Meals that last days

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mkc2004
mkc2004 Posts: 21 Member
in Recipes
Ok-so i have a "meat and tator" family...to avoid the expensive meals (one for me, and one for them concept) are there things that i can cook for myself that will last a few days???? i dont mind eating the same thing over and over and switching it out every week. I just can't afford to stick to a "normal" meal for my family and a healthy, light meal for myself. maybe something i can just nook and eat as i cook their dish. i know i can portion control most of it, but there are some meals that is a family favorite, that i will really need to avoid. any suggestions????
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  • lwagnitz
    lwagnitz Posts: 1,321 Member
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    Can't they eat what you eat? There's no reason your family shouldn't be healthy, too.

    As well as the "family favorites", don't have them as frequently, and practice portion control. Or load your plate with veggies first. Make that the smallest part of your meal, whatever it is.
  • mkcmurphy
    mkcmurphy Posts: 437 Member
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    Chili? Easily portioned out and dressed up per participant. Good luck!
  • chervil6
    chervil6 Posts: 236 Member
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    theres nothing with meat and tater .... just have the veggies more :)
  • 75Juniper
    75Juniper Posts: 376
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    Can't they eat what you eat? There's no reason your family shouldn't be healthy, too.

    As well as the "family favorites", don't have them as frequently, and practice portion control. Or load your plate with veggies first. Make that the smallest part of your meal, whatever it is.

    ^^100% this. You are teaching your family that a person is either on a diet or off a diet. Use this as an opportunity to show them that they can still eat things they like while trying a variety of new, healthy foods.
  • koridoobah
    koridoobah Posts: 38 Member
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    I like to make homemade beef stew thats loaded with veggies... a pot of that yummyness lasts me about 4-5 days.
  • ncqueenbee
    ncqueenbee Posts: 147 Member
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    My family eat what I eat. I will sometimes include a side dish they like, but leave it off my plate and just double up on the veggies.

    And to answer your question...Turkey chilli is a hit with everyone. You can make a hugh batch , freeze it, heat and serve when ready.
  • angelique_redhead
    angelique_redhead Posts: 782 Member
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    I make myself a small portion of meat with a salad. They get the potatoes.
  • nturner612
    nturner612 Posts: 710 Member
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    i have this same problem.

    Tuna ($1 can x7days)
    progresso light soups (dollar tree)
    bananas (.49 cent pound)
    oatmeal (will last for a long time and that can b ur bfast)
    head of lettuce ($1,change) maybe lettuce with tuna
    great value sliced turkey (something like $3 for sandwiches, or even for a bfast sandwich)

    ive also made chili, and/or veggie soups in my crockpot. cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, celery, broccoli, onions, etc. spend about 20$ but u can stretch it for a week. throw in some chicken and itll b delish!

    *** hit ur grocery store in the evenings and look for "Clearance" meats. I have found at Safeway, sliced turkey, sliced chicken breast, cheeses, ground beef, chicken etc for as low as like $3! of course they will go bad in ALOT and havent died yet from eating food thats alomost goin bad. :)
  • MyOwnSunshine
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
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    Ham... ham for a few days, ham sandwiches/wraps, ham and beans, ham and cheese omelettes.

    Chili... chili for a few days, chili dogs with all beef hotdogs and no bun.

    Any soup or stew... split pea, beef stew, lentil soup, chicken and rice, beef barley, minestrone.
  • roberts1013
    roberts1013 Posts: 103 Member
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    For my family i started out with making one "healthy" meal a week for them with out telling them it was "diet" food. Once they ate it and loved it i just added it to the meal routine. That way I slowly got rid of the less healthy meals with out them realizing what was going on. We still eat there favorites just way less often. I also did some internet surfing and found healthier versions of there favorites. They hardly even noticed cuz they still tasted great.
  • Barbarajavon
    Barbarajavon Posts: 42
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    I recently made a huge batch of shredded chicken (about 4 large chicken breasts) and I use it for a variety of things, salad, tacos for myself, sandwiches, and chicken salad. All I have to add is a carb (usually a piece of bread) and a veggie.
  • mdonovan
    mdonovan Posts: 44
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    On Sundays I do up a roast of some kind (chicken, pork, beef) and use it through the week for wraps, with veggies, soup, that sort of thing. Eggs are great too. Super quick and really versatile.
  • mkc2004
    mkc2004 Posts: 21 Member
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    great ideas. . . thanks. . . i guess i need to look into some more recipes, or maybe just change out what i have in mine. i love to cook and i make everything from scratch. i tried switching turkey meat with my hamburger meat in my taco soup, it just wasn't the same. which that was the very first time anyone in my family has tried turkey meat. my husband was raised on a ranch with pretty much nothing but meat and fried veggies, so it truly will be a change for all of us, but a good change. what about sweets, i love to bake. i know what i bake now is so far from healthy.

    do you have any suggestions on healthy recipe cook books???
  • hmadrone
    hmadrone Posts: 129 Member
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    I cook for 6 people, including 4 adults and two teenaged boys. They need the calories; I don't.

    I make things that have separate carb, protein, and veg portions. That way, the kids can load up on the calories they need to grow, and I can load up on the veggies I need to lose.

    I always make a lot of whatever vegetable I'm serving. I focus on the veg and the protein, and skimp or skip the carb portion of the meal.

    So, if I'm making pasta and garlic bread for the crew, I make a big order of sauteed summer squash. I have my pasta sauce on the squash and only eat a little garlic bread.

    If we're having a nice balanced soup, I serve it with some kind of bread for the kids. Garlic bread, biscuits....

    If we're having a stir fry (I do a lot of stir fries), I take a little rice, a lot of veggies, and top with meat.

    If we're having more traditional meat-and-potatoes fare, I make sure that half of my plate is veggies,
  • val922
    val922 Posts: 8
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    ok this is what I do, I cook for the family with meat and tater people too....I take any meat or shrimp, stir fry with veggies and garlic with a little olive oil, I take a healthy serving of the meat and veggies and very very little potatoes. I roast the meat and steam the veggies (when veggies are done cooking I take what I want to eat) then prepare them with butter or cheese (the way they like it) They eat well with me. Again what I do is eat what they are eating but not as much of the carbs. I make a breakfast for dinner night also so I fry their eggs and make them pancakes but I have poached or soft boiled eggs and whole wheat toast. Hope this helps you. :wink:
  • val922
    val922 Posts: 8
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    go to allrecipes.com....free recipes, you can create a recipe box to keep your faves in, then click on recipes then low cal recipes. I think you might find some you will like .
  • lwagnitz
    lwagnitz Posts: 1,321 Member
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    great ideas. . . thanks. . . i guess i need to look into some more recipes, or maybe just change out what i have in mine. i love to cook and i make everything from scratch. i tried switching turkey meat with my hamburger meat in my taco soup, it just wasn't the same. which that was the very first time anyone in my family has tried turkey meat. my husband was raised on a ranch with pretty much nothing but meat and fried veggies, so it truly will be a change for all of us, but a good change. what about sweets, i love to bake. i know what i bake now is so far from healthy.

    do you have any suggestions on healthy recipe cook books???

    skinnytaste.com
  • Liz77bandsman
    Liz77bandsman Posts: 11
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    I have always encouraged my family to eat what I eat. That said all meals can be made better for you all:
    Home made chips (invest in frylite or any other spray oil), veggies/beans and then bake what goes with it
    Corned beef hash has always goes down treat - great as a filling meal as i use 1 tin of corned beef, 1 tin of baked beans, a load of sliced mushrooms & onions topped with mash and a touch of grated cheese, accompany with extra veggies (I always have a load of steam fresh bags ready to hand).
    Homemade lamb meatballs in a tomato sauce (the bigger the better) this is from an old SW magazine but are super lush
    If you prefer veggie food (like me) then quorn is nicer than soya mince and is an amazing and low fat meat replacement

    If you are really struggling changing the way you cook could be key: bake/grill rather than fry, if you do need to fry foods use a spray oil rather than olive/vegetable oil from a bottle, as many others have said increase vegetables. Do leave the skin on meats when cooking but don't eat the skin/bacon rind as this is pure fat (and yes i know the best bit).

    I would recommend you stop thinking of what you eat as diet food. Once you get to where you want to be you're leaving yourself open to falling back into the bad habits that got you to the place you are now. Opt instead for a lifestyle change and keep the weight off for good. It's never easy and life does tend to get in the way, just take small steps. Good luck.
  • nejaustin
    nejaustin Posts: 76 Member
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    I cook something in the crockpot every Sunday. Right now I have a yummy smoked sausage cassoulet simmering away that smells yummy. (from myrecipes.com). I will portion these out when it is complete, write the portion/cal on tape on the container. It will probably smell so good that your family will want to eat what you are.
  • matti07
    matti07 Posts: 93 Member
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    I cook something in the crockpot every Sunday. Right now I have a yummy smoked sausage cassoulet simmering away that smells yummy. (from myrecipes.com).

    I just packaged up some Moroccan chicken that I made yesterday. Put it into the MFP recipe app, and the dish was way lighter than I thought!

    Yay, slowcookers!

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