Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with food and meals

Help me wrap and present delicious but frozen food.

anderjen — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:24:16 -0800

This Christmas, I'm giving everyone the gift of delicious and healthy home-cooked meals, but I'm blanking on how to wrap and/or present them at the Christmas Eve festivities. Everything will be pre-frozen, which probably rules out putting them by the tree with the other gifts, and the only other solution I can think of is leaving them in my car and letting everyone take theirs on the way home, which is lame. There must be a better way. As I'm picturing it, everything will be frozen and packaged into reusable Gladware-type containers. Once frozen, are there any cheap ways of keeping them cold and dry to the point where I could actually wrap them and set them under the tree for a few hours until we get to the gift opening, and then again until people can get them home? I don't want anything to defrost too much, obviously.

The one thing I really do not want to do is buy each recipient a mini-cooler and ice packs because that kind of defeats the purpose of a low-cost/all-consumable present in my mind, and also there are 10 people, which would blow my budget.

If I do have to leave them in the car (which is a viable option, as I live in Minnesota), any cool ideas on what I could use or make to represent the meals for maximum effect? The rest of the gift will consist of other homemade treats and snacks, so there will be something open for sure, but the main meal is kind of the piece de resistance, so I'd like to make sure it doesn't get missed in a pile of wrapping paper.

I am certainly open to better ideas and suggestions if you have any. Thanks, all!

How do I get out of social food situations?

Anonymous — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:56:12 -0800

How can I avoid social meals gracefully when I have an eating disorder? I have an eating disorder (not eating enough food and not eating a wide range of foods) which really prevents me from engaging in social meals. I like socializing and I'm really outgoing, but when food is involved I feel self-conscious because I know I can't or won't eat much or any of it. When invited out for drinks I go almost every time, but for meals I make up an excuse or simply avoid the person for a short period.

I feel bad because I can't enjoy something which is normal for most people, but I feel worse because I can never give a straight answer to people who invite me for meals. I'm sure they think I hate them, and would like a good way of excusing myself from meals/food situations. I really want to be able to say, "I can't do this, so don't invite me, but also please don't pry into my problem." How can I say this in a way that is clear but polite?

I'm female, late 20s, and I live with some of the people who ask me out for meals. I've never been diagnosed with a problem, and am not seeing anybody about it. However, I am making good but slow progress and think I will be capable of dealing with these situations in a few years. I don't need help in that way.

Help a health-conscious snacker bake!

schmoo — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 08:28:08 -0800

Please suggest me some snacks, light or portable dishes that are both healthy and involve baking or cooking. I love to cook. I especially love to cook recipes that involve lots of chopping, stiring, mixing, frying or baking. I don't like recipes that are just an assembly of ingredients, or which only take 2 minutes. I like to be in the kitchen! That said, I'm not looking to spend hours in the kitchen, so something that takes 3 days isn't really an option!

I cook a lot of meals like this in the evenings, but I'm looking for snacks that I can bake or cook. - Things that I can take to work in my lunchbox, snack on after work, or leave in the fridge and graze on for a few days.

However, I'm also pretty health-conscious and trying to, if not lose a few pounds, definately not put any on. This rules out the normal things that I think I would find fun cooking - cookies, cupcakes, muffins, quiche, samosas, breads, etc. That list seems biased towards sweet things, but savoury are just as welcome, if not more.

The kinds of things that I am looking for, and have experimented with already are: falafels (baked, not fried), healthy lo-cal dips (would welcome more of these!) and glazed nuts (not the most low-fat of snack but at least has health benefits). I would love any and all suggestions for things along these lines. I would also welcome low-calorie versions of the things that I don't bake - cookies, cakes, etc.

So - give me your recipes for low-fat, low-cal or just plain healthy snacks and light dishes which involve cooking or baking.

I have searched previous posts, and while there are many on health snack ideas, none that meet my particular criteria! Thanks in advance!

Satisfy my salty-sweet tooth!

rachaelfaith — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:40:30 -0800

What are your favorite salty/sweet food combinations? While I generally crave salty things like chips, pretzels and crackers and rarely crave sugary snacks, I sometimes like to aim for a salty/sweet happy medium.

I love the taste of kettle corn, and I have recently begun to explore the deliciousness of sprinkling sea salt on baked goods. [Sea salt on homemade caramels? YUM.]

What else works? I'm looking for any food, not just snacks.

What's for dinner?

coppermoss — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:59:46 -0800

PlanMyMealFilter: I've had a fairly miserable couple of days and feel like cooking something soothing/comforting/delicious tonight, but am tired of my usual fallback, mac-n-cheese. What are your recipes for your favorite comfort foods? Nothing tooooo complex (it's getting late, after all) but I wouldn't mind concentrating for a while on something that isn't super-depressing. Only dietary restriction is no soy or cumin.

How to Eat off of $25 a week

oviedo — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:50:32 -0800

Eating on $25 a week, suggestions? I'm doing an experiment after a food studies class this past semester, and eating off of $25 for a week. I would like to look at multiple options for this trial, such as fast food vs. grocery store, food stamps vs. no food stamps, vegitarian vs. omnivore, etc. Has anyone in the Hive done this before? Do any of you have suggestions?

Much Thanks!

Go Small And Go Home

scrump — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 07:05:19 -0800

Help us cook a holiday feast for just the three of us. What are your favorite recipes for the holidays for small families? We love us some Cooks Illustrated, but it's proving to be a little...challenging to scale a recipe that's meant to serve 12-14 back for 2 adults and a 4-year-old.

So suggest away: we'd love to hear what tried-and-tested favorites you've made for your four-people-or-fewer families for the holidays.

Tasty, nutritious and healthy frozen food wanted

reenum — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 06:56:47 -0800

Need recommendations as to tasty prepared frozen meals available in the U.S. Work has gotten out of hand, so my time to cook has been severely limited.

I need recommendations as to frozen meals (TV dinners) or other foods that are healthy and somewhat nutritious, but that also don't taste like cardboard. I've been subsisting on some passable Lean Cuisines for a week, and need to branch out into other brands.

Suggestions as to things that can be cooked quickly (e.g. 20-30 minutes) and frozen are also welcome.

Thanks!

Food ready to order

ObscureReferenceMan — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 08:19:58 -0800

Asking for a friend... What is the (famous?) company that sells pre-cooked meals? Not simply TV dinners, but fancier than that. She tells me they offer entire meals (for multiple people), or individual servings. Food is completely cooked, and just has to be re-heated. They also carry desserts. She believes they are as well-known as Omaha Steaks. And, they specialize in holiday meals. Any ideas?
(Sorry for the scant description. I'll try to pass more info along, as well as field any questions from the group.)

What is a good no-effort online weekly meal planner?

cprompt — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 07:30:21 -0800

I am looking for a meal planner online, or downloadable (preferably for Mac or iPhone) that will give me an aggregated shopping list and recipes for the week. Hi folks. I am trying to get in the habit of cooking my own meals, so I can be more healthy and save money. My cooking repertoire is somewhat limited, but I can follow directions.

I am looking for a meal planner online, or downloadable (preferably for Mac or iPhone) that will give me an aggregated shopping list and recipes for the week. I saw one on Google a while ago that sort of accomplished that, but it was a subscription service and was not customizable at all. The more effort involved, the less likely I am to do this.

A book that accomplishes the same might also be helpful. However, I'm a big guy, and a book based around a 2000 calorie diet would probably be dangerous for me at first.

Thanks!

Cooking on the cheap

odi.et.amo — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:21:42 -0800

Cheap home-made food for a group of people? What sorts of inexpensive meals could my friends and I make that are also reasonably healthy? This would be for 5-8 people. We've already done a big batch of scrambled eggs and toast one day, spaghetti and home-made meat sauce another.

I'm considering a stirfry and rice next time. What other cheap meals can we make that can either be prepared in advance or won't take a lot of time to make that night?

Difficulty: It should also be filling (no ramen...). We do have access to Costco and Super H Mart as well as Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and normal grocery stores.

Lists of super easy meals?

jesirose — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:24:02 -0800

Any lists of super simple meals? I suddenly find myself with no money and rising food prices. I am not a chef, and I either eat out or eat frozen meals. I know, I know. Anyway I am looking for lists of dinners / entrees with 2-4 ingredients so I can save money. Bonus points if they can use store-brand items.

Example:
Fettuccine Alfredo (the grownup Mac & Cheese!) (Got 4 meals out of $3, whereas the frozen one I used to buy cost $6 for one meal)
Peanut Butter & Jelly, obvious staple for lunch
Taco - Tortillas, ground beef, cheese.

I found a lot of websites with "simple" recipes which have more than 6 items and lots of steps to do with them. I made cookies the other day and it cost $15 and took 2 hours. I need to save money and time and eat on the mediocre side for a while.

Thanks for any suggestions or lists! I never did the poor college student thing so I have no idea what to buy. So I am hoping somewhere out there is a list of cheap & easy meals that really are cheap and easy, and not $20 worth of ingredients and 1 hour to make.

Cheeseburger for breakfast, cereal for lunch

lubujackson — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 09:57:53 -0800

Why do we eat "breakfast foods"? When did this originate and why? So eating my pancakes this morning, I started to wonder about the strangeness that is breakfast. There are foods for breakfast that you don't eat at other points of the day, while you don't eat most other dishes for breakfast. It hasn't always been this way. Why the cultural shift?

Please help me balance a busy schedule, heavy exercise, and dietary constraints by suggesting the perfect meal.

sequential — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 13:29:45 -0800

Please help me balance a busy schedule, heavy exercise, and dietary constraints by suggesting the perfect meal. First, I am operating under the assumption that meal replacement bars can not replace all meals. Though I have been through many days while traveling with just South Beach Meal Replacement bars, which contain 0g sugars, 5g fiber, 19g protein, 6g fat, and a smattering of 23 vitamins and minerals all for the low price of 210 calories per bar, I get the distinct impression this is not as healthy as I can be.

Second, I exercise at least six days a week, burning a minimum of 700 calories per day. My diet is 1400 net calories, which generally means 2100 total calories. Though the meal replacement bars are tasty, they are also filling. I can't eat 10 a day. When I am home, I eat better, but still rely on bars to get my caloric intake at its appropriate level.

Furthermore, I have food allergies (tomatoes, chief and most dangerous among them), intolerances (lactose is ok in small doses), and an over active set of taste buds (few veggies, no alcohol). This severely limits my food choices.

What I'm looking for is a meal that I can prepare in advance that can entirely replace of the traditional American meal. Such a perfect meal should be roughly between 200 and 300 calories. The meal should be nutritionally balanced when multiplied out to a 2,000 calorie diet, though I am not opposed to supplementing my diet with vitamins. Such a meal should use relatively easy to find ingredients at drug stores, grocery stores, or retail locations like WalMart or Target. (In other words, no specialty stores.) Such a meal should be low in sugars (close to 0g), relatively high in fiber (5g or higher), protein heavy (20g or higher), low in sodium, fat, and cholesterol.

Bonus points for preparation that can be done in a hotel room with no kitchen or whilst otherwise ill prepared. That said, if I can find a couple of perfect meals, I'll happily prepare meals well in advance.

Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions.

Quick and easy organic low carb?

krisjohn — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 23:20:00 -0800

Does anyone have any suggestions for quick and easy organic low carb meals, where "quick and easy" takes into account washing up time? I want to go low carb to lose weight. I'm currently avoiding artificial additives as much as possible due to a suspected (unconfirmed, but looking increasingly likely) allergy. Also because it's a good idea. I got "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Quick and Easy Low-Carb Meals", but it fails on two counts; It ignores the preservatives typically found in most (if not all) packaged, sliced meat and it makes a lot of things (kitchen utensils, bowls, saucepans, various electric cookers) messy such that cleaning up afterwards is likely to take as long as the original preparation.

So, I'm looking for low carb ideas that are actually quick and easy, and don't rely on (heavily) processed foods.

Bonus round: Both tuna and crab are also on my potential allergy list. And I'm trying to cut down on dairy products (mostly due, though, to the junk cows are pumped full of, so I can always use organic milk).

Late meal diabetes risk?

stavrosthewonderchicken — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 05:43:58 -0800

Is there any connection between eating meals close to bedtime and elevated risk of developing diabetes? My wife has been convinced by Korean health TV shows that there's some kind of enormous increase in diabetes onset risk if you eat sooner than several hours before bedtime. I've searched like nuts for any research backup to this, to no avail. I am aware that there is increased diabetes risk for people of Asian descent (amongst other ethnicities), but I'm not in any of the high-risk groups, at least through descent. Any factual help?

Low carb, low cholesterol, low time. What to eat?

gnomeloaf — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 11:00:00 -0800

One person has high cholesterol. The other has type 2 diabetes. Both have no more than 30 minutes to cook and eat together. What do you recommend for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? I should add that one hates fish, and both like spiciness/heat.

Yes, I intend to continue looking through the vast landscape of cookbooks, recipe databases and health communities. But AskMe food threads rarely disappoint, and I'm hoping you all will have some inspiring ideas, even in the face of this juxtaposition.

Can you help me determine a ballpark calorie figure for grandma's stew?

Chorus — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 11:56:50 -0800

Can you help me determine a ballpark calorie figure for grandma's stew? So my grandmother makes this stew/concoction everyday and whoever passes through her house [a family hub central] usually grabs a bowl. The school year means I'm passing through every weekday, and before I chow down I'd really like to know what sort of calories/nutritional values I'm dealing with.

Receipe:
-500g steak mince/ground beef [the kind with hardly "white" in the meat]
- Carrots
- Parsnips
- Mushrooms
- Onion
- Packet o' oxtail soup.

According to my investigations, grandmother boils the mince, leaves it stand overnight and then skims off the layer of fat the next morning [I've never heard of that before, but whatever]. Then the raw, chopped veg are added, then the soup. It's brought to the boil again and then left simmer in a veritable cauldron [oh you think I'm joking] all day and people just take what they want from there.

So far, I've been grabbing a cereal bowl for dinner - any idea of the calorific value of that?

Everyone else grabs say a pasta bowl of the stew, and then they add in boiled potatoes, sprinkle cheddar on top and a few cuts of buttered bread - surely that must be calorie overload?

A part of me says the stew is fine and to stop being so anal - but I've worked really dilligently to lose a stone in weight this past month through exercise and good diet, so I dont want my dinner everyday to be a possible blind spot.

And we're Irish, in case you couldn't tell [not that it impacts anything, but yeah. Suspecions confirmed.]

Fast, healthy, on-the-go meal ideas and recipes?

blueplasticfish — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 17:47:21 -0800

I'm a health-conscious college student who would like to spend less money eating out. The problem is I don't have much time, or resources (like a full scale kitchen), to prepare "real" meals. Ideally, I would like something that I could cook in bulk and then take with me to microwave at work for lunch, or at home for dinner. But I'll need some variety. Keep in mind, I prefer vegetarian dishes and maybe an occasional fish meal. Absolutely no red meat. :) Low in saturated fat, and easy on the budget. Any ideas are welcome.

How can I get my 4 year old to eat his meals?

Lactoso — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 14:18:55 -0800

I have a four year old son who simply refuses to eat his meals in a timely fashion. This has been an ongoing problem since he was two years old and we've been trying various approaches, but have mainly been hoping that he grows out of it. But it's at the point that every single meal has become unpleasant because of his refusal to eat. Basically he will sit there and eat, but extremely slowly. When forced to speed up he'll just keep the food in his mouth until told to chew. Then he'll chew for ten minutes before swallowing. By the time everyone else has finished their meals, he has consumed maybe two to three spoonfuls of his meal. According to the doctor, he's fine, maybe a bit skinny, but also tall for his age. The doctor assures us he'll grow out of it, but it's a struggle to make sure he's eating enough to fend off anemia.

We've tried everything we could think of. Even asking him what he wants prior to his meal and then preparing that specifically for him has no effect. Forcing him to sit at the table until he finishes has no effect either as he will stay there for hours.

My other son (who is eight years old) is (and always has been) just the opposite. He'll eat his food and the plate it was served on.

I've read that this is usually a control issue for children, as they feel so little control in other aspects of their lives, they feel the need to control whatever they can - even if that means regulating food intake. This is the only real issue we have with him (developmentally-wise).

If anyone has experienced this before and/or has insight or suggestions as to games, techniques, whatever to get him to eat, we would be enormously grateful to hear them.