Is there more to dieting than chicken?..

samandlucysmum

I am a plain eater, I like chicken, baked/jacket potatoes, baked beans, cheese..rice, pasta, I have tried different combos with these foods, but I am getting a little bored now, can I have some easy, plain meal ideas that are reasonably priced please. I have a family of 6 children, and a husband, so recipes that fit in with them would be great, I already do a great chicken casserole, so any other ideas would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

LBash03

Skinnytaste.com has some great recipes. Check it out!

yonit1118

Sure, my husband and I started this no starches so as side dishes I make alots of stir fry to go along with my protein. I also substitute cauliflower for mash potatoes.. On the cooking channel there is an amazing chef/ nutritionist that makes simple yet low calorie meals. Her name is Ellie Krieger, I record her show because it's at 5:30am on the west coast, but you could also check her out on the www.cookingchannel.com. Happy Cooking....

bathsheba_c

Ground turkey? That way you can do fun, basic things like homemade turkey burgers and turkey meat sauce over pasta. Alternately, if you can get the chicken breast ground, you can mix it with chopped onions plus egg and bread crumbs to bind, and then fry them. Not THE healthiest thing ever, but darn tasty and not too bad.

jdploki70

Fish, pork, and the occasional ground turkey adds a lot to your pantry. I work with about the same materials and manage to make some fairly decent meals. Add coucous as well and you get a bunch more varieties. That and a bit of seasoning goes a really long way. Nothing spicy or exotic. Even pepper and a bit of garlic powder can bring a lot of flavor to an otherwise dull chicken breast.

GSCPostBaby

Fish!

cmeade20

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/09/crockpot-applesauce-chicken-recipe.html


http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-vegetarian-lasagna-recipe/

http://cleaneatingmag.com/Recipes/Quick-Easy.aspx

http://www.bodyrock.tv/2011/10/25/garlic-meat-balls-in-tomato-sauce/

meg7399

I too am a bit of a plain eater. I get some good casserole ideas from the Campbells website. Not all are diet friendly, but with portion control they work out just fine.

mes1119

Fish, Ground turkey, and the occasional lean steak never hurts. Eat a small one and it is high in protein

TheBraveryLover

I probably eat as much (lean) red meat as I do chicken, and I'm reaching my goals just fine. Why not throw in a steak or some ground beef in your fridge every once in awhile? I only have myself to feed, so I understand you probably can't buy it as often as I can having 6 children, but it would be a nice change of pace, at times.

PhillyTD

Buffalo is pretty good. And it's lean.

Alisha_countrymama

I buy big pks of pork steaks on sale at the grocery store, and I cook them in skillets (more than one) over medium heat with salt and pepper and water. It takes an hour at least, and I cook them and cook them until they are so tender I can barley flip them over, then after they are that tender I let the water cook out and brown both sides. They taste amazing...people tell me they would never believe I cooked them with just water and salt and pepper. I learned this from my aunt and I LOVE them! I love food with lots of flavor, and I think it's just techniques you learn to develop the natural flavors of food.

I also buy a huge bag of Tilapia from Walmart, and I cook those in a skilled with a little EVOO and some Caujin seasoning....they are not expensive at all. I think 10 bucks for a big bag that has like 20 fillets in it, that are individually vacuum sealed.

Also don't be afraid of ground beef, I buy the 90/10 because you get more bang for your buck. Even though you spend more on the meat, you have more meat after it cooks. And tastes great.

TrailRunner61

Im addicted to grilled salmon. I make a sauce by reducing maple syrup and orange juice and it's awesome. It doesn't take much and it packs a lot of flavor.

How about kabobs? My kids always loved those. I make them with any lean, marinated meat and serve it with brown rice.

Skinnytaste.com has a ton of healthier, made over recipes. I love it.

How about homemade pizza? Red bell peppers, mushrooms and lean meat (or not) is good. You can even buy the premade crust and sauce to save time. I make my own sauce to reduce the sodium content and freeze it in small containers.

Foil dinners are fun and easy. Use lean hamburger 95/5, mix with cut up sweet potatoes, potatoes, peppers, onions, carrots, mushrooms and any other veggies you like. You can add cheese to the kids' meals. Also, in the end you just toss the foil in the trash. No dishes to clean up!

MamaKeeks

You guys are all awesome! Amazing suggestions! All I was going to say was fish and shrimp - yummy and easy to prepare, and relatively inexpensive when you're feeding a brood like yours! And both are pretty versatile so you can do lots with them. And maximize use of herbs and lemon, etc with them - great flavour with no added fat!

Good luck, and have fun!

jiddu17

You can turn almost any of your "old" recipes into a more acceptable version. And if you just can't cut the cals down enough, then limit your portion of it and round out YOUR plate with veggies and fruits that you like. With 6 kids, I'm certain you have a more difficult balance to find, but, as an example:

1) I make Burritos with Ground Turkey (if you cant adapt Ground Turkey to your liking through seasoning, try adding a bit of Beef Gravy Powder to it) - using Black Beans, Corn, Salsa, a bit of Brown Rice and the Ground Turkey, the Burriot can be very filling. IF you need to get the cals down, use the filing over shredded lettuce instead of a tortilla.

2) Pasta With Red Sauce - Load the sauce up with veggies (think squash, tomatoes and spinach) Skip the meat, or add 1/2 of what you normally would. Or even better, add a few Turkey meatballs instead of Meat. The trouble here is the pasta itself. Go Whole Grain, first of all, and limit your portion to a cup or so. If you have a cup of pasta with a bit of sauce and 4 Turkey meatballs with a side salad (or even just a cut up tomato or cucumber), you can no doubt come in under 500 cals for dinner.

3) If you typically make a pan of something high carb, high fat, to feed your large family, just realize that you can't necessarily eat the same amount as they can... you have to limit yours to a "side dish" portion and fill out your plate with lower cal foods.

I think we all tend to go high carb when feeding a large group, but sometimes you just have to make something quick for yourself and have just a little bit of what you've made. You're not deprving yourself, and you're still able to come in at your target.

JPod279

Most of us here are not "dieting" but are changing our eating habbits to where we can maintain a healthy lifestyle. There is a difference. One difference is I eat what I want, but I just eat less and I watch my calorie intake and I exercise regularly. Of the 37 pounds I have lost, 27 have come off since the first part of February. I still eat pizza, corn dogs, peanut butter, pasta, and so on. So maybe you need to look at this differently. If you just want to diet there are plenty of fad diets out there to try that let you eat more than chicken.