During next week's 6 meal a day/7 days a week plan I'm going to need 3-4 meals with cold carbs (no access to heat, I'll be using a lot of tupperware) per day. Can anyone tell me ways to flavour up my cold noodles and pasta without fat? I've discovered low fat salad cream makes boiled potatoes lovely (although tbh I already knew that), but my pasta or noodles are bland warm, and frankly, slightly minging when cold. I have about 20-30 calories to spare flavoring up each meal.

I was thinking herb sauces and stuff like that. I've already got pasta sauce as one, but that could get boring 3-4 times a day. Again, it's not a problem with hot meals, but i need something to take away from the starchyness when cold.

Also, is it safe to eat rice that's been stored in a refridgerator then left in a bag for 3-4 hours? I'm not sure so I'm not risking it at the moment. I know rice can be iffy when it's left.

During next week's 6 meal a day/7 days a week plan I'm going to need 3-4 meals with cold carbs (no access to heat, I'll be using a lot of tupperware) per day. Can anyone tell me ways to flavour up my cold noodles and pasta without fat? I've discovered low fat salad cream makes boiled potatoes lovely (although tbh I already knew that), but my pasta or noodles are bland warm, and frankly, slightly minging when cold. I have about 20-30 calories to spare flavoring up each meal.

I was thinking herb sauces and stuff like that. I've already got pasta sauce as one, but that could get boring 3-4 times a day. Again, it's not a problem with hot meals, but i need something to take away from the starchyness when cold.

Also, is it safe to eat rice that's been stored in a refridgerator then left in a bag for 3-4 hours? I'm not sure so I'm not risking it at the moment. I know rice can be iffy when it's left.

Why the focus on starchy carbs? I can list a bunch of carbohydrates that taste phenomenal cold:

Apples
Applesauce
Bananas
Beets
Blackberries
Blue berries
Black bean salad: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=recipe&dbid=20
Carrots
Cherries
Chickpeas: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chickpea-Salad/Detail.aspx
Corn: http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1943,146171-247194,00.html
Bean salad: http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1943,146171-247194,00.html
Grapefruit
Grapes
Leeks: http://www.recipesource.com/soups/soups/20/rec2063.html
Lemons
Lentils: http://www.cooksrecipes.com/salad/cold_lentil_salad_recipe.html
Limes
Oats (tip: mix raw oats in all natural applesauce - delicious)
Peaches
Pears
Yogurt
Plums
Raspberries
Strawberries
Baked corn chips
Whole wheat bread
Sprouted grain bread, bagels, etc

Pasta salads are there. Also, why the avoidance of fats? A little healthy olive oil or flaxseed oil in a dressing can actually benefit your program, not hinder it.

Jeremy

i want the majority of my carbs to come from complex carbohydrates, as these digest more slowly and act more evenly on blood sugar levels. Increasing fat in my meals means decreasing other food content so I can make the calories per meal what they need to be. One tbsp is around 90 calories or something. That's a huge level of calories and one that takes a chunk out of the total amount of food i can have on a plate without going over my calories per meal.

wholemeal bread is a good idea, I can have a chicken sandwich. Corn chips/plain doritoesque stuff is a good idea, but it leads to disjointed meals.

I mean, chicken/turkey/tuna/haddock/salmon and peaches and strawberries with corn chips? not sure it would work.

It would be better to differentiate complex and simple as slow burning and fast burning.... it makes more sense.
While fruit is considered a simpler carb...it's carbohydrate load is extremely low for most fresh fruit.

some sort of protein with corn chips is an excellent idea....followed by some fruit for dessert. I'm not sure what you see wrong with it?

It would be better to differentiate complex and simple as slow burning and fast burning.... it makes more sense.
While fruit is considered a simpler carb...it's carbohydrate load is extremely low for most fresh fruit.

some sort of protein with corn chips is an excellent idea....followed by some fruit for dessert. I'm not sure what you see wrong with it?

i'm thinking of it combined, that's why

okay. protein with corn chips. I'm up for that. But I don't think it will work with fish.


chicken/corn chips/salsa & serving fruit for desert would work.
turkey/corn chips/salsa & serving fruit for desert would work.
haddock/cold boiled potatoes/low cal salad cream & cucumber, tomato and lettuce salad sounds lovely (i want this now actually lol).
salmon (which is lovely cold actually)/a yogurt with apple would work.
chicken/wholewheat bread sandwich and pear/apple/banana/whatever could work.


It's a start. I still need a few more variations to really make it sustainable. It has to have no repeated meals in one day. I mean, repeated variations all week long are fine, but it won't work unless it varies each day. probably 4 more meal ideas and we're getting somewhere.

It's a start. I still need a few more variations to really make it sustainable. It has to have no repeated meals in one day. I mean, repeated variations all week long are fine, but it won't work unless it varies each day. probably 4 more meal ideas and we're getting somewhere.

Is this a personal thing or some sort of plan? What's wrong with repeating meals?

i want the majority of my carbs to come from complex carbohydrates, as these digest more slowly and act more evenly on blood sugar levels. Increasing fat in my meals means decreasing other food content so I can make the calories per meal what they need to be. One tbsp is around 90 calories or something. That's a huge level of calories and one that takes a chunk out of the total amount of food i can have on a plate without going over my calories per meal.

The reason why I asked is because I thought you might be making those assumptions.

The notion of simple versus complex carbohydrates is outdated. A few decades ago people mistakenly thought complex carbohydrates digested more slowly. Now we know they're wrong.

If you're concerned about blood sugar levels, there is a measurement called the glycemic index that indicates the impact of food on blood sugar.

You keep mentioning potatoes, for example.

A baked potato has a glycemic index of 98, which means it impacts blood sugar almost the same amount as table sugar! The only saving grace is that it has more nutrients than table sugar.

A peach, on the other hand, although it is a "simple carb" actually has a glycemic index of 26 - which means it impacts blood sugar almost 1/4 as much as the potato!

In fact, most fruit and most of the beans I listed will impact blood sugar less than pasta or baked potatoes, so again, if your concern is stable blood sugar, I'd favor more of the whole beans, whole grains, fruit, and vegetables over potatoes and pasta.

Also, with the concern over fats, you have a point on the calories, but most people cut fats too low. Omega-3 fats tend to have a metabolic effect - I've had clients successfully lose fat despite ADDING several tablespoons of healthy fats, due to the amount it raised their metabolism.

You also don't always have to go with a tablespoon. A teaspoon of fat over a salad can go a long ways.

Finally, I'm confused as to why you are having trouble making meals? I linked to several recipes that should give you plenty of variety, not sure why you honed in on the baked corn chips?

For example:

chicken breast + lentil salad
salmon + corn salad
turkey + black bean salad
haddock + four bean salad

etc.

You can get plenty of variety.

Fruit by itself has variety. Saying "x + fruit" doesn't do justice, you can have "x + raspberries" one day and "x + apple" the next then "x + orange" and get plenty of variety.

Jeremy

My favorite cold carb is sweet potato.:eat: If you find them bland, they are extremely versatile in the seasonings you can add:
cinnamon, nutmeg
curry powder
chili powder, cayenne pepper

You can cook wild/brown rice mix or barley in a meat broth and/or mushrooms/onions (best eaten warm) or in a fruit juice (good either cold or room temperature)

Another of my favorite cold meals is an oatmeal pancake with fruit and/or yogurt
1 egg or 2 egg whites
1/2 C yogurt or cottage cheese, or mashed banana, or applesauce or tofu, or pumpkin puree
1/2 C oats
added protein powder, if desired.
Mix together and fry like a pancake. Keep warm in foil for the day, or prepare the night before and store in the refrigerator.

I used to make a crustless meat and vegetable quiche (like a savory muffin) as a nice portable meal, but I've cut back on my refined grains since then. I posted it in the recipes section years ago.

My favorite cold carb is sweet potato.:eat: If you find them bland, they are extremely versatile in the seasonings you can add:
cinnamon, nutmeg
curry powder
chili powder, cayenne pepper

You can cook wild/brown rice mix or barley in a meat broth and/or mushrooms/onions (best eaten warm) or in a fruit juice (good either cold or room temperature)

Another of my favorite cold meals is an oatmeal pancake with fruit and/or yogurt
1 egg or 2 egg whites
1/2 C yogurt or cottage cheese, or mashed banana, or applesauce or tofu, or pumpkin puree
1/2 C oats
added protein powder, if desired.
Mix together and fry like a pancake. Keep warm in foil for the day, or prepare the night before and store in the refrigerator.

I used to make a crustless meat and vegetable quiche (like a savory muffin) as a nice portable meal, but I've cut back on my refined grains since then. I posted it in the recipes section years ago.

The recipe has possibility. I wil try it if you tell me the following:

what's a C lol? How do you cook your sweet potatoes? Are they the same thing as yams. I had them recently, i messed up the cooking real bad tho.

Jeremy, dude, thanks for the information, I am finding it helpful, the black bean salad is a favorite meal, actually, my girlfriend is hispanic. However, and it's a big however. I cannot get black beans in the UK. At all. We only get Kidney beans. It's bizarre. I've searched high and low. I got some for her birthday meal but they were expensive and shipped from Mexico. I can't afford to do that every week.

Is this a personal thing or some sort of plan? What's wrong with repeating meals?

It makes me feel like I'm on a diet rather than a changed lifestyle. I'm eating more food than i do normally, but it's more restrictive than ever. It shouldn't be like that. If I have enough meal plans it has so much variety I never get bored. I'm not saying I need 13000 meal ideas, because I only need about 5, and Jeremy is right. I will be varying fruit and parts of the meal, I don't stick to rigid plans. I'm very lax on fruit, and meat I just quickly make sure it balances out.

I changed my lifestyle quite a bit for bodybuilding, including giving up vegetarianism which I was for several years. That was not taken lightly. I truly believe in vegetarianism (although I couldn't give much of a crap about animal welfare, I just don't think mass production is healthy for humans)

I did it because I believed bodybuilding + carnivore was better for my health than sedentary + vegetarian. And it is. But I changed to give myself variety and improved health. my last bulk was far too tedious and i'm looking forward to several protein sources and smaller meals (veggie protein sources like quorn and seitan are extremely non-calorifically dense, they make very large, cumbersome meals). I'm very close to what will be a very enjoyable bulk in which i'll probably stick to for several months, maybe a full year. Last time i did 4 months, and that diet - tedious. By comparison this looks fun, and I want to milk the possibilities out before I start.

This isn't supposed to read as a rant, altho it does seem fairly long.

sweet potatoes? Are they the same thing as yams.

sort of, kind of, not really. True yams are technically better if you consider fiber content and GI but it 'nets out pretty much the same.

http://www.foodsubs.com/Sweetpotatoes.html

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-23-a.html

You'll notice that in terms of genus and species....they're not even close.

Both are great choice though, no matter which one you find. One has more sugar content than the other. There are definite taste differences.

The recipe has possibility. I wil try it if you tell me the following:

what's a C lol? How do you cook your sweet potatoes? Are they the same thing as yams. I had them recently, i messed up the cooking real bad tho.

Jeremy, dude, thanks for the information, I am finding it helpful, the black bean salad is a favorite meal, actually, my girlfriend is hispanic. However, and it's a big however. I cannot get black beans in the UK. At all. We only get Kidney beans. It's bizarre. I've searched high and low. I got some for her birthday meal but they were expensive and shipped from Mexico. I can't afford to do that every week.
A C is a cup. Since you're in the UK, you probably don't use measuring cups like most North Americans, and you'll probably want to convert it to grams. Do you have a scale?

Sweet potatoes and yams are frequently mislabelled. I buy whatever is in my grocery store; they seem to usually have either one or the other, and I don't discriminate. The easiest was to cook a sweet potato is to microwave it. If it's about the size of a softball, I microwave it for about 2 minutes. If it's like a computer mouse, 90 seconds should do, and if it's approaching the size of your foot, it would take 3 minutes or more. (All times depend on the power of your microwave.) You could also cut them into wedges and bake them in the oven, about 40 - 60 minutes, or chop them coarsely and boil them for 15 to 20 minutes.

I've tried Yams and Sweet potato before but I cooked them wrong. :o I'll try a couple of minutes in the microwave.

I found another cold carb - wholemeal pitta bread (i had them in the freezer, completely forgot)!

So my shopping list consists of:

lettuce
salsa
tomatoes
apples
pears
bananas
oranges
sweet potato x 1 to try it
yam x 1 to try it
small baby potatoes for boiling
haddock
turkey breast
chicken breast
tuna
salmon
corn chips (wholewheat/meal if I find it)
applesauce
oats (i have some of this already)
yogurts


blueberries are too expensive at the moment, as are strawberries, but they're coming in to season soon. I'm thinking about growing strawberries. I should be able to do better than my nan, she managed to grow like 5 in 3 months lol. Unlike her I'll be using miracle-grow and not smoking in the greenhouse. They won't be in a greenhouse either, what with them growing quite well outside in the UK outside. Oh well, she's old.

It makes me feel like I'm on a diet rather than a changed lifestyle. I'm eating more food than i do normally, but it's more restrictive than ever. It shouldn't be like that. If I have enough meal plans it has so much variety I never get bored. I'm not saying I need 13000 meal ideas, because I only need about 5, and Jeremy is right. I will be varying fruit and parts of the meal, I don't stick to rigid plans. I'm very lax on fruit, and meat I just quickly make sure it balances out.

I changed my lifestyle quite a bit for bodybuilding, including giving up vegetarianism which I was for several years. That was not taken lightly. I truly believe in vegetarianism (although I couldn't give much of a crap about animal welfare, I just don't think mass production is healthy for humans)

I did it because I believed bodybuilding + carnivore was better for my health than sedentary + vegetarian. And it is. But I changed to give myself variety and improved health. my last bulk was far too tedious and i'm looking forward to several protein sources and smaller meals (veggie protein sources like quorn and seitan are extremely non-calorifically dense, they make very large, cumbersome meals). I'm very close to what will be a very enjoyable bulk in which i'll probably stick to for several months, maybe a full year. Last time i did 4 months, and that diet - tedious. By comparison this looks fun, and I want to milk the possibilities out before I start.

This isn't supposed to read as a rant, altho it does seem fairly long.

First off, to be technical we're omnivores, not carnivores. Secondly, good for you in giving up vegetarianism! I know I certainly don't speak for everyone on this board, but you really are better off feeding your body a more natural, varied diet than arbitrarily restricting yourself from eating something we've spent millions of years adapting to.

As for "mass production," there's nothing wrong with it. If you mean "conventional" foods, aka those that are wrought with additives, hormones, antibiotics, preservatives, etc., then yes, I agree with you, but you can most certainly "mass produce" healthy, all natural products.

I guarantee you there are sources of all natural meat available to you.