I'm fairly certain I got fat out of convenience. I am not lazy by any means, I am actually super busy. I have two kids who go to different schools, neither in our district so I have to drive them both and pick them both up. They both do activities after school and are on totally different schedules. I own a business that I run from my house that has me in the car most of the time and I spend a few hours of each day at my martial arts school. I'm fairly anal about keeping my house in order and I like to have dinner most nights for my family, even if we don't all get to sit down and eat together. I barely have a minute to myself but I know that my lifestyle is not at all unusual.

You'd think I'd be like my best friend, super skinny because there is no time to eat, but I was the queen of fast food. I loved Wawa because of the huge variety of chips and Snacks and convenience foods on the go and it was nothing for me to go through a drive through for myself 2-3 times a day. I didn't feed my family fast food because I know how unhealthy it is but that didn't seem to apply to me in my mind.

One of my biggest obstacles after WLS was the lack of convenience foods for quick grab and go. I need a lot LESS food at a sitting, but I need quality food now or I feel miserable. After 19 months, I have finally found some staples that I can keep in my fridge for convenience and now that it's cold out, my cooler keeps my snacks fresh all day. My capacity is VERY small, so I do eat 5-6 mini meals a day which is a bigger challenge and I really prefer real foods over Protein drinks and bars as does my NUT. When I want to eat, I want REAL food, not snacks.

Suggestions to make your busy life easier and healthier. I would love you to add yours, too. As you will see, I do high protein, low carb and I don't give a flying fart about fat. High fat is OK in my book. These are the foods I keep in my fridge, prepped and ready for a quick, I'm starving "meal/snack".

cheese. Full fat, yummy delicious REAL cheese. Cubed up off a block.

Shrimp. Steamed or in a shrimp salad (aka mayo and spices).

London Broil. I marinate and grill a London Broil every other week or so. I slice it thin, serve it for dinner and then snack on the leftovers for the rest of the week. Happy girl with my read meat.

Deviled eggs. Yum! Not just for Easter anymore.

Browned ground beef seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic. I keep a bowl of it cooked and ready. I add mozzarella or cheddar to a quarter cup or so, pop in the microwave, heat and eat.

Refried Beans. Add cheese or the browned meat above and YUM!

Good quality hot dogs. I know, yuck, right? But roll one up in a paper towel, nuke it for 45 seconds and it's all meat, no carbs and delish. I do all beef and light. They don't go bad so a pack of six will stay in my fridge for three weeks or so safely.

Ham Slice. I grill and cub one of those Smithfield ham slices that's about 1/2 inch thick. The kids and husband will throw it on salad, in a tortilla or eat in an omelette and I just eat out of the container.

I'm not a fan of chicken, it sticks terribly, but my kids love rotisserie chicken so I cube up the leftovers into a curry chicken salad that's almost always ready. I can manage anything with mayo. REAL MAYO.

Bacon. I cook a pound and keep it in the fridge. It goes just like the ham.

Frozen mini quiche. At Target and Sam's they even have crustless quiche. YUM!

What are your convenience REAL foods?

My favorite fast foods:

Babybel Lite cheese in little red wax "to go" packs

Dannon Lite & Fit Greek Yogurt

"Sandwich" with Applewood Farms chicken or turkey slices with Reduced Fat Sargento Cheese Slices for the "bread"

I keep my portion size servings of chicken fish and shrimp in little sandwich bags contained in one big freezer bag in the freezer, then take one out pop in lunch box it is thawed and easy to reheat/cook for lunch. For dinner I usually eat what ever I cook for boyfriend just small portion with no bread (ex 1/2 hamburger patty no bun). I love your list but my cholesterol is high meaning no cheese and only fat free mayo and such... I have pre cooked diced chicken that I just add a sauce/spice too heat and eat..... Fat free or low fat Greek yogurt or low fat granola Cereal with skim milk are my go to convenience food.

Such great ideas! here are mine;

• A Case of Bottled Water, Jerky and Protein bars are always in my car
• cheese = Life Baby bels, string cheese, fancy cheeses (special order from the cheese store my niece works at and overnighted to me!) yes expensive but I am so worth it!
• Hummus and Blue Diamond Almond crisps ( crackers made from rice and almond flour) crunchy heaven. Sabra Hummus is now available in little 'to go' cups.
• speaking of little cups, unsweetened applesauce and other fruits.
• The mini cans of low sodium V8, they taste plenty salty to me now.
• I buy fresh fish on sale, cut it up into mini me size portions (about a 2" x 2" cube) freeze them in vacuum sealed bags (no freezer burn) when I want a quick high protein meal, I take one out, nuke it for 30 seconds to thaw, wrap it in a slice of bacon, did I mention bacon? I always have bacon . Then pop it under the broiler, watch carefully and turn several times until the bacon is getting crispy. Plate and eat!
• On weekends I make a huge crockpot of whatever strikes my fancy, pot roast, chili, beef stew, homemade soup or chicken stew. We have one or two meals from this then the rest is divided into small plastic containers and frozen. During the work week, I can throw one in my lunch box and nuke it at work.
• Love all the ideas, but I am going to get some shrimp and look for those crustless quiche!

I make my own hummus and have it with parmesan chips (also homemade) I have the chips on hand to have with salsa, etc when I want something crunchy... sometimes I will have that with cheese and salsa for dinner

Baby-Bels YUM!

The mini quiche and mini lasagnas I make with won ton skins (thanks to Eggface) and have them in the frig ready to go.

Every weekend I boil up, at least, a dozen eggs for the week...already ready in their own package

Meatballs are another easy go to... I have made them "greek style" as well for something different...

all great ideas!

Oh I forgot for the crunchy muchies... dry roasted edamame... 1/4 cup 14 grms of protein...texture similar to peanuts... taste great!!

_{NUTS! omg I forgot about NUTS. Individual packets of almonds or mixed nuts, A jar of homemade trail mix on the counter. Pecans, almonds and Macadamia's! I just grab a few when the urge to snack hits me.}

Easy recipe for crustless almost quiche.

This is a pretty easy lean Breakfast to make:

Egg muffins

Sometimes you want a hearty breakfast that you can eat on the go or throw in your bag to take to school or work. Usually the most portable of breakfast ideas are carb and sugar loaded. These tasty breakfast egg muffins are a great alternative and can be made in advance! You decide what meat, cheese and vegetables you want to put it in making the combination possibilities endless. And since you make a bunch in advance you have ready to go breakfast options all week.

I love these. They are filling and so much healthier than your muffins, bagels, donuts, and whatever else you grab with your morning coffee.

Ingredients (pick any/all/others), these are just ideas:
Spring onion as required
Chopped tomatoes as required
Onion as required
Cheese as required
Green chillies
You can add ham, bacon or other lean meats, spinach, ricotta cheese, bell peppers, and lots more as per your taste.

eggs 6 beaten with 2 tbsp milk, black pepper to taste

Instructions
-Preheat oven at 375f
-Grease your muffin tin
-Add vegetables of your choice along with cheese (if you choose), pour beaten egg mixture on it.
-Place muffin pan on the center rack of a preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until muffins are light brown, puffy, and the eggs are set.
-Let muffins cool for a few minutes before removing from the muffin pan or cups. Loosen gently with knife if they seem to be sticking. Eat immediately or let cool completely and store in plastic bag in refrigerator or freezer. The Egg Muffins can be reheated in the microwave.

Edited December 9, 201411 yr by LipstickLady

Love those things...so simple...put in whatever you wish and "just add eggs" LOL

The lasagna muffins are made with a wonton skin, pressed in to the pan...then I add my ricotta mix, top with a bit of mozzarella and tomato sauce, and bake off... yum!

What a great post!! Thank you! I've recently gone from pureed stage to "real food." Loving that I can eat more of a variety now!!

These are all great ideas for us newbies! I can't eat some of it yet, but will definitely use these ideas soon!

SO many of these are going on my "tips" sheet!

How long will cooked shrimp last in the fridge?

Thank you lipstick lady and everyone. I've been in a rut lately and these are all fabulous ideas!!

I have made those eggs for brunch. I didn't really think about make ahead breakfast. I would be curious if anyone has tried it and how well they hold up in fridge.

I have made those eggs for brunch. I didn't really think about make ahead breakfast. I would be curious if anyone has tried it and how well they hold up in fridge.

I throw them in the freezer and they thaw out great!

How long will cooked shrimp last in the fridge?

I only keep them 3-4 days, max.