Are you the main cook in the house?

shivles

If you're the main cook, does everyone in the family get the same as you to eat or do you make them something different? My new healthy eating kick hasn't been met with a very warm reception, my OH wants his pie and chips back and my toddler isn't keen on all this green stuff I'm giving her. I've been trying to do a bit of a compromise with the little one, like yesterday for lunch I had chicken salad but i put hers in a wholewheat pitta with a little light mayo and only put in salad she likes (cucumber and cherry tomatoes) which she didn't mind so much. She's constantly asking me for 'bad' foods though, do I let her eat things I wouldn't eat myself? OH is moaning about lack of beef, I've been making a lot more fish meals and even vegetarian ones sometimes but he moans about lack of steak and burgers...

Do you indulge the family with foods you wouldn't eat?

TavistockToad

i dont have kids, but why would you feed your child something you wouldnt eat yourself?

and whats wrong with burgers or steak?

i always cook at home, i just do burgers on buns with chips & salad for my husband and leave the buns off for me. most other things he just gets bigger portions, or has a slice of bread with it if he doesnt think it'll be filling enough.

i dont think there is any need to cut out meat if you want a healthy balanced diet - protein is important, especially if you work out.

Gail3260

My kids are older so it is less of an issue. However there is no way on this earth I am going to cook something for the rest of them that I am not going to eat. I just put more of the 'good' stuff on my plate and less of the 'bad'.

m4ttcheek

Just remember kids need quite a lot of calories for their size as they grow so quickly, sometime "healthy" options just are calorific enough for their growth.

Synapze

I used to be the main cook. Would thump out a 10 hour day at work then come home and cook dinner.

Loved it, though. Collected heaps of great cook books, and made loads of mess in the Kitchen.

I did get a lot of crap about it from my family though, as my wife was a stay at home mum, and they looked at it as though she was lazy.

It was just a fact that i enjoyed it. My wife did learn from me, and now she does the cooking, creating some awesome dishes.

She does her best to help me with my calorie intake. The entire family is benefiting really.

benol1

Hello shivles,

I have been down that road but not anymore.
With regards to your husband - get him on board. But you'll need to have a conversation with him about your healthy lifestyle goals. Depending on how you manage it - he could be your greatest ally or frenemy. So, think about how to raise it and manage it. Compromise or introduce changes slowly.
With regards to your child/ren - that is going to be difficult in the short term but they will get used to what you serve up. In my experience, very picky eaters become so by parents indulging their children.
And for the record, I am the only cook in the family and have been for the last 20 years.
Wishing you all the best,

Ben

milkyskinn

I'm usually the main cook here, as well. There are some things that my family has tried but has carefully made clear about they prefer the slightly 'unhealthier' version of it. I used to make spaghetti sauce with chicken breast instead of beef (20gr of fat vs. 4 is an easy choice for me!) And even though they didn't think it tasted bad, they'd still rather have beef. Thankfully I found a 4% fat lean beef so I'm using that now.

This is maybe what you could do for burgers to kind of meet each other halfway? Just use leaner beef, or even experiment making turkey/chicken burgers (with which you will have a greater variety of taste/seasonings than you have with beef!) or even plant based ones like portobello mushrooms or burgers made out of black beans, rice or lentils which can all be tasty and healthy options.
There's always a way to get your own healthy food and pleasing everyone else. When I make lasagna, I make a beef-regular cheese version for my family and a chicken-goat cheese version for myself. It's a little more work, but there will always be things you can't force other people to like if they don't intend on wanting to to begin with.

As for your kid, a little bad food in moderation can't hurt, but for kids to grow up in an environment where healthy eating is normal and they're getting the nutrition they need is more important than just giving them whatever they want

FaerieCae

Cook the man some steak, grill your burgers so the fat drains off, red meat is good if its lean... let your kid have salad vegies they like and then add some new ones to try. Everyone will benefit. Your toddler will get used to it. I have a 3 yo, we have veges every meal, he only just tried broccoli in the last week cause we pretended we were giants eating trees. I ve tried that trick for a year with him and hes only just decided to actually put it in his mouth. Be persistent, if shes resistant, tell her she can go to bed hungry then. Kids will eat when they are hungry. As for OH tell him you'll give him his piemand chips once a week. That way youre not having to make two meals every night. But add some veges with it.

tadpole242

I'm the main cook and buyer in my house, and yes, I'm happy to change part of the family meal to suit the taste of my family. my daughter doesn't like processed food (burgers, sausages, and the like) so she'll get chicken breast or home-cured ham. There is Nothing wrong with steak, trim off the fat and you're sorted.
It's your choice to be on the health Kick, not theirs, so you have to deal with your will power in controlling your appetite. Calling it a health kick makes me think you're not that serous about the whole "lifestyle change" and still think of it as a diet. If that is the case, then my advice to you is give up now, as diets don't work.

lovingangel4uau

Hi
I cook for my husband and older son. Funny thing after I was watching what I eat for 3 weeks they came on board and wanted to lose weight themselves. We have lost 25kg all together in 5 weeks.

Tavistock has a good point. Why would you give your child something you know will be bad for their bodies. Children adapt and she will see how healthy you are and the foods you enjoy and she will to. Talk up good points of what you are eating to her. And how bad the other food is for her body. Its never to young to education children on right choices whether its food or other life choices. You should be proud that you will give her a wonderful foundation for her future.

As far as your husband is concerned you can make certain things in a little different way. Less calorie buns, organic meat and less or no fat. Baked potato chips instead of deep frying. Mash potato with no butter or marg but boiled with a little onion or garlic or a few shakes of chilli powder and low fat milk etc. He will eat it unless he cooks himself is his only option. The one day my husband did whinge I told him I refuse to give him things that are not good for him and if he wanted to eat them to go ahead but he will have to make it. A couple of hours late he was fine and has been with the program since. He is diabetic and since he has been doing this he has gone from 3 insulin injections a day to 1. I think if you talk to your husband and tell him you want the best for him, yourself and your daughter, then leave it at that.

I have found at the supermarket I just look at all the panels could have 5 different rice noodles for example some will have more fat and carbs than others. Small changes.
I have also invested in sapphire coated cookware that I got in one of those TV commercials. Best thing I have bought I just don't cook with oil anymore. Chicken Meat fish all come crispy and brown, cooks so well and less cleaning and doesn't stick.

I suggest you look at this on youtube and good idea for your husband to sit and watch it to. Shows what is in our food. Something's you would never think of. It actually stop my husband drinking diet drinks which was no mean feat, we have been telling him for years but until he saw this he wouldn't listen. Now its spring water.

http://www.infowars.com/food-the-ultimate-secret-exposed/
Good luck! and enjoy your weight lose.

skinnytayy

I'm the main cook in the house and fortunately, my fiance has agreed to go primal with me so there isn't any arguments about what I cook. But no way would I cook separate stuff for me anyways ... Too expensive and time consuming. He eats what I cook or he doesn't eat at all. Just kidding! Haha. I do make an effort to take note of his favorite meals and each week we sit down together & plan out what we want. He picks a few things he likes & I pick a few things that I like and we make it work. Like I said, we're both on the same page when it comes to nutrition so its pretty easy for me. No kids yet but I'm glad that when I DO have them, I'll already be eating healthy so they'll never know a difference really. But even if they ate junk somewhere else & came home wanting nothing but junk, they'd just be out of luck. Every once in a blue moon? Sure but not all the time. The way i see it, it'd be my responsibility to make sure they are cared for properly and I think nutrition falls under that.

Mountain_woman

I am the main cook of the house and live with a diverse age group ranging from my father (early 60's) to my daughter (almost 5). When I cook, I try to make a healthier version of old family favorites. If I put something indulgent out (like mashed potato), I put out a small bowl, so people get to have a modest portion without going overboard. I make meat portions more modest too and make sure to make our meat options lean as well. I fill the rest of the table with veggies all sorts of ways; raw, roasted, sautéed in extra virgin olive oil, steamed, etc. If people don't feel satisfied and want to eat more, they can choose from a vegetable option as opposed to multiple servings of something greasy. With some folks, (like my stubborn father) there will never be change, no matter how good the intentions. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. So when it comes to him, life is happier in the home when I keep a few things he personally enjoys in the house. I avoid them, as I lack the ability to enjoy just one or two bites and would rather use my caloric budget for a bigger portion of more nutritionally dense foods. The healthful options are there for everyone to enjoy. For the biggest part, my family (8-14 people depending on the day) have embraced fully the healthful options I put out there. They appreciate a wide variety of nutritious options to eat from and even get cranky if we have a lazy pasta day. You are on a journey. It is the other individual who needs to decide if they are walking with you, or just lounging on the sidelines.

hadlam83

1 night a fortnight we have a "spicy night" which my 3 year old doesn't eat but other than that, for dinner He gets what we get. If he doesn't like it. Tough. We started that after his requests for McDonalds, chicken nuggets etc became too frequent. We get takeaways once a fortnight too, as a treat he gets that too.

Might as well teach them good eating habits while they're younger. He now hopefully eats most meals the only thing I think he actually doesn't like is mashed potato.

Starla_

I'm the main cook, everyone eats what I make. The only exception is when I cook pasta and the family gets normal pasta while I get gf pasta. Apart from the pasta, all the dinners are gluten free, my family doesnt care as long as they taste good they are happy and everything I cook tastes good so theyre all happy :laugh:

I cook all kinds of things, including healthier versions of 'bad' food and just plain 'bad' food. As long as it falls in my calorie allotment it's ok and I am teaching my children that you don't need to deny yourself any food you like in order to be healthier. Just have it in moderation. You can compromise with food or learn to make things healthier, unless there's an allergy or it's for religious/cultural reasons you don't need to cut out any food from your diet.

tadpole242

Might as well teach them good eating habits while they're younger. He now hopefully eats most meals the only thing I think he actually doesn't like is mashed potato.

But you're not teaching him good habits, you teaching him that some foods are good, and some foods are bad. which is bullchips. Food is food is food. there are no sinful foods, moderation of the high fat / high calories food. teach your kids portion control and will power and you'll all enjoy eating better. rather than driving your kids to sneaking bad food when out or when you're not there.

youcantfoolme

When my son was small (28 now) I would always have something to say about what ever was being served. An example would be like carrots and would go something like this...Mark, can you help mommy with the carrots by washing them and putting them in the pan and lets add some seasonings for taste ok? Thank you, I don't know what I would do without your help...As the food (in this case the carrots)is being placed on his plate, the conversation would be like ''Who's NEVER going to need glasses??? Mark: me,me,me!!! that's right !!! Who else LOVES carrots? Mark: bunny rabbits!!! That's right!!! Big smiles all around. You get the idea i'm sure. I always found a way to let my kids help with meal prep because who wouldn't want to eat something that THEY helped make. If they really don't like something, try to find out exactly what it is. Maybe they want the food colder,warmer, chopped up smaller,bigger,separate bowl ect...Refusal of food was a rare event. Good luck.;-))

bsmith404

For years I have been making different dishes or changing 1 or 2 things. I'm not going to force my family to eat things they don't like. My friends think i'm crazy and have this "your going to eat what I cook" attitude but everybody has different taste buds.

For example yesterday I made fried chicken with bisquits, which my family loves but I only make fried chicken once a month and I made myself salmon. I also think I have to do this as I have Celiac Disease and 2 of my kids are lactose intolerant so I try to accomodate everybody. I might make homemade bake mac and cheese for my husband and other child and my other kids and I will have rice. There are times where we all eat the same meals: bake chicken, rice or potatoes and a veggie. Only of my kids like fish so me and her will have fish while ill make chicken for the others and we'll all have the same side dishes.

Even for lunch I make 3 different sandwich: pb&j for one, just jelly for another and turkey for one. But they have the same snacks, fruit, etc. Except when it comes to Dairy. I"ll rather they come home with an expty lunch box knowing they liked everything then force food they don't like in their lunchbox and they come home with their lunch still in their lunchbox.

dakotababy

Me and my boyfriend both cook equally as much (often together), and we always go shopping for groceries together. What we do is we will decide the centre food to make (most likely the meat)...so we will decide steaks, chicken, burgers, ribs, whatever...then we each will make our own side dishes...but if he is not available at the time to make his own side dishes, I will make them for him. It really is a solid team system we have.

Justjamie0418

I cook everything.

Its different for me and them. I eat fish and chicken every night almost, When I can I incorporate their food into mine, but having 5 little ones a very picky husband, I make two meals.

Mimoki

When we had our own place I always cooked two meals thats because I eat fish and veg only and I wouldn't deprive my husband of his meats lol. Now we live with my in laws and my mil usually cooks up until today. she got a maid today, i think she's afraid of my cooking really. lol

GymBeast2

I am the main cook in the house. They eat what I make and what I like. DH and the kids complained about it a few times and I stated if they want something they need to submit a request to me. I have my lazy days and open a few cans of things, but I try to have a salad available. My 2 oldest are both 16 and can take over the cooking duties, but they are more than happy to let mom cook. DH works late so he gets whatever is on the stove. LOL, he hasn't requested anything yet.