kendraberryhill's Journal, 22 Jan 21

Oooooh I like that. Thank you! 

Along the lines of what Lifeminded said, you could try getting some zucchini and a spiralizer too to make zoodles and then you can still use the tomato pasta sauce and make meatballs out of the hamburger meat. Maybe add in some wilted spinach for some extra greens. Although ground turkey can make an alternate substitute if you have sauce or even a sauce with a little bit of hamburger as that can help a little with cravings and feeling satisfied as well. The mac and cheese is fine if you consider adding broccoli and chicken and possibly replace the dry or Velveeta cheese with shredded block cheese or better yet adding an alternate like parmesan and adding a filler like a butternut squash, (which baking makes it super easy to remove the skin like the spaghetti squash). 

Zoodles are stupid and taste nothing like pasta. I like zucchini. If you like zucchini just eat zucchini and skip the spiral cutting bull. With that said, you have a whole lot of junk food and empty calories (non nutrient foods) on that list. Ditch the pastas and potatoes completely plus learn to like water. Increase your lean protein like chicken and turkey and get some veggies in your diet. There is no quick fix to weight loss. No one can want it for you more than you want it for yourself. 

Strongly encourage you to stock up on fresh vegetables and lean meats, and make those the focus of your dishes, while your current pantry staples can be used to enhance them. =) I always have fresh onions, garlic, and broccoli on hand, because there's almost nothing you can't throw those in to. Example, next time you make spaghetti, add a handful of chopped onion, a minced clove of garlic, and steamed broccoli directly into your spaghetti sauce. You could easily do the same for Mac n cheese, too. One of my absolute favorites is a "loaded" baked potato covered in black or kidney beans, corn, onion, garlic, steamed broccoli, and a fried egg with salsa. Zoodles are wonderful because they make a familiar vegetable into a fun new texture. They don't taste like pasta, but they don't have to - they're stellar on their own. =) You could even halve the amount of pasta you usually use, add in some Zoodles sauteed in a little bit of olive oil with garlic and salt, and then top it all off the way you normally like for an easy way to cut down on calories and bulk up on nutrients. I also LOVE salads and playing with toppings for those. One of my cookbooks refers to salads as "vegetable nachos," which has made them way more fun to eat! Right now a handful of brown rice, canned corn, lentils, and tofu top off every salad I make - they're just so colorful, I feel good about eating them before I even eat them, haha Don't be afraid to get creative!