Everyday Systems

Just a general thread for "things that work for me and might for someone else" - please add yours!

- I love brown rice instead of white, but it takes forever to cook. So when I have time to make it, I cook extra and freeze. I put 2 cups of rice in a large zip-lock bag, flatten it out. and stack the bags in the freezer - they hardly take any room. Defrosts quickly. If I use it in something with sauce, I just throw it in frozen and let the hot sauce warm it up. Helps with quick meals on the nights I'm rushed. (Great for a quick Chinese or beans'n'rice dinner.)

- I have a "routine" to my meals to make them easier to plan. Nothing rigid that adds an extra layer to No-S, just something that makes it easier for me to plan meals. (At least one fruit at breakfast, 2 at other meals. That kind of thing.)

- I end my dinner meal with my glass of wine. It signals "all done" to my brain. (I've noticed other people do this with tea or a bit of fruit on their plate.)

I do something similar with my steel cut oats (since they take 30 minutes to cook): prepare 4 to 8 servings and keep the extra in the fridge. They reheat fine.

D.

Great tip with the rice KCCC!

My tip for successful noSing is 1. Find a noS Buddy. Both of you check in together.

My buddy is Jaxhil and she's singlehandedly helped to change my life (well and you too, Reinhard dear )

Great thread, KCCC! I have a more general form of your brown rice tip: whenever I cook anything, I portion it up and freeze or refrigerate whatever's left over right away so I won't be tempted to pick at it as I'm cleaning up the kitchen. It helps keep me from snacking or seconds. Sometimes I even cook something big after I'm done with dinner, so I won't be hungry as I cook. I find it a lot easier to keep my habit when I've got something nourishing already made instead of having to cook while I'm hungry, which often leads me to nibble as I go.

hey great tips, i like the wine after dinner signals you are done i might try that but with my favorite drink. i also like the cooking after dinner so belly is full then you have stuff to eat the next day without picking. i might do that after breakfast though since i dont have to go in until 10:00 am.

And of course, weekly menu planning really helps.

I find I tend to think in patterns for that too. A typical week...

1) A bean dish of some kind - beans and rice, chili (I make it meatless), "tower of tortillas" (beans/salsa/corn layered with tortillas and cheese, in a round cake pan, covered with foil and baked, then cut into wedges to serve), etc.

2) A chicken or turkey dish - the choices are endless.

3) Fish. We like salmon or a white fish, sometimes shrimp as a treat.

4) Red meat or sausages/hot dogs or that kind of thing. Once is the limit.

5) A vegetarian dish. Pasta - again, endless choices! Tofu stir-fry, Spanikopita casserole, Eggplant Parmesan (bake the eggplant!), quiche or other egg-dishes, etc.

Any meal needs to include 2 veggies/fruits on the side or as a significant part of the main dish.

Also, I like making something early in the week that will leave leftovers for lunches.

Knowing what I'm going to cook each night helps keep me from grazing indecisively.