Meals for the whole family

rslcarson

If like me you are dieting but also feeding a family share your recipes and meal ideas here. I cook every evening after work but only one meal for everyone (also try to have something that can I can blend up for the baby). On the menu tonight is an Irish favourite (I live in Northern Ireland) Cottage Pie:
750g minced beef, 1 onion, 4 carrots and a pot of potatoes (maybe 8 white potatoes)
Heat a tsp oil in a saucepan, add the chopped onion until soft, add the mince and stir around until all browned. Add the chopped carrots and cover with water. pop the lid on and leave it simmering. Peel the spuds and cut the larger ones so all nearly same size, cover with water and bring to the boil. Boil for 20 minutes or so. Add gravy granules to the mince if desired. Pop the mince into a pie dish. Mash the potatoes and spread over the mince. I don't add butter, milk or cheese to the mash. Good white potatoes don't need anything added. I spray on a couple of squirts of low calorie oil and put the dish in the oven at 190oC for about 10-15 minutes. Serve up and chill leftovers for tomorrow!
As I have young children I don't add salt until it's on the plate.

4804lisa

Sounds nice x I don't no the correct spelling but a really cheap meal is a codial??
In a slow cooker or on the hob or in the oven your choice
8 raw sausages
8 rashers raw bacon chopped
2 tins of chop tomatoes
4 carrots chopped
1 or 2 onions chopped

Put all ingredients in the pot use the empty tins of tomatoes and fill with cold water add this
to the dish and cook slowly for a couple of hours!!!

You can add more or less depends on how many you cooking for
And although the sausages are cooked they will look pale my brother prefers to pre cook his sausages first before adding to the pot, I how ever think more flavour gets in if cooked from raw in the mix x

rslcarson

Thanks 4804lisa! I will def use that one as seems so easy and tasty.

Kiyalynn

I've got a couple that the whole family can enjoy. When I was dieitng (I'm pregnant now and not dieting) I was trying to keep all my meals at 400 calories or less so here are two YUMMY healthy recipes at less than 400 calories a serving while getting to eat a healthy amount.

Chicken Tetrazzini
Raw Chicken 1.25 Lb
Fresh Mushrooms (8oz)
3 stalks Celery
2 Bell Pepper
2 Onion
Thin Spaghetti ( Whole Grain)
1 Package Shredded Parmesan (6oz)
1 Package Sliced Mozzarella (12 slices)
2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup (If you use the Fit n Active it will have half the salt and you won't tell a difference)
1 cup Milk
Olive Oil
1. Cook Chicken in Olive oil, Tear apart into small pieces. (the smaller the better)
2. Chop Vegetables into small pieces. (Mushrooms, Onions, Celery, Peppers) (the smaller the better)
3. Prepare Thin Spaghetti. (I like to break it in half)
4. Suttee Vegetables in Little olive oil. Don't completely drain. Note: don't over cook them, slightly under cooked is best, they will cook more in the oven.
5. In a large baking pan, Mix the Mushroom soup, Parmesan and Milk. (You can fill the soup containers up to half with milk and try to get a bit more of the soup out of the can)
6. Add cooked Spaghetti into the baking pan & sauce, Mix lightly.
7. Add Vegetables and Chicken to the Sauce. Note: Leaving some vegetable juice in the mix adds more flavor, But don't add too much to make the dish runny.
8. Mix the Ingredients in the Baking pan. Mix Well.
9. Layer Mozzarella slices over the top of the dish.
Bake for 15-30 min (technically everything is precooked so your just warming it up and melting the cheese.)
Makes 8-12 servings, 342 calories per serving at 12 servings a batch.

Pepper Lovers Chili
2 Can Kidney Beans, 40oz can one Light Red and one Dark Red
2 Can Chili Beans 15.5 oz can
2.25 Lb Hamburger
4 Stalks Celery
4 Medium Green Bell Peppers
4 Medium Onions
4 Medium Pablano Peppers
3 Cloves Garlic
15 Medium Tomatoes
4 cups Water
Chili powder
1 tsp Vinegar
Hot sauce
Make sure you have a large industrial size pot, If not, reduce ingredients to fit your pot. (We use a 12 Quart Chili pot)
1. Rinse Kidney Beans; Place Kidney Beans, Chili Beans, and all the water in the pot, add Vinegar, Chili powder, and Hot sauce. Turn fire to low sir occasionally. (Note: you don't really need specifically light and dark kidney beans either will work they are nutritionally identical, I just like the color of having both)
2. Chop Celery, add to pot.
3. Crush Garlic.
4. Brown Hamburger with garlic, ( I like to add seasonings to the hamburger as well). Add to pot.
5. Chop Peppers (Green and Pablano) add them to the pot. (You can throw ALL the seeds from them into the pot for more nutrition, they will boil long enough to be nice and soft by the time they are done and unnoticeable)
6. Chop Onion, add to pot.
7. Simmer Chili for 30 min, adding seasons to taste.
8. Dice Tomatoes, and Add them to the pot. (adding them later keeps them from burning as fast)
9. Simmer Chili for up to 1 hour, (or just before the tomatoes start to burn) Stir every 10 min.
Makes 40 Cups of Chili, 2.5 cups per serving, 16 servings per pot. 369 Calories per serving.
For Low Sodium version, use bagged beans, and soak them before using them.

4legsRbetterthan2

I cook for 1 or 2 so you might need to double these but:

salsa crock pot chicken - 2 chicken breasts and half a jar of salsa in the slow cooker on low all day, I put in chicken broth too just to add some more liquid. It will shred really easy so you can eat it plain but usually I will sautee some peppers and onions and make fajitas or put it on a sald

if you kids will eat fish? melt 1 tablespoon of butter and mix with about the same amount of lime juice. Brush on both sides of two tilapia fillets. Cook fish in skillet for 3-5 mins on each side until they get a little bit brown and crispy around the edges. I like to dice up a mango and an avacado and put them on top but thats optional. Easily serves with rice.

pork tenderloin with about equal parts of beef broth and apple cider vinegar (sorry I don't have any measurements I just dump it in) in the crock pot. Also good to put some onion in there. Let it cook on low all day. I like kale with this dish, just add a bunch to the crock pot about 30 mins before you want to serve it. Adding apples about and hour before is also good.

those are some of my easy go too meals

rslcarson

I have to make a confession! I just googled crock pot to find out what it was!!! lol! We call it a slow cooker here and I don't have one but by reading all the recipes on here I might have to invest.

rslcarson

Kyralynn, do you serve the chilli with anything or just on it's own?

cathy0536

Would really recommend The Hairy Dieters cookbooks, lots of tasty recipes for 4-6, my kids love them