Family friendly meals for weight loss

helenkokkinou73
helenkokkinou73 Posts: 3 Member
edited November 27 in Recipes
Desperately need some easy to cook family meals that are also low calorie, less than 400cal per serving ideally. I can't keep cooking pasta with veg or stir fry so looking for other ideas please!!! Needs to satisfy teenagers to toddlers and a grumpy husband! Lol

Replies

  • Aplant77
    Aplant77 Posts: 112 Member
    I cook the same meals as I did before counting calories. The only difference is I consume a portion that fits within my calorie limits. That way I don't miss any of my favorite foods, my family happily enjoys the food and I still lose weight. Win-win!
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,594 Member
    My kids like it when I make Shake N Bake boneless pork loin chops. I generally serve it with roasted or steamed vegetables.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    Aplant77 wrote: »
    I cook the same meals as I did before counting calories. The only difference is I consume a portion that fits within my calorie limits. That way I don't miss any of my favorite foods, my family happily enjoys the food and I still lose weight. Win-win!

    This is what I do as well.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    Making meals of separate components may be a good way to accommodate multiple requirements - have a protein, vegies/salad starch/grain for example. You can put a plate together of whatever suits your goals...
  • helenkokkinou73
    helenkokkinou73 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks everyone.... Food for thought :).... Personally i struggle with small portion sizes as i tend to still feel hungry until my body processes the meal so if preparing just for myself I'm satisfied with a huge bowl of salad leaves and some sort of topping. Unfortunately, the fam arent too keen.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Your family members all have different calorie needs. Some of them need more calories than you.
    Having a meal that you can add or subtract items individually may be more helpful to you than a low calorie one dish sort of thing.
    I have a smaller breakfast alone and eat a larger dinner. You may find it easier to save more of your calories for your shared evening meal if that tends to be most calorie dense
    Reduce your portion size of higher calorie foods. Bulk out your meal with low calorie vegetables. Have a salad with your meal.
    When you cook use less oil, lower fat dairy or less dairy, leaner meats. Let individuals add cheese, sauces to their own portions.

    Stir fry with meat and vegetables for everyone- you take more vegetables, other family members could also have rice
    Tacos- family has taco shells/tortillas with cheese, etc and you have taco salad with less calorie dense toppings.
    Lower calorie soups(broth based, bean, lentil) with bread/sandwiches on the side for the family
    Grilled or baked meats instead of fried or breaded meats.
    My family did not mind ground turkey in chili, tacos or sloppy joes.
    Try roasted vegetables for a change.
    Try zucchini noodles for yourself. Have them raw or cook for 1-3 minutes depending on how firm you want them. https://inspiralized.com/the-three-best-ways-to-cook-spiralized-zucchini-noodles/
    .

    http://www.skinnytaste.com
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10563959/volume-eaters-thread/p1
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,246 Member
    Tacos, tacos, tacos!

    We eat lots and lots of them, of all kinds. I keep both flour and corn tortillas on hand. (I'm gluten-free, the husband is not). Any leftover meat or fish can go in a taco along with lots of healthy add-ins. We usually BBQ on the weekend and then I use whatever extra for the next several days. You can have two and, depending on ingredients, easily bring that in under 400 calories. Most corn tortillas are only about 60 calories each.

    Lean chicken, pork or beef (or lean ground-beef or turkey), grilled fish, black beans, rice, lettuce, cabbage, tomato, avocado, cilantro, salsa. Staples at my house include the finely shredded cheese (used sparingly) and light sour cream. No matter how often I make them, they're still a hit.

    I also make breakfast burritos or tacos for any meal. Eggs loaded with veggies, plus a little salsa and sour cream. Yum!
  • kd_mazur
    kd_mazur Posts: 569 Member
    edited June 2018
    With each meal, I include a large bag of frozen veggies as the side item. I fill up on this item and have a little of whatever else I am making for the family.
    Example: I am making spaghetti. I also make a steamer bag of broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots in the microwave. I eat my sauce and meatballs using the veggies as the base instead of pasta.
    My family is happy and I have the flavor of spaghetti and meatballs without the extra cals of pasta.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    Definitely check out skinnytaste.com as @Lounmoun suggested. She seems to focus on making family friendly meals. Calorie counts are low, but so are potion sizes, so you have to pay attention to that. You can always supplement her meals with veggies or salads though.
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