Anonymous wrote:It's a bit of semantics for items like pasta. If you make a dough, roll it out and dry it, that is "processed".

In general, people try to avoid additives and food that is engineered, such as twinkies. An item with a simple ingredients list is healthier than one with lots of ingredients that include a chemistry degree to interpret.

Processed foods can also be high in sugar, oil, and salt in order to extend the shelf life of the item.

That’s why they specified “ultra processed.” The article in Wapo about ultra processed food already made the same distinction pointing out that technically even cooking a vegetable or meat is “processed.”

Anonymous wrote:NP. I'm trying to cook more instead of throwing crap in the microwave or oven, but the extra dishes and clean up are time sucks. Any advice

One pan roasted meals. Pot roast/crockpot meals, soups, stir fries, omelette with sliced fresh veggies and good bread. Double batch when you do cook with multiple pans and use again.

My roaster chicken is chicken/veggie starch meal. Then used for chicken quesadillas with sliced veggies/avocados the next dinner (or chicken stir fry). Then the dark meat is used in chicken noodle soup for the last dinner. The first meal had more than one pan, but the next two only had one pan.

Anonymous wrote:NP. I'm trying to cook more instead of throwing crap in the microwave or oven, but the extra dishes and clean up are time sucks. Any advice

One pot meal or casseroles or soup are all eat clean up.

You have to meal prep and meal plan, no way around it.

NP. I'm trying to cook more instead of throwing crap in the microwave or oven, but the extra dishes and clean up are time sucks. Any advice

Anonymous wrote:Easy.

We do this every night:

Protein, vegetable, starch (rice or white potato or sweet potato), salad.

Same. But I avoid beef, sausage, bacon, hot dogs. I do a whole grain and or beans/lentils for the grains most nights but sometimes
I’ll roast gold potatoes or make mashed potatoes.

The cookbook Good and Cheap has pretty easy recipes that use simple ingredients. I think you can get a free pdf online.

Here it is: https://cookbooks.leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap.pdf

Easy.

We do this every night:

Protein, vegetable, starch (rice or white potato or sweet potato), salad.

Buy banza bean pasta. The alphabet shapes one has no bean flavor and looks andn tastes like white pasta. Precook a batch on a weekend.

When time to eat, top it with shredded cheese and microwave for 2 min.

Healther mac and cheese in 2 min

At costco try buying the following substitutes, i have young elementary and they will eat these.

Grass fed beef sausages. 12 pack. These are much cleaner than regular hot dogs and taste better. Check the ingredient list at Teton Waters brand website.

Mac and cheese prepared food from refridgerated section. Sure, it is still processed, but better than Kraft in a box.

Cilantro rice in a six pack box cooks in 2 minutes, kids love this. Only ingredient is rice and cilantro.

Anonymous wrote: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.

Mac and cheese with hot dogs is pretty much always going to be very processed unless you make your own sausage. Baked ziti instead? Or a greens and cheese pasta with sausage or meat added (not hot dogs).

Same thing for tacos. Choose fresh or frozen tortillas with natural ingredients, or just serve over rice and beans or salad.

100daysofrealfood.com

You don’t have to make it complicated, just roast a meat, a vegetable, and a grain.

Fish and eggs are both great quick dinners. If the fish is defrosted, it cooks so quickly. And eggs are always quick cook.

It's a bit of semantics for items like pasta. If you make a dough, roll it out and dry it, that is "processed".

In general, people try to avoid additives and food that is engineered, such as twinkies. An item with a simple ingredients list is healthier than one with lots of ingredients that include a chemistry degree to interpret.

Processed foods can also be high in sugar, oil, and salt in order to extend the shelf life of the item.