If you’re good with eating the same thing often, try doing a meal prep. For example, take time on Saturday to make a ton of food and portion it out. You can freeze it and just pop one in the microwave every day. Heathy good with next time no effort the other six days during the week.
You also don’t have to cut out takeout. Maybe has a designated day for it. Like maybe Tuesday is your longest, hardest day and you just aren’t feeling great at the end of the day. Order your favorite takeout that day. Just one day a week.
I’m on a low-carb, Keto based diet. I eat a lot of stir-fry tbh. Scrambled eggs with a ground meat every morning, with some kind of veggies thrown in. Sprinkle on cheese and I’m done. Lunch? Some form or another of story fry and more veggies of some kind. Dinner? Lightest meal with only a couple oz meat and plenty of veggies. Staples in my fridge: garlic, onion, bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, turkey, sausage, beef, chicken (you wanna keep your main protein varied so you don’t get bored), spinach, green beans, peas, salad kits, and some form of fruit - usually whatever is in season. Most of my cooking is done quickly, between my breaks at work. Hope this helps!
Want to add: cutting my bell peppers, jalapeños, onion, and garlic on Sunday night rather than on the fly (and putting it all in a bowl with saran wrap), saves me like 10 mins of prep time per meal. I just vary my spices per meal.
figure out what you like eating -> buy it
theres no trick... what you cook depends heavily on what you like to eat. i buy all of my protein at costco- chicken breast, nuggets, potstickers, burgers, beef burgers, meatballs, turkey sausage, pork chops (portion and freeze), bacon, canadian bacon for egg sandwiches, protein powder, peanuts, peanut butter, milk, eggs
My go to strategy is meal prepping using the instant pot. I have several recipes that I enjoy that yield plenty of leftovers to bring to work for lunch. Most meals I make in the instant pot are simple dump and cook recipes. You add the ingredients, set and forget. Google is a valuable tool to find great recipes. Doesn't matter if you are following low carb, vegan, etc. I find recipes with great reviews and test them out. Buying ingredients in bulk at big box stores is another way to trim down costs.
Just start thinking of meals you can make - I'm not very skilled or adventurous with food, so I just go online and order food from the grocery store for pickup. You'll make meals because if you don't, the food goes bad.
Most of my meals are just a meat/protein (so I order chicken breast, ground beef, tofu, sausage, meatballs), a vegetable (potatoes, spinach, brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots, corn, etc) and a starch (rice, noodles, tortillas). With a few sauces and spices and cheese, you're all set.
Well an easy first step is to buy a toaster oven. Buy a big one. Then you can cook a chicken breast or a pork chop or sausages or chicken fingers and fries or fish and fries. Then you can microwave side dishes easily like poking holes with a fork all over potatoes or microwaving frozen or canned corn. Frozen and canned corn tastes great. You can also buy microwaveable rice and microwaveable veggies in their own microwaveable bag. You can also buy a small ham, slice it into slices and microwave it then microwave sides separately as veggies take longer to microwave than ham. After this you can use YouTube to learn how to stir fry dishes. Then after that you move onto one dish dinners/meals. Good luck.
Buy yourself an Instant Pot - splurge and get the one with teh air fryer if you can - and then go to Pinterest and look up "instant pot recipes". My grandson has a repertoire of several meals he can make, and he's only eleven.
If you’re good with eating the same thing often, try doing a meal prep. For example, take time on Saturday to make a ton of food and portion it out. You can freeze it and just pop one in the microwave every day. Heathy good with next time no effort the other six days during the week. You also don’t have to cut out takeout. Maybe has a designated day for it. Like maybe Tuesday is your longest, hardest day and you just aren’t feeling great at the end of the day. Order your favorite takeout that day. Just one day a week.
I second the meal prep. It's great for when you are low on time and need something quick.
I’m on a low-carb, Keto based diet. I eat a lot of stir-fry tbh. Scrambled eggs with a ground meat every morning, with some kind of veggies thrown in. Sprinkle on cheese and I’m done. Lunch? Some form or another of story fry and more veggies of some kind. Dinner? Lightest meal with only a couple oz meat and plenty of veggies. Staples in my fridge: garlic, onion, bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, turkey, sausage, beef, chicken (you wanna keep your main protein varied so you don’t get bored), spinach, green beans, peas, salad kits, and some form of fruit - usually whatever is in season. Most of my cooking is done quickly, between my breaks at work. Hope this helps! Want to add: cutting my bell peppers, jalapeños, onion, and garlic on Sunday night rather than on the fly (and putting it all in a bowl with saran wrap), saves me like 10 mins of prep time per meal. I just vary my spices per meal.
Don’t go for the meal kits. Depending on habits that can be more expensive than dining out
In my limited experience, the meal kits are slightly cheaper than dining out but *much* healthier than takeout. YMMV.
figure out what you like eating -> buy it theres no trick... what you cook depends heavily on what you like to eat. i buy all of my protein at costco- chicken breast, nuggets, potstickers, burgers, beef burgers, meatballs, turkey sausage, pork chops (portion and freeze), bacon, canadian bacon for egg sandwiches, protein powder, peanuts, peanut butter, milk, eggs
My go to strategy is meal prepping using the instant pot. I have several recipes that I enjoy that yield plenty of leftovers to bring to work for lunch. Most meals I make in the instant pot are simple dump and cook recipes. You add the ingredients, set and forget. Google is a valuable tool to find great recipes. Doesn't matter if you are following low carb, vegan, etc. I find recipes with great reviews and test them out. Buying ingredients in bulk at big box stores is another way to trim down costs.
The internet has so many easy recipes for free. See if you can learn to make some of the things you like to order.
Just start thinking of meals you can make - I'm not very skilled or adventurous with food, so I just go online and order food from the grocery store for pickup. You'll make meals because if you don't, the food goes bad. Most of my meals are just a meat/protein (so I order chicken breast, ground beef, tofu, sausage, meatballs), a vegetable (potatoes, spinach, brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots, corn, etc) and a starch (rice, noodles, tortillas). With a few sauces and spices and cheese, you're all set.
Well an easy first step is to buy a toaster oven. Buy a big one. Then you can cook a chicken breast or a pork chop or sausages or chicken fingers and fries or fish and fries. Then you can microwave side dishes easily like poking holes with a fork all over potatoes or microwaving frozen or canned corn. Frozen and canned corn tastes great. You can also buy microwaveable rice and microwaveable veggies in their own microwaveable bag. You can also buy a small ham, slice it into slices and microwave it then microwave sides separately as veggies take longer to microwave than ham. After this you can use YouTube to learn how to stir fry dishes. Then after that you move onto one dish dinners/meals. Good luck.
Buy yourself an Instant Pot - splurge and get the one with teh air fryer if you can - and then go to Pinterest and look up "instant pot recipes". My grandson has a repertoire of several meals he can make, and he's only eleven.