How can I feed my family without going over my calories and

I have relatively picky kids, but here's one major trick that I perform in the kitchen: Hide good foods. Having mashed potatoes? Do half mashed potatoes and half mashed cauliflower. They won't taste the difference; they'll get some veggies into their meal in a hidden manner. Having soup or chili? I make a base for my soups/chilis that is loaded with veggies (and VITAMINS). I put an onion, a bell pepper (or two), cilantro, and a half bag of baby carrots into the food processor. I process it and then saute it and go from there. Added veggies with the picky ones not knowing a thing. I have reduced our sodium by using more garlic powder, less salt. I have switched everyone's bread, pasta, and rice to brown (I did this a LONG time ago; it met with a slight resistance at first, but when they realized it was take it or leave the table hungry, they took it). They still get pizza, but we make it at home with either homemade wheat crust or I use wheat flour tortillas and do flat pizzas, or those little tiny sandwich rounds (whole wheat, of course). Then I let them fix it themselves-top with part skim mozzarella for them, fat free for me. They have fun fixing it, and it's not crazy in calories-one mini round is 50 calories, so the crust for two pizzas is only 50 calories and they're getting whole grains! I made soups that instead of cheese for the base is actually carrots, cauliflower, nutritional yeast, soy milk (or you can use regular), and corn starch whizzed in the blender. Then I can make it broccoli "cheese" soup or "cheesy" potato soup.

The point is that you are the mom, and you are the cook. A child needs to have a food placed before them and TRY A BITE at least 10 times before they can form a true opinion. My kids have started to eat so many things they used to think they didn't like!

One word...., WHY?

I'd have to echo what everone else is saying. It's really not OK to feed your kids stuff you describe as "high sodium junk". They deserve to be healthy too. Teach them good habits now.

make your meals for the whole family and teach the kids how to eat right too..or else they will be in your shoes someday and do you really wish that for them??

My parents raised me to just naturally assume people liked fruits and vegetables (yeah, we all had the little things we didn't like, my brother raw onions and tomatoes, me kiwifruits, things like that), but just feed them healthy and don't make a big deal about the fact that they're not necessarily "supposed" to like them. You know those baby corn things? We thought those were the best treats ever. It'll give them a healthier taste in foods later on, too.

I don' t mind eating less and looking for good foods but I find that I'm making two meals every night. One for my husband and I that are supposed to be healthy, and high sodium junk for my kids. I am having a hard time coming up with things that the whole family can eat and I can still stay in my calorie and fat levels. I want to reach my goals and still be able to sit down as a family to a meal. Any good ideas on what I can make without feeding my kids separately? Mostly healthy for you foods are not very kid friendly.

Harden up - kids should be eating what you tell them to eat! If they don't like it, they can go to bed without dinner - they'll soon learn.

Okay... the question was how to stop making two meals a night, not pointing the finger at this person telling them they are doing incorrect parenting.

I don't have to worry about children in my home, however my partner is heavily involved in gym and likes to eat lots of carbs and protein for dinner. It is HARD to try and make a combined meal sometimes. Sometimes we will have the same meal i.e. carbonara, but I will only have half the amount he has. I also try and make it a bit healthier by looking for a carbonara jar that is lower in calories or I don't put the whole jar of it in or I add in more veggies. Or else we will have some sort of meat and I will carefully measure mine and give him his usual amount plus veggies or salad... and I give him extra Continential pasta side dishes for him too so he can have his carbs. I feel like you can almost eat the same sorts of meals as your family, just cut it down or make a one or two changes. When we have sausages I give him normal sausages and I have Veggie Sausages.

I hope that helps. I know how demanding children are today and I see the stress that children can put parents through when it comes to food. Trust me --- I see their lunch boxes everyday ---- I am a teacher.

"like"

I have been in this boat but for me it was often because I find it hard to eat red meat (legacy from pregnancy when the smell of cooking red meat make me ill) and it's not something you ever plan but somehow find you have fallen into it.

I find meal planning a big help and I get my kids to help (they are aged 3 and 2). We sit down on a weekend and they tell me what they like and even though it often ends up being the same thing you can do a variation. For example they like pasta so one night I do a good old spaghetti Bologna with meat and veg, if they see veg they won't eat it so I use a bar mix to blend it all in a bit and they never notice. Another night I might do a lasagna with same sauce. By planning simple easy meals and doing up shopping lists you avoid reaching for those easy to serve things that re aimed at stressed out parents.

You can make healthy swaps like brown rice for white, wholemeal bread for white and vegetable pasta for white.

With anything it takes time and your kids like most kids will probably spend a few nights refusing food all together but once they come to see these foods as regular and normal they get interested. Start small and give it plenty of time. Aim for two or three small changes over a month or so and remember that a child that is hungry will eat eventually.

Best of luck.

I agree with others--make one meal. That's dinner, take it or leave it. If the kids refuse to eat it, they won't die from hunger missing a supper or two. They WILL learn the new rules as set forth by MOM! Now, on to some suggestions:

Home made GRILLED chicken nuggets, grilled boneless pork chops, grilled everything. Even Veg. I have a stove top grill pan. Just spray both it and the food with a little cooking spray and the seasonings of your choice and slap that meat on the preheated pan. Not quite as good as grilled outdoors, but still great! How about some turkey burgers? Made from very lean bulk ground turkey? Not preformed? Kids love dang near anything that is on a bun. Chicken sandwich? Split or butterfly thawed chicken breast and season. Grill and they come out tender and moist, not slimy like the fast food 'grilled' chicken. They could have regular burger buns and you could have yours on a sandwich thin with lots of lettuce, tomato and onion, or even green or red peppers. Be creative! You CAN make one dinner and just modify yours slightly to cut some calories. Grilled veggies are really nice. A little cooking spray--the olive oil one is nice and adds a bit of flavor--a little garlic powder and you're good to go.

I hope this helps. Feel free to pm me for other ideas or if you have an specific questions. I'll answer if I can. I'm no expert, I've just been doing this a long time.

I do substitutions/adjustments too. I have a picky eater kid and a husband who can eat 4x the calories I eat. Most of the time I make a normal meal, and I either take my portion of whatever out to make it my way, or I take the picky eater's portion out to make it her way.
Example - Tacos. I use 96% lean ground sirloin. I take out a small portion of the unseasoned meat for my kid because she will not eat taco seasoned meat. I use the low fat shredded Mexican cheese. I control my portions and use loads of leafy green lettuce. Everybody wins on Taco Night.
Example - Flounder. I put bread crumbs on theirs, I prepare mine in a separate tiny pan with cooking spray and lots of seasonings. I make rice for them and steamed veggies for all of us. I just eat my skinny flounder and double veg. Everybody wins.
Example - Spaghetti. I use lean meat, Heart Smart spaghetti sauce (extra fiber/reduced sodium). I control my portion. Kid will not eat spaghetti sauce, no big deal. She gets plain noodles, a chunk of cheddar cheese and a single serving of microwaved frozen veg. Easy Peasy.
Example - Tuna Salad Sandwiches. I make it with loads celery and shredded carrots. I use 1 slice of whole grain toast and eat it open faced. They will not eat anything but white bread. Oh well.

If I don't have a lot of time I do something quick and I don't feel like a short-order cook because it's just tiny adjustments. What matters most to me is that we're eating together, it's MUCH healthier for everyone than it used to be, they are enjoying their food and I'm controlling my portions and staying within my nutrition goals.

Skinnytaste.com

Plenty of family friendly HEALTHY meals/foods on there

I know it can be frustrating getting your kids to eat sometimes, but it's really important that they learn to like a variety of foods now. Tonight my kids ate hi fiber pasta with rosa sauce and a grilled porkchop. Spinach was offered and I had no takers, so they had a salad. I think it's ok to make a substitution here and there, but the majority of the offered meal needs to be eaten in my home. How else are they to learn how to eat properly if you are not willing to stick to your guns and make them try to eat some new things? I knew the spinach wouldn't work, so I found a healthy alternate that wasn't too much trouble for me to prepare. We all want our kids to eat. Compromise is a good option as long as it's a healthy one!

In my house, it's what for dinner. You don't like it, you don't eat. Simple...if they get hungry enough, they'll eat it. Eliminate all the junk from the house and get everyone healthy. Teaching good habits now will prevent them from future misery. I also have my daughter help with the preparation, so she likes to help eat what she made.

Well said..., that's how it was when I was a kid & when my kids were kids. (they are young adults now)

ps: My g'kids have to eat that way when they are here too.

I have to do the same thing.....I will cussed out by my husband if I give him only a salad!!!!!! LMAO!!!!:ohwell:

Something that I do ALL the time is to find a recipe that looks good and that I think my 3 kids will like. I then see how I can make it healthier. I don't ever make my kids something different than what we're having.