What are your best/go-to Nutrient dense meals?

[mmasc]

This is sort of a S/O IF thread...when you’re only eating for an eight hour window (or not) what are your favorite nutrient dense meals? I find it very hard to get all the protein and other stuff into that window! I’d love to do some of those meals packed in bento containers for the whole week things, but I need some ideas on good meals that cover all the bases. 

FYI, I admit that I’m trying to lose about 10 pounds in the next couple of months. I’m not looking for extreme anything, just eating a certain number of calories in nutrient dense foods. IOW, I don’t want to eat a pound of bacon and block of cheese bc it’s low carb 😂

 

[mmasc]

here’s an example of go-to meals for me:

ezekiel bread (toasted) with avocado on top; Greek yogurt w honey and walnuts

Cold grilled salmon, green beans, sweet potatoes 

hard boiled eggs, Ezekiel toast; string cheese

[Frances]

Plain Greek yogurt with blueberries and almonds. This is my usual workday breakfast. Sometimes I will scramble a few eggs to have with the yogurt and fruit instead of the almonds. I’ll substitute local berries in season for the blueberries. I don’t like hard boiled eggs or else that would also work well.

apple slices with real peanut butter or apple slices and string cheese

I usually make a big batch of something on the weekend to have for a hot lunch every day. A favorite is chicken and vegetable curry over cauliflower rice. Last weekend I made a Moroccan sweet potatoe, lentil, and vegetable stew someone recommended on here. During the summer, grilled chicken or fish with baked or grilled vegetables is my easy go to.

I saw a link yesterday for a blackened shrimp, avocado, and asparagus salad that looks great, as they are all things I love.

https://cafedelites.com/blackened-shrimp-asparagus-and-avocado-salad/

Lettuce wraps and grilled fish tacos sans tortilla are also summer favorites.

[mmasc]

@FrancesI pinned that sweet potato stew to try! How was it?

Tell me about the lettuce wrap and fish tacos...what’s in the wrap?

thank you!

[HomeAgain]

One of my favorite meals: cold grilled chicken, barley salad (cooked barley mixed with greek yogurt and sauteed onions, mushrooms, & carrots), quick-pickled cucumber on the side.  The barley makes it sit heavy in the stomach.
I also tend to cook up a pot of black beans with cilantro, onion, peppers, and a splash of apple cider vinegar.  I'll eat that with corn tortillas, pico, and avocado. Or I'll swap the corn tortillas for baked sweet potato rounds.
You also might like looking into something like shakshuka.  It's totally nutrient dense and you can tailor it to your tastes.  I put chickpeas and fried potatoes in mine to not rely on bread to go with. (I'm not adverse to bread, but it's hard to get my kid to eat it)


 Tonight we're having rice with dinner but I'm making it with coconut milk for extra fat, cooking up some plantain slices, black beans, and a side salad.  It'll keep well for dh to take for lunch tomorrow, too.

[Frances]

The stew was very good. The only thing I would do differently is sauté the vegetables (or at least the onion, celery, and garlic) and spices in a bit of olive oil first before putting in the crockpot.

For fish tacos, I marinate red snapper in olive oil, minced chipotle chiles in adobo, lime juice, and cumin. Then we make a slaw with cabbage, onions, lime juice, Greek yogurt, and tons of cilantro. Other toppings include avocado, hot sauce, and lime.

The meat I use for the lettuce wraps is similar to this recipe https://joyfoodsunshine.com/asian-chicken-lettuce-wraps/. I like to add purple cabbage and grated carrots to mine for extra crunch and nutrition.

Another winter dish I like to make is baked brown basmati rice with chicken broth, cumin, tomatoes, onion, garlic, green and red peppers, and a bit of red pepper flakes. Then I use any leftover chicken I have and black beans to make bowls. Other toppings include Greek yogurt, cilantro, avocado, finely shredded Mexican cheese, etc. Lettuce or spinach is also good with this.

Edited March 24, 2019 by Frances

[Liz CA]

Summer salad or whenever tomatoes are in season:

Corn (from can or off the cob and cooked)
Avocados, sliced or cubed
hard boiled eggs
Tomatoes, chopped
green onions, chopped

You can do a simple vinaigrette or a Tahini sauce like this:

1 T tahini

little oilive oil and vinegar

some tamari or amino sauce

fresh or dried herbs

Mix up into a pourable liquid and add to salad. I also use this tahini sauce over veggies.

[mmasc]

@HomeAgain I’ll have to look up shakahuka...I’ve never heard of it. But I do like chickpeas and fried potatoes. 🙂

those black beans sound right up my alley! Do you make them from scratch? I’ve never had good luck getting my beans well flavored when I cook from dry. 🤔 but I love beans!

[mmasc]

Thanks for the ideas everyone! I’m definitely making a list of hints to look into and try. 

Keep ‘em coming!

[HomeAgain]

10 hours ago, mmasc said:

@HomeAgain I’ll have to look up shakahuka...I’ve never heard of it. But I do like chickpeas and fried potatoes. 🙂

those black beans sound right up my alley! Do you make them from scratch? I’ve never had good luck getting my beans well flavored when I cook from dry. 🤔 but I love beans!

My kids call shakshuka vegetarian chili.  It's from the middle east, I think, and is a heavily spiced tomato based dish, usually with eggs on top. (They're not a fan of the eggs).  It's one of those things, though, that I can make a pan full and they will eat it for dinner that night, breakfast in the morning, and lunch until it's gone.

I cheat with the black beans.  As much as I want to do fully from scratch, canned low-sodium and well rinsed is the way to go here.  I get the flavor from the sofrito I make first, then add the beans and enough water for them to move a bit, and then simmer.  Sometimes I add a bay leaf, sometimes not.  They simmer on the back of the stove until dinner.  About 10 minutes before serving I mash them slightly against the pot side and add the vinegar to bring out a bit of brightness.

[ScoutTN]

Scrambled eggs (pastured eggs) with veggie and meat or cheese add-ins. Spinach, sauteed onion, tomatoes and feta is one favorite combo. Mushrooms, smoked gouda and a bit of ham or chx is another. Cilantro, cheddar and leftover fajita meat or black beans. Shredded roast beef, potatoes and onionsis another. Fresh dill and cream cheese. 

Soup! I make my own stock. Beef vegetable with barley. Chx tortilla made from half chx stock and half our CSA farmer's version of V8 for base. Then zucchini, peppers, onion, chx, black beans, cilantro, chipotle pepper. I rarely actually have any tortillas with it. Avaocado on the side, sometimes. (Not the recalled ones!! yikes!!) 

I think part of the way to get truly nutrient dense meals is to choose high quality ingredients whenever possible. To the extent our budget allows, I choose locally produced pastured eggs, chx and pork, grass-fed beef, milk, cream and butter from cows that eat grass, not grain. Beyond organic veggies grown in good soil. 

[mmasc]

2 hours ago, ScoutTN said:

Scrambled eggs (pastured eggs) with veggie and meat or cheese add-ins. Spinach, sauteed onion, tomatoes and feta is one favorite combo. Mushrooms, smoked gouda and a bit of ham or chx is another. Cilantro, cheddar and leftover fajita meat or black beans. Shredded roast beef, potatoes and onionsis another. Fresh dill and cream cheese. 

Soup! I make my own stock. Beef vegetable with barley. Chx tortilla made from half chx stock and half our CSA farmer's version of V8 for base. Then zucchini, peppers, onion, chx, black beans, cilantro, chipotle pepper. I rarely actually have any tortillas with it. Avaocado on the side, sometimes. (Not the recalled ones!! yikes!!) 

I think part of the way to get truly nutrient dense meals is to choose high quality ingredients whenever possible. To the extent our budget allows, I choose locally produced pastured eggs, chx and pork, grass-fed beef, milk, cream and butter from cows that eat grass, not grain. Beyond organic veggies grown in good soil. 

I haven’t heard about this but eats lots of avocados. Just bought 5 yesterday. Off to look it up!

[mmasc]

1 minute ago, mmasc said:

I haven’t heard about this but eats lots of avocados. Just bought 5 yesterday. Off to look it up!

I’m not in one of the affected states, plus it looks like my avocados came from Mexico, but good grief! I’m so tired of fruits and vegetables getting recalled!