Simple, Satisfying Substitutions

shortymordy

Welcome alliteration fans! :happy:

Now on to food...I'm sure there are people out there like me who have other people in their household who refuse to eat "diet" food. Case in point: my husband. He's actually pretty good at trying what I put in front of him, but if it absolutely screams, "I'M HEALTHY!" he's usually running to Taco Bell 3 hours later.

Since I refuse to cook separate meals, it usually means my meals are all about moderation. This is actually OK with me since it hopefully means this is a true lifestyle change, and not just a passing fad.

Because he usually is a good sport, and I know he's really a meat and potatoes guy at heart, I occasionally make meals that will satisfy his red meat cravings. For instance, he loves steak with baked potatoes, so last night, we grilled steaks, but instead of the baked potatoes (with butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon), I did oven roasted red potatoes with olive oil. He was just as happy, without all the fat and calories!

Anyone else have any tricks that keep you on track (and not feeling like a short order cook) but keeps your family from running for the hills?

KitchenCourses

I think what you're doing is absolutely the right track to be on. Try to meet him halfway like you did with the potatoes and maybe add another green vegetable as a side dish so you can eat less potatoes and more of the greens. Also, as a trick that works with my husband, hiding healthier ingredients in dishes that he already likes helps me to up my veggie intake while not feeling so bad about eating something like pizza or pasta. If he likes white sauce, add some pureed cauliflower to it and see if he even notices the difference. Or some pureed butternut squash to macaroni and cheese. Mixing in "healthy" foods with favorites can make eating a better experience for both of you.

shortymordy

Great ideas! I'll have to try the white sauce...he LOVES white sauce!

We did have broccoli, and I made sure there was more green on my plate than white.

usedasbrandnew

It's cauliflower again, but I love mashed cauliflower, either mixed with regular mashed potatoes or on its own.

Also, baked sweet potatoes are great, they serve those at the steakhouses! You can add cinnamon, he can have his butter if he chooses. I even like sweet potato fries (homemade) with other veggies too.

If you have it, and it's not ridiculously expensive, ground bison has wayyy less fat than beef, and usually no hormones, but it's just as tasty! (It goes a long way for taco night especially if you make some chicken fajita meat along with it!)

I've also found that when you make things spicy, if you like that sort of thing, the non-healthy eaters don't notice the lack of oily sauce as much. A few shakes of crushed red pepper or saute with some fresh peppers. NOM

Whole wheat flour in your recipes that call for all purpose flour! You can do half and half the first time and slowly switch them all the way over, probably without your hubby even noticing.

A small switch that I did was buy free range eggs (local farm if you can, wayyy less expensive than the market). They have about a third less sat-fat, cholesterol and other "bad" stuff and are so fresh and better tasting in my opinion.

I love cream sauces too! I like the cauliflower idea. A Lot. I do "pink" sauces now though, mostly tomato-based, part cream based... It's yummy.

I know the guys don't generally go gung ho for a salad, but having a big one in the fridge, like a weeks worth, is a great tool for you! You can bring it out and have a salad with dinner, so you can have smaller portions of the full fat foods. You never know, he could end up liking them too.

Hope that wasn't too much rambling.
Best of luck!

AmyRhubarb

Plain Greek yogurt has taken the place of sour cream at our house. And hubby has issues with most dairy, but he can eat yogurt, so it was a win-win switch!