Man-Friendly Meals

ottawagirl613

My hubby almost melted when I made him a turkey chili recipe I found online. I have since made it 2 more times and it turned out perfectly both times. Only about 250 calories in a cup and loaded with vegetables and lean meat. Perfect with a whole wheat bun and a salad. If you are a chili fan (which I wasn't before making it myself) I can pass it along to you.

Other then that lean roasts (cooked to perfection with a meat thermometre and a lot of veggies) and thick soups loaded with veggies, meats, and brown rice have been my go to. I also make a few pureed thick vegetable soups that he loves. And he adores the mini pizzas we make on whole wheat naan bread (homemade sauce (no salt), 1-2 oz. light cheese, grilled chicken and sliced veggies). It's the best with a little crumbled goat cheese on top. We have that with a cucumber/tomato/balsamic salad and a bowl of veggie soup and we're completely satisfied.

I find it best to fool him into thinking he's eating a lot by having a few different things on hand for each meal (i.e. the homemade pizza, soup and salad combo). Lots of different flavours and textures are great to fool men. Mine fools easy!

GorillaNJ

I have the opposite problem... my wife does not like whole wheat pasta. A trick I learned is to make sure to boil it in a lot of water. yes it will take longer to heat up but if you use twice the amount of water that you normally would i guarantee it will taste much better. Along those lines I also find that thinner pastas like angel hair are better then linguine or zitti.

I also dump the fresh cooked pasta into whatever pan sauce I make with dinner that night... when the pasta is right out of the water it will absorb that sauce and taste great!

rhyneman

I know that meat every meal is the way all men (including myself) want to go. The way I have helped myself is by weaning myself out of the idea that if there is no meat then it is not a meal. While you are trying to eat and cook healthy, switch over to cooking more chicken. If you cook beef/steak, try a smaller meat portion and more vegetables. Ease him into the transition because most of us are truly stubborn to giving up meat. It can be fairly taxing on a relationship to go the "Im cooking so eat what I make" route.

Some ideas to try,
- One day suggest turkey chili as stated before. He will realize that it tastes no different then regular chili. This can open doors to him exploring other options such as turkey burgers / turkey bacon.
- Once you have gotten him to explore these other meals, start adding in new vegetables.
- During this whole trial period, get him to rate what you cook. Find out his likes/dislikes. It will give you an idea into what his tastes are and it will make him feel like he is still getting what he wants.
- Lemon juice makes a difference with all types of green veggies! Takes away a lot of the bland taste that many guys seem to shy away from. Try some steaming some brussel sprouts over a water/lemon juice mixture, one of my favorites!

It make take a while but dont give up! He will soon realize there are other good foods out there other then bacon wrapped steaks and sour cream doused potatoes. Good luck, dealing with us stubborn men can be quite the pain!

CaraRadz

My fiance isn't the biggest fan of veggies, so I struggled to find healthy things that we would both eat (I'm not about to make two meals every night!!) Here's a jambalaya that we tried last night, and it was awesome!! My fiance usually doesn't like onions or peppers, but he still loved this. It's a super easy recipe, and it's pretty fast, too.

I got the recipe from Hungry Girl: http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1603

JAMBALAYA

Ingredients:
6 oz. (about 2 links) fully cooked chicken sausage (like the kind by Applegate Farms), sliced into coins
One 14.5-oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (not drained)
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp. hot sauce, or more to taste
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
6 oz. raw shrimp, tails removed, deveined, chopped
Optional: salt and black pepper

Directions:
Add all ingredients except shrimp to a large pot on the stove. Mix thoroughly. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium low. Cover and simmer until veggies are tender and rice is fluffy, about 35 minutes. Add shrimp and re-cover. Continue to cook until shrimp are tender and cooked through, about 6 minutes.

If you like, season to taste with salt, black pepper, and additional hot sauce. Serve and enjoy!!!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
Calories: 256
Fat: 5.5g
Sodium: 688mg
Carbs: 30.5g
Fiber: 3.5g
Sugars: 6.5g
Protein: 20g

kwardklinck

I grill chicken or porkchops. I make a side dish for my boys (19 year old son and hubby) and just eat meat and veggies myself. I also make turkey chili. That's really the only kind of food they like. They're not into the whole wheat pasta or grilled fish thing. I also buy frozen pizza, soup, chicken patties for sandwiches, lunchmeat, and bread. I only cook maybe 2-3 nights a week. The rest of the time, they make their own and I make my own.

kanakike8

I haven't seen Greek Yogurt before, but haven't looked for it. Is it available and most stores?

It should be available at most supermarkets. I have even seen it at Target and Walmart in their grocery sections. It's usually in the same section as the plain yogurt or sometimes even near the cottage cheese. It has a rich, tangy flavor and thick, creamy texture. Quite similar to sour cream but lower in cals and higher in protein.

jenbusick

I have a really hard time finding meals that are healthy that the whole family will eat. My husband complains about whole wheat anything, anything that doesn't have meat in it and anything low fat. Does anyone else have this problem? What meals have you found that your husbands don't complain about too much.

I think perhaps our husbands were separated at birth. I had to quit buying the whole-grain white sandwich buns because my spouse hated them, and I'm afraid to even try whole-wheat pasta. He does not eat vegetables at all, so all of our meals have to be built around a meat entree and a carb side (which I sometimes do and sometimes don't eat). I usually make a veggie side also for me and the kids, but I don't always have the time or energy for that.

My solutions have included changing preparation methods, and portion control. For example, if I make tacos, I know what portions of meat and cheese and shells I can have that will work for me, and I let him eat whatever he wants. I have a handful of chicken recipes that don't involve frying/added fat. I have learned to make a good roast. I buy the leanest ground meat I can find and drain/rinse it after browning. I sometimes use ground turkey or ground chicken in recipes (like turkey) instead of ground beef.

Good luck!

GinaJ2006

Rupeedo, thank you, i will check that out.

GinaJ2006

Thanks for all of the ideas and advice. I think I will try to compromise a little more and he'll be happy. I get tunnel vision sometimes.