What are your short menus?

[lucidguppy]

I need to get back on the diet. My lack of variety I think did it. I need a new set of easy recipes that I can fall back on to give me the right amount of variety while being easy to prepare.

Example:

• Bean burritos
• Mushu vegetables with tofu
• Vegetable soup over brown rice
• Pasta with marinara sauce

I also have a problem where I get gastritis if the food is too tomato based or acidic (like I can have the pasta once a week - I can't push it).

I also probably need some easy sauces. The sauces in the McD app are minimum 6 ingredients.

I'll dig through the simple recipes for some stuff - but what is your short menu that you use all the time?

[michaelswarm]

I don't know that my dishes qualify as short menus. I tend to cook from scratch, and have extras of beans, rice, lentils, bread and marinara sauces in my refrigerator most of the time. Our meals tend to follow a weekly pattern, which gives us variety. I focus on the main starch(es) and dinner as the main meal. The main starches are corn (tortillas, chips), rice (brown rice or sushi rice steamed), wheat (breads) along with oats.

I probably use about 50 recipes regularly, and 200 plus occasionally. There are multiple various pasta sauces, curry sauces, soups, Mexican sauces, salsas, salads, condiments, bread types, etc. I don't lack for variety. I don't know if this is key to sustaining this way of eating for over a decade, but when I jumped in, I swore my food would taste even better than SAD, and focused on flavor, learning herbs and spices and Indian curries as my first step. I've never looked back.

- Mon: Lentil Corn Chili and Chips
- Tue: Spinach Curry and Baked Tofu or Potatoes
- Wed: Sushi
- Thu: Bread (sandwiches)
- Fri: Soup, Pasta
- Sat: Pizza, Bread Rolls, Bread Sticks
- Sun: Lentil Burgers

To this black bean and potato tacos can be had at any time, or pasta, or just oven fries.
A recent favorite of the kids has been Chinese Rice with Baked Tofu or Spicy Potatoes (minus the vegetables).
Breakfast can be any of oatmeal-porridge, toast, sweet rice, amaranth cereal or pancakes.

When I started, I also focused on really learning how to cook the main starch each day, and know different methods of preparation. For example, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, potato soup, etc. Or rice cooker steamed rice, pot steamed rice, rice pilaf, refried rice, etc. In the beginning I bought my whole wheat breads from markets. I still do that for corn tortillas and baked corn chips (no oil).

Hope this helps.

[Daydream]

Michaelswarm, I want to come eat at your house!!

Lucidguppy, I do my batch cooking for the week on the weekend. I usually make 2 pounds of some type of dried beans (black, pinto, navy etc) in my Instant pot. I also make some type of whole grain in my Instant pot (usually it is brown basmati rice because my husband loves that the most). I also make some type of soup. Lately my husband has been wanting me to make my split pea soup, which I make in my Instant pot. I will make Jeff's potato fries/wedges (my husband loves those). I also bake some Japanese sweet potatoes because I love them. I usually have a large colorful salad every day so I will wash/chop veggies for that. I like to bake whole white mushrooms in the oven and we eat those during the week.
Mary McDougall's Fat Free Golden Gravy is the best gravy over potatoes or vegetables:

https://www.drmcdougall.com/recipes/fat ... den-gravy/

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Lucidguppy,

I would totally go to either Michaelswarm or Daydream houses to eat!!!

I have felt really excited and comforted that just potatoes and salad (and/ or soup/fruit) could meet most nutritional requirements...

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=9321&p=68927&hilit=wendy%27s+mini#p68927
Check above out from JeffN --- Wendy's Mini... Pretty awesome to me to understand!!!

I love to have oatmeal (or other whole-grain cereal) plus fruit for breakfast. Nothing could be easier. Takes no more than 5 minutes.

Also, I do make Jeff Burgers (double batch) every 3-4 weeks and freeze them. Great to bring with you - wherever you go. These are super awesome / premade --- forget about any other product out there... No big deal to make and the recipe template is forgiving.

Like Daydream, I like to make sure to have starch prepared for the week. I LOVE potatoes in any and all forms!!!! Also, love to make a humungous pot of soup!!! Always rely on my rice cooker to quickly make starch!!!

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=37450&p=519900&hilit=healthy+eating+placemat#p519900
Honestly, I use above from JeffN --- which avoids many recipes (if that is helpful)... It has been really helpful to me to just think of a blank plate and add ---- minimally processed starch / veggies / fruit and be done with it...

I eat a ton of plates where I just throw on them --- starch plus veggie plus fruit. I like JeffN's ideas for quick meals --- pasta, beans and rice, etc. Since I started MWL (last May), I mostly don't use condiments (sometimes and measured)... I do like sometimes the California Balsamics Teriyaki or Sweet Heat... (however, these are like pouring maple syrup on your food and should be used sparingly)...

Best to you!!!
Stephanie

[michaelswarm]

LucidGuppy and VeganSeekingFit, McDougallers are always welcome at our house. I miss the lunch and dinner conversations of Dr McDougall's Advanced Study Weekends in Santa Rosa. We might be a bit far away, living in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. But if anyone happens to be taking a vacation down here, just send me a message.

[MINNIE]

Hi lucidguppy,

"I have felt really excited and comforted that just potatoes and salad (and/ or soup/fruit) could meet most nutritional requirements..." words I live by!

Don't know if this will help, as it isn't exactly a menu. But early on in my McDougall adventure (10 year anniversary coming up) I realized that meal plans and following recipes were not for me. That approach didn't suit my personality or available time.

What did suit was what I call : Potatoes and Whatever.

I remembered Dr. McDougall's statement that you could get full nutrition just eating broccoli and sweet potatoes if you were so inclined. He wasn't saying you have to do that, just that it's one approach. Aha! I could definitely do that!

I stick to a few starches that I like and then add whatever. This keeps it simple and saves time.

So for me, it's often potatoes and...whatever.

Today I had potato, corn, bean and kale soup for lunch. No recipe, just threw some ingredients in my Instant Pot, with some herbs and spices and water. Dinner will be baked sweet potato and whatever frozen vegetables I feel like eating tonight. A piece of fruit for dessert.

Some times the starch is a whole grain, squash or beans but it's the same principle. Keep a supply of your favorite starch always available, add fresh, frozen or canned vegetables for color and flavor, according to your mood or whim . Season it how ever you like. If you like fruit, eat some. If not, don't worry about it.( If you like using recipes, and enjoy cooking that way, this might be more a fall-back emergency method than something you do all the time),

I've been eating this way for years, and don't gain weight or get bored. YMMV, of course.

For me Potatoes and Whatever is Forever !

P.S. Yes I do eat breakfast, usually oats or other whole grain with fruit and some pumpkin seeds,
but sometimes it's..potatoes.

[Vanilla Orchid]

LucidGuppy and VeganSeekingFit, McDougallers are always welcome at our house. I miss the lunch and dinner conversations of Dr McDougall's Advanced Study Weekends in Santa Rosa. We might be a bit far away, living in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. But if anyone happens to be taking a vacation down here, just send me a message.

Be careful what you wish for. Some of us from Pacifica showed up in the UK. Just ask Kathryn UK, or Peasouper.