Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you do a rotisserie chicken once a week? Cut up veggies to go along with it. Tortellini or ravioli with pesto or marinara sauce might be a step up from Kraft Mac n cheese.

All pasta is a processed food. By definition. It can’t exist without a process.

So has anyone found a good breakdown of "processed" vs. "ultra-processed"? I have 2 kids and a fulltime job, there is no way I am ever going to be making things like pasta from scratch. I would absolutely like to cut down on ultra-processed and make better choices but don't really understand. Like what breads, crackers, pasta, tortillas are less processed?

I tend to go by ingredients lists. If the ingredients are basically what they would be if I made the thing from scratch, it's fine. If there's a high proportion of salt, added sugar, preservatives, artificial colors and flavors, etc., then it's more processed and less healthy. If it's not really a food that anyone WOULD make from scratch, it's usually REALLY highly processed. I'm okay with pantry staples that are used to prepare meals at home. Dried pasta, canned beans, etc., are processed but not ultra-processed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you do a rotisserie chicken once a week? Cut up veggies to go along with it. Tortellini or ravioli with pesto or marinara sauce might be a step up from Kraft Mac n cheese.

All pasta is a processed food. By definition. It can’t exist without a process.

So has anyone found a good breakdown of "processed" vs. "ultra-processed"? I have 2 kids and a fulltime job, there is no way I am ever going to be making things like pasta from scratch. I would absolutely like to cut down on ultra-processed and make better choices but don't really understand. Like what breads, crackers, pasta, tortillas are less processed?

Downshiftology on youtube is a great place to start. She does meal prep and focuses on simple recipes with whole foods that can be made for the entire family.
https://www.youtube.com/c/Downshiftology/featured

As much as some people may laugh, Gordon Ramsay has several videos on youtube about simple, fast dinners. He keeps to simple ingredients, most are under 20 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_qo3lnRS1k&t=5s

I don't have much experience with their recipes on this site, but sheet pan dinners could provide some options. Everything is cooked on one sheet pan, and they can be super quick to prep if the cooking time is a bit longer.
https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/sheet-pan-supper-recipes/

Anonymous wrote:Can you do a rotisserie chicken once a week? Cut up veggies to go along with it. Tortellini or ravioli with pesto or marinara sauce might be a step up from Kraft Mac n cheese.

All pasta is a processed food. By definition. It can’t exist without a process.

Frozen bags of veggies and already cooked frozen rice are good time savers for me. You can microwave them. I’ve even thrown frozen veggies on a sheet pan with olive oil and seasoning and roasted them and they’re very good. We do canned soup with frozen garlic bread as a dinner every so often. That frozen garlic bread is so good that nobody minds that we are eating soup from a can instead of homemade.

Try quinoa or bulgar. Very easy to make and extremely healthy. My kids eat them with olive oil and salt. Herbs, lemon juice, a little cheese make it even tastier. Also, do you ever make beans? Beans cooked with an onion and a bay leave are very good. You can add salsa, Greek yogurt, a little cheese, etc. To make them more interesting for yourself if your kids won't eat that stuff.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you do a rotisserie chicken once a week? Cut up veggies to go along with it. Tortellini or ravioli with pesto or marinara sauce might be a step up from Kraft Mac n cheese.

rotisserie chicken is also a processed food

It is if you buy it at the grocery store. I'd say it's processed, but OP was asking for substitutes for "ultra-processed" foods

You can make your own Rotisserie chicken at home without the injectibles.

Anonymous wrote:Can you do a rotisserie chicken once a week? Cut up veggies to go along with it. Tortellini or ravioli with pesto or marinara sauce might be a step up from Kraft Mac n cheese.

rotisserie chicken is also a processed food

Sheet pan dinners. Protein, vegetables and potato on one pan. Easy cleanup.

Look for a crock pot cookbook. Website wise, I really like budget bytes. Her recipes are straightforward and cheap and often has very directions for make-ahead and freeze type options. Eg: https://www.budgetbytes.com/hearty-black-bean-quesadillas/

I also find if you buy good quality food and make things in batches, it can be easier to throw things together in a hurry. Eg, a huge batch of rice pilaf can go with a store bought rotisserie chickens and Brussels sprouts one night, then canned chickpeas the next. Good quality vegetables and pita chips and leftover chicken and big thing of hummus don’t require much prep time. Baked Mac and cheese is more filling and less processed than Kraft but you can make multiple batches some weekend and eat one for a couple days that week and freeze the rest. Same with something like beef stew or split pea soup.

Honestly, with the exception in the Mac and cheese and hotdogs…it’s fine.

Try some recipes for stovetop or crockpot mac and cheese. With the Kraft, you aren’t saving that much time. You still have to boil the noodles and stir in the powder. Boil your own noodles, and keep milk and a few types of shredded cheese around. Get some “better” hotdogs, or switch to hamburgers.

There are many brands of nitrate-free organic hot dogs that are somewhat healthier. There are also many alternatives to Kraft with fewer ingredients. I find that shopping at Whole Foods helps. They foods they carry seem to have fewer ingredients and are healthier overall.

Most of that sounds fine. Are you using a bag of stirfy from the freezer section or making it yourself? You could marinate and bake some chicken on Sundays and then have that instead of hotdogs. I sometimes do homemade mac and cheese and then freeze small pans.

Can you do a rotisserie chicken once a week? Cut up veggies to go along with it. Tortellini or ravioli with pesto or marinara sauce might be a step up from Kraft Mac n cheese.

I am looking for recipe books or websites for healthy meals because we eat too many ultra-processed meals. I work in the office and have young elementary kids so time is limited in the evenings. Son also is in sports. Kraft’s Mac and Cheese with hot dogs and salad. Tacos with hard/soft shells. Pasta with sausage. Sloppy Joes. Stir fry. Always have a veg or fruit on the table.