I hate cooking, so I keep it simple

I hate cooking. I hate baking.

But I DO try to eat healthy, balanced meals. Especially with a diabetic husband.

I won’t make a dish/meal if it requires more than 7 ingredients.

I won’t usually make a dish if I have to babysit it for more than 30 minutes… but sometimes I do and groan the whole time. About the only way I’ll make something that requires over 30 minutes of time is if I can shove it in the oven or crockpot and walk away from it.

Between my husband and me, there are just some foods we refuse to eat. Many foods I DO like but hubby hates. And if he won’t eat it, then I’m not making two separate meals: one for him and one for me with the offending item he hates. Not gonna do it.

So – I keep things SIMPLE. Easy as possible.

I try to keep breakfast meals basic. I do not have time or want the mess first thing in the morning. It’s either healthy cereal, oatmeal, fruit, whole wheat bagel or English muffin, or a microwaved egg/omelet … for my husband – a combination of those items.

Lunches are simple, too. During the work week, we eat healthy sandwiches, a piece of fruit, and maybe some other sides which might be any of these: nuts, raisins, yogurt, fiber granola bars, wheat crackers, pickles, low fat cheesesticks, salads, roasted edamame, sugar-free jello or pudding, olives, nilla wafers, Sun Chips.

During weekends (days off), our lunch is never what we’ve eaten for lunch throughout the work week. But I still keep it simple, fast, and try not to make a big mess. Low carb pita pockets with grilled chicken, ranch, cheese, and tomatoes are a favorite, with a salad.

The last meal of the day – supper – or in some places people call it dinner – is picked from a HUGE stack of recipes I’ve gathered. OMG – my options are insane! I also make very simple items; such as, pork tenderloin on the George Foreman grill, seasoned with whatever seasonings tickle my fancy that evening. It’s impossible to quickly list my favorites… I’ll have to post some individual recipes and ideas on the blog later.

If we have evening snacks, it might be: lowfat popcorn, sugar free pudding, handful of nuts, healthy snack mix, or a frozen fruit bar.

I will post what we EAT and LIKE. Realistic stuff. Meals that don’t require a chef’s knowledge to make, aren’t going to break the bank, and are healthy. I’m sorry to say – but there are so many recipe books with “things” in them I’ve never heard of and am terrified to make! There’s NO WAY the average person is going to buy that stuff, jump through hoops trying to make it, then force it down their throats! Get real!

I have made attempts to follow super healthy eating plans…and it partially works. As I said earlier, my husband and I WON’T eat certain things. We refuse to choke down food that our taste buds find gross, tasteless, and awful. I’ve tried to find comparable substitutes for those icky items. Nope. I just give up and go back to foods we WILL eat. Healthy items, just not oddball stuff.

Stick to basic, uncomplicated, not too time consuming, not too many ingredients, not too expensive meals, and then your time spent in the kitchen won’t make you want to pull your hair out!