What are your top kid friendly, calorie friendly dinners?

abbynormalartist

I cook for myself and my two kids (5 year old daughter and 9 month old baby who thankfully eats ANYTHING). I'm trying to lose a few pounds so I've started eating at a bit of a deficit. To make that deficit more enjoyable I'm choosing more vegetables and some lower calorie options so I can still get a good volume of food. While I've recently found some main course dinners that are I love and that are lower in calories than our usual fare, my 5 year old is not a fan of a many of the ingredients (a lot of spinach, onions, feta, shrimp, etc). I'm okay tweaking our plates slightly (maybe no onions for her) but I don't want to be making us separate meals every night. Mama has a full time job and no time for that!

I'm looking for some new ideas that we can both enjoy.

I'm not really interested in eating what we used to eat with just smaller portions because it's proving to be pretty unsatisfying to me. A tiny square of lasagna isn't as yummy as a big bowl of cauliflower stir fry.

leajas1

Have you checked out Skinnytaste.com?

abbynormalartist

Thanks @leajas1! That's a great website. I may have to play around with it a bit because (besides the baby) I'm just cooking for myself and a small child. We had this issue before where I'd make a meal and then, even after freezing half of it, we'd still be eating it all week.

leajas1

abbynormalartist wrote: »

Thanks @leajas1! That's a great website. I may have to play around with it a bit because (besides the baby) I'm just cooking for myself and a small child. We had this issue before where I'd make a meal and then, even after freezing half of it, we'd still be eating it all week.

Ah, okay. That's what I like about it. I plan out my week (usually two) in advance and eat pretty much the same thing for those two weeks (although snacks may change). This is for my sanity so I'm not meal planning or cooking all week. You are obviously not as boring as me

Lizakabibbis

Have you tried noodling zucchini? It's a hit in our house - everyone likes it! I make spaghetti, alfredo, stir-fry, and scampi with it. Basically anything I would use a noodle for I use zucchini.

aylajane

abbynormalartist wrote: »

Thanks @leajas1! That's a great website. I may have to play around with it a bit because (besides the baby) I'm just cooking for myself and a small child. We had this issue before where I'd make a meal and then, even after freezing half of it, we'd still be eating it all week.

Just because you freeze it doesnt mean you have to eat it that week... Make the meal, freeze the leftovers in single serving sizes. Make the next meal, freeze the leftovers. Make the next meal, freeze the leftovers. Do that for a week or two, then you have a large variety of choices and only have to make the number of servings you need. Basically the last half of the month you dont have to make much of anything.

I like doing a lot of cooking/food prep on Sundays. I freeze everything in single servings and label with date and contents (and usually the total calories+PFC #s). At any given time, I have probably 15-20 different dinners that I can take out in the morning and have for lunch /dinner. If I have company or a kid to feed, take out 2-3 of them.

aylajane

But also, look into making low carb tortilla pizzas... kids love, they taste awesome, and if you have the kid help make his own he is likely to enjoy (kids always eat more if they participate in making it!) plus you can each have different toppings without any extra effort.

Simple "recipe" :
1) Preheat oven (I use toaster oven) to 375.
2) Spread one drop of olive oil (or spray) on bottom of tortilla (I use Mission Balance low carb fajita size so individual servings). Seriously - one drop just to crisp it.
3) Add sauce (pizza sauce, paste sauce, cheese sauce, pesto, whatever). Usually one teaspoon or less is all you need
4) Add cheese (shredded, or sliced, any kind you want)
5) Add meat or veggie toppings (dont overload - but think out of the box.... can be ANYTHING).
6) Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.
7) Cook TEN minutes in the oven.

For clearer instructions and ideas/inspiration look at worldaccordingtoeggface.com - google "eggface pizza porn" and drool for awhile

Thats it. The variety is endless! Think cream cheese and thinly sliced steak... pepperoni slices for more traditional. Canned chicken or even tuna. etc. You can even fold them in half before cooking to make "calzones". Or roll up before cooking.

__TMac__

The kids are huge burrito fans, so I make them every week. Everyone gets their own favorite combo of what available (always some sort of meat, plus refried beans, black beans, lettuce, salsa, guac, jalapeños, shredded cheese, hot sauce, and tortillas). I often skip the tortillas, load up on veggies, and turn it into a taco salad. If there are leftover fillings, I can incorporate them into later meals and snacks.

kms234

We do a lot of easy tortilla "pizzas" like aylajane suggested. BBQ chicken is my favorite....rotisserie chicken, BBQ sauce, red onion, cilantro, and cheese. I also like taco pizza...beans, beef, onions, cheese and then top with lettuce and tomatoes after baking. My kids prefer the standard pepperoni/sausage and cheese.

They are so easy to customize that I don't feel like I'm cooking the kids something separate.

laur357

Quesadillas or tacos - you can customize what's going in each serving, or your little one can eat the quesadilla and you can put the toppings (ground turkey or beef with taco seasoning, shredded chicken or pork, black beans, corn, peppers, etc.) on a big salad.

Breakfast for dinner - breakfast sandwiches, veggie frittatas, whole-wheat pancakes, chicken sausage

Chadxx

You can make healthier, less calorie dense versions of anything. You can also have your veggies as a side. I do that all the time. Tonight, I am making jambalaya with chicken breast and turkey sausage and while I am cooking that, there will be a pan of asparagus roasting in the oven for me. Tomorrow is probably gonna be tacos with ground turkey breast, carb balance tortillas, and reduced fat cheese with a side of black beans and rice with tomatoes and peppers.

For dessert, I am having light vanilla Greek yogurt with a healthy dose of cocoa and stevia for a rich and delicious chocolate pudding.