The Can Man: Adding Volume to my HMR Entrees

My 25 years with HMR have been an exciting ride, and I have seen a lot of changes to the program. One big addition that I remember vividly was the introduction of the HMR Entrees.

I was excited about the potential variety that the entrees could provide. However, I remember my initial reaction was the volume of the entrees was just too small. At that time, I just felt the calories in entrees were just too high because I found myself needing to eat 2-3 of them to feel like I made a “dent” in my hunger. I just didn’t get it. It was during a Phase 2 Module that challenged me to add vegetables to my entrees that I began to “see the light.”

Under full disclosure, not only am I not a chef but really do not enjoy cooking. So my task was to find a simple and convenient way to add servings of vegetables to my HMR entrees. What I learned through this process is that adding vegetables to the entrees would increase the volume of food I got to eat while still keeping the calories low.

I went to the grocery store and started buying different types of canned vegetables and experimenting with adding them into different entrees. While I was clear that I could always use fresh or frozen vegetables with the entrees, I also knew that I had to keep it simple or it would never happen.

So I took 2 cans of vegetables and drained the fluid into the sink. Then I would dump the 2 cans of vegetables and an entree into a microwavable bowl. I heated my entree and veggies for about 3 minutes. The result was a wonderful, filling, low-calorie meal. It was at this point that I really began to understand the significance of using vegetables to add lots of volume, but not lots of calories to my HMR meals. I don’t know why it took me so long to make that connection.

By using the cans of veggies, I also get a variety of different colors in my diet. You could use any vegetables, but recently, I’ve been selecting lower calorie vegetables to get even more volume for fewer calories. Here is a partial list of some of the canned vegetables that I have used: carrots, cabbage, green beans, yellow squash with Vidalia onions, turnip greens, cubed rutabaga, spinach and mushrooms. These are just a few of my “mix and match vegetables” that can go with any entree.

Now when I shop, I make it a point go to the vegetable section and challenge myself to experiment with a different vegetable nearly every week.

What are some of your favorite combinations of vegetables you add to your entrees?
 
 

by HealthCommando on 02/23/2012 | Share Story With a Friend

tags: Weight-Loss, HMR, Recipes, Diet Tools, in the box, strategies