Getting bored

[ruthla]

I've been doing LC for about a month and I've lost 8 lbs. I certainly want to stay on this plan, but I'm getting bored with my food choices.

Maybe it's just that it's close to the end of the (Food Stamps) month- I get more Food Stamps on the 7th, I have $8 left for the week, so I need to plan meals based on what's in the house. Maybe it's the monotony of summer settling in-DD1 left for camp on Tuesday, the other two are home with me all day and many days we're all at the pool when dinner needs to be cooked, and it's a whole change of pace from being at home in the afternoons when I can cook more easily.

Or maybe the summer heat is just getting to me and nothing sounds good or tastes good and I just want to sleep all afternoon.

I'm getting quite sick of omelettes for breakfast every day- I used to alternate eggs with buttered toast on the side, with egg sandwiches, with cereal and milk, with pancakes- now it seems like the only variety is with what I can add to the omelette itself.

[3shewolf8]

I don't know where you live, but I always stock up on foods (meats) when they are on sale. The boneless chicken breasts come on sale here buy one 5lb bag get one free, or buy one package of shrimp, get two free, or even hotdogs, buy one free get two free, stuff like that. Then I buy all of the staples like canned or frozen veges, noodles for the rest of the family, etc. at Aldi or Save-a-lot. I even buy pork and beef on sale so I always have something besides eggs to eat. I am not a single mom or on foodstamps though, so I hope that this is helpful.

[ruthla]

I have hot dogs in the house, and several cans of tuna, one can of sardines, and cashews, and tamari almonds, and almond butter and sunflower butter, and several kinds of cheese, and frozen veggies, and romaine lettuce, and half a roasted chicken, and some blueberries and a cantelope and milk and sour cream and unsweetened yogurt. Plus raw and hard boiled eggs.

I'm just not sure how to put all these together into more interesting meals than I've been having.

[EmmaB]

Here's something you can do with tuna and egg: tuna patties (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=40118). You can also add a tablespoon or so of mayo and garlic or onion powders, and of course leave out the butter for frying. You could throw in some cooked frozen vegies too, so long as you press all the excess water out of them first.

There are lots of other similar tuna patty recipes in the first two posts of this thread (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=214856).

[csoar2004]

I've been doing LC for about a month and I've lost 8 lbs. I certainly want to stay on this plan, but I'm getting bored with my food choices.Food ruts are self-inflicted. Plan ahead. shop sales. freeze. Cook. Freeze. Make at least two new recipes per week (some great ones posted here!). PLAN AHEAD. cook!
You have the power to exit the rut.
Use the force! :lol:

[Enomarb]

hi Ruth-
you do have a tough situation. I think the tuna patties are a great idea- I also buy canned salmon and use those for patties- the cheapest wild salmon you can buy. the hot dogs are great- I'd slice them up and pan sear them- serve with tooth picks and mustards and make it fun. One of the cheapest veggies is cabbage- I made a big head of cabbage into cole slaw for dinner tonight. It is also great shredded and roasted in teh oven or stirfried on the stove.
The chicken- you can really stretch a chicken by sauteeing it all shredded up with olive oil, and any veggies you have like onions, peppers, mushrooms, and stuff in teh fridge like olives, sundried tomatoes, artichokes. I got canned green beans today for 39 cents- always good. Are there any community gardens or food coops by you? Any food pantry in your shul?
I eat 2 eggs every morning and just do it- and I am not bothered by it.
For the kids how about bagel toasts or toasted cheese sandwiches while you have a tuna melt- tuna and melted cheese!
You can do it!

[KvonM]

how's your spice rack look? eggs are perfect vehicles for other flavors (in fact, the only way i'll eat eggs is if i can't taste them), so experiment with different flavor combinations. that could give you enough variety to get you through till your next set of stamps comes in.

[black57]

Food ruts are self-inflicted. Plan ahead. shop sales. freeze. Cook. Freeze. Make at least two new recipes per week (some great ones posted here!). PLAN AHEAD. cook!
You have the power to exit the rut.
Use the force! :lol:

:agree: :agree: :agree: :agree:

[Rachel1]

Have you tried flax muffins or bowl muffins for breakfast? They make a nice change from eggs. Check them out in the Recipes section of this forum. The bowl muffins in particular are very versatile - you can make them either sweet or savoury. The main ingredients I use (again, they are very versatile) are flax and bran, both of which are inexpensive. My recipe (they are all different) is something like this:

Mix together about a cup each of wheat bran and ground flax; stir in 1-2 tsp baking powder. You can also use ground unsalted sunflower seeds (cheap) and/or protein powder (not so cheap) and/or fine, unsweetened coconut. This is your basic "flour." Proportions don't seem to matter much - my flour mix is different every time.

For a medium sized bowl muffin, stir together in a microwaveable dish about 1/4 cup "flour," 1 egg, and whatever sweeteners/spices/cheeses/meats/veggies/berries/etc you want. Go nuts! Add some liquid - water, milk, soy milk, cream, whatever - and mix it all together to make a thick batter. Nuke on high for about two minutes. If desired, top with sour cream, yogurt, berries ... whatever. Or pour milk over to make a hot-cereal-type breakfast. Eat out of the same bowl you nuked it in.

These bowl muffins are marvelous. Quick, easy, and cheap. The variations are endless - you'll never get tired of them!

Rachel

[rightnow]

Two words: Mock danish. Search the kitchen forum here.

Comes in 1,591,627 flavors, limited only by your imagination.

I know what you mean though. I grew up on carbs for breakfast, and all of them fast usually, so the whole concept of having to cook at all for breakfast, let alone not being "able" to have cereal, half a dozen different bread products, etc. really freaked me out for awhile.

If you are not in the induction phase, homemade yogurt with fruit and flax seed would be good. I often have a small black avocado for breakfast, with sea salt and cracked black pepper.

[daisyboo]

From the list you gave i'd make a crustless omelette this week with some egg/cheese/veggies and chicken with a pour over sauce made from the sour cream and cheese :yum:

I used to get very bored lowcarbing by myself but my hubby has recently joined me and now our evening meal (the only one we all eat together during the week) is a delight, i've perused the forum and added the following to our menu's:

bacon cheeseburger casserole
parmesan chicken
lowcarb pizza (egg crust)

:yum:

[Nancy LC]

I have a recipe for Thai Omelets that made me love eggs again. It is very easy.

2 eggs
1/2 Tbl of Fish Sauce (cheap at oriental stores, tastes like a mild soy sauce only better)
1/2 Tbl of water
Combine and whisk thoroughly (I use a fork)

Put some oil in the pan and let the pan get really hot.
Pour the egg mixture in, as it starts to set, pull the cooked part back and let the uncooked flow around it. Flip when it is mostly cooked.

I put hot siracha sauce or thai peanut sauce on this omelet.
I could eat it twice a day and not get tired of it.

[KvonM]

ok guys, i'm going to speak up only because i don't know if ruthla's seen some of your responses yet. i know they were given in good faith and with all good intentions (not to mention being damn good suggestions), but ruth's got some special considerations when it comes to what she can eat... or more specifically, what she can eat with what.

she keeps kosher. for anyone who's not familiar with that, it basically means the following:

meat products and dairy products cannot mix. ever. at all. so no chicken parmesan, no cheeseburgers. pizza can only be cheese or all veggie. i've seen people take this requirement so far as to have two separate kitchens in their house... one devoted to meat, one devoted to dairy. neutral items like eggs and veggies can go in either.

fish can only be eaten if it has scales (shellfish is out).

no pork products of any kind.


there are more laws than that, but those are the basics. so while ruth can have cheese in her omelettes, she can't have it anywhere else other than on veggies. it's one hell of a hurdle to jump while trying to low-carb and on a very limited budget.

[ElleH]

Allowing myself to get really hungry before I eat has cured me of all my food boredom. I have noticed that when my stomach is growling, everything tastes wonderful and I'm grateful to get it! Now, that does require either fast cooking or having good LC food prepared at the ready (both of which I do), but being good and hungry before I allow myself to eat has cured me of the boredom problem.

[Wifezilla]

Check out LC recipe sites. Do a google search for "low carb recipes". You can also go to mainstream recipe sites like RecipeZaar.com and type "Low Carb" in to their search option.

That should get you inspired and motivated to try some new recipes when you get your next batch of stamps. It may even give you some ideas of what you can do with what's left in the cupboard.

[Bat Spit]

Ruth, try the recipe thread in the paleo forum. It might give you some spicing ideas. Paleo's don't use dairy, so thats one hurdle that you won't have to face.

See if you can check a book titled 'Garden of Eating' by Maetz (something like that) out of the library. Its all paleo eating and low ish carb. I've discovered some interesting recipes that don't call for dairy and are relatively low carb.

Low carb without cheese can be hard some days.

But you can make some great low carb ice cream using coconut milk. Pareve!

[ruthla]

Thanks for all the advice. I just need to get through a few more days til I get more food stamps.

[SlowNStedy]

maybe the summer heat is just getting to me and nothing sounds good or tastes good and I just want to sleep all afternoon.

Food ruts are hard to overcome sometimes, but really...would it be that much better or easier if you weren't doing LC? What would you be eating instead?
In the summer I know i find myself busy all day long and the last thing I want to think about when it's hot outside is what to make for dinner.

Having said that....sounds like you have the makings for a really delicious chicken salad, tuna salad, or a number of different soups or broths. You can also go international. Lately, I have been experimenting with Indian food. Seems like it only takes a little different spice or subtle change to make cabbage, cauliflower or other veggies seem less boring. There are tons of Indian and Asian recipes on the internet, many vegetarian, which would seem to be helpful with your dietary requirements. Definitely try the microwave flax bread, or mock danish for breakfast. Really opens up the possibilities.

[Elizellen]

Would crustless quiches made with eggs, cheese, cream but with cooked veggies in place of meat be allowed?

I quite often make mine without meat in them as I usually make my quiches out of leftovers and dont always have leftover cooked meat to use up.

[ruthla]

Food ruts are hard to overcome sometimes, but really...would it be that much better or easier if you weren't doing LC? What would you be eating instead? Cereal and milk, toast, pasta, pasta, and more pasta, potatoes, rice, quinoa, corn on the cob, sandwiches- carbs are my "fall back foods" when I'm not feeling particularly hungry, because let's face it, you don't need to be hungry to eat a lot of them!

Thanks for the tip about tuna burgers- I had those for dinner tonight. Of course, the kids woudn't touch them, but what can I do?

[pennink]

Cereal and milk, toast, pasta, pasta, and more pasta, potatoes, rice, quinoa, corn on the cob, sandwiches- carbs are my "fall back foods" when I'm not feeling particularly hungry, because let's face it, you don't need to be hungry to eat a lot of them!

Thanks for the tip about tuna burgers- I had those for dinner tonight. Of course, the kids woudn't touch them, but what can I do?

I really have to hand it to you. Sounds like you have a complicated lifestyle that doing this is harder than for most of us. But you keep going and you're determined. I'm so happy to see you here.

good luck!!!!! :thup:

[kallyn]

See if you can check a book titled 'Garden of Eating' by Maetz (something like that) out of the library.

The author is Rachel Albert-Matesz. I really like that book! It has great ideas for getting organized with food prep and stuff, too.

[daisyboo]

Ruth

I'm sorry i didn't realise the whole implications of kosher (thanks Kvon for explaining it, i learned something!).... I now realise the depth of your original post. Nice though at least you had the tuna patties to try out for this week so that was something new. Now i have more understanding the the challenges you are facing with your way of eating all i can say is wow, i'm really in awe of you. I thought the suggestions you had on books and checking out the paleo site were good and i hope they really help you :)

[quibbers]

Try the stir fry- you can do chicken or whatever meat you like, then the veggies. I don't use much oil- maybe a tad of olive in the iron skillet before I start, but I use frozen chicken generally (too lazy to defrost or plan ahead :lol:). I use brown rice, so I can have some too. Not induction level lo carbing, but it doesn't throw me too off generally. You could always use some pasta for your kids too.

[Citruskiss]

I've had to go off dairy products recently myself (intolerance to dairy), and I've also been cutting back a bit on red meat as well.

Ground turkey is a real bargain - I don't mean the 'all white meat' kind, but just the regular, ground fresh turkey. We've been making homemade turkey burgers, and turkey meatballs out of it. Nothing fancy - just a few spices and that's it. Whatever spices happen to be in the cupboard and that sounds appealing at the time. One of these days, I'm going to figure out a way to make ground turkey stuffed green peppers in the oven.

I've also recently found a great salad dressing that's thick and delicious - and contains NO dairy, and is low carb! It's not going to be the cheapest, but is it ever good. It's called "Annie's Naturals Goddess Dressing" and it's made with tahini and so on. It actually tastes a bit like an alfredo sauce (though much much better) when you put some on top of a bunless turkey burger. Great on salads and just about anything - steamed veggies and so on. That said, I've recently learned that there are TWO different kinds of the Annie's Goddess dressing - one is called "Organic Green Goddess" and it does have dairy, so you'll want to steer clear of that one. The plain old "Annie's Naturals Goddess Dressing" is the one you want.

For other 'sauces' and quick dips - I've mixed hot sauce with mayo, or spicy brown mustard (or regular mustard) with mayo. I've also mixed up mayo with dill pickle relish, chopped mild banana pepper rings, dry mustard powder and a bit of lemon juice and called it "tartar sauce". Not sure if you like spicy/zingy foods - but there's a few ideas in terms of jazzing up mayo-based dips and so on. La Victoria Suprema Medium Salsa is just 1 carb per two tablespoon serving as well - the lowest carb bottled salsa I've seen - and I've been buying it at WalMart. Great on eggs with some sliced mushrooms and chopped green onion ends. Because of my 'no dairy' thing, I'm not even using butter these days. Just a tiny swipe of olive oil in my eggs pan and I'm all set.

Oh - and again - if you like spicy foods - we've been making "Thai Green Curry Chicken" stir frys with coconut milk. To die for!

But it's pretty darn spicy, and I'm thinking that with kids, it might not be such a big hit. That said, there's a decent brand of coconut milk I've seen in WalMart - it's a blue can, in the Asian section ...think it's called "Dragon" something or other - and again, I've already checked out numerous brands of coconut milk for carb counts, and this one's a good deal at less than $1 per can and something like 1 carb per 1/3 cup serving. This makes a good 'thickener' for sauces and so on - especially Asian inspired stir fries.

Anyway, hang in there...check out the recipes on here and see what sounds interesting. The kitchen/recipe forums are great.

Sara

[Nancy LC]

Thai omelet is perfectly kosher. One reason I love Thai food is because I don't eat milk or wheat and they don't use it.

[ruthla]

Thai omelet is perfectly kosher. One reason I love Thai food is because I don't eat milk or wheat and they don't use it.
That's good to know about Thai food. I'll have to check out some Thai cookbooks or at least some recipes online.

Right now I'm quite satisfied after our July 4th BBQ with my parents- can't go wrong with burgers and hot dogs! We got some hot dog buns for the kids and served a salad to go with it. I discovered the mayo with mustard all on my own- my Mom's been making a dressing with mayo and ketchup for years, but the ketchup we have contains sugar.

Is there such thing as sugar free ketchup?

[HairOnFire]

Is there such thing as sugar free ketchup?

Yes, but to me it tastes like cr*p. A lot of these artificially sweetened "condiments" don't make the grade to me. But you'd have to judge for yourself. I never did see it at my supermarket but had to buy it at the netrition site. Then was disappointed in it. To me the sugar-free ketchup and barbecue sauces I've tried so far have been gag-worthy. :(

I buy meatloaf from my neighborhood deli that is already prepared and they use regular ketchup on the top, and eating a few slices at a time doesn't stall me.

I like the real stuff better. YMMV.

[joesfolks]

I know just how hard it is to diet when food stamps run out but let me say this. If you can save maybe $10 a month from your food budget and then spend them when your stores are having their big canned goods sales your money will go a lot farther. Of course you have to have a place to store them too. I always stored them under the bed. I used to buy case after case of veggies when they were on sale. It really helped. I hope you are able to do this.

[MyJourney]

Yes, but to me it tastes like cr*p. A lot of these artificially sweetened "condiments" don't make the grade to me. But you'd have to judge for yourself. I never did see it at my supermarket but had to buy it at the netrition site. Then was disappointed in it. To me the sugar-free ketchup and barbecue sauces I've tried so far have been gag-worthy. :(

I buy meatloaf from my neighborhood deli that is already prepared and they use regular ketchup on the top, and eating a few slices at a time doesn't stall me.

I like the real stuff better. YMMV.

Which ketchup did you try? I adore the Heinz 1 carb but many of the others made me gag.



Ruth, a few things you can try are meat with eggs instead of dairy with eggs. Since eggs are parve you can have either and hot dogs sliced up and fried go really well with eggs. That might be a nice change. Another option is hot flax cereal. Mock danish and some blueberries would work or some hard boiled eggs and yogurt. Since you have almonds in the house you can try making sour cream almond bread or blueberry almond muffins and if you mix the blueberries with a dab of butter and splenda on the stove and mush em up you can make a yummy hot blueberry sauce. Mixing cheese with veggies and eggs to make a quiche can be nice. You can make soup with your leftover chicken and veggies.

Hope that gives you a few ideas.

[Kisal]

I think the Heinz Reduced Sugar Ketchup tastes great, too, but there's always this recipe you could try:

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/better_heinz_ketchup.html

[MandalayVA]

I think the Heinz Reduced Sugar Ketchup tastes great, too, but there's always this recipe you could try:

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/better_heinz_ketchup.html

I can completely vouch for this ketchup--I've been making it regularly for about a year and it's awesome. I was a big fan of Atkins' Ketch-A-Tomato and this tastes just like it.

[ruthla]

I think the Heinz Reduced Sugar Ketchup tastes great, too, but there's always this recipe you could try:

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/better_heinz_ketchup.html
Thanks for the recipe! I'm going to try it out next week- but with stevia, not splenda. I'm already prone to migraines and super sensitive to a wide variety of "inert" chemicals. I'm not sure how my body would react to splenda, and I really don't want to find out!