Not sleeved yet, but food question for those that hate to cook

I have made a few posts asking questions and getting great answers.

I would like to know what are some of your favorite quick and easy meals that don't need lots of preparation?

I do love protein shakes BTW made with water and ice.

My favorite meal of the day now is lunch.  I make a full bag of brown rice and portion it out into 2 weeks of meals, add a little cheese on top of one and a can of lemon pepper (Wal-mart brand) canned chicken.  Pop that in the microwave for 2 minutes and it's ready.  Now I know after the sleeve surgery, that would probably take me all day to eat, and probably wouldn't need that much brown rice, but I'm wondering about easy peasy meals like that I can do and have ready to eat for meals.

So what is your favorite quick and easy meal post surgery?

Am I going to have to give up my brown rice?

I don't eat rice at all. I eat only protein. I don't like to cook so I eat my protein very plain. Good luck.

You're going to get lots of replies to this post advising you to stay away from the rice, so be prepared ;)

I agree with TexasTerritory. Stick to protein. Simple carbs like rice/potatoes/pasta, while easy to eat, will do absolutely NOTHING for your weight loss and will actually slow it down the further out from surgery you are.

That said,I LOVE to cook, but I have a few staples for nights when I'm feeling too lazy to put in the effort. I ate a lot of shrimp ****tail in the first few months post op. Also, I do a lot of chicken now. Dark meat goes down easier, but that's just me... Sometimes just plain ol' chicken with some sort of dipping sauce (honey mustard, sriracha mayo, ranch, etc. as long as it isn't sugar-laden - I don't concern myself with counting fats).

Early out- I lived on fat free greek yogurt (no fruit, flavored with sf Torani syrup and unflavored protein powder added), protein shakes, and Isopure.

Once I hit 6 weeks...

Costco rotiessiere chicken- meat by itself, added to salad, used with a low carb wrap for a sandwich, added into a ready to eat Indian lentil dish, options are endless.

Crockpot- toss a meat, some veggies (mostly for my family on that). Find a couple of simple recipes that takes less than 5 minutes to assemble.

Trader Joe- they have all kinds of interesting protein choices ranging from fish to meatballs to just about anything.

Deli meat wrapped around some cheese

Protein shakes were a staple throughout my weightloss phase, and I still have several a week now. Nothing easier than a RTD proten shake (Premier Protein and EAS carbadvantage are my go to brands out of Costco or Sams)

I'm only 6 weeks out but love split pea w/ham soup in the blender. Also Golden Squash soup ( Cambell's in a box) which you can add unflavored protein powder to as well. The soup lasta me all week pretty much. Eat a lot of refried ed beans w/greek yogart. I can only eat about 2 oz at a time so don't buy a lot . I just learned protien shakes to suppliment protien is great for up to 6 months or longer so Sam's Club Premier Protien vanilla w/PB2 is my fav.

So far, there are several things I would enjoy.  I could definitely get with the greek yogurt with added protein powder.  Love beans (might keep the wife away though ), deli meat wrapped cheese would be an easy lunch favorite.

That's some great ideas. 

Just working on getting ready.  Want to be a little prepared for when it happens.  Getting as much research as I can before hand.

Don't know if it's possible to be fully prepared, but reading what everyone's posting is really helping to get a better understanding on what to expect.

It's GREAT that you are getting prepared.  I changed my diet to be protein forward 3 months before surgery and I'm SO GLAD I did.  I lost 63lbs in that time and felt like I had a jump start on a new life.

I second the rotisserie chicken suggestion.  I did and still do eat that a lot.  I use it as is, in chicken salad, and a myriad of other dishes.  A lot of stores carry premade meatballs and as long as they didn't have a lot of bread crumbs/carbs I ate them.  I like the frozen turkey meatballs from Trader Joe's.  TJ's also has frozen grilled chicken strips (Just Grilled Chicken...I think) that I used a lot.  Again, as is, dipped in a low sugar sauce, or thrown over a salad.  I have tuna a lot...that's my default when I'm busy, in a rush, don't feel like making anything, or just don't know what to eat.  I buy the single serving pouches and keep at least three in my cupboard all the time. Hard boiled eggs are great to have on hand.  Eat them as is or make egg salad.  I just found turkey & cheddar sausages that are pretty good.  They have them by the keilbasa.  A minute in the microwave is all it takes to heat them up. 

Good job on trying to get ready.  No, you can't be fully prepared but everything you do now, will make it that much easier once you have surgery!

Hi,

I did very little cooking pre-surgery, but found that I really needed to cook to get interesting alternatives to all those forbidden foods.  Some of the easiest are:

• I cook salmon, and make enough for a few days. I cook it sous vide - which is a French method with low temps, and it comes out so moist and pleasant.  The sous vide requires a special equipment so its a bit of a commitment, but I use it all the time, so it was worth it to me.
• Recently, I've been using a crock pot a lot.  GrayC shared a slow cooker balsamic chicken that is so tasty.  I found a slow cooker chicken salsa verde recipe that is delicious.  If you search for slow cooker recipes, you'll find lots of ideas.
• I make meatballs.  I have a low carb recipe that includes some pork so the meatballs are moist and tasty.  I make them about an ounce eat, and freeze them, so I can pop a few out and add a sauce or cheese and I have a nice meal.
• I buy the pre-marinated chicken breasts at trader joes.  They have curry, tomato basil and pesto at my local store.  I just brown them in a frying pan, finish them off in the oven, and stick them in the refrig. 

I find I need to watch my carbs or I start craving foods, so I don't eat rice.  Its just meats and low carb veggie for me.

I wish you well with your new tummy. 

best wishes,

Carol