Healthy Family Meals?

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Cocacoladdict
Cocacoladdict Posts: 80 Member
in Recipes
Ok so here it is. I would NEVER make my kids or my husband diet - I don't do the D word. However, my husband is not happy with his weight and wants to shed 50lbs and I need to shift 100lbs long term and I feel like I need to experiment a little with food since to get to this point I have not been very healthy (duh) and as I am the main cook in the house and I don't want to make 2 separate meals my family are going to be kicking junk with me!

I have a 7 yr old girl and a 12 yr old boy. Neither are overweight but both currently eat too many chips/crisps and sweets. I have always felt that I wanted them to have a much healthier relationship with food than I have so they have always been encouraged to help out with meals. They both choose their own school packed lunch and my son has 1 night a week where he cooks us all dinner. That might sound a lot for a 12 yr old but he LOVES to cook and he makes a mean spaghetti Bolognese!!

Anyway, we don't have a massive budget for food but if you guys can share any of your ideas for meals which would be a hit with all the family I would really appreciate it :)

Our homecooked meals at the moment are things like shepherds pie, sausage casserole, spag bol, roast dinners (though I have now stopped with the cauliflower cheese) and chicken wraps and chips....

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  • Shadowknight137
    Shadowknight137 Posts: 1,243 Member
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    Ok so here it is. I would NEVER make my kids or my husband diet - I don't do the D word. However, my husband is not happy with his weight and wants to shed 50lbs and I need to shift 100lbs long term and I feel like I need to experiment a little with food since to get to this point I have not been very healthy (duh) and as I am the main cook in the house and I don't want to make 2 separate meals my family are going to be kicking junk with me!

    I have a 7 yr old girl and a 12 yr old boy. Neither are overweight but both currently eat too many chips/crisps and sweets. I have always felt that I wanted them to have a much healthier relationship with food than I have so they have always been encouraged to help out with meals. They both choose their own school packed lunch and my son has 1 night a week where he cooks us all dinner. That might sound a lot for a 12 yr old but he LOVES to cook and he makes a mean spaghetti Bolognese!!

    Anyway, we don't have a massive budget for food but if you guys can share any of your ideas for meals which would be a hit with all the family I would really appreciate it :)

    Our homecooked meals at the moment are things like shepherds pie, sausage casserole, spag bol, roast dinners (though I have now stopped with the cauliflower cheese) and chicken wraps and chips....

    Chilli on homebaked sweet potato crisps or rice.
  • tekwriter
    tekwriter Posts: 923 Member
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    Our usual pattern is a meat, vegetable, starch and available salad most of the time. I am diabetic so rarely use bread with a meal without leaving the starch out. We generally use home made popcorn for a snack. We often make a cake and leave unfrosted and cut into snack sized portions for a treat or into frozen cupcakes. We also use a lot of fresh fruit, apples, bananas and oranges in the winter and melons and peaches in the summer.
  • Katrinadionne1808
    Katrinadionne1808 Posts: 95
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    I have a 7 year old and 23 month old daughter, youngest daughter will eat anything going, eldest one can be a little fussy.

    So we do things like the following.

    Homemade lasagne - packed with veggies. Make sure you read the lasagne sauce labels as calories etc can vary, alternatively make your own. I always make my own cheese sauce for it.

    Homemade pizzas, get a pitta or something similar, load with veggies etc. Much healthier than shop bought and it is actually pretty quick to make and cheaper than take out.

    Sweet potato wedges as opposed to normal potatoes.

    Thai!! This is one of my favourite meals (and my husbands too).

    Ratatouille as a side dish - plenty of veggies.

    Protein Cakes as snacks as opposed to store bought cakes - low calorie and tasty too

    Replace chicken with turkey - it's cheaper, well it is in the UK. We use Turkey in place of chicken for most of our meals.

    Chicken breast stuffed with cream cheese and pesto (can be wrapped with bacon or parma ham)

    Pasta with plenty of veggies - you can do all sorts of combos.

    My biggest tip - always make extra portions and freeze, so that when you are pushed for time you literally just have to get out of the freezer and throw together. Youngest is at nursery today and eldest is going to grandma's after school, Monday is my gym night so I have got my thai sauce and turkey breast out of the freezer ready to throw together tonight!

    My diary is open and has some recipes so feel free to have a look. Also found a great blog called The Model Foodie with some fab tips http://www.themodelfoodie.com/
  • Brenda4105
    Brenda4105 Posts: 117 Member
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    We use a lot of ground turkey and Chicken breast for meals. I use baked sweet potates, frozen veggies. Fruit, lots of fruit. I am bad about not eating as much fruit as I should but that is about the only snack I keep in the house. What ever happens to be in season.
    Last night I made a ground turkey meatloaf. It was really good! I put green and red peppers, 2 eggs, and dry oats mixed together, add ground turkey, mix until all is mixed together and bake. When about done, I mix catsup, bbq sauce and a little brown sugar together and spread on top. Finish baking. The topping can be what ever your family will eat. I like mine spicier, but my husband has stomach issues so I have to keep it bland.
    Any recipe that calls for ground meat, can be replaced with turkey or chicken.
  • metacognition
    metacognition Posts: 626 Member
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    When I need a cheap meal I like to throw a jar of chunky salsa, 1 can black beans and four boneless skinless chicken breasts in the crock pot; cook on high four hours and top with 8 oz low fat (I use fat free) cream cheese, then stir. Serve with whole wheat dinner rolls and frozen mixed vegetables (both can be microwaved). Healthy and minimal on prep time.
  • beskimoosh
    beskimoosh Posts: 375 Member
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    We're on a pretty tight budget, and to save on calories (and cost) I bulk out a lot of things with mushrooms or vegetables. I try and make at least half my plate veggies, and always use lean meats. Also, making massive amounts and portioning it all to go in the freezer out is great for those days when you just can't be bothered, stops me phoning for takeout!

    A lot of thing I make are similar to recipes I used to use, but I swap ingredients around, like less cheese on lasagne or using a non stick griddle pan (best thing I ever bought!) for meat so I can avoid using oil. The one majorly new thing I discovered are homemade chickpea burgers, they're one of the lowest cost things I can think of and there are loads of recipes depending on what sort of flavours you like. I make them with lime, chilli and corriander, and have them with sweet potato wedges and salad.
  • chrisa8170
    chrisa8170 Posts: 466 Member
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    This one goes down well in our house and is very filling

    http://www.laaloosh.com/2012/09/26/crock-pot-pumpkin-lentil-stew-recipe/

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