Cooking for me and my non dieting family

shexy16

I think it's a good idea to encourage your kids to eat healthier like you are, instead of just letting them eat junk. A lot of times, the kids and husband don't notice when you change up meals to make them healthier, unless you tell them and their immediate reaction is "ew, gross, healthy, yuck". You can change recipes to be lower fat, lower calorie, and they won't notice. If they do, sorry, but you shouldn't be expected to make two separate meals. Ain't noboby got time for that!

nicolejo143

What other people have said is true, control your portions.

I try to make 1/2 of my dinner plate veggies, 1/4 of it a carb and the other 1/4 a protein. Having macaroni and cheese with bread is not going to be good for your diet. Its all carbs, too much carbs and your body converts it too sugar. I would try to make 1/4 plate of mac and cheese, add a protein and lots of veggies.

Fresh or frozen veggies can be sautéed or steamed in minutes. Salads can be tossed in seconds. Quinoa can be microwaved in a few minutes for a healthier carb alternative. They also make brown rice you can microwave in a minute. My family only eats white rice and not many vegetables so I have to make my own healthier stuff.

RodaRose

How do I make my meals along with my family? They shouldn't be punished for my unhealthy relationship with food. My kids don't eat things like veggie frittatas or hummus and carrots. They are chips and dip, meat and potatoes people. They just know when to quit (unlike myself). So do you make a separate meal? It would be hard to eat a salad when everyone else is having homemade macaroni and cheese with bread....

You and your family need to eat the same things.
Make meat and a potato for yourself. Leave off the butter and cream to save some calories.

helpimfalling

I go through a little of this with my husband, since he is a very picky eater. I look through healthy recipes and find things with ingredients he would like. Then I make a salad or veggies with it and fill my plate with a much smaller portion of the main and a big portion of the salad or veggies, while leaving off the veggies for him. You could make a game of trying new recipes and see what they like and don't like!

gotonenerveleft

Try to find the Taste of Home Diet Comfort Food cookbooks. The food is exactly like I was cooking before just lightened up. You can't tell the difference in taste. Meat and potatoes kind of meals. They have helped me so very very much.

Liftng4Lis

You make one meal that everyone eats, only you watch portion size.

ukaryote

erinandej said: I think I have to eat soup and more soup

Screw that. Set a realistic calorie deficit and enjoy smaller portions of the mac-and-cheese family chow,

Until I had better impulse control, I really depended on frozen vegetables to fill me up. Nuke a whole bag of mixed veggies, add a pat of butter. A pat or two of butter is not a deal breaker if I can avoid a double-portion of whatever it is that night. There are many combinations of frozen vegetables, something might appeal to you. Now i use frozen veggies for a quick lunch.

I've been trying stuff I never considered before. A sweet potato for breakfast (nuked in the micro) instead of a big bowl of cereal with milk. Treats are fresh strawberries or raspberries over yogurt or cottage cheese. Raspberries are costly but much nicer than a bag of chips. Curried vegetables ( MFP has a recipe for it right now), curried anything is better than plain. The other day I made London Broil, braised with a splash of red wine. I cut it into 1/4 lb portions and everyone had ONE piece because that is exactly the size I bought to enforce portion control. "What else is there, Dad?" "Well, there's a whole bowl of vegetables in the middle of the table."

Mayonnaise is not necessary for life. I mix tuna with dijon and horseradish for a big kick. Sliced egg sandwiches sprinkled with curry. If I must make a salad with mayo for them, I can reserve some of the main ingredient to create a variation for me.

We order pizza, they each have several slices, I have one slice - and a big bowl of nice greens with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil (regular olive oil is bland), a sprinkle of oregano and pepper, and a dash of balsamic vinegar.

MysteriousDreamer

Making cooking and eating fun for them. Teach them what you wish you had known. If you make it boring, they won't want anything to do with it. It's all about portions of course.

RodaRose

Involve them in the planning, shopping, and cooking.
Buy cool gadgets for you kitchen.

hearthwood

Yes, kids can be unhealthy eaters, and really stubborn about eating healthier foods. But it's important to lead by example. Portion control your dinners for yourself, and always encourage them to try the vegetables. We all acquire tastes for certain foods, and the best time to do it is when they're young. More vegis on the table at dinner time.

rpantusa

they eat what I cook, or they can make their own dinner....LOL sounds harsh but i used to try and make a separate meal for the hubby, but then i got tired of that, he can eat healthy too. but I don't have children, they may be a little more picky.

2BeHappy2

Try to find the Taste of Home Diet Comfort Food cookbooks. The food is exactly like I was cooking before just lightened up. You can't tell the difference in taste. Meat and potatoes kind of meals. They have helped me so very very much.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/comfort-food-diet

Making cooking and eating fun for them. Teach them what you wish you had known. If you make it boring, they won't want anything to do with it. It's all about portions of course.

When we have young kids here, we chop/tear up many different things to make a grand & delicious salad.
They think its fun because they "helped" to make!
They always have fun creating "their" own masterpiece.
Think of this as a mini salad buffet and we enjoy it w/ small cuts of different lunch meats that are not terribly high in cals.
Children love to see and talk about all the different colorful foods theyre eating!

FitOldMomma

All great ideas! The kids do eat veggies, I guess I was being slightly sarcastic.... and I do look at it as a diet, I have been down this road sooo many times!! I think I have to eat soup and more soup and eventually I say screw it and eat the whole cake. Then cry the next day and start all over (Always a Monday) (hmmm, and it's Sunday and I'm ranting!).... I need accountability. That's where you all come in...

I think the real answer is that you may have to rethink the whole 'I do look at it as a diet' thing. The only way to get to a healthy weight and STAY there is a lifestyle change. It can't be a temporary thing or else you'll be down that familiar road once again.

Lots of good advise given here so far...eat what you serve your family, just smaller amounts.

999tigger

You can still have a healthy appetite by changing what you eat and going for lower calorie healthier foods i.e veges. You cnat have it both ways or you can carry on eating more than you burn but accept you will put on weight. It always comes down to making that choice.