I quite often eat rubbish. Sugary coke, sugary snacks, tinned food. I try to eat healthily overall, but I really hate cooking.
Recently I've been living off cereal and frozen meals that my dad mass cooked for me last time he was here.
I get a LOT of agitation and "wired up" emotions. Which I think is largely caused by my diet. As when I was a child I had to go on a strictly natural diet which reduced my challenging behaviour (at that time they thought it was hyperkinetic disorder but I believe the behaviour stemmed from autism) to the point that I stayed in secondary school for the whole 7 years without being kicked out and only being suspended twice (I went to three different primary schools because the first two couldn't handle me and the third one was a specialist gifted school which was fantastic at handling me).
So I would like you to advise me on what meals I can make that are quick but healthy, and don't involve too much preparation.
I am a strict vegetarian and I don't drink cows milk (because it makes me vomit). I get online shopping from Sainsbury's but due to being on benefits I cannot buy ridiculous items.
I would like to ideally eat really healthily without having to spend ages in the kitchen.
I do exercise daily though.
Thanks.
PM me if you want a PDF copy of the ICD-10or the Mental Health Act 1983/2007. I ALSO HAVE THE DSM-V BOOK and am a pharmacology student.
I have a visual impairment / neurological problems so I need people to type in clear text and no funny fonts. Also excuse any typos, my vision blocks things out.
I have autism and have problems communicating, PMs included.
Just becasue I type well doesn't mean I speak well. I am only part time verbal.
Stir fries with veg and soya sauce or fish sauce with brown wild rice.
Veg curries or casseroles with potato to thicken it up, use pastes and stock cubes or tinned tomatoes also.
Bean chilies with all beans and fresh or dried chilies and maybe some crusty bread with it or white rice.
Soups are easy to make and keep three days and can be full of pasta and beans or lentils too or chunky veg, like a meal in themselves.
It became like a sort of prison. Encased in a silver shell, words so full of bleeding need spilled like drops on dry leaves. And all the while laughter prevailed a long way from here. Nowhere land, nowhere time, nowhere space.
You can get some cookbooks aimed at students which usually have cheap and easy to make meals.
A stepping stone might be to see if your dad could mass make something that you could adapt to different meals. Most of the prep would be done but you might get some confidence with cooking. There are a number of different recipes that you can make from a tomato based sauce for example.
I'm a meat eater, but you can easily switch out what I use for quorn options or other vegetables! Some of my favourite quick easy meals:
Beans on toast with eggs (fried in low calorie oil, poached or scrambled): This is actually a really good meal in terms of protein and so on and it's very easy to make - done in less than 10 minutes, 5 if you're speedy :)
Chicken pesto pasta - I take a chicken breast and cut it up into small bits and cook it in a pan with frozen sweetcorn and/or peas and some red pesto (you can buy jars of it) while I boil pasta. Once the pasta is cooked, add it to the pan with the chicken and pesto and mix it up. Done! Of course, you can substitute the chicken for quorn equivalents or mushrooms or whatever vegetables you like as you're vegetarian. You could change up the pesto for other jars of sauce or even make your own with tomato, garlic, onions etc.
Bolognese: Brown quorn mince in a pan with chopped onions and garlic. Add tinned tomatoes. Let it cook off for a bit and then add mushrooms or veg - you can literally chuck anything in. Season with salt/pepper. I like to add a bit of marmite to mine as it makes it lovely and savoury! This one isn't as quick as the longer you let the sauce cook off for, the more flavourful it will be, but it's all cooked and safe to eat in about `15-20 minutes. You can have it with pasta or on toast or on salad etc. Also freezes well and actually tastes better when reheated :)
Chicken pesto pasta - I take a chicken breast and cut it up into small bits and cook it in a pan with frozen sweetcorn and/or peas and some red pesto (you can buy jars of it) while I boil pasta. Once the pasta is cooked, add it to the pan with the chicken and pesto and mix it up. Done! Of course, you can substitute the chicken for quorn equivalents or mushrooms or whatever vegetables you like as you're vegetarian. You could change up the pesto for other jars of sauce or even make your own with tomato, garlic, onions etc.
Oly said that she was a strict vegetarian, so an meat containing recipe is not what she wanted.
Wannabe CPN : -)
"He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life." - Homer Simpson "I hear those voices that will not be drowned" Sanity is a nasty disease. The world would be a happier place without it. - Rilic
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I know - that's why I said at the start of my post that she could swap out any meat for Quorn/vegetable equivalents, and also in each recipe that she could do the same :)
I like "party potatoes." Sautee chopped red onion in some oil for about five minutes, then add in diced red potatoe. Stir frequently until cooked, add salt, pepper, and garlic "to taste." Low maintainance meal with simple ingredients.
There's a bit in our supermarkets that have meal bases, like sauces, and they tell you what vegetables to cut up and put in and noodles too. I find them really easy, and like you I've only just started really cooking and my diet is usually not very good, and I'm time poor.
I'll show you an example (here) but it is Australian as I don't now any over there. You can chop up the vegetables when you want to make it or earlier if you think you'll be to busy, and put leftovers in the fridge for another day.
Also I've been having avocado and feta on toast lately which is a snappy quick meal/snack!
Hello. Thank you all for your great suggestions. I'm goign to print out this thread and use it when I next order an online shop so that I can get all the ingredients.
Hopefully my cooking abilities will improve with practise.
I will look on Amazon for a student (vegetarian) cookbook.
PM me if you want a PDF copy of the ICD-10or the Mental Health Act 1983/2007. I ALSO HAVE THE DSM-V BOOK and am a pharmacology student.
I have a visual impairment / neurological problems so I need people to type in clear text and no funny fonts. Also excuse any typos, my vision blocks things out.
I have autism and have problems communicating, PMs included.
Just becasue I type well doesn't mean I speak well. I am only part time verbal.
Hi Oly, I don't know if you're still looking for suggestions, but one thing I've found really useful is buying frozen pre-chopped vegetables, as I'm not good with tasks that have lots of steps (due to executive dysfunction).
So buying the vegetables pre-chopped cuts down on the amount of preparation, and also means that they won't go off like fresh vegetables would if I forgot to use them. I don't know if that would help you too?
Last edited by Kleiner Angsthase : 03-11-2014 at 10:34 PM.
Reason: Adding paragraphs for easier reading
^I agree with this. Things like frozen peas and broadbeans etc (although I find sweetcorn is better tinned than frozen) are good additions to meals - just place in boiling water for a few minutes. You can also buy frozen chopped onions which might help with reduce food preparation. You can also get jars of garlic and ginger paste which can also make things easier for you.
Also, I have a set of measuring cups (I got mine from Wilkinson's for ~£2) which are great for working out portion sizes. My partner and I use 1 cup of rice for the two of us and half a cup of peas - it took us a little trial and error to work out what suited our habits.
PM me if you want a PDF copy of the ICD-10or the Mental Health Act 1983/2007. I ALSO HAVE THE DSM-V BOOK and am a pharmacology student.
I have a visual impairment / neurological problems so I need people to type in clear text and no funny fonts. Also excuse any typos, my vision blocks things out.
I have autism and have problems communicating, PMs included.
Just becasue I type well doesn't mean I speak well. I am only part time verbal.
Hi Oly-agree-slow cooker is you best friend. If you (or your friend 'c') can go to a 2nd hand market then buy an OLD 70's style one. Due to silly EU regulations new slow cookers cook far to fast & can burn stuff. Ketogenic/low carb eating is GREAT for mental health as well-have a google.
If you don't want to spend hours prepping/cooking, etc.....just buy the casserole mixes in packets. Don't brown/cook ANYTHING-just mix dry packet ingrediants with one third luke warm water of suggested liquid/water ammount (no evaporation in a slow cooker)-you can add whatever other stuff like veg you want-& I agree -frozen stuff like swede, carrots etc is so good for you & cheap-throw in slow cooker-leave 6-9 hours-job done-healthy cheap food. I'm really into cooking & low carbing has helpd my G/F-worth a quick google?
Baked veggies are a fast healthy meal, especially now in fall and winter.
I just chop up whatever veggies have found their way into my fridge (some favourites are squash, zucchini, carrots, eggplant, sweet potato) and some tofu.
Put everything in a big bowl and add a tablespoon of oil and spices. Spices can be as simple as salt and pepper, but can also include some tomato paste, soy sauce, dried herbs and/or nutritional yeast).
Toss so that everything is coated and put in the oven for about 30 minutes or longer until done.
It really just takes 5 minutes of chopping and it's really yummy. Instead of the tofu, I sometimes eat cooked lentils with it. Plain cooked lentils with some cumin are amazingly tasty :)
"The highest for of intelligence is to observe yourself without judgement" ~ Marianne Williamson
Thanks both. I'll see what I can do when I next order online shopping. My dad is coming round this weekend so we could practise together for my benefit.
PM me if you want a PDF copy of the ICD-10or the Mental Health Act 1983/2007. I ALSO HAVE THE DSM-V BOOK and am a pharmacology student.
I have a visual impairment / neurological problems so I need people to type in clear text and no funny fonts. Also excuse any typos, my vision blocks things out.
I have autism and have problems communicating, PMs included.
Just becasue I type well doesn't mean I speak well. I am only part time verbal.
Oly, is there a particular reason that you just online shop at Sainsburys? If you are open to trying other super markets there is a website called 'mysupermarket.com' where it has all of the major supermarkets and when you put the items in the basket it shows which supermarket is the best value, also in terms of delivery cost Tesco often has delivery for £1, those are just ideas for reducing the cost of your everyday items :)
There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you.
But there are times to go out into the world and find such a thing for yourself.
I aint no abacus but you can count on me.
Oly, is there a particular reason that you just online shop at Sainsburys? If you are open to trying other super markets there is a website called 'mysupermarket.com' where it has all of the major supermarkets and when you put the items in the basket it shows which supermarket is the best value, also in terms of delivery cost Tesco often has delivery for £1, those are just ideas for reducing the cost of your everyday items :)
I'm not sure why I shop there. I'll try the website, thanks.
PM me if you want a PDF copy of the ICD-10or the Mental Health Act 1983/2007. I ALSO HAVE THE DSM-V BOOK and am a pharmacology student.
I have a visual impairment / neurological problems so I need people to type in clear text and no funny fonts. Also excuse any typos, my vision blocks things out.
I have autism and have problems communicating, PMs included.
Just becasue I type well doesn't mean I speak well. I am only part time verbal.
It became like a sort of prison. Encased in a silver shell, words so full of bleeding need spilled like drops on dry leaves. And all the while laughter prevailed a long way from here. Nowhere land, nowhere time, nowhere space.
