What do I eat?

Hey-- I know some of you are going to jump on me about this.. and call me stupid all you want.  I need help so if you are going to criticize, don't bother replying.  I have always been stupid about nutrition-- and I know it.  I get it logically-- eat healthy... Protein, vegetables.  But I have a serious problem with execution.  I cannot come up with 'what to eat' at any given meal.  

So someone please spell it out for me.  Real food items.  I need a list of things to eat-- that I can choose from.  When I come home and it is time to eat something, I just sit there and wonder what the H I'm supposed to do?  I can hardly stand the thought of cottage cheese or eggs anymore.  My trainer tells me to eat anything that has a face or you can grow.  That is too vague to me.  

What do I make to eat and how can I cook for my family?  I am 6 weeks out, and can handle soft mechanicals-- but haven't ventured to try much-- 

And honestly-- I don't need anyone telling me that I should have learned all of this ahead of time or that I should have done more research, or that it was my responsibility to know this stuff.  I just don't need any put downs.  I'm struggling and need help-- and I am fairly intelligent with numbers and logic and other smarts-- but nutrition and foods have never made sense to me... I just don't get it.  I accept that-- so what I need is specific items to eat, where to get them, how to prepare them.  (Also-- I get lost on those 'recipe' sites.. and it is too overwhelming so I never get anywhere) 

Positives only, please.

I certainly would never criticize you for this, I am horrible with meal planning and such. I find a few things that work for me, and stick to them forever! Anyway, I use the websites worldaccordingtoeggface and bariatricfoodie to find recipes. You can look up things you like, and they will have some recipes there for how to make it work for us. Also, I've been doing a lot of chili, which is browned ground turkey, kidney beans, onions, celery, tomato sauce and petite diced tomatoes. You can make it kind of however you want, but if that sounds at all apetizing, let me know and I'll PM you my recipe.

Hang in there, it will get easier!

Thanks--yes, I have done chili too-- and that tastes amazing!   A friend of mine justs browns hamburger with some seasoning and onions-- I guess I could try that.  She also roasts vegetables in the oven-- does anyone know how to do this?

Roasting veggies is pretty straight-forward. There are a lot of recipes you can search for. The key seems to be not crowding the veggies too close together, otherwise they steam rather than brown. You can also try spraying the pan and veggies with olive oil/cooking spray rather than coating them in olive oil if you want to cut back on the fat content. Brussel sprouts are surprisingly good roasted, as are zucchini, carrots, beets and asparagus. Asparagus with crushed garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a grating of parmesan is delicious!

I discoved roasted califlower post surgery ... OMG it's delicious.  I just take some califlower, cut it up into relatively small (bite-size) pieces, spray it with olive oil or cooking spray and roast it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 450 degrees.  I tried this with brocolli too, but it didn't work as well.  But the cauliflower comes out with a really wonderful nutty flavor.  But it's pretty soft, so I was able to eat it once I moved into soft foods at about 4 weeks out.  

In my pureed stage, I did a lot of chicken or tuna salad - just take a can or canned chicken or tuna, throw it in the food processor with a little bit of low or non-fat mayo (I like the lite lemonaise from Whole Foods) and whatever seasonings you like - I usually added a little garlic powder and celery salt.  Early on I ate that a lot.  But not so much once I progressed.  I also did a lot of refried beans with a little low-fat shredded cheese blend and a tablespoon or so of Fage 0% greek yogurt.  Yum.  I still eat that some times.  

When I was home alone I did (and still do) go for really quick, easy to make high-protein meals.  When my husband is home I cook.  But I focus on making whatever protein I'm making (usually chicken or fish) really tasty.  I will also often add some sort of steamed veggie (I only add a touch of salt...sometimes).  Starches I stay away from, but I make them for my DH.  

My guess is that vegetables is not the issue for you right now. It is getting your protein in. I am over 7 months out and literally JUST getting to the point where I can eat vegetables on a regular basis, even then it is a spoonful or two at a time. 

Protein, protein, protein--have that be your focus for now.

FWIW, the way I roast vegetables is to spray a cookie sheet with Pam, put cubed squash, cut up cauliflower or sweet potatoes on it single layer and not terribly crowded together in a 450 degree oven for about an hour. 

Meatloaf is great, just cut the bread crumb amount in half to cut back on the carbs. I ate this alot when I was early out. Chicken salad is another good one. I would get a tub from Chick-fil-a and eat off that all week.

Breakfast - eggs, turkey bacon, Greek yogurt with fruit and a little granola, oatmeal with protein powder added, or a protein shake

Lunch and dinner- a salad with chicken or shrimp on it, sliced turkey or chicken and a slice of cheese rolled up, chili (make your own or pick up a small Wendy's chili, half a cheese burger without the bun, grilled chicken strips, tuna salad or chicken salad (you can wrap it in a lettuce leaf if you want), raw veggies with hummus, cottage cheese with some fruit, ricotta cheese with some spaghetti sauce on top

Try:

http://bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com/  and  http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/

Most of us find it easier to plan meals ahead of time so you are not faced with indecision every evening - I'm more likely to make good choices if it's there in front of me, than if I have to spend time planning and then cooking it when I'm tired and hungry!

I'm sorry that you thought that people would criticize you. I have never seen that. I must admit, people could call me stupid on here and I wouldn't even know. LOL I lose my own posts, so if anyone has ever said anything unkind, I never saw it. Yeah, ignorance can be bliss. 

Anyway, my son LOVED experimenting during the soft stage. He used the smal cup of the bullet, so if he didn' like something, it wasn't a big waste. i remember a few things that he doctored up that he really liked. He added spaghetti sauce, garlic, and parmesan cheese to fat free yogurt when he had an urge for italian. He added hot salsa to cottage cheese when he wanted mexican. When he wanted something sweet, he zapped his mixture of cottage cheeses, splenda, apple pie spice, nutmeg, and cinnamon and thought he was having his own apple pie. Now he is 2.5 years out and still experiments. His wife now experiments for him when she cooks. His favorite meal now is meatloaf. She made a meatloaf sauce for him, which is more of a tomato sauce. She also uses diet coke a lite soy sauce for sauces and marinades. I've tasted them and they are delicious. She doctors them with pinches of spices depending on what she is making. They have a 5 year old and they all eat the ame food now. Except the girls eat more veggies than he does. He can't tolerate crustaceous vegetables or salad. 

So, so make a long story short, become a mad scientist and share what you love. We should all share our concoctions, don't you think?

Good luck!