Need No-Cook Ideas

[Pucca]

I live alone and don't have to prepare food for others too often. In my previous life as a healthy person, I used to only cook about once or twice a week, which actually would be enough to get several meals out of whatever I was making. The rest of the time, I would get by with, say, a tuna sandwich. Or heat up a canned soup. Now I can't tolerate anything I used to do for those occasions. I know I need to be better organized and plan meals ahead of time, and I am trying. But I still find myself at loose ends by the end of the week. Can anyone share what they do now, for those formerly PB & J moments? Help!

[SharonA]

I am able to eat cheerios and frosted mini wheats, so some days are cereal days for me. I have also been known to have a dish of vanilla ice cream as a meal. I know, not the healthiest of choices, but works in a pinch.

[aynjul]

I have been thinking about this same thing. I can't wait to see some replies!
Brandy

[Claredale]

Since my hubby and I work just a few minutes apart, we have started having our lunch as our main meal and we eat out every day. We go to restuarents that know about my "allergies" well, so I don't cook anymore except maybe on Saturday, but that is few and far between. We are empty nesters, plus my husband has IBS so if he eats later in the day, he has problems. I do at times fix biscuits and put honey on them for a snack, and like Sharon, I see nothing wrong with a nice bowl of ice cream, but mine is Mint Chocolate Chip.

There are times I fix a few boiled eggs and eat a couple of them after I get home from walking. Grilled cheese is another easy thing that is IC friendly for me.

[kadi]

1. Canned pear (make sure no acid preservatives) with Knudsen LiveActive 2% cottage cheese (single serving size 4oz) & some granola (there's a local brand I can eat or I make my own & keep it in a tupperware in the fridge).

2. Ian's chicken nuggets (always keep a box in the freezer), a bag of frozen brown rice Steamfresh brand or Trader Joe's brand (also always keep some in the freezer) with a salad or a pear.

3. I LOVE the George Foreman grill. I'll fix a steak or chicken breast & have it with bread & steamed fresh or frozen veggies, ready in less than 10 minutes. It's also great for grilled mozzarella sandwiches.

4. During the school year when things are hectic (I'm a teacher), I'll set aside 1 Saturday a month & cook up batches of things to freeze. In that one day, I'll usually make muffins, stew in the crockpot, a casserole or skillet rice dish, soup. I freeze everything in 1-2 cup tupperwares so on too-tired-or-busy-to-cook evenings, I'll have something easy to pull out of the freezer.

Hope that helps!

[gopher7895]

I stir fry a lot and make enough for several meals. I either use chicken or round steak cut small and add whatever veggies I happen to have. I like broccoli and mushrooms the best. I love garlic and add that in too. I just serve it over rice and it's an easy meal. When I'm totally lazy and don't feel like cooking at all, I resort to plain rice cakes or almonds. I always have them around.

[skowal]

I have been getting a blueberry and flax granola, Archer Farms from Target. I mix cottage cheese, pears and granola. It is sweet and filling

[Pucca]

Thanks everyone for your ideas. Kadi and Skowal - I chuckled when I read your pear/cottage cheese/granola suggestion. I've been making that for breakfast to take to work for the past year, and thought I'd invented it! Ha! Think I'll go fix myself a snack now...

[aynjul]

A lot of granola has too much sugar or processed sugar stuff for me. Does anyone know how to make it? To be saved for no-cook days?

Brandy

[noirjezza]

I too have grown to love cottage cheese (for some reason now that I follow an IC diet I don't seem to be lactose intolerant anymore- can anyone figure out that??)

I take cottage cheese with black olives, sometimes with a sprinkling of feta. I usually have this over lettuce, or with triscuts. YUM

Other no cook? I make a lot of brown rice when I do make it, then just mix a protein or veggie in.

Oatmeal- lots of it when I'm having a flare

[specialcay06]

I LOVE granola. There are two brands which have low sugar content, and all natural ingredients:

Bear Naked Fit-Vanilla Almond Crunch. it comes in a 12 oz. bag, and has only 3g of sugar per 1/4 cup serving! It's fairly expensive; approx. $5 for the bag. But I can buy it at Stop and Shop or any other major grocery chain in their cereal isle.

MY FAVORITE granola is not as easy to find. The brand is Golden Temple Granola, and I buy their vanilla almond mix. I found it at a local health food store, Garden of Light. I've also found it online, and you can buy it in bulk, but because you're buying so much, it's expensive! At my health food store, I can fill my own bag with as much as I want at $3.19 a pound.

As for quick, simple meals, besides my granola obsession, I will make something on the weekends that will serve as a quick bite during the week, like blueberry muffins, chicken tortellini soup, mushroom and spinach risotto, or zucchini bread...

I love to eat fruit, so I'll buy a whole watermelon or honeydew melon, cut it in chunks and keep it in a tupperware container in the fridge to nibble on. I add blueberries to almost everything, too!!! :)

Sometimes, I'll make a serving of white rice, or egg noodles, or angel hair pasta, and just eat that with a little butter and salt.

I've also had vanilla ice cream for a meal... throw some blueberries or granola, or maple syrup on it... YUM!

Scrambled eggs make a quick meal, too... melt some american cheese on top! or make an omelette with mushrooms and cheese.

I love to cook and be in the kitchen, so I have been taking my IC diet as a challenge to come up with yummy eats. It's frustrating at times, but I can usually satisfy my cravings somehow!!! :smile tee

[Pucca]

I love granola too. I'm now too scared to try most of them due to the ingredients - I haven't tried to eat nuts in almost a year, and they're in most granolas. I can tolerate one that I really like called Pumpkin Flax Plus granola by Nature's Path. I used to only be able to find it at Trader Joe's but now I see it in other places; even my Walgreens carries it. Also they make a non-pumpkin one. Hopefully I'll get over this fear thing but I want to wait until I've been flare-free for a nice long stretch, if that's possible.

I used to love oatmeal but for some reason it flares me now. So does the only other hot cereal I've tried - a brown rice one. (I have no idea why these should give me flares - I've checked the packaging and they do not contain any other ingredients.)

I forgot to mention that one of my standbys for the past year has been rotisserie chicken. I usually get several meals out of them and have become an expert on which stores have the best ones around here!

[aynjul]

Is it possible it is something you put in the oatmeal? Or if it is instant oatmeal you might want to try the real deal. I wouldn't try granola either if oatmeal flares you!

Brandy

[Briza]

Pucca
This involves a tiny bit of cooking but is easy and has saved the day many times for me, especially when I need to fit an IC safe protein into my meals when I'm not in cooking mode. I hardboil eggs by the dozen, they last at least a week or more in the fridge. So I have them on hand to make egg salad, to add to tuna or chicken salad (I can eat canned tuna and canned white meat chicken and rotisserie chicken (just not the skin and seasonings), or on top of a green salad for lunch, eat them for breakfast with toast and a glass of milk and whatever juice or fruit I can tolerate, somtimes just grab them and eat them on the run. It's funny, because I don't even really like hardboiled eggs and abhor deviled eggs (the yolk, really is what I don't like), but they are kinda of like the banana...but rather the perfect food of the protein world...they travel well, last a long time, and are the ONLY complete protein. I don't eat protein in excess, but if I don't get a good protein in my tummy at least a couple times a day, then I am always hungry, never feel satisfied, and have found that with eating safe IC proteins a couple times daily, I can tolerate other IC maybe-ok foods much better.
Best wishes:)

[Pucca]

Brandy - I don't put anything on the oatmeal but honey, which I know I can tolerate. So it's the oatmeal itself I guess -- but strangely, I can eat dry cereals that have oats in them and not have a problem. I haven't found any soup I can eat either, so maybe it's something to do with a combo of the warmth and the liquid content and my weird body.

Briza - hard-boiled eggs are a really good suggestion. Unfortunately they are the one thing in the world I don't like, or dislike so much I don't think I could even eat one to be polite! I like eggs in other forms, just not hard-boiled. It figures! But you mentioned canned chicken meat which I've never even thought about. Thanks for putting it on my radar; I will try it.

Pucca

[lisabar36]

I also flare from oatmeal. I love it to. I always keep turkey lunchmeat on hand for a sandwich and lettuce but I can't use mayo, I can use a tiny bit of yellow mustard. I can have some cereals. Frosted mini wheats, cheerios. I am lucky to have a place by me that makes the best hoagies. I get turkey and cheese, and they are SO good. I eat waffles, the plain ones. Eggs and toast are easy but that involves cooking. I am not big on icecream, but every now and then I get vanilla. :)

[Pucca]

Lisa - both you and Sharon mentioned that you are able to eat Cheerios and Frosted Mini Wheats. I think I recall reading on another post that you are quite diet-sensitive, so maybe if you can eat these cereals, there's hope for me too.

I've been doing one egg-based meal a week. There have been times I'm tempted to do more but don't know how many eggs a week are too many.

Several of you have mentioned ice cream. I used to only eat it now and then. My thing used to be dark chocolate. I ate it all the time. So now I have been eating ice cream a lot more often. I'm crazy about two Haagen-
Dasz products: Vanilla Honey Bee and Hawaiian Sweet Cream and Honey. I love honey!

[kadi]

Valley Fresh canned chicken comes in tiny pop top cans & contains nothing except chicken, water & salt. Good for a quick protein snack or to top a salad.

New recipe I've been enjoying:
Boil pasta, then put it in a skillet with a little olive oil, a few leaves of spinach, some chopped red bell pepper, a sprinkle of oregano, basil & garlic. Then add a beaten egg & cook it all together until the egg is done. Serve with a salad on the side & a little mozzarella cheese on top of the pasta. Vary the veggies for a different meal.

[Dolphjoy]

I'm curious to see if anyone has suggestions for me as I am allergic to a numerous amounts of fruits - I can have them if they are canned, sort of.

I can't mix fresh fruits - basically, if I pick one for the day that is the only kind I can have for that day. For ex., I had watermelon for a snack earlier, which meant I can only have watermelon if I wanted fruit for the rest of the day.

I also live by myself and have difficulty with making meals for myself.

I like to keep frozen shrimp in the freezer, and then will take a few out to cook with noodles and then put some parmasean (sp) cheese?

Thanks
Stephanie

[ICNDonna]

I found some really neat things at Costco. They are pre-cooked hamburger patties. All I need to do is stick one in the microwave for 90 seconds to have a wonderful burger! I keep a package on hand in case I need a quick meal.

Donna

[karen10]

Because of other diet restrictions, I also have plain rice cakes on hand. A quick and easy meal for me many a time has been a couple rice cakes with either almond butter or cashew butter (my favorite), healthy and yummy, plus mini carrots. Get almost all your food groups in that meal alone!

Great ideas here!

[Briza]

Briza - hard-boiled eggs are a really good suggestion. Unfortunately they are the one thing in the world I don't like, or dislike so much I don't think I could even eat one to be polite! I like eggs in other forms, just not hard-boiled. It figures! But you mentioned canned chicken meat which I've never even thought about. Thanks for putting it on my radar; I will try it.

Pucca

No problem...I really don't like hard boiled eggs at all either :lmao:, I usually just eat the white and occasionally force the yolk down my throat (ONLY b/c it contains a lot of nutrients lol), they have just become handy when I'm really busy and don't have time to cook...I still haven't met a deviled egg I like:)
but the canned white chicken meat I just started using a couple of years ago...I don't eat much canned foods and some canned foods w/ preservatives my bladder doesn't tolerate well, but the canned white chicken meat makes a very yummy welcome sub for canned tuna and it seems I tolerate it better than canned tuna, which I get quickly get tired of eating, anyway. I don't know why I never tried canned white meat chicken before, but it is good,and now actually I prefer making chicken salad with it more than I do fresh chicken I would normally cook myself, and rarely ever make tuna salad.
So yeah, try it, and if you are especially diet sensitive try to find one like Kadi suggested w/ very little stuff in it besides the chicken.

[SandyRN]

When my children are at their Dads sometimes Tom and I will just forage for ourselves. I buy watermelon, blueberries, strawberries (I can eat them in a small amount), pears, and make a fruit salad. Sometimes I have salads with a hard boiled egg which seems to be a pattern here and a small amt of dressing with bacon on top. I LOVE bacon and it's ok in small amounts. I have learned that I can eat a lot of things in small amounts but if I push it and pig out on a box of strawberries I will PAY!

Cottage cheese is always great in a pinch like everyone said. I have also been known to eat Cheerios with a bunch of blueberries in with it. I love them and while they're in season I am buying them by the pound almost!

I have a convection toaster oven and sometimes I'll pop chicken breasts or pork chops in there...easy, little mess and super easy. Then we eat whatever veggie is around that I can tolerate.

I have to say I live by my convection toaster oven....it cooks fast, it's clean, easy....and great to save heat from heating up that big oven in the summer. I can cut up a whole chicken and cook it in there for my whole family! I just went to check out the name of it but I forget the brand, it's not shown on the unit, but it's the Avante Elite Convection toaster oven and I got it on Amazon for about 100.00. It's a bargain with no shipping and I don't have to go out to buy it!

[Pucca]

Just thought I'd add that another one of my standbys is a baked (microwaved) sweet potato -- OK, it involves cooking, if you consider microwaving cooking. I used to fix them with butter and brown sugar -- yum! But lately I've been trying to cut back on the sugar and just do the butter. I even eat them for breakfast sometimes. I just microwave one large one and then put it in a microwaveable container (with a pat of butter on top)to take to work. If I am feeling ambitious I'll fix it like a mashed potato.

Don't forget to poke holes in your potato when microwaving.

[judy45]

We eat tons of egg white omelets in our house! I buy the egg white (by the regular eggs) and put in usually a cheese (mont jack, soft american, feta or mozz) some cut up peppers (all colors) and it is yummy, healthy and light!

[sickofmybladder]

In a pinch - I turn to Frosted Mini Wheats (I'm seeing a pattern :) ), Scrambled eggs & Blueberry Waffles, Stouffers makes a really good veggie lasagna (with white sauce instead of red) that I tolerate well, Grilled Cheese w/ mozz cheese, and Quessidila w/ mozz cheese (instead of mex cheese mix) - Great question - I am looking forward to other responses also.

[Claredale]

When I used to be in pain alot, especially flares, I would eat hardboiled eggs too. Also not a fan of the yolk, unless its' scrambled eggs and they have to be scrambled well....absolutely no moisture!

Thanks for the veggie lasagna idea, I hadn't thought about trying that! That is something I can take for my next potluck that I know I can eat! Why does everyone always fix something with tomato in it????

T83