comfort food-type meals

agdeierl

My parents are coming to visit this weekend. We usually eat out the entire time, but obviously I want to avoid that now that I am trying to lose weight. I would love to cook for them, but my dad is a big meat-and-potatoes, comfort food type of guy (doesn't eat healthy at all!). Does anybody have recipes for meals that would fit that description but still be reasonable enough for me to eat and still follow MFP? The more the better, because they'll be here from Friday-Sunday! Please help, I have no idea what to cook for them!

NinjaPrincess

you can probably cook what you would normally make and then just add a salad and when they eat the potatos or pasta just either have a small amount of that and then load up your own plate with salad. lean meats like chicken breasts and such are usually something everyone likes and you can eat it and stick to your plan. i also find that fruit is a safe bet for snacking options, in the evening you can make popcorn and they can have their own bowl with butter and you can have yours without (or with hot sauce yummm). for breakfast you can make build your own omlettes and just don't put yokes in yours or just one and top with a small amount of cheese and load up on veggies. hopefully some of that will work for you? also things like tacos you can make and they can have the wraps and you can just go easy on the cheese and sour cream and make yours a salad!

DancingDreamer

shepherd's pie (it has....meat....and...potatoes! perfect, no!? XD) just make it with a lean meat instead of beef (maybe try turkey or chicken......i dont really know...i'm a vegetarian and i use fake meat crumbles in mine) put alot of good for you veggies in there and some lower sodium spices. find a lower calorie recipe online for it.

good luck (and maybe you can sneakily get your dad to eat healthier? just a suggestion! XD)

ptdr

Do you have a crockpot? You can buy a roast, add small red potatoes and cut up carrots. Season to taste. If you put it on at 6 am it will be finished by 3 pm. Not sure what tiem they are coming in on Friday. My husband is a BIG meat and potatoes eater. I love making this because the meal satisfies him and I still can eat within my calories. Roast is low in calories and carbs. Potatoes are okay if you eat only one and don't add butter on it. Buy daisy light sour cream and add only 2 tbsp on it. It's delicious!

Good luck!

backtothin

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/calorie-counts/

In that web you can find tons of delicious recipes under 300 calories!

FoamyRiver

Do you have a crockpot? You can buy a roast, add small red potatoes and cut up carrots.

This is exactly what I was thinking of! Fix some other veggies like green beans, cabbage, steamed brocolli or cauliflower. You can also make soup or stew with all the leftovers.

lilac67

maybe oven fried chicken
http://www.myweightlosspals.com/recipe/free-recipe/main-course/oven-fried-chicken/591/index.html
with coleslaw
bag of cabbage slaw, onion white vinegar, milk, lemon juice, salt and pepper
and mock mashed potatoes made from boiled cauliflower

beef stew
http://www.myweightlosspals.com/recipe/free-recipe/soups--stews/-beef-stew/1016/index.html
with drop biscuits made from Bisquik

maybe Dr Jeff from the Biggest Loser's Chili
http://www.myweightlosspals.com/recipe/free-recipe/soups--stews/dr-jeff-s-famous-turkey-chili-/102/index.html
with cornbread

or a roast with potatoes cand carrots
http://www.myweightlosspals.com/recipe/free-recipe/crock-pot/low-fat-pot-roast/889/index.html

I hope these are a help to you!

agdeierl

Thanks! These are all great ideas! I especially like the roast idea, since my dad loves pot roast! I know it can't taste quite the same as what he's used to (my mom's), but I think it will still be easy to make it taste good! And as far as shepherd's pie goes...I've never had it. Always wondered if it was good. I LOVE chicken pot pie (which I know is always horrible for you, so I've avoided it now for some time, sadly)...don't know how similar that is to shepherd's pie.

agdeierl

Oooh, more awesome looking recipes, thanks! Making me hungry!

Mama_Bug

Great question & these look like awesome suggestions. I'm tagging for later. :happy:

SP0472

I love this site for "healthified" recipes: eatbetteramerica.com

I'm actually making a soup recipe for dinner tonight that I found on that site.

I live with my dad and I don't expect him to eat what I do - he doesn't have a weight issue - he's actually underweight. So I make 2 meals each night - one for him, one for me. I've gotten used to it. I don't mind really. I enjoy cooking. The only thing he'll eat that I make for me is low cal/fat chocolate cake. He doesn't realize it's low cal/fat and he loves chocolate.

agdeierl

I love this site for "healthified" recipes: eatbetteramerica.com

I'm actually making a soup recipe for dinner tonight that I found on that site.

I live with my dad and I don't expect him to eat what I do - he doesn't have a weight issue - he's actually underweight. So I make 2 meals each night - one for him, one for me. I've gotten used to it. I don't mind really. I enjoy cooking. The only thing he'll eat that I make for me is low cal/fat chocolate cake. He doesn't realize it's low cal/fat and he loves chocolate.

Ooh, do you happen to have the recipe for the low cal/fat chocolate cake?? If it fooled your dad, it must be good! Maybe it could even fool mine! And it is my birthday coming up, actually!

Hauenstein0825

If you were to ever go the route of the shepherd's pie I have found that trading the regular potato for a sweet potato or yam does wonders - cuts down on calories and bulks up the fiber and vitamons, too! Just as good as anything you'd make before. And just be sure to use lean, organic beef, and maybe us a little less than the recipe calls for and replace it with more veggies. I promise, it'll be great!

Kminor67

I have two potatoes recipes for you... hope they help.

Holiday Potatoes- makes 12 servings

Light Sour Cream - Daisy, 1 container (30 tbsp ea.)
Campbell's Healthy Request - Cream of Mushroom Soup, 1 container (1 3/10 cups ea.)
Tj Farms - Hash Browns, 1 container (8 cups ea.)
Generic - Onion,Raw,Chopped, 0.5 cup
Kraft - Shredded Fat Free Cheddar Cheese, 2.5 Cup
Kellogg's - Corn Flakes, 1.5 cup
Best Life Buttery Spread Made With Olive Oil - Margarine, 4 Tbsp

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all ingredients except corn flakes and buttery spread in a large bowl; mix well. Place into a glass casserole dish. Melt buttery spread in a large skillet, add cornflakes and stir to coat. Spread the coated corn flakes evenly over the top of the casserole, bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Delicious!

Per serving: 184 calories, 20 carbs, 6 fat , 12 protein, 1 fiber, 414 sodium



Low Fat Cheddar Mash- makes 4 servings

Russet - Potato-Raw-5lb, 5 potato 550
Milk - Nonfat (fat free or skim), 0.25 cup 21
Great Value - Fat Free Sour Cream, 2 tbsp
Best Life - Buttery Spread, 2 Tbsp 120
Kraft - Shredded Fat Free Cheddar Cheese, 1/2 Cup

Boil potatoes until soft (I leave the skins on). Drain, and transfer boiled potatoes to a bowl. Add the other ingredients and blend with an electric mixer.

Per serving: 200 calories 3 carbs 4 fat 9 protein 3 fiber 206 sodium

For these, I would put some butter and salt on the table for dad... he will find them bland if he's not used to it.

Hauenstein0825

If you were to ever go the route of the shepherd's pie I have found that trading the regular potato for a sweet potato or yam does wonders - cuts down on calories and bulks up the fiber and vitamons, too! Just as good as anything you'd make before. And just be sure to use lean, organic beef, and maybe us a little less than the recipe calls for and replace it with more veggies. I promise, it'll be great!

iAlly

The secret ingredient for great shepards pie is Worcestershire sauce. Make it with extra lean mince Dad can have a large portion and you can have a medium portion and it will be great.

SP0472

I love this site for "healthified" recipes: eatbetteramerica.com

I'm actually making a soup recipe for dinner tonight that I found on that site.

I live with my dad and I don't expect him to eat what I do - he doesn't have a weight issue - he's actually underweight. So I make 2 meals each night - one for him, one for me. I've gotten used to it. I don't mind really. I enjoy cooking. The only thing he'll eat that I make for me is low cal/fat chocolate cake. He doesn't realize it's low cal/fat and he loves chocolate.

Ooh, do you happen to have the recipe for the low cal/fat chocolate cake?? If it fooled your dad, it must be good! Maybe it could even fool mine! And it is my birthday coming up, actually!

Here's the link - the recipe is from that website. YUMMY! I don't make the peach sauce though.

http://eatbetteramerica.com/recipes/desserts/chocolate/cocoa-angel-cake-with-peach-melba-sauce.aspx

lilac67

here's 2 for Chicken Pot Pie
http://www.myweightlosspals.com/recipe/free-recipe/main-course/chicken-pot-pie/266/index.html
http://www.myweightlosspals.com/recipe/free-recipe/chicken/chicken-pot-pie-bake/173/index.html

for chocolate cake you could use a lower sugar cake mix or regular, use applesauce for the oil and just egg whites instead of whole eggs and use 1/2 the frosting by warming it up and drizzling it over the cake instead of icing it.

turbojanem

your dad sounds like my husband. i fix lean meats, his carbs (over the years i have switched him to sweet potatoes, long cooking brown rice, and whole grain pasta) i then fix a vegetable for him, and typically a different veggie or salad for me. this is the way we eat. i have decided that just because my loved ones chose to eat differently than i do, i don't have to follow in their footsteps. be kind, but don't compromise.

agdeierl

your dad sounds like my husband. i fix lean meats, his carbs (over the years i have switched him to sweet potatoes, long cooking brown rice, and whole grain pasta) i then fix a vegetable for him, and typically a different veggie or salad for me. this is the way we eat. i have decided that just because my loved ones chose to eat differently than i do, i don't have to follow in their footsteps. be kind, but don't compromise.

Yep, my dad loves his carbs, especially things like donuts and full-fat ice cream, both of which I haven't bought in years! Luckily my mom is trying to eat healthier and has a taste for healthy things, so maybe she can help me, since she's had to cook for him! Thanks, I think you've given me some very wise advice!

lisajohnny

Bump!

Lyadeia

What I had last night was pretty good, and it was mostly meat and potatoes. It came from the New Dieter's Cookboook from Better Homes and Gardens.

Basically I broiled a lean cut steak (I used sirloin, about 6 ounces for me, but you can cut it down if you need less than that) seasoned with thyme and pepper. I also cut up some red potatoes and baby carrots and brought them to a boil in low sodium beef broth, a teeny bit of brown sugar for taste, and thyme. It took about 40 minutes total from start to finish, and the whole meal per serving adds up to about 425 calories or so. For your dad, just cook a larger steak and use bigger portions of the potatoes and carrots.

agdeierl

What I had last night was pretty good, and it was mostly meat and potatoes. It came from the New Dieter's Cookboook from Better Homes and Gardens.

Basically I broiled a lean cut steak (I used sirloin, about 6 ounces for me, but you can cut it down if you need less than that) seasoned with thyme and pepper. I also cut up some red potatoes and baby carrots and brought them to a boil in low sodium beef broth, a teeny bit of brown sugar for taste, and thyme. It took about 40 minutes total from start to finish, and the whole meal per serving adds up to about 425 calories or so. For your dad, just cook a larger steak and use bigger portions of the potatoes and carrots.

Mmmm, sounds absolutely delicious! Thanks!