Gearing up for bootcamp - shopping list help please!

[ArianwenTheAstronaut]

So I may be jumping the gun somewhat, as bootcamp doesn’t start for another week and a half. But, I’m trying to put together a shopping list of bootcamp friendly things.

I have two very young dcs and don’t have time to cook every meal for myself, so I especially need things I can make ahead or just have in the fridge that I can grab and shove in my face .

Any ideas much appreciated.

I might actually start very light bootcamp now, as I don’t want to go cold turkey! Carb addict that I am .

Watching with interest

Me too! I am a carb addict and a sweet-tooth/sugar addict too and started to reduce last Monday to get ready for bootcamp, so now I am on Day 5. I have struggled a bit, also I am vegetarian, so that does not help. Here is what I have done: cut out all pasta, bread, fruit and anything else obviously carby. My 'old' way was:
B: cereal, black coffee
L: sandwich, e.g. cheese.
D: Big plate of pasta
snack: tea & a scone or a piece of fruit

Since dropping carbs I find it hard to find something to eat! New way looks like this:
B: black coffee, avocado
L: Fried egg (or 2!), baked beans.
D: Big stir fry veg, puy lentils, OR fried mushrooms, cauliflower cheese bake with salmon.
snack: tea and 85% chocolate square.

I am sure I am breaking some rules, but this was the best I could do! Things I learned:
You do need to get the right supplies in. If peckish, baby bel cheese or (a few) nuts or an avocado are my go-to things. Like you I don't want to be doing all different meals for the family, but don't really have my act together on this, I think I'm going to try aubergine parmigiana which I hope everyone will like. I didn't used to think about food that much - now I am thinking about it all the time, worried that I won't be able to pull al meal together. Shopping takes longer as I scan all the labels. I am definitely less hungry in the mornings. I was busy yesterday (Day 4) and realised at 12.30 that I had not eaten any breakfast (just black coffee) and I was fine. I have felt a bit 'sick' occasionally, but I have not felt a massive desire to cave in yet, so I am just pushing through. Sorry for long post! Hope this helps.

Oh that is helpful, thanks!

We eat meat but try not to eat it all the time or every day. I’ve done an online shop for Sunday night, planning to start bootcamp extra light (my own invention... unless it’s been copyrighted ) on Monday.

I’ve found some (lazy fucker) ready made aubergine gratins which are low carb, so have added those for days when the rest of the family want pasta or something.

Mini cheese, avocado and boiled eggs are my other ideas for snacks.

I'm no expert but surely baked beans are full of carbs and salmon isn't vegetarian?!

There are loads of great recipes in this section, it does take a bit to get your head round it. I also have to plan rigidly otherwise it just doesn't work and I grab the nearest thing to hand.

Mostly marking place.... I have done boot camp in the past, but not for a while...

I try and have a lot of eggs on hand, particularly some that are hard boiled which are handy just to grab for a snack.

I also like to keep a few cooked chicken thighs - handy for lunch on the go or as a snack.

Breakfast tends to be egg orientated for me too, and omlettes or fritata are a quick go-too meal for when I don't have time to cook something too involved.

I would probably start experimenting with some of the potential subs now to see if you like them or not (things like cauli rice, courgetti spaghetti...) as some people love them, some people don't and there's nothing more disheartening than sitting down to a plate of food and thinking 'this tastes of arse'.

Personally, give me roasted cauli over cauli rice any day!

I made cauliflower couscous a while ago and it was actually lovely, BUT my whole house stank of cauliflower for a week! Even my washing machine smelt of it after I’d used a tea towel to squeeze all the water out and then stuck it in the wash (not envy).

Is the ready made horrible? It’s expensive anyway. Maybe roast Cauli is the way to go... no blitzing or squeezing.

I’ve bought the ready made courgetti before and it wasn’t very nice. I do quite like courgette ribbons though, as a salad. Could use those as pasta couldn’t I?

In my opinion the ready made is worse than homemade...I once made the mistake of cooking it in the office microwave. I was not popular that day, and our office is usually pretty chilled about food smells

Roasted cauliflower is lovely, and less smelly.

Must admit I'm going to have to take a closer look at low carb side dishes.

I think celeriac might be allowed..? It might do as a sub for mashed potato. Maybe mashed turnip (that’s swede to you English folk )?

Can’t beat sausage and mash. Or chicken and mash... and gravy nom. Does anyone know how to make low carb gravy? Is that just impossible?

I have a feeling that you could thicken chicken or turkey meat juices with a bit of cream...

Yeah, I can see gravy being an issue, especially this time of the year!

Would also be interested if anyone has any suggestions.

I've done this before and also spent a week or so building up to it.

My tip for this week would just be to cook as normal but replace 'obvious' carbs with green veg/ low sugar choices.

So where you would have had potatoes, have brocolli. Replace rice and pasta with cauliflower or green beans.

If you have puddings, start having full fat greek yoghurt with cinnamon or sugar free jelly and double cream.

If you're anything like me, you won't find it that strange. I realised a lot of my choices were just habits.

Looking forward to getting back on the horse properly.

Have been reading past boot camp threads.
Some things that have stuck in my head😋😋

Double cream
Celeriac
Pork belly
Peppermint tea
Mashed eggs with butter
Chicken drumsticks
Curries with cream in
Coconut milk / Thai curries
Oxo or the likes for hot drink and to help replace salts
Spinach

To watch eating too much protein and not including fat.

Ah yes butter! Need to get butter.

I think last time I tried it took a while to get the 'more fat' thing - years of conditioning from the diet industry I guess.

Mayo - I seem to remember some brands are higher carb than others? Which ones (if any) are OK?

Brussels

You mustn't forget the brussels

Lovely green balls of buttery scrumptiousness

Microwave for two minutes with a slab of butter in a bowl with a plate on top. Shoogle technical term and then microwave for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt (and maybe ground pepper).

Enjoy

Did I mention not to forget brussels?

Lidl mayonnaise is good: only 1.9g of carbs per 100g.

Puy lentils and baked beans are definitely not allowed on Bootcamp!

Some ideas for shopping:

Meat/fish - go for fattier cuts or types of fish. So for example, if you're buying mince, go for the 12-15% fat version, not the lean ones. Buy chicken thighs rather than breasts (and eat the skin!) or roast a whole chicken, slathered in oil/butter, so that the skin goes lovely and crispy, and eat that.

Pork belly is absolutely fabulous, slow roasted till it starts to fall apart.

And lamb chops - but eat all the fat too!

Try and avoid things like ready-made burgers, as well as bacon and sausages, and cooked ham, as they're processed; you can have them occasionally but not at every meal/every day

Cauliflower rice/couscous is lovely home-mdi (the sachet stuff is vile). Just pulse it in your food processor, or grate on a box grater. No need to ring it out in a tea towel.

Celeriac makes a very good potato substitute, either as a mash (even lovely with cooked leeks stirred through), or in a dauphinois/gratin. some lovely recipes on the Bootcamp recipe thread.

Eggs will always be your friend, but don't have them cooked the same way every time as that will soon get really dull. Hard boiled mashed with butter or Boursin is a Bootcamp favourite, and I also love a cheese omelette.

My top tip with cauliflower rice is to blitz an entire cauli with a food processor, and then freeze it in one-person portions. That way, you'll have some ready when you need a rice/couscous substitute. It also means you can stock up when you find cheap caulis - they're a bit pricey in the shops at the moment.

My emergency snack tends to be almonds - I think they're the lowest carb nut - and I tend to do things like take them with me on trains so I've got a reasonably ok alternative to roast peanuts or crisps...