I NEED HELP MY HUSBAND IS A FAST FOOD MANAGER!!!!! and i don

Murlin54

Learning to cook with a crock pot was a great suggestion. If you would like to learn to cook there are a lot of great beginner cookbooks out there. One that I know of is from food network and it's called "How to Boil Water". It not only gives you recipes, but it teaches you basic techniques and gives you lists of items every kitchen should have. It's a really good book for anyone!

ha, I gave my cousin a joke cookbook (home made) when she started law school. How to boil water, how to boil an egg, how to make ice cubes. She was a two food kid, my gr grandmother whoopies (noodle soup) and homemade french fries. She never expanded beyond basic foods and didn't cook. Now , she is a good cook. Thanks for whoever posted skinnytaste.com. I'm checking it out. Also, tacos were a go to for us, once a week, although lately we haven't been eating them. They are so fast and easy to make. My DH likes just plain bean taco's, refried and shredded taco cheese on a tortilla. (made in the microwave-FAST) The rest of us add shredded chicken, rice, lettuce and tomato or salsa and taco sauce. Also use the taco beef strips occasionally.

A favorite dish of the whole family is what we call naked taco. I brown very lean beef 93/7, or turkey, in a skillet with half a pkg of low-sodium taco seasoning. Add a can of black beans, a can of chickpeas (both rinsed to remove excess salt) and a can of corn (drained). Then I add cooked rice (used to buy the Uncle Ben's Ready Rice Spanish Style but switched to homemade due to excess ingredients that are too processed). Heat it all up and add some shredded taco cheese. Done. I like to add salsa before I eat it. My daughter and I put it over shredded lettuce, sometimes add in a few tortilla chips and the salsa on top. Delish and healthy.

ruststar

Cooking is not that hard - it makes me wonder why my mother couldn't manage! If you can read you can cook. There are tons of food blogs out there that post pictures of the food so you can see what you're making. The Pioneer Woman Cooks (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/) is one of my favorites - she doesn't make healthy food, necessarily, and she is in love with butter, but at least it's not deep fried and questionable quality. What I like best is thta she includes pictures all the way through the process so it's easy to follow the instructions, plus she tends to use easy to find ingredients.

I alos like Poor Girl Eats Well because it provides ideaqs on how to eat healthy on a minimal budget (http://www.poorgirleatswell.com/).

silkysly

my mom never tought me to cook at all unless it was cooked in the microwave or was simple on the stove like ramen soup. so i have no knowledge about food much at all.

Stop blaming your mom for starter. We ate a lot of crap back in the day, but we got out & played it off. There’s this thing called Google where you find information about ANYTHING…, even eating healthy.

mimi10453

No, you don't have the right to force feed anyone.

Perhaps we have a nomenclature misunderstanding, but even in this advanced year of 2011, the role of a parent is to produce a productive member of society. Just because you cannot spank a misbehaving child in public does not mean that it is not a parental duty to discipline a child.

I did not mean to imply that you should shovel vegetables down your children's throats; however, making a child sit at the table* until he or she finishes the fundamental parts of a meal is not at all out of line.
-wtk

* Or however you choose to deal with that as a parent. I don't give a damn.

I agree completely! That's how I was raised. You have to eat what's placed on your plate. If you don't, you'll go to bed hungry.

tam120

If you want to eat clean, try reading the book Skinny B*tch. I PROMISE you it will completely change your outlook on food. after reading it, I went 4.5 months w/o eating a lot of stuff. I'm about to read it again so I will go back to that lifestyle change.

I can appreciate this, however, I think a gentler approach to cleaner eating would be the documentary and/or book Forks Over Knives. It changed my outlook on food without freaking me out about animal cruelty and why meat is disgusting.

As far as veggies are concerned, I read that most people don't like veggies because of the way they are prepared, - steamed in the microwave. Veggies taste much better seasoned and roasted in the oven or sauteed or grilled but the main idea here is seasoning - I always use kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and sometimes red pepper flakes. I cut the veggies into a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and season them well, mix them well to distribute the seasoning and oil then roast them on a sheet pan at 375 until tender. My favs are broccoli, cauliflower, red bell pepper with onions. I make green beans by sauteeing (in a pan on the stove top over medium heat) them in olive oil with the same seasonings as above with chopped shallots and chopped or slivered almonds.

Create a baked potato bar that your kids can use to dress their own baked potatoes, include shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, bacon bits (make them yourself by cutting the cooked bacon), sauteed or roasted veggies, canned, rinsed beans or whatever. The more you get your kids involved in the preparation of the food the more likely they will be to enjoy eating it.

My kids used to love "make your own pizza night", use small pitas, give them a variety of toppings to choose from and let them create their own pizza. Bake at 375 for about 10 min.

deksgrl

we dont eat fish either other than tuna sandwiches.

Is that because you don't like it, or because you don't really know how to cook it? Tilapia is very easy and quick to make. I also do a quick shrimp scampi that I use the frozen salad shrimp to make.

Murlin54

As for kids learning to eat healthy, the new trend is not to make them finish their plates. If kids get hungry enough, they will eat. When they are full, they will stop eating. We don't want to have kids eating more than they need, or they may someday end up here on MFP with the rest of us. lol I always made my kids take a bite of whatever food they didn't like, just a bite. Then they were okay'd not to eat it. Every time I served it, they had to take a bite. Tastes change. Things I hated at as a child, I now have acquired a taste for. Even my 17 year old, who doesn't want tomato sauce on his spaghetti, I make him take a dollop of it on the side. On a pasta night, that is the best nutrition in the meal. My sneaky way is to add the meat, sausage or meatballs or ground beef into the sauce. Then he has to pick it out and get a little sauce on it. It is so important that kids learn to eat healthy foods and get a variety of foods. Sure it won't kill them to eat junk and fast foods, but it won't help them in any way and can certainly do more harm than good in the long run. You are on the right track by just realizing that this is not the way you want to continue to eat. Once you find a few good recipes that you and the family like, you will be on your way. Then you just try to keep adding a new recipe every week or so, and soon your repertoire of meals will be perfect.

juliecat1

I can relate.... I grew up with the basic food groups being meat, bacon, potatoes, white bread and green beans/corn. And my mom was a terrible cook and never really showed me anything in the kitchen. But what I learned as an adult was that that wasnt an excuse to eat like crap. So I started learning. I found resources - the internet is a wonderful one. I asked friends to show me things in the kitchen and I just made an attempt to be better in the kitchen. Yes, I made some really terrible mistakes and a lot of food went in the garbage. But I learned what NOT to do that way. Now, cooking is my favorite part of the day. My kids are by my side, we turn on the music and we all help and have a good time with it. In general, they will try everything I make because they had a hand in it. And ask Ket said... I make them. :bigsmile: If I tried a veggie I didnt like, Id try it again cooked another way. I used to gag when I ate salad and now I eat one every day. You CAN do it. Yes its easier if he brings home burger and fries but you all will continue being unhealthy and never expand your palettes. You owe it to your kids to feed them healthy foods and give them a chance to enjoy foods. There are so many delicious things out there that they arent getting access to!
As far as websites - that skinny taste site is great. I use it often now. Id suggest trying a new veggie a week for a while. This week, buy a head of cauliflower. Try it steamed one day, mashed the next, raw the day after and so on.... Do that for a while until youve blasted thru everything in the produce section. I betcha youll find some stuff you like!

Murlin54

Tam120, I like your post. Then the kids will not grow up saying they never learned to cook. My son is off to college next year and I plan to have him with me in the kitchen when I make basic meals that I know he will enjoy. He doesn't necessarily have any idea how to prepare them. My daughter was always interested in cooking and would ask me if she could help me with preparing meals. When she moved out to college, she asked for copies of our favorite family recipes. I made her a Christmas present in a Zazzle notebook (pic of Thanksgiving Dinner and family on cover) and personalized it with her name and "Favorite Family Recipes), put recipes in plastic sleeves, bought a set of dividers for cookbooks (also Zazzle). Then I put it in a box with a few kitchen tools. She loved/loves that gift. We should all get our kids started on learning to cook. I love the ideas you posted.

Murlin54

Mashed cauliflower, yum. A lot like mashed potatoes but less calories. My family loves it. They like mashed squash and even mashed turnips (as long as there is butter). Mashed sweet potatoes. All good. (the turnip (rutabaga actually) is an acquired taste for many)

m1ke1984

Keep it simple. I would stay away from classes only because they will take money and time -- with young children, both are at a premium. If you make this too complicated, it will overwhelm you. Also, try simple recipes, like baked chicken, meatloaf, tacos, pork chops in a crockpot with some BBQ sauce and apple slices. When you're looking for these recipes online, remember that if a recipe has too many ingredients or ingredients you'll rarely use to make something else, you need to move on to another recipe. The beauty of fast food is that it is sooo easy (and in your case, free). It makes total sense that you would get sucked into that -- what mother wouldn't want free, prepared dinner any time you want?

For vegetables, try throwing them in a frying pan with a little bit of butter. It might take some time to learn whether you like your veggies firm (less time in the pan) or squishy (more time). Butter makes for tastier veggies, but you can also steam them really easily by putting a little water on the bottom of a pot (maybe 1/4 inch) and covering. I would stay away from boiling vegetables -- they'll be too squishy. Fear and texture are probably the two biggest reasons people stay away from vegetables. The taste of most vegetables is not that offensive and can be quite good.

So, bake a chicken (find any easy internet recipe), steam some broccoli, and steam some rice (directions on the bag -- my wife and I like jasmine rice and it smells really good). There you go -- that's a meal!

For the kids, try letting them help you pick out the vegetables so they have some ownership in the process. Or have them help you in the kitchen. Give them ownership over the process and they'll want to try the end result. If you do this, then hopefully they will be excited about the change rather than nervous or afraid. Also, make sure that you and your husband are outwardly excited about the new dinner choices. Also, try introducing the vegetables with meals they are already familiar with. They love spaghetti? Serve it with asparagus that you prepared in some butter in a frying pan (most people I know who don't like asparagus are either afraid of it, or have only had it when it was made too mushy -- trust me, it's awesome in some butter and not over cooked so there's still some crunch!).

You can do this and it's easier than you think. Don't overcomplicate this, Krista. You can do it. Just make sure you and your husband are on the same page and put your best face on for the kids. Try really hard to engage them in the process. If they just won't eat it, then remember that you are Mom. Give them a fair/realistic goal (e.g. eat half of what's on your plate). They may seem reluctant at first, but they will come around. It's just the fear of the unknown. Unfortunately, that fear will follow them around for the rest of their lives if you don't show them now that veggies are good. You are doing such an amazing thing by tackling this now. You can totally do this! Good luck!

dargytaylor

100daysofrealfood.com.

i just checked out this site and it looks awesome! can't wait to try some of her recipes. who would have thought making torillas would be so easy!?!

crzyone

Add some fruit, too. Apples with peanut butter. Apples slices with some sugar free jello sprinkled on might make it fun for the kids. Freeze a banana, stick a stick in it and call it a banana pop. Mash an orange around till it gets soft, then cut a hole in the top of the peeland run the knife around in it, then have them suck the juice out. It's fun!!! The more you mash the more juice comes out. Since it's Christmas and candy canes are bountiful, stick one in that hole when you give it to the kid, it's tasty together!!! Bake an apple in the microwave.....cut the core out from the top to make a hole.....put in some low fat butter, cinnamon and sugar, and bake till soft....some sugar free cool whip on topand you have a tasty healthy dessert. Frozen grapes are great, too, and might interest the kids....Make them fresh smoothies with fruit, some low fat milk and a sweetner or honey. There are lots of ways to sneak fruit into the kids and in yourself!!!

GOod luck on yourjourney

SeasideOasis

My first question is.....Are you ready to make a change? While I would like to be happy go lucky like many of the other posters, I am not be as I see LOTS of excuses.

If you are ready to make a change and set a good example, then here are some things you need to do.

1.) Kids are kids. Tell them WHAT they are eating for dinner. They don't like it, they go to bed hungry or they eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (wheat break, only 1-2 tablespoon peanut butter, and no sugar jelly - lower in calories and no sugars). Give it a week. They will start eating what you make. You're a mother, not a friend. They will be mad at you for a whole hour at best.

2.) Steam your veggies by hand. I HATE soggy veggies. If they don't crunch, I don't like them. Take a fry pan (that has a lid) and add about half a cup of water. Let the water get nice and hot. Toss in your veggies and put the lid on. Let sit for 2-3 minutes. Mix. Let sit for 1-2 minutes (or more depending on the thickness). Very easy. PS: Asparagus is NOT that bad. Honestly, it has little to no taste at all. Suck it up.

3.) Tell your husband not to bring the stuff home. Simple and easy. If you don't have it in the house, you can't possible eat it.

If you answered "YES" to you are ready to make a change, then I would be more than happy to lend some more healthy tip, recipes, and the like. If you aren't actually willing to make a change, I am NOT wasting anymore time typing.

mom24princesses

I can relate. When I moved out on my own at the age of 17 I had to teach myself all the basics. Every day for dinner I would just try a new recipe I had found on the internet. It was all trial and error. I'm also a young mother to four children five if you count the husband. lol I'm 25 and my youngest just turned 7. I found over the years I LOVE almost everything. I eat things like kale on a regular basis and love it.. and the great thing is my children do to because they have been raised this way. I have one kid that doesn't like everything like her sisters but she will eat most.. and if she doesn't she just goes hungry because you eat what is served or you don't eat at all in this house. Most times it's not the actual food that isn't good it's how it is prepared that makes a HUGE difference. My husband was raised on fast food . His parents divorced early on and worked a lot and brought home fast food for dinner every night. He was a fat kid and has a really really hard time eating anything but fast food and junk. However, after teaching myself to cook and putting different things in front of him night after night for the last 8 years his taste buds started to change. He request many healthy meals I've made instead of making an icky face. It has taken time but it can be done! Good luck

rml_16

A former coworker of mine was in a similar position and another coworker recommended The Joy of Cooking and The New York Times Cookbook to her as good cookbooks for beginners. She was a gourmet in no time! (Well, not quite, but she learned to cook.)

dargytaylor

http://www.5dollardinners.com/cooking-tutorials

check this out too

HouseHoldSix

Do you have any friends who are good cooks? Maybe they can help you learn a few things to help you make some meals for your family.
A Crock Pot is great and easy!

There are also places that you can buy pre-made meals or you can make them there - they help you with everything. Then you pack them up and put them in the freezer until you're ready. You don't have to 'cook' them. Dream Dinners is a great place!

If you don't wat your kiddos to suffer the same fate, you better get cookin'! Wink wink! Good luck!

NakedLunchTime

my mom never tought me to cook at all unless it was cooked in the microwave or was simple on the stove like ramen soup. so i have no knowledge about food much at all.

Stop blaming your mom for starter. We ate a lot of crap back in the day, but we got out & played it off. There’s this thing called Google where you find information about ANYTHING…, even eating healthy.

Woooow, Good story....

cramernh

My first question is.....Are you ready to make a change? While I would like to be happy go lucky like many of the other posters, I am not be as I see LOTS of excuses.

If you are ready to make a change and set a good example, then here are some things you need to do.

1.) Kids are kids. Tell them WHAT they are eating for dinner. They don't like it, they go to bed hungry or they eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (wheat break, only 1-2 tablespoon peanut butter, and no sugar jelly - lower in calories and no sugars). Give it a week. They will start eating what you make. You're a mother, not a friend. They will be mad at you for a whole hour at best.

2.) Steam your veggies by hand. I HATE soggy veggies. If they don't crunch, I don't like them. Take a fry pan (that has a lid) and add about half a cup of water. Let the water get nice and hot. Toss in your veggies and put the lid on. Let sit for 2-3 minutes. Mix. Let sit for 1-2 minutes (or more depending on the thickness). Very easy. PS: Asparagus is NOT that bad. Honestly, it has little to no taste at all. Suck it up.

3.) Tell your husband not to bring the stuff home. Simple and easy. If you don't have it in the house, you can't possible eat it.

If you answered "YES" to you are ready to make a change, then I would be more than happy to lend some more healthy tip, recipes, and the like. If you aren't actually willing to make a change, I am NOT wasting anymore time typing.

Absolutely!!!!!!!!!!