--Salads are always easy. I admit I have a weakness for the ready-made ones in a single serving hobby-kit from Walmart. 240 calories and the Santa Fe Style one is my favorite. They even include the fork so NO prep or clean-up.Cat Wink

 

I hope some of these help! I don't know if we can change our entire nature but I do think you can work within it as a non-cook just as I have to find healthy ways to exist -- despite our culinary ineptitude!

 

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