Looking to add finishing touches to a routine, daily meal loop that satisfies nutritional needs with minimal cooking and no grains nutrition

Hi Reddit, I'm a [20M] who cannot eat grains, so I must get my carbs from foods like fruits, vegetables, and beans; I also must get energy from fats like in cheese, nuts, and oils. I want to avoid cooking as much as possible so as to minimize time. I have already decided the core of the three meals out of my day (see below), and I would like assistance as to which specific foods I should add to those meals (peak-optimizing nutritional content vs. cost) and maybe an additional snack. When I say "specific," I mean "strawberries" or "kale" or "walnuts and not cashews," because not all foods within a food group are created equal when it comes to optimizing cost vs. nutrition; so if you know/have a ranked list of foods within the food groups of fruits, vegetables, nuts, meats, cheeses, etc. based on nutrition vs. cost, I'd very much appreciate it/them, because that is the most important characteristic for me.

 

Breakfast: four-egg omelet with only shredded mozzarella cheese inside, topped with hot sauce—simple to cook and delicious.

Lunch: Salad with chicken [contents unknown]

Dinner: One can of chick peas with seasonings, grated parmesan, and hot sauce on top.

 

That brings me to around 900 calories, 75g carbs, 40g fat, 88g protein. Like I said, extremely simple, minimalist meals, costing mere dollars per day. From browsing the sub, I know that I need to add fruits and vegetables, and I'd like to add nuts. For the salad, I assume it's cheapest to cook the chicken myself. Should I buy spinach or romaine or iceberg? Breast or thigh or [etc.]? Should I add cranberries, sliced apples, walnuts, gorgonzola? Other similar foods (for cheaper $)? What is the most economical, nutritious combo to put on a chicken salad that can store for at least 3 days in the refrigerator or freezer? For an afternoon snack, I'm very content with chomping on raw vegetables like carrots and celery, or perhaps some fruit—whatever gets me to nutritional competency. Also if there's a better alternative to the cheeses I've chosen for breakfast and dinner (e.g. "Hey man actually asiago cheese is cheaper"), or advice on which spices/seasonings to get, I welcome that commentary... Thanks! :)

Submitted September 20, 2016 at 02:08AM by kevinsolomon http://ift.tt/2cD3Lsu nutrition