Anonymous wrote:
What's with the excessive 'sweetheart' usage? No one else is using a nasty tone on this thread. I'm sorry if you are having a rough Monday morning and need to take it out on people here. (Assuming you're 8:16 too.)

No, I was using sweetheart to respond to this nutritionally hypervigilant poster, who I believe is also 8:16, and appears to be really upset with people who suggest that TJs and Chipotle could remotely be considered healthier than any other options.

I started 2 new threads for him/her though, where this discussion can run or die a natural death.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP again:

So OP here's my suggested meal plan for you:

Sat dinner: homecooked meal at the table -chicken breast, rice, veg (prepare chicken tenders and freeze)
Sun dinner: homecooked meal at the table - beef stew, potatoes, salad (prepare baggies of veg)
Mon: eat in car: tortellini and spaghetti sauce (heated up at work - in thermos), baggies of veggies
Tues: eat in car: healthy frozen burritos (heated up at work); baggies of fruit
Wed: eat in car: chicken tenders, steamed broccoli and dip, roll
Thursday: healthy-ish takeout option -- maybe chipotle?
Friday: homecooked meal at table (use crockpot) -- apple pork roast, egg noodles, spinach salad

Chipotle doesn't fit anyone's definition of even remotely "healthy." Where are you getting that?

Say you just get a normal chicken burrito with black beans, rice, cheese, sour cream, and lettuce. That's 825 calories right there, or twice what a burger from McDonald's would be. You're hungry so you decide to nosh on chips and salsa too. Another 590 calories. If you eat them both you're consuming 62 grams of fat and 2,390 milligrams of sodium.

Hell, that's a day's worth of those things for me all in one meal. I'd have to skip everything else during the day.

http://www.chipotle.com/en-us/menu/nutrition_calculator/nutrition_calculator.aspx

My DS is not overweight and exercises well. A Chipotle chicken burrito bowl with all the salsas and fajita veggies and a little less rice than usual is 100% better than a burger and fries from McDonalds. OP is struggling and people are providing real options. Chipotle is not the same as growing your own veggies and slaughtering your own organically fed chicken, but it's a step up.

We make eggs one night a week. Eggs, cheese, some canandian bacon, fruit salad. If you're feeling ambitious heat up frozen hash browns.

Also, you can do baked potatoes in the microwave. Do several for a couple nights of quick meals that you can just heat up. Serve with broccoli, cheese, sour cream, bacon if you like it, chili, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Try Trader Joes for frozen dinners in a bag. Pretty tasty and better than fast food.

Um.... No, not really. Trader Joes food is terrible and terrible for you. It's basically a junk food store. Llike a 7-11 for hipsters, as someone put it recently.

Disagree. If you're looking for low-fat options, yeah, it's not that healthy. And you do have to look at sodium content, because some are high. But - the ingredients list is short and understandable and not filled with chemicals, corn syrup, and preservatives. So yeah, it's not the best, but it is a big step up from fast food.

I 100% agree with the PP. My husband has a very restricted diet and needs to avoid all preservatives (except salt and sugar) and TJs is the best place for us to find foods without a lot of added gunk. Of course we have to eat it up quickly eze it because otherwise it goes bad within a day or two....Also TJs food doesn't have a lot of artificial dyes and flavorings, THQ, or transfatty acids.

What does your husband's doctor/nutritionist say about this, just curious? Someone put him on the restricted diet -- so what's their professional opinion?

I'll start a Trader Joes thread for you, sweetheart, so this one can get back to OP's concerns. 'Kay?

What's with the excessive 'sweetheart' usage? No one else is using a nasty tone on this thread. I'm sorry if you are having a rough Monday morning and need to take it out on people here. (Assuming you're 8:16 too.)

One of the best things we started a few months ago is keeping a veggie tray stocked at all times in the fridge. That way when I get home, I can take that out and the kids can eat that instead of telling me how hungry they are...while I make dinner. And whatever is left I just put the cover on and put back in the fridge.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Try Trader Joes for frozen dinners in a bag. Pretty tasty and better than fast food.

Um.... No, not really. Trader Joes food is terrible and terrible for you. It's basically a junk food store. Llike a 7-11 for hipsters, as someone put it recently.

Disagree. If you're looking for low-fat options, yeah, it's not that healthy. And you do have to look at sodium content, because some are high. But - the ingredients list is short and understandable and not filled with chemicals, corn syrup, and preservatives. So yeah, it's not the best, but it is a big step up from fast food.

I 100% agree with the PP. My husband has a very restricted diet and needs to avoid all preservatives (except salt and sugar) and TJs is the best place for us to find foods without a lot of added gunk. Of course we have to eat it up quickly eze it because otherwise it goes bad within a day or two....Also TJs food doesn't have a lot of artificial dyes and flavorings, THQ, or transfatty acids.

What does your husband's doctor/nutritionist say about this, just curious? Someone put him on the restricted diet -- so what's their professional opinion?

I'll start a Trader Joes thread for you, sweetheart, so this one can get back to OP's concerns. 'Kay?

PP get the bug out of your butt about fast food and what is healthy and what is not.

That's not what this thread is about.

Let OP decide what SHE thinks is healthy for HER family. You can make healthyish choices at fast food places.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Try Trader Joes for frozen dinners in a bag. Pretty tasty and better than fast food.

Um.... No, not really. Trader Joes food is terrible and terrible for you. It's basically a junk food store. Llike a 7-11 for hipsters, as someone put it recently.

Disagree. If you're looking for low-fat options, yeah, it's not that healthy. And you do have to look at sodium content, because some are high. But - the ingredients list is short and understandable and not filled with chemicals, corn syrup, and preservatives. So yeah, it's not the best, but it is a big step up from fast food.

I 100% agree with the PP. My husband has a very restricted diet and needs to avoid all preservatives (except salt and sugar) and TJs is the best place for us to find foods without a lot of added gunk. Of course we have to eat it up quickly eze it because otherwise it goes bad within a day or two....Also TJs food doesn't have a lot of artificial dyes and flavorings, THQ, or transfatty acids.

What does your husband's doctor/nutritionist say about this, just curious? Someone put him on the restricted diet -- so what's their professional opinion?

Anonymous wrote:PP again:

So OP here's my suggested meal plan for you:

Sat dinner: homecooked meal at the table -chicken breast, rice, veg (prepare chicken tenders and freeze)
Sun dinner: homecooked meal at the table - beef stew, potatoes, salad (prepare baggies of veg)
Mon: eat in car: tortellini and spaghetti sauce (heated up at work - in thermos), baggies of veggies
Tues: eat in car: healthy frozen burritos (heated up at work); baggies of fruit
Wed: eat in car: chicken tenders, steamed broccoli and dip, roll
Thursday: healthy-ish takeout option -- maybe chipotle?
Friday: homecooked meal at table (use crockpot) -- apple pork roast, egg noodles, spinach salad

Chipotle doesn't fit anyone's definition of even remotely "healthy." Where are you getting that?

Say you just get a normal chicken burrito with black beans, rice, cheese, sour cream, and lettuce. That's 825 calories right there, or twice what a burger from McDonald's would be. You're hungry so you decide to nosh on chips and salsa too. Another 590 calories. If you eat them both you're consuming 62 grams of fat and 2,390 milligrams of sodium.

Hell, that's a day's worth of those things for me all in one meal. I'd have to skip everything else during the day.

http://www.chipotle.com/en-us/menu/nutrition_calculator/nutrition_calculator.aspx

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Try Trader Joes for frozen dinners in a bag. Pretty tasty and better than fast food.

Um.... No, not really. Trader Joes food is terrible and terrible for you. It's basically a junk food store. Llike a 7-11 for hipsters, as someone put it recently.

Disagree. If you're looking for low-fat options, yeah, it's not that healthy. And you do have to look at sodium content, because some are high. But - the ingredients list is short and understandable and not filled with chemicals, corn syrup, and preservatives. So yeah, it's not the best, but it is a big step up from fast food.

I 100% agree with the PP. My husband has a very restricted diet and needs to avoid all preservatives (except salt and sugar) and TJs is the best place for us to find foods without a lot of added gunk. Of course we have to eat it up quickly eze it because otherwise it goes bad within a day or two....Also TJs food doesn't have a lot of artificial dyes and flavorings, THQ, or transfatty acids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Try Trader Joes for frozen dinners in a bag. Pretty tasty and better than fast food.

Um.... No, not really. Trader Joes food is terrible and terrible for you. It's basically a junk food store. Llike a 7-11 for hipsters, as someone put it recently.

Disagree. If you're looking for low-fat options, yeah, it's not that healthy. And you do have to look at sodium content, because some are high. But - the ingredients list is short and understandable and not filled with chemicals, corn syrup, and preservatives. So yeah, it's not the best, but it is a big step up from fast food.

Sweetheart. Most people associate eating healthy moreso with reducing fat and sodium consumption than they do with the number of ingredients on a label. It's still overprocessed junk food for the most part (and their produce is laughable). The wine and beer selection is eclectic, I'll give them that. But, really, you acknowledge that it's high-fat and high-sodium and still call it a "big step up" from fast food? That's the biggest complaint about fast food -- that it's fatty and high in sodium.

You're rationalizing or struggling with cognitive dissonance or something here. But don't delude yourself into thinking that ready-to-eat meals from Trader Joes have any more virtue than say, a burger and fries from Wendy's.

PP again:

So OP here's my suggested meal plan for you:

Sat dinner: homecooked meal at the table -chicken breast, rice, veg (prepare chicken tenders and freeze)
Sun dinner: homecooked meal at the table - beef stew, potatoes, salad (prepare baggies of veg)
Mon: eat in car: tortellini and spaghetti sauce (heated up at work - in thermos), baggies of veggies
Tues: eat in car: healthy frozen burritos (heated up at work); baggies of fruit
Wed: eat in car: chicken tenders, steamed broccoli and dip, roll
Thursday: healthy-ish takeout option -- maybe chipotle?
Friday: homecooked meal at table (use crockpot) -- apple pork roast, egg noodles, spinach salad

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Try Trader Joes for frozen dinners in a bag. Pretty tasty and better than fast food.

Um.... No, not really. Trader Joes food is terrible and terrible for you. It's basically a junk food store. Llike a 7-11 for hipsters, as someone put it recently.

Disagree. If you're looking for low-fat options, yeah, it's not that healthy. And you do have to look at sodium content, because some are high. But - the ingredients list is short and understandable and not filled with chemicals, corn syrup, and preservatives. So yeah, it's not the best, but it is a big step up from fast food.

OP, I agree with everyone else, it is your schedule that is the problem.

Not saying that to be a dick, either, because I get it. But you just don't have ANY time at home to be cooking. Which you know -- that's why the takeout is such a convenient option.

Are you doing drive through and eating in the car on the way home? Because that would actually make a lot of sense. You guys are stuck in the car for an hour so why not use that time for dinner and then have an hour to get stuff done at home before bed.

So all these crock pot ideas are great but I don't think very practical for YOU. I think you should work with the schedule and lifestyle you have but try to get healthier meals in the car.

1) find different drive throughs that are possibly nutritionally better.

2) prepare and pack picnicy meals you can eat in the car in a really good cooler and keep in the back of your car with a lot of ice. I have a "7 day cooler" that will keep things cold very nicely for days that woud work. Or you can bring from home, heat up in the microwave at work if you have it, and have the kids eat on the way back.

A few web sites with ideas of healthier, healthy-ish (or at least not as bad as McDs) car meals:

http://voices.yahoo.com/5-healthy-weeknight-dinners-eat-go-10800331.html

http://www.bigredkitchen.com/2009/03/car-picnics-how-to-eat-on-the-go-the-plea/

http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1325813/healthy-meals-to-eat-while-driving

http://ask.metafilter.com/167398/Screw-it-Big-Macs-for-dinner-every-night

Good luck! And cut yourself a break -- you are doing what you can with what you have and know that it will all work out!

Anonymous wrote:Try Trader Joes for frozen dinners in a bag. Pretty tasty and better than fast food.

Um.... No, not really. Trader Joes food is terrible and terrible for you. It's basically a junk food store. Llike a 7-11 for hipsters, as someone put it recently.