Moms with lots of kids/coffee lovers

Nsdnjbl

How do you cook for yourself and your kids? I refuse to cook two meals. When I was loosing weight before I was marinating chicken overnight and grilling it and using a scale and prepackaging. I would steam fresh veggies every day. After working (teacher) all day I am tired. I do ok, but I'm eating carbs like crazy.

And...

I miss my coffee. I love walmarts vanilla&carmel creamer with 1'tsp sugar. Is nearly 45calories for each cup. I may have to drink me some cause I'm dying! I also can't eat fake sugar , I almost immediately get nauseas and migraine. Sorry for typos , iPad!

Help!

Virginia90

My cups of coffee cost me 72 calories a cup (2 TBSP organic half&half and 2 tsp raw sugar), and I decided that I wouldn't drink the coffee unless I have a day with extra points (either from exercise or eating less that day), but that works for me because the caffeine doesn't keep me awake, and I like an evening cuppa. I am new at this, but the first day I went way over (I didn't track all day, I just wrote the food down, then entered it later, so I overate). Yesterday, I tracked pretty well, but went over until I did a little more exercise. Today, I had the opposite problem. I got to dinner, then realized the "normal" portions of my dinner is 3xx calories and I had like 7xx left with exercise still to do (I'm doing the 30 Day Shred)! I allowed myself to eat an extra helping of chicken at dinner, and felt really full! Then I worked out...a little longer than I meant to, and so now I'm having a cup of coffee and I treated myself to a couple mini mint patties...The concept of eating my exercise calories is so foreign to me! This is going to take some getting used to. Anyways, I would just pump out a little cardio for a few minutes to "earn" your coffee since it's only 45 calories a cup!

As for the kiddos, I just cook one big healthy meal and everyone eats it. Tonight, I had this: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/04/baked-chicken-parmesan.html along with 2 cups of boiled zucchini and squash with some Parmesan on top. Even the baby loved it! My husband thought it was the best thing ever, and it was really really healthy, and really low calorie (like I said, I had seconds!!)! Instead of the butter, I just lightly sprayed my chicken with cooking spray and it compensated for the extra calories of not using low fat cheese (we didn't have any) plus still got crispy. I think maybe look into some lean crockpot meals, and maybe some of the "weight watcher" recipes - some of them are VERY yummy and your whole family won't mind eating them! 365crockpot is a GREAT website for recipes! I use her recipes all the time, and it's really broadened what I use my crockpot for!

Also I can't do the fake sugar either - I even tried the natural one - stevia, and it had a gross aftertaste - then I had turned to agave nectar, then researched it and realized it was made almost exactly like HFCS and anywhere from 60-90% fructose, then I just gave in and brought Turbinado (raw sugar) since we don't use sugar very often. It isn't better calorie-wise, but it is less refined.

kkenny0146

For coffee there is Starbucks VIA in flavors. It does have some sugar in it, but it is pretty good and you can take it on the go.

MommaToFour

Try a little unrefined / virgin coconut oil in your coffee. I gave up the vanilla creamer a long time ago and the coconut oil made it so easy for me.

mamagooskie

I only have 2 kids....but sometimes the noise and mess almost convince me I'm sure they multiply themselves by 10 when I am not looking!!!

I refuse to cook multiple meals either.....I kinda feed them deconstructed versions of whatever I make. Like tonight was pasta and sauce, they ate pasta with butter, hubby and I ate the sauce with pasta. If it's something I can easily do, like fried and nuggets for us and fries and fish sticks for them, I'll do it since it doesn't add any more "work" into my cooking. If it is somthing all mixed up like chili, or stirfry and they don't like this or that in it.....I say eat what you like, or don't eat it at all but don't ask for any dessert or other food later on.

As for coffee, I love my hot coffee (got a keurig now) I love iced coffee.....I love caffeine in general and drink several doses of it daily!!
I use stevia, or almond milk for flavoring. Chocolate almond milk and mint extract added to coffee is nice too!!

meghan8000

I love my crockpot! There are a lot of healthy recipes out there and most of them are minimal prep!

And as far as coffee goes, I have a really bad habit of not eating breakfast so I get my breakfast calories from my coffee. I know I shouldn't do it but I've been skipping breakfast since high school and I just can't get in the habit of eating first thing in the morning. Although I do try to eat a banana or something if I haven't eaten yet before I work out.

PippaJo_

I love my coffee - and yeah, that vanilla caramel creamer is great. I use the generic splenda - I used to use sugar exclusively, but when I tried to cut calories a long time ago, I went to the splenda, and I didn't find it difficult - I can't remember what I thought at the time, but I'm guessing I just went cold turkey on the sugar in it.

But anyway - so a mug of coffee is 50 calories or so. Those are GOOOOD calories, in my book! I don't deprive myself of them at all, in fact, some days I have two cups!

I just make up those calories elsewhere. I'm on 1340 a day, so not a ton, but I couldn't do 1200, I got too hungry. This is just about right. So, maybe I'll have some low-calorie soup for lunch. Or maybe I'll have a tomato sandwich for dinner. There are so many ways to make your 'treats' fit into your calorie budget if it's something you really want. It's important for me to not feel deprived, and my tasty coffee helps me do that.


Oh, and I don't cook separately for the kids, when I cook. I follow in my grandmother's footsteps - you'll eat what you're served, or you'll go hungry. Your choice. That said, sometimes what I want to eat isn't particularly a 'meal', or I'll want the same thing I had the day before or something, and in that case, I'll cook a regular meal for them, and then *I'll* be the one doing the nibbling at what I want later.

TinaS88

As for the coffee. Actually, the Splenda 0 calorie sweeteners are pretty good! I can't tell the difference, and I'm very picky about my sugar! LoL I personally had to give up the creamer, it just wasn't worth the calories, I drink too much coffee.. LoL


As for meals, try googling, "quick, healthy meals", or "10 min. meals", something like that! :P

atabt

I try to stick to meat of some kind and some steamed vegetables - maybe a bit of couscous or quinoa on the side. (Couscous takes 5 minutes to prepare - just boil the water/stock, dump it in and remove from heat.) That's how I try to keep it simple to save time when I get home from work and it covers the food groups.

As for the kids, they mostly like what we grownups eat. They are young but I do not make 2 meals - never have. They can choose to have sauce or no sauce, for example, but I do try to make dinners I know they will like. If they eat small portions and try everything I will let them have dessert which at our house is a piece of fruit. They think it's awesome to run to the fridge after dinner and get a pear or tangerine or grapes. Just some ideas.

Cheers

ishallnotwant

I have 5 kids. We mostly eat normal, whole foods, not low fat or anything like that. I just measure out my portions when i'm serving a meal. My kids love fresh fruits and veggies, so they pretty much eat anything I make for them.

I drink one cup of instant coffee per day, with a splash of milk. Every once in a while I will allow myself two cups...but I have a heart problem and it has to be a day i'm really dragging to allow a second cup lol.

jbootman

so I am now an old mother of 7 children, my advice

for the next few days everyone gets cereal for dinner,

hit the internet and get 10 slow cooker recipes that have veg and other ingredients that your family likes,

even if you have to experiment a bit,

then make a master grocery list,

the night before choose the recipe and lay out those ingredients you can on the counter with the recipe,

in the morning throw it all together,

when you get home the meal is ready, plus a piece of fruit for dessert, a glass of milk,

after dinner package up any leftover for your own lunches the next day or have for breakfast,
,
kids can make own lunches or if possible eat hot lunch at school,

cereal for breakfast unless its the weekend,

and now for my big advice

SLEEP

and then sleep more,

obesity in women is fueled by carbs and lack of sleep,

streamline your life, be ruthless, kids wear simple jeans and tshirts until they are old enough to care for their own laundry,

I have no thoughts on coffee, but please understand that if you are caffinating because of fatigue then you are very much in danger of falling into the trap of sleep deprivation,

now go to sleep

mkcke

I have nine kids and my husband works late and most weekends too. We all have different schedules. I don't worry too much about my older kids. They snack a lot when they come home from school. And it isn't all just junk food that they snack on. There are fruits and veggies ready for them to take as they want. I tell them they better enjoy it while it lasts because they are all skinny kids. I used to be like that too.
They often want something different than what I have fixed for dinner. My son who is 18 can fix something for himself or go out to eat with his friends if he wants to. It's no big deal. He often tells me he can get it himself. My husband usually eats out or fixes something when he gets home.
I usually just try to have a normal meal ready for my 3 youngest kids. They are 7, 4 and 15 months. My two teen girls are usually not done with homework yet and want time to finish. My 3 middle boys are out with their friends come in and eat when they are hungry or they eat at their friend's house. If I have already put it all away they can come in and reheat it if they want to. There are also left overs that they can get themselves or soups that they like to heat up for themselves. I have a more relaxed approach to it. As long as everyone has eaten something healthy for their breakfasts and have a good school lunch, I don't mind. We all have a family dinner after Mass on Sundays.

andylllI

I do a lot of pre-prep. I wash all the fruits that need it, pre cut stuff like pinapples, and every couple of days I wash, cut and steam or roast a bunch of different veggies. I precook some starches (rice, yams, farro usually, sometimes beans). I precook a largish package of lean protein (usually chicken breasts). For myself, I pack something I call fridge salad. A couple cups of leafy greens, a variety of steamed veg and the cut up lean protein and some of whatever starch is lying around if I need starch in my lunch. I don't use salad dressing because its an interesting enough combo of flavors between the spices on the protein and the olive oil used to roast the veg. This is a good way to use up the various drabs of veg and protein etc that my two kids (3.5 and 1.5) seem to leave behind.

Because my kids are little, I let them regulate their own intake but they eat what we eat or simple things like bananas, omelets etc. I offer protein, starch and a variety of veg and fruits throughout the day. Usually they go through phases...like my toddler will be a fruitarian for a week then have a day when he only will eat meat. I do try to push a bunch of calorically dense food at the toddler because he is so underweight (I buy him 10% MF yogurt for example but its pretty easy for me to not touch that). I have no advice for older kids.

Kids are hard and working is hard. There are lots of nights where I am up to 11 pm cooking and cleaning up after and I have to wake at 530 for work. So I don't know what the solution is. Maybe batch cooking once a month or getting a couple of friends together and sorting out communal meal prep would be helpful.

I agree with you...I grab carbs when I am stressed and tired. Usually the simple micro-nutrient deficient kind that replace better food choices and it's not good for my health and fitness goals.