Feeding the family and me??

pregmeg119 · June 2011

Hi!

I just had a quick question for the moms/wives out there. My little lady and the man in my life are both super skinny and can eat whatever they want and unfortunately don't seem to gain any weight. Where as I, eat anything aside from salad I gain up to three pounds in one week!

Does anyone have some great meal ideas for dinners? We usually take turns making dinner depending on our work schedules but I'd be interested to see if there are any meals we can prepare together but maybe just a bit different.

For example, I did make "italian chicken" (chicken sauteed in italian dressing then thrown over spaghetti) they seem to love this. For myself, I took the chicken, baked it and shredded it over salad with a balsamic dressing. A LOT healthier for ME.

I'm looking for more ideas like this so that I don't have to survive off of salad and so that dinner time doesn't become stressful.

Thanks in advance for any help!

pregmeg119 · June 2011

*Crickets*

Anyone?? I have not been a very good eater and need to re-teach myself portion sizes etc. but also need to learn some healthy recipe alternatives etc.

heather62803 · June 2011

I have the same problem, it is hard to find healthy dinner ideas to feed your whole family - especially when you have picky eaters like I do! I mostly substitute to make our regular dinners healthier - like switching out ground beef for ground white turkey, steamable veggies rather than canned variety (a lot less sodium), skim milk and low fat yogurt/cheeses instead of the higher fat varieties, whole grain breads instead of white..etc..

One quick and easy veggie side recipe that my family loves is slice a zuchinni, toss the slices in a little olive oil and spread on a baking tray, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and a little garlic and roast in the oven until they are slightly brown and starting to crisp. My whole family loves it!

One thing that I have learned is that I can have almost anything that I used to make, I just needed to learn portion control. Good luck!

tracyb810 · June 2011

I have 2 kids that are both very thin, but they're also very active. I was also very thin growing up and could eat whatever I wanted. Once I started working and was not as active my bad eating habits caught up with me. I would encourage you to start the healthy eating habits for your daughter. You never know what the future will hold for her.

What about Taco Salads? I make taco meat using ground turkey. I put out pinto beans, sliced olives, chopped tomatoes, etc. Then we just build our own salads. My kids will eat this (9 & 14 years old). They also add crumbled up tortilla chips to their salads. I had family here last week and my niece and nephew wouldn't eat lettuce. So they just built nachos. I figured that was still pretty healthy.

We also do Yumm bowls. I put out brown rice, beans, avocado, olives, cheese, tomatoes, etc. Then everyone just builds their own. My kids like this as they are in control of what goes into their bowl. My husband and I also add cilantro, but the kids don't like that.

How about Pita Pizzas? Whole wheat pitas, pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni. I just slice up a bunch of bell peppers and red onion to put on mine. The calories still aren't that bad if you use those little mini canadian bacon slices or pepperoni.

Hopefully one of those ideas will work for you! I look forward to seeing what others suggest!

pregmeg119 · June 2011

I have 2 kids that are both very thin, but they're also very active. I was also very thin growing up and could eat whatever I wanted. Once I started working and was not as active my bad eating habits caught up with me. I would encourage you to start the healthy eating habits for your daughter. You never know what the future will hold for her.

What about Taco Salads? I make taco meat using ground turkey. I put out pinto beans, sliced olives, chopped tomatoes, etc. Then we just build our own salads. My kids will eat this (9 & 14 years old). They also add crumbled up tortilla chips to their salads. I had family here last week and my niece and nephew wouldn't eat lettuce. So they just built nachos. I figured that was still pretty healthy.

We also do Yumm bowls. I put out brown rice, beans, avocado, olives, cheese, tomatoes, etc. Then everyone just builds their own. My kids like this as they are in control of what goes into their bowl. My husband and I also add cilantro, but the kids don't like that.

How about Pita Pizzas? Whole wheat pitas, pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni. I just slice up a bunch of bell peppers and red onion to put on mine. The calories still aren't that bad if you use those little mini canadian bacon slices or pepperoni.

Hopefully one of those ideas will work for you! I look forward to seeing what others suggest!

Thank you, I did just actually find these recipes on another post by someone else (duh! the newbie thinks this is the first time this question has been asked LOL!)

My little lady is VERY tiny, barely on "the charts" but healthy and happy. I just would like to find things that I can prepare virtually the same rather than making separate meals or giving her the low calorie meals because she needs all the calories she can get!

pregmeg119 · June 2011

I have 2 kids that are both very thin, but they're also very active. I was also very thin growing up and could eat whatever I wanted. Once I started working and was not as active my bad eating habits caught up with me. I would encourage you to start the healthy eating habits for your daughter. You never know what the future will hold for her.

What about Taco Salads? I make taco meat using ground turkey. I put out pinto beans, sliced olives, chopped tomatoes, etc. Then we just build our own salads. My kids will eat this (9 & 14 years old). They also add crumbled up tortilla chips to their salads. I had family here last week and my niece and nephew wouldn't eat lettuce. So they just built nachos. I figured that was still pretty healthy.

We also do Yumm bowls. I put out brown rice, beans, avocado, olives, cheese, tomatoes, etc. Then everyone just builds their own. My kids like this as they are in control of what goes into their bowl. My husband and I also add cilantro, but the kids don't like that.

How about Pita Pizzas? Whole wheat pitas, pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni. I just slice up a bunch of bell peppers and red onion to put on mine. The calories still aren't that bad if you use those little mini canadian bacon slices or pepperoni.

Hopefully one of those ideas will work for you! I look forward to seeing what others suggest!

I think I'm going to make the taco salad tonight! Thank you!

thinby40 · June 2011

I just started again and I feel the same way about dinners....hate it! My kids love pasta, chicken nuggets, pizza, all the bad stuff and my hubby loves big Italian and meat meals. I feel like I'm pretty good during the day but supper kills me w/ all the fattening foods I pick on. I'm trying to be more away of that and eat veggies as I'm preparing dinner and I'm trying to make healthier meals for my family. I chew gum and drink a lot of water w/ crystal lite which curbs my appetitie. I've been eating salads w/ grilled chicken or shrimp too....love the zucchini idea..I'm going to try that one. Good luck and stick w/ it! I'm feeling very motivated after rading everyone's messages.

jldaley09 · June 2011

I have the same problem, it is hard to find healthy dinner ideas to feed your whole family - especially when you have picky eaters like I do! I mostly substitute to make our regular dinners healthier - like switching out ground beef for ground white turkey, steamable veggies rather than canned variety (a lot less sodium), skim milk and low fat yogurt/cheeses instead of the higher fat varieties, whole grain breads instead of white..etc..

One quick and easy veggie side recipe that my family loves is slice a zuchinni, toss the slices in a little olive oil and spread on a baking tray, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and a little garlic and roast in the oven until they are slightly brown and starting to crisp. My whole family loves it!

One thing that I have learned is that I can have almost anything that I used to make, I just needed to learn portion control. Good luck!

I agree with this. I have 5 kids and I am usually in charge of meals. I will usually do what she said and substitue some healthier options and what I make is what there is. No short order cooking here. If they want something that isnt very healthy perse, I will just watch my portions, or cut back on the butter, add some veggies to bulk it up. Im happy to say that My kids will try anything once and love veggies more than I ever did at that age. I decided after the 3rd kid that we were a family and just needed to eat that way. It was trying at times and sometimes they went without when refused, but it didn't last long and now they understand to eat what I make, try everything on their plate and they are more well rounded for it. I figure if they learn good habits now, they wont be sitting my my seat 20 years from now trying to take off all the mac and cheese.

dls06 · June 2011

Look online for healthy recipes. You can find so many for the whole family. You can feed your family the same healthy recipes and maybe just cut your portions. Instead of Drowning you chicken in dressing, use some fresh lemon or mustard and grill it. Saute fresh veggies, eggplant, yellow and green squash, green and red pepper, mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli or any mix of veggies you like. When you make the pasta make 2 oz per person, that is a protion. Add a ton of veggies to the top of yours and put a piece of grilled chicken. I usually only have 1 oz of pasta with mine and all the veggies 1/2 cup of sauce and a little sprinkle of parm or low fat moz cheese. Salad with every meal with 1 tbls. of full fat dressing.
Make Turkey or Chicken meatloaf and puree some veggies, I put spinach, egg whites and little breadcrumbs, some non fat milk and mix. Add little low sugar ketcup to the top. When you eat potatoes or rice or other side dish no more than 4 oz. Even Baked Potatoes I only eat 1/2 if they are big. I use smart balance or fat free yogurt. Stop using Sauces and gravys or limit the amount you use. You can always make recipes in the create recipe section of your foods and see how you can substitute things to make it better for you . Don't make exusses that you have to have junk food for the family. You can have healthy snacks for everyone. They will all benefit from you. You just need to educate yourself and buy a food scale. It's the best thing I ever bought. Don't make excusses.

JustTara99 · June 2011

My family eats what I eat for the most part. I don't cook separate meals, but I always make sure at least one thing on their plate is something they like. It's not too early to learn healthier eating habits. Every meal I serve has steamed veggies, even pasta dishes. The only time I make an exception is when we have steak (DD1 is only 3, it's hard for her to eat) or it's a leftovers night.

I use a lot of olive oil for cooking now, whole grains, substitute ground oatmeal for breadcrumbs. I no longer rely on store made marinades (except for teriyaki on occasion) and have learned to love my spice rack and spice blends. I use a lot more whole foods than I used to. I don't purchase very many processed foods like I used to.

Why not serve your family a small salad with balsamic as well as the pasta and chicken? Add some steamed broccoli or other veggies into the pasta.

Feeding the family and me??

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