Workaholic

Hi, Michael, and thanks for the great suggestions, buzycybill. A lot of our Clubmembers are in a similar spot and get the best results by using the full Menu Planner application, rather than the Ready-to-Go menus, so that they can select which foods work best for them. First, note that there are quite a few readymade items in the Menu Planner lists. Second, making meals ahead and portioning them for freezing when you have time – such as the night before while you are already cooking or on the weekends – can be a big help. You can also try using a crockpot/slowcooker to cook items such as stews all night long for packing and taking with you to work. Do take advantage of our less time-consuming recipes by typing in the search box terms like “Fast,” “Quick,” “Easy,” “Simple,” “Basic,” “Homemade,” “Classic,” etc. or selecting “Delights from Members,” many of which were submitted by busy people. Other helpful tools include our article on time-efficient food preparation (https://www.trimdownclub.com/18-time-saving-kitchen-tips-for-healthier-meals/) and the list below for quick snacks – just note that we recommend combining at least a few food groups represented here, i.e. a carbohydrate with a protein plus a fruit or vegetable:
• Fresh and dried fruit
• Cut raw vegetables
• Oven-baked vegetable chips
• Nuts and seeds
• Trail mix combinations of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit
• Sandwiches – good breads with nut butters, hummus and similar spreads, tahini, canned or smoked fish, cheese, homemade “cold cuts” from fresh meats, egg salad, etc.
• Whole grain or Paleo crackers plus any of the above
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Sliced or string cheese
• Cottage cheese
• Yogurt
• Milk (dairy or vegetal), plain or flavored with cocoa powder and a recommended sweetener
• Hearty soup in a thermos (2-3 food groups, i.e. meat or legume, vegetable, whole grain)
• Hearty smoothie/shake in a thermos (2-3 food groups, i.e. fruit/vegetable, dairy/vegan, seeds)
• Edamame or other legume/pulse snacks
• Whole grain or Paleo cereal or granola (cold in small sealable bag, cooked in thermos)
• Canned beans
• Prepared healthy foods in containers – from leftovers or prepared the night or weekend before.
• Homemade whole-food muffins or bars
• Popped grains, i.e. organic popcorn, sorghum, quinoa
If you want to buy readymade meals, our main Program Guide (in “My Downloads” above can give you tips on label-reading to find foods that will support your effects here. These will be primarily whole foods, without artificial additives – it may take some time at first to get used to separating the desirable from the undesirable, but eventually it will become second nature. The following are a couple of examples of similar products, and you can note the differences to see what we have in mind:
Not recommended –
Gravy (Water, Modified Food Starch, Flavorings, Monosodium Glutamate, Salt, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein with Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Corn Syrup Solids, Caramel Color, Dried Whey), Water, Salisbury Steak Patty (Beef, Pork, Water, Dehydrated Onion, Textured Soy Flour, Bleached Wheat Flour
– problem ingredients: modified food starch (highly refined and may trigger hormones), monosodium glutamate (linked to unbalanced gut flora that may encourage weight gain), hydrolyzed soy protein, hydrogenated soy oil (hydrogenated anything is to be avoided), corn syrup solids (corn syrup is generally a problem), dried whey, bleached wheat flour (undoubtedly refined)
In contrast, note this recommended type of produce, with natural whole food ingredients:
*Brown Rice, Grass-Fed Beef (Boneless Beef, Water, Beef Broth, Sea Salt, Evaporated Cane Syrup, Natural Flavoring), Water, *Edamame (Shelled Soybeans), *Sugar Snap Peas, *Sweet Potatoes, *French Lentils, *Mushrooms , *Onion, *Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, *Rice Flour, *Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Beef Extract Powder (Beef Extract, Yeast Extract and Maltodextrin), *Corn Starch, Sea Salt, *Red Wine, *Wheat Free Tamari Sauce (Water, *Soybeans, Salt, *Alcohol), *Spices, *Garlic Granulated, *Mushroom Flavor (*Mushroom, *Gum Arabic, Salt, *Butter). (*Certified Organic Ingredients) Contains no artificial ingredients.
Also be sure to pay attention to the “Nutrition Facts” section of the label to choose the foods with as little sodium and sugars as possible.
To fit the foods into your daily menu pattern (see this by clicking on “Exchange view” in the toolbar above your finished menu), be sure to read the Nutrition Facts on the label and use the information for carbohydrates, protein, and fats. For example, in the second food for which I posted ingredients, one serving yields 32 grams of carbohydrates, 23 grams of protein, and 13 grams of fat; since each carb exchange contains about 15 grams of carbohydrates + 3 grams of protein, each protein exchange contains about 7 grams of protein + 5 grams of fat, and each fat exchange contains about 5 grams of fat, this meal would yield 2 carb + 2-1/2 protein + 0 fat exchanges. You can see our exchanges here to get an idea of how foods measure up: https://www.trimdownclub.com/exchanges-lists.
If you have any further questions, please do repost here, and I will get back to you. You can also get more ideas by discussing the issue in one of our groups (see the link in the upper right corner of each site page) – there you are sure to find people just like you!