Eating Healthy Is Boring!

[Disney Ella]

It's not fun. I don't like to cook so I hate having to make everything from scratch. I also miss eating some of that stuff that's not good for you. I'll never be one of those people who say, "I don't even want anything sugary anymore." I still want it and would gladly eat it if I could.

 

[cabanafrau]

My family eats roasted brussel sprouts like candy. I halve and boil for about 10 mins (a trick my DD’s chef showed her to take the bitterness out) then mist with olive oil and sprinkle of salt & pepper, roast until crispy. We keep buying more and more but never have any leftovers. I agree, the tastiest veggies are roasted and seasoned well.

Sometimes I just like some steamed brussels with no muss, no fuss, no season. If I pay attention and don't overcook they come out fabulous. My daughters love them like that too. For my husband, it don't matter how you cook a brussel sprout, he will not touch them. Apparently his mother served them cooked very badly and very often when he was growing up and he has vowed he never has to eat another one again in this lifetime. It's his loss, we'll eat them all happily.

The recipe had all the things I like (brussel sprouts, balsamic, rosemary) but at the end, it was truly blah. Don't know why. It's so disappointing.

I've had recipes that seem like they should be a complete home run and turn out meh. A few times I've tried tweaking on a second try with more garlic or something to see if I can remedy it, but some still remain losers for reasons I never figure out.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Then you haven't found a favorite healthy food nor have you found a balance between healthy and unhealthy.
Everything in moderation.
Personally I can and do have a piece of fruit every day for breakfast, a giant green pepper for lunch, grapes and cheese for a snack, 120oz of water throughout the day, and a granola bar as a bedtime snack.
Dinner is where I "cheat". Whatever the rest of my family is having I'm having.
That may be pizza, wings, and pepsi, that may be burgers and potato salad, that may be cheesy Italian chicken pie..... whatever it is I'm eating it healthy or not healthy.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

brussell sprouts boring???

You're right, they aren't boring. They're yucky. But it's 100% never a bore around here if they are served.

last night I was craving them! I use a combo of salt and SPICES to create fantastic dishes.(along with oil) last night was a simple olive oil,salt,pepper,garlic powder and balsamic vinegar,toss and bake until *dark* brown and getting crispy edges on a baking sheet....

Yeah but the problem is, all that stuff would taste much better on something other than brussels sprouts.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I have been straight up calorie counting for the last 14 months and have lost 90lbs. The key for me is that the food has not been boring - I've used Skinnytaste recipes almost exclusively.

That said... I love cooking. Eating out while watching calories is a beating and pretty boring. Sure, many restaurants now offer better options but they are still higher than what a similar dish would be at home. I can eat more if I cook at home; on days we eat out, I feel less satisfied. That part IS difficult.

(I also do everything in moderation and typically splurge without guilt on special occasions and vacations)

 

[UncleMike101]

A Physician once told me, "If it tastes good. Spit it out! It's bad for you."

 

[wvjules]

A Physician once told me, "If it tastes good. Spit it out! It's bad for you."

Horrible advice, especially from a physician.

 

[cabanafrau]

I have been straight up calorie counting for the last 14 months and have lost 90lbs. The key for me is that the food has not been boring - I've used Skinnytaste recipes almost exclusively.

That said... I love cooking. Eating out while watching calories is a beating and pretty boring. Sure, many restaurants now offer better options but they are still higher than what a similar dish would be at home. I can eat more if I cook at home; on days we eat out, I feel less satisfied. That part IS difficult.

(I also do everything in moderation and typically splurge without guilt on special occasions and vacations)

That's quite an accomplishment. Congratulations!

As the years go by I'm getting more and more burned out on cooking. I think part of my issue is it seems less and less people in my circles are cooking and more and more of the cooking winds up on my shoulders for get togethers. I feel like I just went from Thanksgiving into the Christmas/New Years cycle and just a couple weeks ago I wound up cooking up a storm for a Super Bowl party that took me by surprise. I want to step out of the kitchen for a good long spell at this point.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Look on sparkspeople.com they have so many recipes for all kinds of diets. It is free. Use all kinds of spices and herbs.
I make my own hummus the way I like , I use white beans, some of the juice from the can and olive oil and then add what ever spice or herb that I like. When I make things I usually take a tablespoon of it and use whatever comes to mind that may make it good for me.

 

[UncleMike101]

Horrible advice, especially from a physician.

He was my Brother in Law.
We were dining at The Petroleum Club in Evansville IN. (Closed for many years now.)
He was being facetious.........

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Not if you like to cook. This week’s menu had spicy shrimp tacos with cilantro lime sour cream and avocado salsa, green curry salmon with baby boc choy, turkey sausage meatballs in a red curry over brown rice, and black bean soup. I love looking online for new recipes, and the kids love eating new things.

Wow where do I get those recipes, sound awesome. Would love it if we had a healthy recipe thread.

 

[wvjules]

tinkerdorabelle, check out skinnytaste.com

Some favorites of mine are chicken enchiladas, chicken enchilada skillet, chicken pot pie, stuffed pepper soup, cajun shrimp foil packets, taco chicken chili, 3 bean chili, spinach and cheese stuffed meatloaf, lasagna roll ups, buffalo chicken wraps, chiken sausage brocolli orchetta pasta, air fryer fried chicken. I use the her website a lot, but I also have 2 of the 3 cookbooks. One and Done is fantastic!

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I have been straight up calorie counting for the last 14 months and have lost 90lbs. The key for me is that the food has not been boring - I've used Skinnytaste recipes almost exclusively.

That said... I love cooking. Eating out while watching calories is a beating and pretty boring. Sure, many restaurants now offer better options but they are still higher than what a similar dish would be at home. I can eat more if I cook at home; on days we eat out, I feel less satisfied. That part IS difficult.

(I also do everything in moderation and typically splurge without guilt on special occasions and vacations)

Never mind. Foot in mouth lol.
Totally read as FOUR months which to me was like yikes~!
You're doing it right!!!!

 

[luvsJack]

Then you haven't found a favorite healthy food nor have you found a balance between healthy and unhealthy.
Everything in moderation.
Personally I can and do have a piece of fruit every day for breakfast, a giant green pepper for lunch, grapes and cheese for a snack, 120oz of water throughout the day, and a granola bar as a bedtime snack.
Dinner is where I "cheat". Whatever the rest of my family is having I'm having.
That may be pizza, wings, and pepsi, that may be burgers and potato salad, that may be cheesy Italian chicken pie..... whatever it is I'm eating it healthy or not healthy.

That may work for you but most people cannot and will not eat the same thing every day, even if they do have the one cheat meal a day.

I wouldn't have a problem with anything you are eating but eating the same thing every day for 2 out of 3 meals is the very definition of boring!

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

That may work for you but most people cannot and will not eat the same thing every day, even if they do have the one cheat meal a day.

I wouldn't have a problem with anything you are eating but eating the same thing every day for 2 out of 3 meals is the very definition of boring!

My point was its not boring for me because I LOVE those healthy items. If you find a number of healthy items that you love you won't get bored.
Legit I wake up craving pineapple and for lunch crave my giant green pepper.
Its only boring if you think its boring. I don't think its boring.
For me its something sustainable for the rest of my life.
Heck I lost 60lbs over 2 years and have kept it off for a year.

 

[cabanafrau]

My point was its not boring for me because I LOVE those healthy items. If you find a number of healthy items that you love you won't get bored.
Legit I wake up craving pineapple and for lunch crave my giant green pepper.
Its only boring if you think its boring. I don't think its boring.
For me its something sustainable for the rest of my life.
Heck I lost 60lbs over 2 years and have kept it off for a year.

There are a lot of healthy foods I LOVE. I'd still get bored eating them every single day. I'd get bored eating unhealthy food items I LOVE every day too.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

My point was its not boring for me because I LOVE those healthy items. If you find a number of healthy items that you love you won't get bored.
Legit I wake up craving pineapple and for lunch crave my giant green pepper.
Its only boring if you think its boring. I don't think its boring.
For me its something sustainable for the rest of my life.
Heck I lost 60lbs over 2 years and have kept it off for a year.

For a lot of people it's the repetitive nature of eating the same things over and over again. That's not to say people don't have routines of say breakfast for example where they always eat something but it can be a bit much day in and day out meal after meal after meal for some people.

 

[luvsJack]

My point was its not boring for me because I LOVE those healthy items. If you find a number of healthy items that you love you won't get bored.
Legit I wake up craving pineapple and for lunch crave my giant green pepper.
Its only boring if you think its boring. I don't think its boring.
For me its something sustainable for the rest of my life.
Heck I lost 60lbs over 2 years and have kept it off for a year.

Whatever works but I am not even completly sure that would be defined as healthy. I guess it would depend on your nightly meal.

 

[wenrob]

It's not fun. I don't like to cook so I hate having to make everything from scratch. I also miss eating some of that stuff that's not good for you. I'll never be one of those people who say, "I don't even want anything sugary anymore." I still want it and would gladly eat it if I could.

It does not have to be all or nothing. That’s where people get tripped up. No one is perfect and shouldn’t strive to be. I have maintained an 89 pound loss for over nine years. I live by “all things in moderation.” You just need to find a balance that works for you. I’m having pizza for dinner tonight. I’ll have a couple slices and a breadstick and still have room for some chocolate this evening. An evening snack/treat is important to me so I’ll give up a third slice for it. I’m not willing to give up pizza or chocolate so I eat less of it. Knowing I can have either any time I want makes it easier for me to stick to a healthier diet.

Sometimes I just like some steamed brussels with no muss, no fuss, no season. If I pay attention and don't overcook they come out fabulous. My daughters love them like that too. For my husband, it don't matter how you cook a brussel sprout, he will not touch them. Apparently his mother served them cooked very badly and very often when he was growing up and he has vowed he never has to eat another one again in this lifetime. It's his loss, we'll eat them all happily.



I've had recipes that seem like they should be a complete home run and turn out meh. A few times I've tried tweaking on a second try with more garlic or something to see if I can remedy it, but some still remain losers for reasons I never figure out.

Quite a few of the lightly boiled ones become “testers” before they even hit the roasting pan, lol. I thought I hated brussel sprouts. Turns out I just didn’t like frozen, boiled to mush brussel sprouts. Give me fresh and I’ll eat them all day.

 

[Christine]

It

Quite a few of the lightly boiled ones become “testers” before they even hit the roasting pan, lol. I thought I hated brussel sprouts. Turns out I just didn’t like frozen, boiled to mush brussel sprouts. Give me fresh and I’ll eat them all day.

Believe it or not, I like both: roasted, charred, sautéed AND I like the frozen, boiled to mush ones too!

These days, my favorite is to saute finely shredded Brussel sprouts (my grocery stores sells them this way).

I cook a few slices of bacon up, remove from the pan. Saute some red onion, add in the shredded sprouts, and saute a bit. I then add 2 tsps. of brown sugar in and it caramelizes them.

See, I had to RUIN them with sugar but that carmelization is fantastic.