Recipe Ideas for Picky Spouse

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jinxies
jinxies Posts: 1 Member
in Recipes
Hello All,

I am trying to be more thoughtful about the meal planning before I go off grocery shopping. I tend to just grab random stuff, or same old things that I get bored cooking or eating. My husband and I both need to lose some weight. He says he is wanting to focus on it as well and dieting is one of the first things we need to do.

With that said, I am browsing through TONS of fantastic recipe ideas... but, my husband is an incredibly picky eater (ok, he says he's not. He says he'll eat anything.)

He says he has an allergy to broccoli, it's basically a genetic chemical funkiness that makes broccoli taste terribly bitter. He can't even smell broccoli. So, I'm limited on when and how much I eat it...

He hates pickles, in all forms, will refuse to eat ANYTHING that comes in contact with a pickle.

I can't cook anything with mayonnaise, sour cream, creamed dressings. He won't eat asparagus. Oh, he won't eat any form of cooked fruit. He won't eat or drink anything in raspberry form. Absolutely no yogurts.

I can pretty much feed him meat, potatoes, sometimes green beans, sometimes a salad. He'll eat cheeses.

I like just about everything I listed above. I don't want to cook two totally different types of meals for just two people. But I know that what we need is more than just eating less junk food... it's altering what we eat to be healthier and more nutritional for us...

Does anyone have any leads or ideas on what to make that might give me some lightbulb moments?

I appreciate your time and thoughts :)

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    My suggestion is to forget about recipes, or just use them as inspiration - instead, make simple meals. Pick any starch, any protein, any accepted vegetable, combine and rotate them. That's your dinner. He can make his own breakfasts and lunches.
  • dklibert
    dklibert Posts: 1,196 Member
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    I love sheet pan meals. You can cover a sheet pan with foil and cook protein, carbs and veggies on one pan. You can also use foil to divide the pan into compartments. So your broccoli will not come in contact with his veggie of choice. Just pick veggies with similar cooking time. Or I even thought about buy 12" pizza pans to cook on then it is on it's own individual plate. They will be hot though so a placemat maybe in order.

    You can divide it into sections with foil and season chicken three ways. I have seen someone do roasted chickpeas that way for snacks. https://fitmencook.com/time-saving-chicken-meal-prep/ and forkly.com/recipes/one-pan-roasted-chickpeas-4-ways/
    dklibert wrote: »
    Search for sheet pan suppers or sheet pan meals. I love the concept and it works. Cover a sheet pan with foil if you want easy clean up. You cook everything on one sheet pan in the oven. I have tried so many combinations. Chicken fajitas might be a good starting place. Here is the video that got me started. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Qp8Tc4ncJgI
    dklibert wrote: »
    Another yummy sheet pan meal. foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/sheet-pan-shrimp-scampi-3801928?soc=sharepin
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I also have a picky eater who has his own set of rules (never eat Chinese/Italian two days in a row; Ginger smells like detergent; curry yuck; and Parmesan smells like upchuck).

    We keep staples around that he can sub out if my creative offering does not pass muster. The staples would be frozen corn, baked beans, and ready meals.

    I substitute out or skip ingredients that don’t work. I keep all the Parmesan for myself. I flag and make notes of the recipes that are winners to repeat. If there is a teaspoon or less of curry he doesn’t notice. I have winning recipes for all my main proteins and a just change the sides.

    - Chicken Schnitzel
    - Baked Tofu (marinated in soy sauce)
    - Steak and pork chops get no special treatment
    - Slow cooked ribs in my slow cooker and finished off with BBQ sauce.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    Make a meat and two different side dishes. You can have cooked vegetable of your choice and he can have potato and salad.
    Cook your own meals. Make what you like and he makes what he likes.
    Find just one new recipe to try each week. Take turns choosing recipes.

    Have things like tacos or taco salad where you add your own toppings.

    There are a lot of foods you did not list.
    Soups? Pasta? Rice? Bread? Beans? Lentils? Eggs?
    Peppers, zucchini, acorn squash, corn, tomato, cabbage, spinach, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, garlic...
    Spices and herbs?

    I find food ideas on Pinterest a lot. You can search for a specific ingredient and find lots of recipes using it.
    http://www.budgetbytes.com
    http://www.skinnytaste.com
    http://www.allrecipes.com
    http://www.kalynskitchen.com/
    http://www.ayearofslowcooking.com/
  • JustSomeJD
    JustSomeJD Posts: 416 Member
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    Does "he will eat if he's hungry" count? Can you keep things separate enough that you combine components on your plate? When we do fajitas, nachos, etc, we put everything out in individual containers and you grab what you want from each.

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