When your kids don't want chicken every night!

WholeFoods4Lyfe

Personally, I'm not a short order cook so I make one meal and everyone eats it. Of course, I try to tailor each plate for the individual. Like, my daughter doesn't particularly like meat, so she gets less mess and more carbs and veggies, my son doesn't really like carbs, so he gets more meat and veggies. My H pretty much eats anything. I follow a LCHF diet so I generally leave the carb off of my plate.

I do a meal plan at the beginning of the week. Some easy meals that work for the whole family: tacos, beef stew, grilled chicken, beef roast, pork roast, pulled chicken. I always keep staples like canned/frozen veggies, potatoes, instant rice, etc on hand, so once I choose a main course, I'll just pick the sides from there. Bonus is a lot of meats can be cooked in the crockpot, so for a working mom like myself that is a lifesaver and makes it so much easier to get healthy meals on the table every night of the week.

Honestly, we only eat chicken maybe one night a week, there are so many other good options out there that can fit into pretty much any diet, it is all about portion control.

CrabNebula

If we are having something she doesn't like, I just make her a bowl of whole wheat penne with tomato sauce and cheese. Quick, easy, and not the most unhealthy thing. I only have one kid though, so there's that.

DanSTL82

You don't have to eat the same stuff they do. Make them their thing and then you eat your own thing.

socajam

Are they working?

mpat81

RobD520 wrote: »

Proteins we have prepared for dinner within the past three months (prepared a number of ways) include: salmon, swordfish, tilapia, whitefish, shrimp, calamari, mahi-mahi, crab cakes, lobster tail, king crab, cod, sirloin steak, NY strip, sirloin tip, ribeye, chuck roast, beef tenderloin, 85/15 ground beef, ground sirloin, 80/20 ground chuck, pork loin, pork shoulder, pork country ribs, pork tenderloin, Italian sausage, turkey breast, roast turkey, and, of course, chicken.

My step-sons are 13 and 18.

I have been able to keep my dinner under 600 calories with all of the above! All it takes is portion control and creatively matching sides.

This is basically what I was going to say. Lots of proteins to choose from, some even have fewer calories than chicken. My kids actually love salmon, shrimp, steak and pork tenderloin. Mix up a couple different spice rubs, barbecue or jerk for example, and store them in your pantry. Sprinkle it on your meat or fish and throw it on the grill with some veggies. Kabobs are great, most kids love food on a stick!

WinoGelato

I think everyone has covered the advice I had:
1. don't eat chicken and quinoa every night
2. make what the family will eat and take a smaller portion or add a salad or something for yourself.
3. Skinnytaste.com

If you let people know how old your kids are (may influence suggestions about getting them to help/cook for themselves) and what kinds of things your family likes they may be able to make more specific suggestions.

My kids are 4 and 7 and somewhat picky but they just don't eat a lot of anything, and they don't like a lot of things mixed together. When I make a stir fry, I cook the meat and vegetables first, set some aside for the kids along with plain white rice and then add the sauce. I give them a little bit of the combined dish to try but they usually prefer the separate components. They eat fruit and can have string cheese and a peanut butter sandwich it they really don't like what I'm serving.

Last week our meals included:
Chicken, Andouille and Crawfish Jambalaya (kids ate plain rice with chicken)
Breakfast for Dinner
Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Mashed Potatoes and Squash/Zucchini
Turkey meatball sandwiches w/ sweet potato fries

Now I'm just here for other meal ideas...

fishshark

we eat chicken probably 5 out of seven nights. We dont get sick of it because i do a lot different things with it. A usual week of recipies would be... Oven baked breaded chicken with risotto and a veg, chicken tacos with beans or chicken taco salad if i dont have the calories, lettuce wraps with sweet chili or spicy peanut sauce, fajitas, bbq chicken sandwhiches ect. Chicken is a blank canvas and should be used as such.

Cynsonya

RodaRose wrote: »

Black bean tacos:
http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2014/12/50-awesome-vegan-black-bean-recipes.html

Crustless pizza (cuts down a little on the calories):
http://cooklikeyourgrandmother.com/how-to-make-crustless-pizza/

Oven "Fried" Chicken Strips:
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/oven-fried-chicken-strips-video/

I'm soooo making those black bean tacos!
Thanks

Cynsonya

cwolfman13 wrote: »

You can have variety...a lot of variety, and your meals can be very healthy...your food can even taste good too.

Are you sure??? I thought we were supposed to be "dieting" here?