Preparing separate meals for you and your family difficulty
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I will not, do not separate meals! LOL It is too much! I am not a short order cook! I have a family of 7, 5kids. I sometimes i modify for me, but my family eats the same thing i do. (Notice i dont eat the same as them) If i want a vegetarian meal, family comes along. lol Even meat and potato Husband. I make good food, so I dont get complaints. Sometimes hubby rebels and has to have prime rib, great! I want to promote, a healthy, Organic, good food lifestyle, I want kids to practice portion control, and to broaden their palates. I am the one cooking (most of the time) so its up to me
My kids are 12-19. 4 girls, one boy. So they alternate meals and Im teaching them to prepare healthy foods, so i just eat smaller portions if necessary (like loaded homemade mac and cheese) . But when its their turn to cook, i am proud of their choices! So I dont usually have to worry! Last time i tried to lose weight and separated meals, I failed, i was overwhelmed. Its a lifestyle change not a quick weight loss tool. 0 -
burtisfamily7 wrote: »I will not, do not separate meals! LOL It is too much! I am not a short order cook! I have a family of 7, 5kids. I sometimes i modify for me, but my family eats the same thing i do. (Notice i dont eat the same as them) If i want a vegetarian meal, family comes along. lol Even meat and potato Husband. I make good food, so I dont get complaints. Sometimes hubby rebels and has to have prime rib, great! I want to promote, a healthy, Organic, good food lifestyle, I want kids to practice portion control, and to broaden their palates. I am the one cooking (most of the time) so its up to me My kids are 12-19. 4 girls, one boy. So they alternate meals and Im teaching them to prepare healthy foods, so i just eat smaller portions if necessary (like loaded homemade mac and cheese) . But when its their turn to cook, i am proud of their choices! So I dont usually have to worry! Last time i tried to lose weight and separated meals, I failed, i was overwhelmed. Its a lifestyle change not a quick weight loss tool.
Thank you! You said what I was trying to, but so much better. (I also have 5 kids, age 1-17). It's really more an issue of portion size than kinds of foods, at least for us. And I want my kids to learn to make and enjoy the healthy meals, just like my grandma taught me.0 -
Queenmunchy wrote: »When I make meal plans I sit with the family to do it.
This week we did shepherd's pie, two kinds of broiled chicken wings, quesadillas, sofrito chicken zucchini boats, bbq jalapeno chicken meatballs. Next week we have sausage/zucchini lasagna, Thai peanut chicken, burgers and fries.
I may make some swaps here and there, but these are all pretty much in the 300-400 calorie range (some even lower).
Can I come to your house for dinner?? That sounds delicious!
But OP I agree with the others. I make the same meal for everyone and portion mine out. No need to eat special foods unless there is a sensitivity/allergy.0 -
My parents only ever made one meal. There was always plenty of salad to have on the side if you didn't like/didn't want a big helping of the main dish. Nothing wrong with hearty foods, just learn to eat less and if you need to add in bulk a vegetable side is great.0
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They eat what I cook. Motivates me to find tasty options beyond chicken.
They complain about the lack of cookies and chips much more. I don't feel badly as there is plenty of fruit, yogurt and string cheese.0 -
I always have options available for example, say tonight I'm having quinoa, chicken and roasted veggies. My hubby isn't a fan of roasted veggies so he'll heat up a different veggie (frozen or canned) and we'll both pick our own seasonings for the chicken. He may have BBQ sauce for example while I do cajun style dry rub.
I still make homemade mac and cheese, I buy the smart taste pasta because hubby doesn't care for whole wheat use a reduced fat cheese mixed with regular and on my half of the pan I add broccoli.
If you're running the oven to bake something toss in a few extra potatoes, regular or sweet potato, those will become options for another night.
Making spaghetti and meatballs? while the pasta is cooking toss some chopped zucchini or broccoli in the steamer portion and have that either in place of pasta or to cut back on the amount of pasta you eat.
Often times we think their food vs our food and it's really not like that, we all have different tastebuds so work with that. Kids want chicken nuggets for dinner, ok fine the whole family has chicken nuggets but mom eats them on top of a big salad while the kids and dad maybe prefer fries.
Hopefully the examples help a little and you feel a little less overwhelmed in the kitchen.0 -
I pretty much eat the same meal as my family and have not changed my diet a great deal. I have a smaller portion, sometimes skip bread/cheese/condiments or have a lot more vegetables on my plate though than my family. We all have different calorie needs or preferences but I don't cook seperate meals for everyone.
I pre-log my food which helps me figure out what I can eat.
You have to eat the way you are going to for the rest of your life or it will be very difficult to sustain.0 -
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Healthy food can be hearty
look together and find recipes you both can enjoy
Agreed. I just made a chicken stew that used chicken breast, potato, turkey gravy and frozen veggies. Looked really hearty but was only 300 calories for my portion. And it feels filling. Even my husband only had 1 portion (though I think he had a little dessert after).0 -
The most important part of my diet is the veggies I eat, so I get those ready the night before. I put all the veggies I'm going to eat (454g of non-starchy veggies) in a dish in the fridge.
The next important thing to have is some easy-to-make protein sources:
individually frozen fish (cod, salmon, tilapia)
frozen chicken breast tenders (unseasoned, uncooked, frozen)
already -cooked beef roast, sliced
protein drink mix
This will make your own meals easy and filling.
Actually my family all copied my way of eating, even though I didn't ask them to. Literally even my 9 and 11yo make salads and stir-fry's for breakfast, and my husband makes a big salad for breakfast. I seriously never expected that, but you may find that your family copies your healthy eating, because what you are fixing smells so good! The roasting meats and sauteing veggies.
I get out the knives and cutting boards and all the colorful veggies, and they think it's fun and interesting to make their own meals.0 -
I just do minor modifications and they eat what I cook or don't. LoL
A few easy subs in our house:
Lettuce wraps as an option on taco or fajita night
Portabello caps as an option for crust on make your own pizza.night
Cauliflower puree in place of mashed potatoes .. my whole family loves this.
Spaghetti squash as an option for pasta on pasta night
Eggplant Rolatini in place of lasagna
Same as in the snack cupboard. We have chips and crackers together with popcorn and apple chips. Protein bars and granola bars. Etc.
My kids are becoming interested in my choices and asking questions about nutrition .. my son insists that a loaded pizza is nutritious because it has all the food groups.. I'm happy they are learning and taking notice.0 -
I'm the cook so I make what I want and if they don't like it, they can cook something else. That said, I'm not a big, mean food nazi, only cooking what I like/want and they get to suffer. Because I have food restrictions that my family doesn't have to adhere to, it would be cruel to take away all that goodness because I can't eat it. Or don't like it. I'll usually make the same meal for all of us but with some minor changes for me.
For example, I don't care for pasta. I know, I'm weird, but I just really don't like it. I do however like spaghetti sauce so when I make spaghetti for dinner I'll make the sauce and not combine the noodles with it. This way they can put it on their nasty pasta noodles and I can put it on spaghetti squash or zoodles (zucchini noodles). I REALLY like it that way! It doesn't take much more work for me and we're all happy.
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We also all eat the same thing for dinner. Just make sure it is measurable and you are good to go. In other words, I serve myself and put my own gravy on my mashed potatoes so I know how much of everything I got.0
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Like everyone else, I am the cook and my husband eats what is in front of him. He is not picky and he likes my very simple and unsophisticated cooking so no problems there. My husband doesn't cook or knows how to do it, and he is not interested in learning so he has no choice. I don't even increase his portions very much because he needs to lose few lbs. and I know that he snacks during the day adding extra calories to his diet, and he is not as active as I am. When we go out, he just eats what ever he wants; but portion control is not in his DNA.
You got good ideas from other members, so choose what ever is better for you and your family. This is your "journey," not theirs.0 -
My husband and I have somewhat different nutritional needs, he is actually the more restricted. I make variations on the same food that allow everyone to get what they need.
-tacos: put whatever you want on yours.
-soup/chili: add toppings as you wish.
-pasta: pesto for some, tomato sauce for some, etc
The other thing I do is make something for him one night, and me the next. And the person who doesn't have the fresh dinner eats leftovers.
This means we don't eat many "one pot meals" but oh well. We also have kids, and I stay at home, so that changes the dynamic. Depending on the dynamic at your house, maybe you should each make your own food, or each be in charge of different nights, or whatever works.0 -
vickyhopkins93 wrote: »If I was you I would still eat whatever you make but swap the carb so say your partners having white potato have sweet potato, or if there having white rice make brown rice, otherwise you'll end up wanting to indulge in whatever there eating anyway learnt from experience hope this helps slightly x
This is pretty much what I do. Or if I am having something my husband or son really don't like they will have something like a frozen pizza. I don't make them eat the food I do if they don't like it. But I don't really cook 2 totally separate meals either.0 -
dawnmcneil10 wrote: »I always have options available for example, say tonight I'm having quinoa, chicken and roasted veggies. My hubby isn't a fan of roasted veggies so he'll heat up a different veggie (frozen or canned) and we'll both pick our own seasonings for the chicken. He may have BBQ sauce for example while I do cajun style dry rub.
I still make homemade mac and cheese, I buy the smart taste pasta because hubby doesn't care for whole wheat use a reduced fat cheese mixed with regular and on my half of the pan I add broccoli.
If you're running the oven to bake something toss in a few extra potatoes, regular or sweet potato, those will become options for another night.
Making spaghetti and meatballs? while the pasta is cooking toss some chopped zucchini or broccoli in the steamer portion and have that either in place of pasta or to cut back on the amount of pasta you eat.
Often times we think their food vs our food and it's really not like that, we all have different tastebuds so work with that. Kids want chicken nuggets for dinner, ok fine the whole family has chicken nuggets but mom eats them on top of a big salad while the kids and dad maybe prefer fries.
Hopefully the examples help a little and you feel a little less overwhelmed in the kitchen.
Yes....this is a great explanation and more of what I do also!0 -
Queenmunchy wrote: »When I make meal plans I sit with the family to do it.
This week we did shepherd's pie, two kinds of broiled chicken wings, quesadillas, sofrito chicken zucchini boats, bbq jalapeno chicken meatballs. Next week we have sausage/zucchini lasagna, Thai peanut chicken, burgers and fries.
I may make some swaps here and there, but these are all pretty much in the 300-400 calorie range (some even lower).
Can I come to your house for dinner?? That sounds delicious!
But OP I agree with the others. I make the same meal for everyone and portion mine out. No need to eat special foods unless there is a sensitivity/allergy.
Come on over! My entire family has the need for some protein and a lot of vegetables, and we like tasty food - who doesn't? I have the addition of celiac, and I usually cut most grains because they don't settle well for me, but my 8 year old or husband don't need copious amounts of fat or sugar any more than I do. Everything is just balanced. Nothing is off limits.0 -
....my husband refuses to do any changes.... Please help!
I think this is an issue which should be addressed. Why isn't he willing to make some changes in order to help you get healthier? And I'm assuming your healthy changes would also be good for your kids. Mealtime shouldn't be a battleground. Many nights you can do as others have suggested above, and have smaller portions of your current foods. But he should be willing to eat some new/different/more-nutritious meals, too. If he thinks "healthy" = "bad tasting", you can prove him wrong!0 -
I make lower calorie versions of our staples and everyone's happy. Or I just don't eat the potato/pasta/rice side if I don't have the calories for it.0
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