I can't cook and I can't eat fats...help

[BabiesEverywhere]

I have been living on the following and I need some more ideas :-

: Salad with turkey/ham/tuna and pita bread/crackerbread

: Jacket with turkey/ham/tuna and salad garnish

: Pasta salad with one tablespoon of 5% fat mayo.

: Soup with crackerbread/dry bread

: Low fat noodles on dry toast

: Rice with boil in the bag (6% fat) cod in parsley sauce with steamed vegetables

: fruit/snack a jack as treats

I am so bored what else can I eat which is easy to prepare and must be less than 10% fat though I prefer 5%

I use to really enjoy eating and now it is such a chore finding something that won't send me to A&E in pain

After 2 weeks in hospital and having my gall bladder removed months ago and I am STILL having pain.

Sorry to moan...looking for cheap low fat recipes, with very few ingredients so I have a chance of cooking them.

Thanks in advance.

cous cous with roasted veg
Cous cous in soup - makes it more filling
lentils with anything
roasted sweet potato - really nice instead of regular baked potato (put a scoop of very low fat cream cheese in it)

what about poached fish? you can do this really easily - use milk/water to poach it and it only takes a few mins

Thanks for the suggestions.

Can't have roasted veg...that involves fat
But I like the idea of cous cous and I do have some in the cupboard but wasn't sure what to do with it. So I could have cous cous with steamed veg.

How do you poach fish ? Does it has skin/bones or a fillet piece ? (When I said I can't cook I wasn't joking)

Don't lentils have to be soaked etc and what do you eat lentils with...salad (again) ?

Again can't have roasted food but wonder if I could bake a sweet potato ?

How about roast vegetables

I normally use

Butternut squash
potatoes
parsnip
courgettes
carrots
red pepper
red onions

Sprinkle with mixed herbs and drizzle tiny bit of olive oil and bake until all veg are soft/crisp.

Wrap chicken breast (skinless and boneless) in foil with lemon juice and garlic and bake in oven (180oC) for about 30 minutes, serve with rice and veg

Not sure what the fat content is though?

If I think of anymore, I'll post again.

Are you having any other treatment for your pain? Is it definitely related to gall bladder/stones? I had my gall bladder removed in July and have been fine since.

oops x post re: roast veg. you only need a tiny drizzle of olive oil - is that still out for you?

chicken breasts baked in yogurt mixed with curry powder

Why cant you eat fat?

Have you tried the one cal frying spray???

You can bake (I think that is what the poster meant) a sweet potato by wrapping it foil and sticking it in the oven.

An easy way of cooking couscous is simply putting some in a bowl or pan and pouring boiling water over it so it is completely covered and then just leaving it until it is completely cooked. But you could just add a handful to a pan of soup.

If you buy tinned lentils these do not need to be soaked so might be easier for you.

I think you need to be thinking of herbs/spices/garlic to liven things up. What about pasta and chicken and veg in a spicy tomato sauce?

~Why cant you eat fat?~

Because if I do, within 5 minutes I am doubled up in severe pain until it wears off a few days of no food later or if I go to A&E for pain relief.

No idea what it is...doctor suggest reflux...mind you the same doctor that said my gall bladder pain was a virus and would "go away in a few days". It wasn't until I was admitted to hospital having turn yellow with red wee on the verge of liver failure that I knew what was wrong with me.

Now I have no gall bladder to give me pain but I am still in pain. USS shows nothing and I have been told to drink gavison by the local doctors and that it will "just go away in a few days"

So back on the fat free/low diet as I had relaxed the strict diet a little to allow a small amount of fats in and I ended up at A&E again. So I have no idea what is wrong with me but I can't risk fats

Millet and quinoa are low fat - you can use both as a change from rice either hot or as the basis of salads - or millet flakes for porridge in the morning.

What about tinned soup (e.g. Baxter's Chicken Broth) with rice noodles in it?

I'll post again later if I think of anything else - kitchen calls!

You can roast veg with a spray of fry lite!

That would contain less than 5% fat surely.

God most of what we eat is less than 5% fat - there is so much you can do.

Have you got a Rosemary Connelly book most of her recipes are so low in fat it is rideculous!

And can you eat yogurt - the Total 0% one would help you if it is reflux that you are suffering from.

I am sure you have tried to cover every avenue with regard to your pains, but have your Dr's checked you for food intolerances at all? I had a colleague who suffered with similar pain and her GP found out she was wheat intolerant - cut this out her diet and she is pain free! Just a thought

Like the sound of both chicken recipes...wonder if I can use low fat yougart with curry powder ?

Thanks for the cooking cous cous tips.

Off to make salad for lunch again but keep the ideas coming in.

I think I'll get DH to pick up a couple of things on the way home....so I can try something different.

I don't think it is food intolerance as even clear veg broth or a dry rice cracker can set me off.

I already have cut out dairy as my DD is intolerant to me drinking cows milk and eggs/cheese are too high in fat.

I rarely eat bread usually crackerbread instead, just occassionally with low fat noddles. So I suppose I could cut that out as well, why not I don't enjoy my food anymore...if it stops the pain it is worth it.

I do have a spray oil 1 cal per spray bottle of olive oil, I am just to worried to use it at the moment. If I stay pain free for a few weeks I might risk it.

Definitely try low fat yoghurt with the curry powder.

There are absolutely loads of recipes you can do /adapt to mae them low fat. I have gallbladder trouble as well and manage to eat pretty well on it. Just do as the others suggest - use fry light, Total 0% yoghurt (there are loads of others under 5% though) low fat cottage cheese .

Get hold of a weightwatchers or Rosemary Conley cook book for ideas. My favourite meal of the moment is Maple and mustard chicken tray-bake

800g small new potatoes halved
2 red onions
2 courgettes
fry light
4 chicken breasts
2 tbs maple syrup
1 heaped tsp grain mustard
juice 1 lemon
250 g cherry toms

Pre heat oven to gas mark 6/200 c/ fan oven 180

Parboil pots in boiling water for 10 mins. Drain and mix with onions, courgettes and spray with fry light. Cook for 15 minutes.

Stir veg and add chicken breasts to tin. Roast for a further 10 minutes.

Mix maple syrup with mustard and lemon juice. Stir veg, add tomatoes then drizzle mustard glaze over chicken and veg. Roast for a final 15 mins.

I use a packet of peppers, cherry toms, mushrooms & onions instead of the veg they give you.

For pudding, meringue nests with a dollop of total yoghurt, bit of vanilla essence and sweetner if you need it, and whatever type of berries you have.

how are you with garlic?

ratatouille

'fry' chopped onion in a pan with a few tbsps of water (doesn't need fat)add couple cloves garlic

add sliced mushrooms, peppers, courgettes, aubergines (depending what you have in)

add tin tomatoes (or 2)

tbsp basil, 1/2 tbsp oregano, pinch rosemary, bay leaf

simmer for about 45 mins ... serve with rice or couscous or in baked potato

or really chunky minestrone

fry chopped onion as above in water and add couple cloves garlic

add about 3 sliced carrots, 3 sliced celery

add tin chopped tomatoes

add couple pints veg stock

add tbsp basil, 1/2 tbsp oregano, pinch rosemary, bay leaf (sound familiar)

cover and simmer for 45 mins

take lid off add couple handfuls dried pasta and big glug worcestershire sauce and simmer uncovered for 15 mins

serve with crusty bread if you can eat it .. its a really filling / thick soup

rice based dishes .. with garlic, chinese 5 spice .. add prawns, frozen veg, soy sauce, egg?

Yep - agree with Rosemary Conley cookbook - her recipes are definitely low fat.

I love her gammon and pineapple rice dish. Can't remember exact recipe but here goes...

Brown rice (enough for 1 or 2)
1 or 2 gammon steaks(cubed)
red pepper (sliced)
Onion (chopped)
tin of pineapple chunks (drained)
handful of frozen peas and sweetcorn or mixed veg

Boil rice add veg for final 10 minutes
Drain
gently fry gammon, pepper and onion (use a little fry lite or olive oil), add pineapple chunks to warm through.

Mix everything together and serve. Yummy

I love garlic.

No japenese shops nearby but I am thinking of eating more fish but properly cooked not raw.

Mmmm the gammon and pinapple sounds nice...how much fat is in gammon I wonder ?

I am pretty sure my mum has a Rosemary Conley cookbook, I'm going to ask my dad to dig it out for me.

I take it the best low fat meat will be turkey and chicken ?

Breakfast is dry high bran cereal with raisons

Lunch is usually salad with turkey

So really I need to try some of your suggestions for tea, when I need it to be low fat and my DH wants big chucks of meat.

I will be USING some of your suggestions for tea.

Sorry that last post just read wrong.

I think I will be trying the meat things first gammon and chicken recipes.

This is all very well, but you can'r go on like this. You need healthy fats to function or you'll en dup with vitamin deficiencies.(A, D, K). Are you losing weight? If so, you need to nag your Doc over this, and perhaps try some digestive enzymes from a health food shop which help break down fat in your stomach.

Hope that helps. Agree with the japanese eating principles of noodles, rice, tofu, pickles and heaps of veg.

Stir fries can be done in stock rather than oil, and use chilli sauce and coriander to flavour.

~This is all very well, but you can't go on like this.~

I have lost a lot of weight (roughly 4.5 stone over the last 2 years) but as I was very big to start with and I'm still overweight and I could stand to lose 2 more stone...I think my doctors attitude is I could do with losing it.

Which from a health point I should but my illness and pain, has been going on for a year now, if it carries on for another year and I keep loosing weight I would start to get very worried TBH.