STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

nicoley · Coach

Very Low Fat Foods/recipes...Desperate

Ritz · Dooney & Bourke

eeek nicole! i feel your pain.. but whenever i start getting lazy and eating out a lot, i gain a ton of weight (even though i don't really eat bad things.. its just what everything is cooked in, portion size, etc i think)

i'm in college too (actually at OSU- aren;t you as well?) and cook for myself, although i actually love cooking, but here are some quicker ideas...

SUBWAY... (plus the one on Lane still has my favorite red wine vinagrette!) is IMO the healthiest place to eat out

what do you like about the places you eat out from? the bread at panera? the tortilla's in your wraps? I would buy good bread/wraps etc and make your own sandwiches.. its cheaper, healthier, and fast too. I love multigrain tuscany bread from the bakery at Giant Eagle, or Trader Joe's has tons of great bread and diff. kinds of tortillas.. then just buy say, 1-2 tomatoes a week, some lettuce or spinach, lunch meat if you want, cheese, etc. and make sandwiches.. you could even cut everything up when you have down time and then assemble them as needed. same goes for salads, pita pizzas, etc... basically i have found that it is easier to prepare cold meals than to actually "cook" when cooking for one person

also, morningstar farms veggie burgers are great and quick.. i just got this tomato and basil pizza burger kind and they were actually really good.. i don't eat meat so can't tell the difference but my meat-eating roommates all really like them as well...

pasta is obv. easy and always good... i like to use different sauces ( vodka, arrabiatta- all found in the sauce aisle at GIant Eagle) to kick it up a little, and usually saute some spinach and throw it in there to make it healthier

i'm sure that everyone else will have great responses but i hope that helps some! i definitely think eating healthy will be better if you try and cook for yourself/keep food in the house rather than eat out all the time!

turtledove · Nine West

I'm in the same boat as you! After going home for a month and realizing I didn't lose any weight in grad school, I'm kickin it up a notch. Here's a great recipe!

Spinach and Artichoke Mushrooms

3 Portabella Mushrooms

1 package frozen chopped spinach

1 can quartered artichoke hearts

2 cloves minced garlic

garlic salt to taste

1 sm. container of plain non-fat yogurt (can use cream cheese, but it has more fat. My dad prefers the cream cheese to the yogurt however)

Thaw spinach and combine with everything except mushrooms. Take steam off mushrooms and pile mixture on the flat side. Cook at 350 for half an hour. Done! You could also broil a slice of provolone cheese on top for about 5 minutes. Also, if you have left over mix, it's an amazing spinach and artichoke dip you can use with pita bread or tortilla chips (baked...hehe).

I love this meal, serve with some wild brown rice and green beans, and you have a ton of veggies, a dairy, and some healthy carbs! It's pretty much add to your taste, so if you'd like less spinach don't add the whole package. I love a lot of garlic, so I use a ton of that. Hope you like it.

Also, my parents bought me a cooking book called Healthy Cooking for Two (or one) from Barnes. It's got a lot of great recipies.

-- Edited by turtledove at 23:36, 2006-01-19

alb · Marc Jacobs

Turtledove--this sounds like an awesome recpie! What do you mean by taking the steam off the mushrooms though? Is that a typo? DId you mean to say to remove the wrapping? I'm confused.

ILoveChoo · Hermes

alb wrote:

Turtledove--this sounds like an awesome recpie! What do you mean by taking the steam off the mushrooms though? Is that a typo? DId you mean to say to remove the wrapping? I'm confused.

I think she meant take the stem off.

alb · Marc Jacobs

Duh--thanks Choo! I didn't think portabellas had stems, but I guess some of them do.