My Lunch This Week -- is it OK?

[Nichole]

I always knew that Lean Cuisines have been bad for me, and I've been eating them for almost a year now. They're cheap and easy, but I want to get off of them and prepare some homemade lunches in bulk on Sundays for the week.

Sooo this week I'm making boneless chicken breast with some steamed veggies for lunch. I know it sounds dull, but I love chicken and steamed vegetables.

So I cut the boneless chicken breasts in half and lightly spread some BBQ sauce on them. Then I baked them. Then for my veggies (which I haven't been getting too much of), I bought some frozen vegetables to steam up. I like veggies enough to just put on some pepper for taste.

I know it's not completely ideal, but it sounds healthy enough. The BBQ sauce only has about 60 cals per 2 tablespoon serving and I didn't spread much on the breasts. I've just been hearing so much bad stuff about over processed food, so I want to cut back. And I think the Lean Cuisines have been working against me, since they're so high in sodium.

So tell me honestly, is this a good lunch??

[kccc]

Sounds yummy to me. I'd probably add some complex carbs as well, but that's because I don't feel I've had a "real meal" without them. Your mileage may vary on that one.

Good move forward.

[ou812]

What about adding some brown rice, or a portion of sweet potato ?

I think that it sounds great otherwise.

[Nichole]

Yeah, it does need some sort of carb. Wasn't sure what do add! Brown rice might be a good option.. hmmm..

Also, my FIL-to-be told me that I could steam by veggies in a zip lock bag, just leave the bag a little open to vent, in the microwave. Is that true?

[la_loser]

As a former (back in the day, as they say!) microwave specialist, I can assure you that, yes, you can steam veggies in the microwave. If you use a regular zip bag, do leave it open a bit or pierce a few holes in it with a fork to let out the steam while cooking. Also ALWAYS place it on a plate/bowl (glass or otherwise microwave safe) when cooking. When you remove it from the microwave the zip-bag could weaken and you would end up with food everywhere and could burn yourself.

It's amusing to me that they've now made "zip-bags" specifically designed to steam foods now--when you could have been doing it all along without buying anything special.

Unless you want the veggies to be mushy/soft, be sure to cook them a very short period of time. For example, if you slice a zucchini, a squash, a little broccoli and cauliflower, enough to not quite fill a quart sized bag, you'd want to MW on HIGH for 3-4 minutes. (Wash the veggies first and the extra water left on them will be plenty sufficient to help create the steamed effect.)

Since vegetables already have so much water in them, you would not need to add extra water. That will give you what we call "tender-crisp" veggies. DO NOT SALT the veggies BEFORE cooking. Placing salt directly on vegetables before microwaving can cause the food to be pitted and tough. Other seasonings are fine. I've always used a delicious seasoning called Cavender's Greek Seasoning. In our grocery stores, it's located with the spices, near the salt & pepper. Delicious on most everything! Adding a very very tiny amount (like 1/2 teaspoon) of olive oil once the veggies are cooked pops the flavor out as well without adding any "bad" fats.

If you wanted to make up several days worth, here are the amounts for a dish I called Fresh Vegetable Medley back in the days when I taught cooking schools for Litton.
1/2 bunch broccoli flowerettes
1/2 head cauliflower, cut up
1 sliced zucchini
1 sliced squash
1/2 red onion, sliced

Pile them all on a glass or MW safe platter/or baking dish; sprinkle on a little olive oil or a little melted butter and the Cavender's seasoning OR garlic powder and pepper.

Cover with plastic wrap leaving an opening to vent. MW for about 7 or 8 minutes.

When the MW goes off, the food (as is true with ALL microwaved food) will continue to cook for a few minutes because of the intense heat held inside so checking for doneness should be done AFTER a STANDING time of about 5 minutes. (longer standing time if you were cooking meats).

Now--it occurs to me you might be planning to use frozen vegetables, always an option if good fresh produce isn't available. If so, follow the times given on the packaging. Experiment with which veggies you like and create your own favorites.

Heavier dense foods should be cooked separately from the more delicate ones. (i.e. potatoes)

Enjoy!

[Nichole]

Wow, you took a lot of time to write a reply! I really appreciate it -- thank you! I'll be doing this at work, so I hope I don't make a mistake and make a fool out of myself, lol. Good tip about making sure I put my veggies on a plate.

It's also funny to me that they make special steaming bags when regular bags are perfectly OK. Just a scheme to make more money and line their pockets, definitely. People are ignorant enough to fall for it, lol.

For this week, I'm going to use plain, old frozen mixed veggies. Baby steps. I haven't done much homemade cooking in my life beings that I'm 1) only 23 -- I've only been working a year! and 2) I live with my fiance's parents at the moment and am more of a helper than a cooker. Plus, they tend to buy those veggies that are pre-seasoned and all you have to do is steam them.. But your recipe sounds sooo easy, I just might try it in the upcoming weeks.

I'm definitely going to cut, paste, and save this recipe in my recipe collection binder!

[la_loser]

Glad you found it helpful. I suspect part of the reason (besides marketing) is that the companies that make the regular bags don't want to be held responsible for someone making a mess or burning themselves by letting a plastic bag get too hot and melt or fall apart-and that can happen. The ones they sell are probably a bit heavier duty for that reason.

Good luck and enjoy your baby steps along the way; it's all a great journey toward healthy eating.

My lunch today will include some fresh veggies too--but they're the left overs that my husband grilled outside in our grill basket when he made strip steaks for our Sunday dinner. Oh, wow, for flavor, you just can beat those. He tosses red and green bell peppers, red onions and mushrooms with a bit of olive oil and the Cavender's seasoning and it is to die for. Reheats really well too.

Have a great work week and good luck with No S!

[Nichole]

Grilled veggies are the BEST!

[winnie96]

I get a lot of mileage out of homemade vegetable soup for lunch. My basic recipe is chicken broth, onion, garlic, canned tomatoes, broccoli slaw, a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, plus any other veggies you want. Season with oregano, basil, salt & pepper, maybe a little Tabasco.

I make a big pot of soup once a week or so, and freeze it in 2-cup portions (freezes beautifully) in those ziploc plastic containers. If you take one out of the freezer in the morning, it is thawed by lunch time. The soup can be heated up in the microwave, but on hot days, it's also good cold.

I use the soup as a base for various creations. For example, add a can of tuna & some curry powder, add some chicken and chili powder, add some canned beans (rinsed) and Italian seasoning. That plus two slices of lite toast and an apple are just the right amount of food for me, and I really enjoy it.

[Nichole]

Okay, I'm eating my lunch now and it is GOOD! I can hardly believe I made it myself (albeit, it's not very fancy, but still...) Real chicken definitely trumps the mystery meat in Lean Cuisines.

And steaming my veggies in a little sandwich bag (ziplock) was really successful. It only took about a minute.

The chicken is tasty with just a hint of BBQ flavor.


Also, this was all very economical. 2 bags of frozen veggies were only 1.99 each and the chicken was about $6.

[Nichole]

I get a lot of mileage out of homemade vegetable soup for lunch. My basic recipe is chicken broth, onion, garlic, canned tomatoes, broccoli slaw, a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, plus any other veggies you want. Season with oregano, basil, salt & pepper, maybe a little Tabasco.

I make a big pot of soup once a week or so, and freeze it in 2-cup portions (freezes beautifully) in those ziploc plastic containers. If you take one out of the freezer in the morning, it is thawed by lunch time. The soup can be heated up in the microwave, but on hot days, it's also good cold.

I use the soup as a base for various creations. For example, add a can of tuna & some curry powder, add some chicken and chili powder, add some canned beans (rinsed) and Italian seasoning. That plus two slices of lite toast and an apple are just the right amount of food for me, and I really enjoy it.

Yes, I really should consider homemade soups....

For now I'm taking it slow and simple.

[wosnes]

I do homemade soups all the time. It doesn't get much easier. I think it's much easier than the chicken and vegetables.

[Nichole]

The chicken and veggie are easy to me because I've done both tons of times. Trying new things..... doesn't always go smoothly for me, though I doubt soup would be difficult.. you know what I mean.

[aplacebytheriver]

I had a question I wanted to ask you all. Is it okay to have soup and then a meal? Because the soup comes in its own plate, of course... or is it breaking the one plate no seconds rule? Or is it more about the quantity of the soup?

[reinhard]

Sounds like a fine lunch to me (except I'd definitely have a starch and probably slather everything with butter as well).

aplacebytheriver -- here's some teaser content from the book on the subject of soup:

From page 90:

What About Soup?

Soup can confound the clarity of No S a bit; it’s certainly
a mainstream, normal, and acceptable component of the
everyday meal and is not something it would be fair to
restrict to S days. And yet it often involves an extra plate.
But with a modicum of attention you can pull it off
without much trouble. Here’s how: (1) If the soup is
hearty, have a hunk of bread with it and call it a meal.
(2) Or use a smaller dinner plate to compensate for the
soup if it is only part of the meal (this is a form of vir-
tual plating). I’ve done both, but I usually do the fi rst. I
eat plenty of soup.

Reinhard

[Nichole]

Sounds like a fine lunch to me (except I'd definitely have a starch and probably slather everything with butter as well).

Reinhard

Thanks for the feedback, Reinhard. I'm just so tired of Lean Cuisines and there had to be another way to make an easy lunch that's also nutritious!

I love the above soup recipe; I will definitely try it. I can't stick to one thing or I'll get bored. Though I never get bored of BBQ-sauce-flavored chicken.

[Blithe Morning]

Homemade lunches generally taste better and are cheaper. After a few weeks of doing that, you won't want to go back to Lean Cuisine. If you can get the kitchen for a few hours on Sunday evening, it's well worth the time to put some together for the week.

[Nichole]

Homemade lunches generally taste better and are cheaper. After a few weeks of doing that, you won't want to go back to Lean Cuisine. If you can get the kitchen for a few hours on Sunday evening, it's well worth the time to put some together for the week.

I hope so! One Lean Cuisine has a TON of sodium. I'm curious to see what affect not eating them will have.