How can I feed my family without going over my calories and

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  • kristelpoole
    kristelpoole Posts: 440 Member
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    Do the kids have jobs? cars? Do they drive to the grocery store and buy the food with their own money, come home and force you to cook it for them?

    You sound like you're a slave to your children. I don't have kids, but I think you're in charge. Give them the same food. If you make eating healthy sound like as much a drag to them as you make it sound in this post, then yeah, they probably won't want it. But if you actually enjoy eating healthy, they'll see that and (eventually) follow along.
  • cricketannie
    cricketannie Posts: 184 Member
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    I was having this problem, too. I would make a healthy dinner, and the kids wouldn't eat it because it was not what they were used to. I had to make the rule: What I make for dinner is what you eat, or you can not eat at all. My kids only held out 2 times before they realized I am serious about my rule. Now we can actually all 5 sit down as a family and eat one healthy meal a night. I did make the compromise that we could keep dessert in the house, though. I figured if my kids (who are healthy and in a healthy weight range) eat my low calorie/lower sodium meals, they are allowed to indulge in dessert. I have to check myself and make sure I'm not digging into the ice cream, though!!
  • LeeDahlen38
    LeeDahlen38 Posts: 119 Member
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    Grilled Pork Chops, LowFat Tuna Casserolle, There's two. =)
  • vger11
    vger11 Posts: 248
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    Do the kids know you're using their computer to post on the internet?

    that's about right

    if they are hungry they will eat...dinner is what's for dinner...
  • tamiesue2
    tamiesue2 Posts: 149 Member
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    I don't mean to come across as rude, but fix one dinner and that is that.

    With 6 kids, I would go crazy fixing a dinner that everyone would like. I make dinner for the family, I work hard on making something nutrtious and delcious.. My children have been told from the time they could understand, that this is dinner. They have to take a "no thank you bite" That is where they politelyy take a bite of food, and if they don't like it, no comments about it, they can then say, "no thank you". They are then able to go get a bowl of cereal to eat for their dinner, bring it to the table and eat with the rest of us.

    Make dinner, serve it to them...have them try it...you will be surprised to what they will soon like.

    Most meals I make sure I measure my portion out...tonights dinner was whole wheat spaghetti with turkey and beef meetballs, in a semi-homemade sauce. They all enjoyed it and I just made sure I ate a proper portion....

    Good luck with the chnage...the kids will probably resist it at first...but in the long run they will enjoy it.

    I really wish I could hit a "like" button on this comment. I do alot of substituting at my house too, my kids do not like asparagus so I will make them a different veggie when I eat asparagus, they arent big on sauteed onions and peppers so i add the peppers to my dishes but leave it out of theirs, we still eat basically the same meals but with some adjustments!!
  • rpantusa
    rpantusa Posts: 267 Member
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    becoming healthy is a life style change, you should want your kids to be healthy as well. My parents let me eat whatever i wanted, and to this day, they still eat all junk all the time, and they are both way overweight and unhealthy. If my parents would have taught me the right way to eat when i was a kid, I would most likley not be struggling with my weight today. So if you teach your kids the importance now, they will love you for it later in life. I loved to eat junk then but if i could see now what i didn't then, and go back and my parents teach me healthy ways to eat, I would so do it! Please teach them now so they are not going through the struggles that you face now.
  • dvcab
    dvcab Posts: 78
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    yep this was my rule too this way every one eats everything and only allowances are made for known yuck foods like pumpkin and brussell sprouts so they dont get them but more of something else
  • ash190489
    ash190489 Posts: 587 Member
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    Okay... the question was how to stop making two meals a night, not pointing the finger at this person telling them they are doing incorrect parenting.

    I don't have to worry about children in my home, however my partner is heavily involved in gym and likes to eat lots of carbs and protein for dinner. It is HARD to try and make a combined meal sometimes. Sometimes we will have the same meal i.e. carbonara, but I will only have half the amount he has. I also try and make it a bit healthier by looking for a carbonara jar that is lower in calories or I don't put the whole jar of it in or I add in more veggies. Or else we will have some sort of meat and I will carefully measure mine and give him his usual amount plus veggies or salad... and I give him extra Continential pasta side dishes for him too so he can have his carbs. I feel like you can almost eat the same sorts of meals as your family, just cut it down or make a one or two changes. When we have sausages I give him normal sausages and I have Veggie Sausages.

    I hope that helps. I know how demanding children are today and I see the stress that children can put parents through when it comes to food. Trust me --- I see their lunch boxes everyday ---- I am a teacher.
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    1 dinner. eat or go hungry.
  • skinnyjess15
    skinnyjess15 Posts: 82
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    Grilled Pork Chops, LowFat Tuna Casserolle, There's two. =)
  • skinnyjess15
    skinnyjess15 Posts: 82
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    Grilled Pork Chops, LowFat Tuna Casserolle, There's two. =)


    Is that the tuna casserole recipe I gave you awhile back? :)
  • frugalmomsrock
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
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    I have relatively picky kids, but here's one major trick that I perform in the kitchen: Hide good foods. Having mashed potatoes? Do half mashed potatoes and half mashed cauliflower. They won't taste the difference; they'll get some veggies into their meal in a hidden manner. Having soup or chili? I make a base for my soups/chilis that is loaded with veggies (and VITAMINS). I put an onion, a bell pepper (or two), cilantro, and a half bag of baby carrots into the food processor. I process it and then saute it and go from there. Added veggies with the picky ones not knowing a thing. I have reduced our sodium by using more garlic powder, less salt. I have switched everyone's bread, pasta, and rice to brown (I did this a LONG time ago; it met with a slight resistance at first, but when they realized it was take it or leave the table hungry, they took it). They still get pizza, but we make it at home with either homemade wheat crust or I use wheat flour tortillas and do flat pizzas, or those little tiny sandwich rounds (whole wheat, of course). Then I let them fix it themselves-top with part skim mozzarella for them, fat free for me. They have fun fixing it, and it's not crazy in calories-one mini round is 50 calories, so the crust for two pizzas is only 50 calories and they're getting whole grains! I made soups that instead of cheese for the base is actually carrots, cauliflower, nutritional yeast, soy milk (or you can use regular), and corn starch whizzed in the blender. Then I can make it broccoli "cheese" soup or "cheesy" potato soup.

    The point is that you are the mom, and you are the cook. A child needs to have a food placed before them and TRY A BITE at least 10 times before they can form a true opinion. My kids have started to eat so many things they used to think they didn't like!
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    I feed my kids traditional foods and my own food is separate.

    They need not suffer or eat like I do just because I'm fat, trying to lose weight.
    None of my kids is fat; neither is my wife.

    No, I get their foods ready, then have mine already consumed before subjecting myself to the rigors of temptation.
    It's not easy, and some days, I fail!
  • silkysly
    silkysly Posts: 701 Member
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    One word...., WHY?
  • becoming_a_new_me
    becoming_a_new_me Posts: 1,860 Member
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    In my house, it's what for dinner. You don't like it, you don't eat. Simple...if they get hungry enough, they'll eat it. Eliminate all the junk from the house and get everyone healthy. Teaching good habits now will prevent them from future misery. I also have my daughter help with the preparation, so she likes to help eat what she made.
  • aircantu1
    aircantu1 Posts: 55 Member
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    I'd have to echo what everone else is saying. It's really not OK to feed your kids stuff you describe as "high sodium junk". They deserve to be healthy too. Teach them good habits now.
  • rjmwx81
    rjmwx81 Posts: 259 Member
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    1 dinner. eat or go hungry.

    THIS. The kids will eventually realize they have no choice. They will whine and scream and say they hate you, but they'll eat eventually. You've just got to be more strong-willed than they are.
  • maryjay51
    maryjay51 Posts: 742
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    make your meals for the whole family and teach the kids how to eat right too..or else they will be in your shoes someday and do you really wish that for them??
  • gaylelynnbell
    gaylelynnbell Posts: 248 Member
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    I know it's been said, but it can't be repeated too many times...

    Why are you feeding your kids 'high sodium junk'?

    Yeah, kids like crap...so do I but I'm not eating it. Don't feed your kids something you wouldn't want to eat. I raised two...they ate what I cooked or went hungry. They are now adults who eat healthy. Cause and effect.
  • firesoforion
    firesoforion Posts: 1,017 Member
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    My parents raised me to just naturally assume people liked fruits and vegetables (yeah, we all had the little things we didn't like, my brother raw onions and tomatoes, me kiwifruits, things like that), but just feed them healthy and don't make a big deal about the fact that they're not necessarily "supposed" to like them. You know those baby corn things? We thought those were the best treats ever. It'll give them a healthier taste in foods later on, too.

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