ISO tips for healthy dinners for a family of 5

Arwen1218 · May 2016

Help!! I am in desperate need of help I planning dinners for my family of 5. I am married with 3 kids ( 2 teenagers and a toddler) who aren't necessarily in the same eating plan as I am. I don't want to have to cook two separate meals so I need family friendly healthy dinner ideas that everyone in my home will eat. We do have a few allergies that make it even more difficult to cook around....shellfish, peanut, lactose and milk allergies. Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!!

amusedmonkey · May 2016

What did you cook before you started dieting? Most family meals are surprisingly okay on calories, but you could easily lighten up your portion of many dishes without having to change the whole dish by either editing what you add to your dish or by eating a smaller portion of it and bulking the rest of the meal with vegetables, or both.

For example: if you make a burger you could use reduced calorie rolls for yourself (or have it open faced) and add less mayo. You could sprinkle less cheese on one corner of a casserole or a pizza, remove skin before eating fried chicken, pour less gravy on your mashed potatoes...etc. If it's something that you can't modify for yourself like a lasagna, just have a smaller portion with lots of vegetables on the side (salad or grilled).

You could also scout some dieting blogs for recipes like http://www.skinnytaste.com/ and http://www.skinnykitchen.com/

Ws2016 · May 2016

Mostly I just make the same dinners but watch My portions. Also, when I'm cooking meals I cut high calorie ingredients like cheese, oils, rice, pastas in half. You should have no problem keeping a calorie deficit that way.

randomtai · May 2016

I make the same thing just eat less of it.

MelaniaTrump · May 2016

Another idea: Give up?
Make them their hamburgers, etc.
But buy lots of greens and make a big salad for yourselves.

Eat a bit of their hamburger if you want to.
Not a bad idea to eat greens at least once a day.

MelaniaTrump · May 2016

ISO what does it stand for?
Isometric drawing comes to mind.

randomtai · May 2016

JanetYellen wrote: »

ISO what does it stand for?
Isometric drawing comes to mind.

In search of

lucys1225 · May 2016

I usually make different meals for me and my family, as we eat very differently. When making my protein, I make plenty and freeze portions so I can just pull something out, add vegetables (which I always have on hand) and I'm good to go. Right now I probably have about 10 different options in my freezer to choose from. On occasion, our protein will be the same, and it's just a matter of making different sides.

Tubbs216 · May 2016

JanetYellen wrote: »

ISO what does it stand for?
Isometric drawing comes to mind.

Yeah, my thought too. DRAFTERS UNITE!

I also have 3 kids. I do cook a bit less now they are all older, but I make the same things I always did. We have fewer rich, creamy pastas these days, but I do still make them sometimes. I just eat a lot less. I also used to bake a lot, so we always had a cake or cookies on the counter and we had dessert most night. It's rare that I do that now.

mccraee · May 2016

I try to plan around a lean protein and then veggie based side dishes. I don't completely avoid the starchy carby sides but I usually try to avoid these for myself.

suzan06 · May 2016

I have two kids, elementary age. I know it's harder with teenagers who wolf down 2000 calories just at dinner

We make one meal. There is always a vegetable side dish (usually salad or a steamed veggie). H and I typically eat more of the veggies and less of the main dish if it's high calorie. The kids will sometimes eat astonishing quantities of steamed veggies if they are really hungry. If they are still hungry they can eat a banana or have a big cup of whole milk.

I prefer them to be used to healthy dinners, not "kid food". It's easy enough to add something high calorie to their plate (even just a bunch of butter on their veggies!). They do get one "free pass" a week if they hate dinner, they'll make box Mac and cheese, lol. That's fine, more yummy leftovers for us!

suzan06 · May 2016

Here is a list of our dinner plans this week (we are vegetarian but you can make meat versions):

Taco night (I tend to have a taco salad)
Black bean soup with bread (more bread for kids, less for me)
Grilling night (veggies) with quinoa. I skip the quinoa depending on how hungry I am.
Tofu noodle soup (like chicken noodle - kids have a bunch, I have one bowl and a salad)
Pizza night (hardest for me! I have a little and a salad)
Veggie burgers and broccoli

You get the idea. By default my kids would rather eat Mac and cheese every night. But the rule is, this is dinner, eat it or not, your choice. If they give it a good try and genuinely hate it, they have the aforementioned bananas or cup of milk or a yogurt if we have any.

Can_Do_Gal · May 2016

I have a 16 year old (male, skinny, always hungry) teen & a college aged daughter who's taking a year off college. My hubby is also doing MFP. My son was extremely allergic to dairy until about age 8-9 when he started growing out of it.

We've always fed the kids pretty adventurous foods. (Our eldest loved sushi at age 3.) We've never believed in making different food for the kids, so that helps. Since starting MFP we've shifted our dinners only a little. I'm more careful about my portions of starches, but I still eat them. Ethnic options like stir fry, Thai, Indian, and etc are favorites. We've noticed a lot of traditional cuisine from outside the US incorporates protein, veggies & some flavorings in the same dish more than traditional US fare. Asian food generally has no dairy, so that's helpful. (Though you'll have to avoid peanuts. Can you do tree nuts instead?)

Our one modification is making sure to make an extra portion of the protein so our son can inhale that if he's having a hungry day.

Try Googling "Healthy whatever dish" if you need help lightening up family favorites. I've found some good recipes that way. It can help to find favorite food/recipe bloggers, too. If you're really stumped, I've found a lot of good things on the Eating Well magazine website. I often cut the oil, though.

P.S. For the toddler, when our kids were that age, we followed the basic suggestions from the book Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair. (I still have it.) You're probably past this, but basically she suggests ways to reserve bits of dinner for the little one as you cook it. So if cooking a stir fry, save out some veggies before adding the spicy sauce. Cook them softer if your kiddo needs that.

BootCampCrazy · May 2016

Avocado stuffed with taco meat & toppings
Pot roast and veggies w/ sweet potatoes
Seasoned Grilled Chicken with fruit salad and quinoa
Spaghetti squash and meatballs or meat sauce
Loaded sweet potatoes
Broth soups (vegetable beef, Beef Barley, Chicken & wild rice, minestrone)
Honey pork chops and apples (crockpot)
Chicken salad (a little set aside made with greek yogurt for me... we have lactose issues here too) on multi-grain rolls w/ fruit salad
Rotisserie chicken w/ marinated cucumbers, onions, tomatoes and Lentils
Chicken fajitas (family gets tortillas, I like mine on a bed of spinach)
unstuffed cabbage rolls using lean beef & brown rice
Beef broccoli (made w/ flank steak) & bok choy
Chili
Pineapple chicken kabobs with grilled marinated veggies
Chicken Picatta
Slow Cooker turkey breast served with mashed cauliflower
Slow cooker Ham and Beans
Slow Cooker Pepper steak
Crock Pot Kalua Pork... shred it & make lettuce wraps with a mango salsa on top.

LookingforWhatsHerName · May 2016

I agree with most of the posters above, just eat less of the main dish and supplement with healthier veggie sides. I also have 3 kids, young teens, and they can easily eat circles around me. Since I don't usually have a lot of time to make dinner here are some quick go tos:

1. Buffalo sliders

A rotisserie chicken and dinner rolls from Costco makes this fast and cheap. Sauté the pulled (skinned) chicken in a little butter and buffalo sauce, serve with ranch, cheese, and extra sauce on heated dinner rolls. The rolls come in a huge bag so I keep them in the freezer and pull out what I need.

2. Choose your own adventure Mexican night

I basically cook some meat with seasonings (ground beef, shredded chicken, cubed pork) and throw out anything else that fits the theme like taco toppings, tortillas/chips, olives, etc. I usually have a taco salad, hubs has burrito, kids have tacos/nachos.

3. Sloppy joes (also frequently served on rolls)

I throw 1/2 onion, 1/2 bell pepper, a couple of carrots, and a whole zucchini in the food processor and blend until the pieces are about the same size as a grain of ground beef. Sauté veggies with browned ground beef, add sauce (home made or store bought) and simmer for a while. Serve with pickles, rehydrated onions, and shredded cheese.

4. Stir fry with rice

This is super fast, healthy, and easy once you have a pantry of sauce ingredients to work with. YouTube "Asian at Home" for quick lessons

MamaMc3 · May 2016

I have a family of 5, too, and my kids are all 7 and younger. We all eat the same things.

Unless your kids are underweight or very active, they will probably be just fine with a little lighter food. They can always supplement with extra snacks, too!

solieco1 · May 2016

The crockpot is your friend. All recipes.com is a good source just search 'slow cooker'. I often make various bean dishes, chicken dishes, lasagnas, soups, stews in it. I just add the rice/pasta etc to each plate so that I can avoid it if I choose.

mjwarbeck · May 2016

For us, we like to eat chocolate Chinese and Thai a lot, so it is quick and healthy.

Last night made a bunch of dishes: silken tofu and edamame with diluted soy sauce and sesame oil, green beans in a ginger sauce, steamed bok choi, quick stir fried chicken thighs and for us fragrant and spicy tofu and fish. Of course served with steamed rice.

ISO tips for healthy dinners for a family of 5

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