Are Your Meals More Simple or More Complex?

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HappyDaze
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Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:11 am

Are Your Meals More Simple or More Complex?

Post by HappyDaze »

I tend to eat very simple meals, something I couldn't so much get away with when I was cooking for a family. What I mean is, I tend to make and eat just ONE thing - so much so, that at times I have to consciously think about adding a vegetable or fruit for the sake of good nutrition.

This is as much for convenience sake as it is about being frugal - time is as important to me as saving money.

For example, I will make a pot of chili and eat only chili for supper for several days, or have only salad for lunch at work, or only cereal for breakfast (not adding toast, etc.). Do you do the "main dish, side dish, salad, dessert" thing for your main meal?

About as close as I get to a "multiple item meal" is when I make vegetables to put on top of a baked potato or mashed potatoes. Or I will saute a whole mess of vegetables to put on top of pasta or in sauce.

I guess it all depends on how you look at it - I mean a toasted slice of whole grain bread, topped with peanut butter and apple or banana is more or less a complete healthy meal. Just curious about how others cook, I guess. How many do you cook for and how may items for your main meal - usually?
"All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. After all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog."

Charles M. Schultz
jckitty
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Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 8:55 pm

Re: Are Your Meals More Simple or More Complex?

Post by jckitty »

Sheila,
I used to cook large when family was at home. But now...depends so much on the weather for me. When it is hot, cottage cheese and fruit or salad is plenty most of the time, sometimes I have piece of homemade bread if I feel like it.
Sandwiches sometimes, but I no longer have chips or fries with a sandwich. I make alot of main dish salads.
I am not big on pasta. But if I make beef or chicken and noodles I will make mashed potatoes and veggies to go with it.
Cooler weather I make soups and share with family because I just cannot eat it until it is gone.
I think I may be a grazer ...if I keep salad made ( I use pint jars) veggies cut and ready, deviled eggs, cheese and crackers it works well for me.

If I cut up watermelon, I think I could live on it LOL. It is hard cooking for 1 when you are used to cooking for a crowd. I do get tired of eating my own cooking, and cleaning up the resulting mess.
JCKitty
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Jackielou
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Re: Are Your Meals More Simple or More Complex?

Post by Jackielou »

I usually do a main dish and a side or two. Tonight it is roast chicken, carrots and kohlrabi. No dessert though there are sliced strawberries and cream in the fridge if we want dessert. I am going to throw the leftover salad on the table as well.
Jackie
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MackerelCat
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Re: Are Your Meals More Simple or More Complex?

Post by MackerelCat »

I cook for basically two people. Once a week DS eats supper with us. When he was young, I did a main dish, couple of veggies, a starch and a fruit at every supper. He and his dad are very picky and I had to think up a range of dishes so that they would be adequately fed. Every meal was well balanced.

Now that he's grown and does his own shopping and food purchases, it's every man for himself at breakfast. I eat some kind of grain, either hot or cold cereal, with fruit and almond milk every day. DH has a bagel and V-8 juice.

I cook something for my lunches on Sundays, unless we've had enough leftovers for me to cobble something together without cooking. I also cook something for DH to heat up for his lunches. Supper during the week is a sandwich, fruit or nuts. It's something light as we don't need the calories so much.

On Sundays I cook pancakes with bacon and sometimes eggs, and DS eats with us. He loves breakfast as supper.

That is as fancy as it gets nowadays. What I cook for my lunches and DH's is dictated entirely by what's on sale and what needs to be used up. If we have a surplus of frozen bread heels, I make a meatloaf for him and use canned salmon to make salmon patties for me. We have no problems eating the same thing several days in a row.

Rather than cooked vegetables, we now eat sides of fresh fruit and veggies, and a small baked potato instead of bread most of the time.
Mackie
HappyDaze
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Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:11 am

Re: Are Your Meals More Simple or More Complex?

Post by HappyDaze »

MackerelCat wrote: Sun Jun 20, 2021 7:52 pm I cook for basically two people. Once a week DS eats supper with us. When he was young, I did a main dish, couple of veggies, a starch and a fruit at every supper. He and his dad are very picky and I had to think up a range of dishes so that they would be adequately fed. Every meal was well balanced.

Now that he's grown and does his own shopping and food purchases, it's every man for himself at breakfast. I eat some kind of grain, either hot or cold cereal, with fruit and almond milk every day. DH has a bagel and V-8 juice.

I cook something for my lunches on Sundays, unless we've had enough leftovers for me to cobble something together without cooking. I also cook something for DH to heat up for his lunches. Supper during the week is a sandwich, fruit or nuts. It's something light as we don't need the calories so much.

On Sundays I cook pancakes with bacon and sometimes eggs, and DS eats with us. He loves breakfast as supper.

That is as fancy as it gets nowadays. What I cook for my lunches and DH's is dictated entirely by what's on sale and what needs to be used up. If we have a surplus of frozen bread heels, I make a meatloaf for him and use canned salmon to make salmon patties for me. We have no problems eating the same thing several days in a row.

Rather than cooked vegetables, we now eat sides of fresh fruit and veggies, and a small baked potato instead of bread most of the time.
Mackie, I like your style. I will often have fresh fruit as my "side dish" because - easy! Baked potatoes are one of my go-to items - I will sometimes make a whole huge sheet pan of them and eat them through the week with salsa - or whatever - on top.
"All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. After all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog."

Charles M. Schultz
mbrudnic
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Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 7:57 am

Re: Are Your Meals More Simple or More Complex?

Post by mbrudnic »

I too keep it simple. Sometimes just a proteins sometimes I add a vegetable. A large salad with some proteins and extras is often good for me. It fills me up and keeps my satisfied. But some days I go into grazing mode.

I started trying to move to more plant-based meals, but then I my blood sugars were found to be high and the dietician said to keep my Carb below 30 per meal. So I need to measure my beans, rice and pastas and add more meat.
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