I try to grill or bake 7-8lbs of chicken at the beginning of each week and just have that for random meals throughout the week. Couple that with a big bag of frozen broccoli and maybe rice or wheat tortillas or whatever carbs I feel like eating that week and you have a weeks worth of meals for about $25. I try to to avoid fast food as much as is humanly possible, but I will occasionally hit up Bojangles or Cookout. When I get tired of chicken, I just substitute tuna salad or top sirloin steaks or even the occasional dozen egg whites.
I eat mostly paleo. Not a lot of dairy, almost nothing with grain. I take in more sugar than I should, but I like agave in my coffee and I fucking LOVE Raspberry Sweet Leaf Tea. I still eat feta, hummus, and snow peas, and from time to time I'll have a cupcake or empanada. That said, 95% of fast food is fucking disgusting and I'd rather not put it into my body. I did eat Chick-Fil-A today, though. And I'm sure I'll pay for it later, but I was in a rush and it was there. I don't keep packaged foods in my house, I don't necessarily do the whole localvore thing, but my parents do have land with a garden, and I visit them often enough to snag some zucchini and tomatoes and the like. I eat eggs and bacon for breakfast, fruit for dessert, and love me some red bell peppers, onions, and hummus. My kids eat better and healthier than their classmates (except for the school lunches...and that just pisses me off) because I choose to eat better than my peers.
You know, for a bunch of degenerate alcoholics who regularly consume four figures worth of calories of alcohol in single nights, y'all eat pretty healthy.
After a while, alcohol ceases having calories. My diet varies by what I'm doing. Lately I'll have two fried eggs, some kind of ham and cheese as a sandwich in the morning (usually towards 10:00) and then something mysterious when I come home, depending on what groceries are available. For lunch, the most I'll grab is tea, with perhaps a muffin. Having something substantial makes me sluggish, and I'd rather not be lunch drunk at work.
I don't eat breakfast because I'm not hungry and forcing it kind of upsets my stomach. I don't drink coffee, except on rare occasions. I normally drink water with a squeeze of lemon juice up until lunchtime. Lunch is a variety of things because the office is near a lot of choices. Thai seems to be my favorite. If it's not that it's leftovers. I do go get KFC every so often but the lunchbox 5 buck deals are sweet. Dinner is always a chore. I get really tired of having to figure out what to have every night. I cook prob 4-5 nights a week. The others is either Mexican take-out because they have a rocking taco salad, or leftovers from the previous night. I don't starve myself of meat. I love a good BBQ'ed burger, with the cheese perfectly melted and crispy bacon on top. Must grill the buns though. Who likes a good hot burger on a cold bun? Not this girl. Chicken is my go to "meat". I marinade it in some crushed garlic, olive oil and lemon juice for a bit. Simple and good. I love pasta, too much. I like couscous though so that works out. The thing I'm the worst about is veggies. I was a terribly picky eater as a kid, especially when it came to veggies. I was made to sit alone for hours on end until I cleaned my plate, so that may be part of where it stems from. People say I should try X or X or X because as an adult I may like it. Guess what? I have and broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and peas (Gods boogers) still are not in my clubhouse. Yuck. I drink mainly water, vodka and I love iced tea.
For better or worse, my diet is directly related to how busy or stressed out/upset I am. In the weeks following the breakup with my ex, I ate McNuggets and fries for dinner more often than anything else. The thought of grocery shopping was overwhelming, forget about actually cooking for myself and then doing dishes. Nowadays, I'm still pretty lazy about cooking and such but I've been buying easy to prepare foods (like raw veggies and hummus) and frozen convenience foods from Trader Joe's. I'm making more nutritious choices and eating a good amount of fresh fruit and veggies every day, but I know my diet could be a LOT better. But it would involve much more time and effort, which I am just not willing to put in right now. I do have fast food occasionally but now I will get either Subway, Chipotle, or baked potato and chili from Wendy's. A typical day for me: Breakfast: nothing/banana/granola bar. I'm not usually very hungry in the AM Lunch: frozen meal (like a lean cuisine or something comparable from trader joes), a piece of fruit and a yogurt Midday snack: granola bar and a piece of fruit Dinner: Veggie burger and baked fries, or hummus and veggies, or some other convenience food or occasionally fast food Sometime evening snack: small bowl of ice cream, or a couple of cookies or something similar (I have a sweet tooth at night) Also (again for better or worse) I LOVE POP. I've cut down on how much I drink because it's been bothering my stomach but I still usually have one big glass of diet Pepsi or other diet pop over the course of the evening after work each night.
Am I the only one on the Sorority diet? You can drink as much cheap vodka as you want and still lose weight. It took awhile to get used to eating only lettuce and jizz, but it's worth it for my beach bod.
I miss buying a side of beef at a time, rangefed beef is so delicious. We eat a lot of flesh around here, with the exception of pork due to the man being biased. I cook nearly every day, I try to abstain from processed foods. Lately, I have been making my own salsas, marinades and the like. They taste better and have the bare minimum in ingredients. I buy whole grain pastas and breads but I want to start making my own bread. I grew up always having a garden and I hope to be in a house soon, so I can start my own garden. I also have been laying off the coffee and switched to tea (black early and switch to herbal during the day) and as a result my stomach doesn't feel full of battery acid. Peppermint tea has been my favorite, for keeping my stomach rightish. I don't buy icecream often, two or three times a year I will buy a couple quarts of Blue Bunny or Bluebell. It is gone within a couple of days... Fastfood: only in dire straights. My boys love McDonalds, so I will take them to play occasionaly and pick at their fries while they run off the kiddie crack running through their veins...
I don't understand how you guys can find the time to maintain a diet that keeps your 6'8" body at 5% bodyfat while training for MMA and maintaining a relationship with your hot girlfriends. Do none of you have jobs, or any kind of limits on your food budget? Paleo and organic and locally sourced all sound delicious, but not realistic for me. I try to eat healthy, but if I can't get something at my regular grocery store, and for a reasonable price, there is a somewhat "processed" version of that thing that I can get that I'm pretty sure won't kill me. Costco value packs of chicken breasts and chicken thighs take up a significant portion of my freezer space, and I think that Harris Teeter ribeyes taste delicious, thank you very much. But...if any of you guys want to have me over for dinner, I'll be there in a heartbeat.
I can't eat red meat which is terrible because I love medium-rare steak..but it's just not worth being sick for three days afterwards. I have terrible acid reflux so most foods are out- anything spicy, anything with tomato sauce/paste, anything with garlic or peppermint, can't even chew gum. I eat A LOT of chicken, some fish- haddock, swordfish, and rice with veggies at every meal. Most meat except chicken bothers me so much I considered going vegetarian but I just can't see having the willpower/budget to stick with it. I used to eat mashed potatoes with every meal (family thing, huge comfort food dishes every night) but you need to go to the gym for so much longer to work it off, just not worth it..so I cut that out. I try not to eat McDonalds but I love Junior Chickens...not McChickens, they don't taste as good hah. I only know one strict vegan who is quite possibly one of the most annoying people I've ever met. Talks about being vegan all of the time, who cares? She looks at you like you shot & ate her brother in front of her when you say you like eating meat. Get over it.
My diet is pretty woeful. Between medication suppressing my appetite and being generally busy, I eat at odd times and often convenience food. At night I may not be home, in a position to eat or anyway hungry until 10 or 11pm. By that time I can't be fucked organising anything requiring much effort. Effort, some nights, includes heating up the oven and chucking something in it for a quarter hour. Lunch is almost always eaten at my desk while working. Sometimes it doesn't happen until 4pm or so. Breakfast is generally healthy, typically being wholegrain cereal and fruit. Appetite is a major issue in the morning, though. What I eat tends to revolve around what is quick and easy to make. Those little microwaveable packets of vegetables are a good send - otherwise I might get scurvy.
I got laid off three weeks ago, but even when I still had a job, I still ate like a king. It's all about managing your time and money dude. Even with me feeding 2 people, I've got a strict budget of $100 a month. For example the stuff to make 3/4 LARGE fresh pizzas cost like $10.00 if you've got a decently stocked kitchen. I already had the flour, salt, yeast. (I had to buy new garlic gloves, oregano, and basil because I was out) $2.00 for mozzarella cheese $2.80 for two cans of diced tomatoes $2.00 for 4 cans of tomato sauce $2.00 for pepperoni This thing was delicious.
Buy in bulk/volume, and stock up. Here's a pic of my freezer: Friend of mine is a prawn fisherman, so I bought a whack of prawns from him for stupidly cheap money when they were in season. I live on a lake, and go fishing a fair bit. So when I catch some, I vacuum pack and freeze a few keepers (FoodSavers are awesome). I buy a lot of bulk meat at Costco. There are 2 drawers below those fish, with beef, chicken, and pork all butchered from large Costco packs, vacuum packed in single/double servings, and frozen for later use. Again, the FoodSaver is awesome. Other stuff, like fresh produce, etc., I get at the local farmers market, as it's usually better quality and way cheaper than the grocery store. And it's half a block away from the supermarket. It's not expensive to eat well, and with quality products, as long as you're willing to invest a bit of time into storage. I used to laugh at my parents for canning/preserving stuff, but now I'm doing it myself. Locally grown blueberries and strawberries, tons of tomatoes, tomato soup, pickled beets, etc. Buy in bulk for pennies on the dollar when it's in season, spend some time/effort, and enjoy all year.
I am on the road so much that I eat fast food 3 to 6 times a week. I try to do the fresco menu at Taco Bell as much as possible, but when I go to school, the only thing on the way is McDonalds or Subway. I'm usually pressed for time, so I can't stop and wait in line for a sandwich, so McD's it is. Which is probably why I am getting a McPaunch on my stomach. I've been trying to take a cooler with homemade stuff in it, but that's a giant pain in the ass. Luckily, it's only another 5 weeks.
I kinda hit the whole spectrum when it comes to diet. When I cook, which is a few times a week, I can make really healthy, tasty stuff. Today I grilled shrimp seasoned with garam masala, chili powder, garlic, ginger, and lemon juice. Last week I made turkey with an orange chipotle glaze. I've probably got 10 really good recipes that are filling for less than 600 calories and 10% of your daily sodium. But, I also love Chicken McNuggets, Five Guys bacon cheeseburgers, Zaxby's, and fried corn fritters. And then there's the alcohol. If I didn't drink, I'd probably be anorexic. Without booze, I think most days I'd probably consume well under 1500 calories. ...Maybe that's why I crave alcohol so much, because I don't eat enough. Anyways, for when I'm actually thinking about my diet I try to find things that are very flavorful without being particularly unhealthy, and the real sticking point for me is cutting out sodium. Citrus tends to be a reliable choice, as are red pepper flakes, tomatoes, and whole grain mustard. And, you can use bacon and chorizo because the flavors are so strong that you don't need much; far better option than dishes that rely on cheese or cream. Maybe we should have a recipe thread?
I try to eat healthy most of the time. Lately, I've been trying to cut out a lot of carbs. I gained some weight after knee surgery and low-carb has taken it off pretty effectively. I usually cook a couple of large dishes on the weekend and eat leftovers for lunch.
Wow, from what you folks say my diet is shit compared to yours. We always have a freezer stocked with food because we're all farmers, hunters and anglers in my family so there is always a quarter cow, deer/ moose parts, geese, duck, rabbit, turkey, pig, chicken and a shit load of fish and crustaceans. There has to be atleast 500lbs of meat between all our freezers. We essentially are your basic meat and potatoes family and it's getting old. I think my diet has to be a direct correlation between my excess fat although I stay pretty active. I generally don't eat breakfast during the week but here's what I normally eat: Monday Lunch: Left overs on bread from the night before. Snacks: Garnola bars, cookies, fruit. Dinner: Pasta of some sort with garlic bread. Tuesday Lunch: Pasta from the night before. Snacks: Garnola bars, cookies, fruit. Dinner: Eaither a type of steak, ribs, pork chops etc. with potatoes and mixed veggies. Wednesday Lunch: Meat on a bun or Ill buy pizza from around the corner from work. Snacks: Garnola bars, cookies, fruit. Dinner: Bacon and eggs (fresh from our coop), home fries, toast. Here is the point where my diet really turns to shit: Thursday Lunch: Sausague on a bun or Phillie Cheese Steak from a place around the corner. Snacks: Garnola bars, cookies, fruit. Dinner: Pizza Friday Morning break (9:30am): Ordered in Western Sandwiches or shitty McDonalds McMuffins Lunch: A Mr.Sub sub or pizza or a hamburger and fries (only if I work overtime) Dinner: I find myself going out more and more for dinner with friends usually to Boston Pizza, East Side Marios, Swiss Chalet etc. Saturday Lunch: Whatever my parents cooked on Friday night, could be anything, it's probably red meat related though Dinner: Fried Fish, homemade fries Drunk Food at 2:00am: The greasest shit we can find, usually from KFC Sunday Breakfast: Go out for Bacon and Egg specials with friends Lunch: Something quick and microwavable Dinner: Always a big spread. Depending on the season meat will eaither consist of roasted chicken, roast beef, boiled salted beef, boiled ham, roast moose etc. There will always be potatoes, mixed veggies, homemade bread, beets, pickles, shrimp or scallops. To drink: Usually pepsi, juice and milk, and only a shit load of water in the summer. My family probably drinks 4 litres of Pepsi a day as well as 1-2 litres of milk a day. We eat bacon at a minimum of 2-3 times a week. Turkey once every 2 months. Lobster every 3 months. I would really like to start eating healthier but to eat out is so convenient as I work 60 hour weeks. The best part is I would probably save about 75 bucks a week just on fast food. The hardest thing would be to change my parents ways though, they are the ones that cook the food and I have to eat it until I buy a house in the summer. They are the old school country dinner meat and potatoes folks so they don't know the recipies you guys know. If you could point me to any websites that have the healthier meal choices that are easy to make I'd love to see them.
Every time I step into my kitchen to do anything but grab a beer from my fridge, my brain does this and I go to Subway. Between the fact that I live alone, hate doing dishes and grocery shopping, the money I spend on eating out is a small sacrifice for convenience. When I get a wild hair up my ass to make something, I try to use as less processed stuff as possible. There's a Trader Joe's about 5 minutes away from my apartment that I try to do my shopping at. I then try to studiously ignore the Jack in the Box, McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and Dairy Queen I see on the way home. Seriously.
frozen sprouts are 2 bucks a bag. Same for green beans, strawberries, snap peas, corn, carrots, etc. Hummus is less than $3 a container. Eggs are cheap. You can do a 3 sf garden and grow your own peppers and onions for little to nothing on an apartment patio. I don't do the whole hog as far as organic and local grown because yes, it does get expensive, but I do my best to make smart decisions about what I eat and what I put on my kids' table.