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Sorry, I have no sympathy. All of the rest of us who want healthy food cook at home. It does not take 60 minutes to cook a fast and healthy meal.
Buy a rice cooker and cook an entire week's worth of brown rice. Then you zap a serving for 2 minutes in the microwave.
It does not take very long to steam fresh vegetables. Even better and more healthy, just wash them off and eat them raw. Just about the only vegetables that don't taste good raw are Irish potatoes and eggplant. If you don't even want to take the time to wash a veggie, you can buy big bags of frozen vegetables and steam those.
Eat a piece of fresh fruit for dessert. Preparation time 0 minutes.
You can fry a hamburger patty in 10 minutes. A small steak or piece of fish takes the same amount of time. Meat brown rice, veggie, dessert, about 10 minutes. You stand in line at the fast food place and wait in line longer than that.
If you don't care about costs, you can do things faster. I made Crab Louis salad last night and spent a lot of time picking the crab. But you can buy crab meat, if you don't mind the cost (and you haven't caught your own, like I did.). Dressing was less than a minute to make and the salad only calls for romaine and avocado, which is quick to clean and cut up.
I made Crab Louis salad last night and spent a lot of time picking the crab. But you can buy crab meat, if you don't mind the cost (and you haven't caught your own, like I did.). Dressing was less than a minute to make and the salad only calls for romaine and avocado, which is quick to clean and cut up.
Sounds delicious. And inspiring. But I always pick crab one last time when I buy it. How did you make your dressing, if you don't mind sharing?
I'm sure some people do, but I'd bet that most are under the misguided assumption that boneless & skinless breasts are far healthier than the tastier, juicier thighs.
And you apparently are under the misguided assumption that everyone likes the taste of chicken thighs. Which I, for one, most certainly DO NOT.
I'm trying to understand. Is it that you weren't raised eating these meats and never developed a taste for them?
I absolutely love duck. I can consume an entire one within a few hours. Sweet, greasy meat!
Being raised to eat something doesn't mean you like it. I was raised on duck, venison and fish. Not one of those food items have crossed my lips since leaving home 30 years ago.
Exactly how is Chipotle unhealthy? It is probably one of the healthiest fast food chains in this country. What is unhealthy about salad/rice with beans, salsa, grilled white meat or tofu, and guac? They also have very high standards when it comes to sourcing their meat.
Even the other options you have mentioned - sure most of the selection is probably unhealthy, but there are always good salad or sandwich or soup options.
Chipotle is a fraud IMO - and I'm not the only person who thinks that:
The title of this article [Chipotle: The Long Defeat of Doing Nothing Well], which was inspired by a line from poet John Masefield, seems apt: Chipotle, the once-popular Mexican restaurant chain, is experiencing a well-deserved downward spiral. The company found it could pass off a fast-food menu stacked with high-calorie, sodium-rich options as higher quality and more nutritious because the meals were made with locally grown, genetic engineering-free ingredients. And to set the tone for the kind of New Age-y image the company wanted, Chipotle adopted slogans like, “We source from farms rather than factories” and, “With every burrito we roll or bowl we fill, we’re working to cultivate a better world.”
FWIW - I tried the place once - just to see what the fuss was about - and couldn't believe how gross the food was. A big pile of high calorie glop lacking any taste except for the taste of salt.
There are 2 "faster" food kind of places I like when I'm out during the day and need to grab a quick lunch. Piccadilly Cafeteria - and Golden Corral (a buffet). Both here are old style southern places (I live in NE Florida - which is more a part of the south than the rest of Florida). Both have lots of veggie options (salad options too). Sure - the veggies are often flavored with a little pork or similar - but they have less salt content than what I ate at Chipotle (scale doesn't lie in the morning). Places like this used to exist in Miami. For example - there was a Morrison's Cafeteria (Piccadilly bought Morrison's a number of years ago). But they seem to be gone now. I understand from comments made by other people elsewhere that places like this have less appealing offerings outside the south.
I wouldn't be hard on the OP in terms of where he lives. Miami isn't generic (far from it). But it does have really bad traffic. It takes me 15 minutes to get to my local Costco 10 miles away (door to door). And perhaps 30-35 max to get to my closest Whole Foods - 25 miles away. Those are pie in the sky travel times when it comes to Miami (and most of SE Florida). Traffic in Miami is as bad or worse than the traffic in Los Angeles. I lived in Miami for 20+ years - and one of the reasons I left was the traffic.
Note that when it comes to Cuban cuisine - ubiquitous in Miami - well to say it's a little weak when it comes to things like veggies is being charitable. Also - Cuban cooks tend to overcook proteins like chicken or especially fish - a (whole) lot. Not my cup of tea. Robyn
Here is an idea also.. When you cook and eat if you have any small leftover portions (ones that won't make another meal) then put them in a container in your freezer.. That could be anything - meat, veggies, potatoes, rice, etc.... And when the container gets full, you thaw it and then put in either a slow cooker or in a pot and heat slowly..There you have freezer soup which is very healthy..Just add some bread to it and you have a great meal....
I have to say I think people are being a bit unsympathetic by insisting that "it's not that hard" to either spend 30-60 minutes cooking every day after a long day at work, or spend most of one's day off every week cooking and prepping food for the week ahead. It IS hard. There's a reason single people who worked long hours used to continue to live with their parents, or in a boardinghouse where meals were supplied, or, if they were wealthy enough, hire a cook/housekeeper. It's unreasonable that in our day and age, single people are expected to "do it all" for themselves, just like families in which both parents work full time and still somehow have to manage the kids, the housework, and the cooking. No one can say that is easy.
My husband enjoys cooking, but every weekday when he leaves the house at 6:15 am, and rolls in exhausted at 6:15 pm, he is not feeling much like whipping out those pans. And who really looks forward to eating portions of the same premade, microwaved meals every day? Yes, there are certain things you can keep stocked and ready to grab...hummus and vegetables, hardboiled eggs, a mixed salad...but those get boring pretty fast too. If I was in that situation and had the money, I would absolutely look into a meal delivery service. There's nothing like being tired and hungry, and having a nice hot, fresh, delicious meal that you didn't just spend an hour on your feet cooking placed in front of you.
I think what many people are saying is that it doesn't take cooking 30-60 minutes per day to eat healthy. A bag of salad kept in the fridge with some already cooked (either cooked ahead of time or purchased already cooked) protein (hard boiled eggs, honey smoked salmon, chicken, flank steak), and a piece of fruit, can provide a decent meal in less time than it takes to eat the food he's griping about. No real cooking even necessary.
Not to mention, most grocery stores have some kind of deli type counter and/or hot food counter, not to mention, complete take-away dinners. He could certainly purchase several at a time to keep in his fridge for the week ahead.
The OP simply needs to 1) plan ahead and 2) stop thinking that restaurantsince are the only options he has for meals - even on-the-run meals.
Last edited by maciesmom; 12-15-2015 at 03:32 PM..
My son is single and hates to eat out, so he learned how to cook. He used to call me to ask how to do this or that, but nowadays I think he knows. He has a good job and works all day, comes home and heads to the kitchen. He often cooks ahead of time and freezes certain things.
...And you as a runner, should be aware that eating out is not the way to stay lean...
Actually it's the other way around for the most part. My husband ran 3 or more miles a day for a long time (decades). He ran a couple of marathons too. During his running days (gone now as a result of a health issue) - he could pretty much eat anything he wanted to eat without worrying about his weight at all . Robyn
There used to be a wonderful fast food chain that had healthy foods. I remember it was located in the mall. Can't remember the name of it and maybe it went out of business back in the 80s.
But I simply do not blame the OP for not having the energy or interest to cook after a long day's work and commute, especially just for one person. It's hard enough getting motivated to cook for one.
I can remember coming home from a long commute, getting home at 10pm and not feeling like cooking. I did cook some on weekends but I'm not a natural cook (when I was married and working I did cook and that was after working all day). But, living alone, coming home to an empty house, being tired--just wanting to fall onto the couch and eat something, I can relate. You're doubly tired because as a single, living alone, you are doing everything yourself--no one to help.
Sounds like the OP lives in a horrible place for food. Those of us who live in areas of the country where people simply would not put up with that junk food are lucky. If I had to, I could easily stop in and pick up a healthy Indian curry, a Thai meal, baked haddock dinner, and more, all within a short drive. Somebody really should start up some healthy places to eat for people who are too tired or just will never be cooks.
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