How do you cook for your family?

I do both - it just depends on what we want. As far as ideas for recipes, I have found a few on skinnytaste.com that my family loves. The kids really like their "healthy chicken nuggets" recipe. Tomorrow I am making their chicken sante fe. Yum!

I cook one meal, I will say I do not have children to worry about (just one big child in the form of a man). But my thoughts are, if it's not healthy for an adult, why is it good to feed to a child? or vice versa?

I think healthy foods are important for everyone in the house.

I just cook one meal for all of us, and if it ends up being a boxed mac n' cheese night I just take an extra helping of fruits or veggies

I do both too. I cook meals for myself and the kids, but on nights that I have my heart set on something that I know they will NOT eat (like salmon) then I will make them something different. I usually always have something easy on hand for them.

I make whatever I want to eat. If the hubs gets some of it, fine. If he doesn't like it, he can make his own food. I'm his wife, not his b!tch. (I think I respond to a post with that phrase at least once a week.)

Just me and my hubby- he can eat what I eat or starve. LOL

I have been wanting to try mashed cauliflower..do you have a recipe?

I try to make mostly the same thing. Last night I made red pasta sauce (garlic, cooking spray, onion, crushed tomatoes, spices) with fresh basil, grated Parmesan. I ate everything but the cheese on top of spaghetti squash, while the boys had pasta.

Some nights I do something light and healthy for all of us (think Cooking Light), other days I make a version that is lighter for myself. I'd like to do more of the former, since buying whole wheat fat free tortillas, veggie crumbles, fat free cheese on top of regular versions of all those foods gets expensive, but it is something I am working on.

I have always found that if you pick one main source of protein ... Fish, Chicken, Lean Meat ..etc ... and add a few sides to give everyone choices works well.

My favorite ...

I eat Salmon with lemon, cubed sweet potatoes with sprinkled cinnamon, steamed mushrooms with garlic and wilted spinach with tarragon.

I serve my 11 yr old son .... Salmon, Broccoli, Rice and steamed apples.

It's a win win .... mine is under 400 Calories and he's happy with his !

My wife and I are losing weight using MFP. We have two boys, 15 and 12. We make one thing we all eat. Some of our staples are: 4 oz grilled chicken/med. baked potato/veg, hot ham/seasoned potatoes/veg, chili made with 93% lean beef, taco's with 93% lean beef/ 80cal high fiber shells for wife and I/kraft 2% shredded cheese/lettuce/salsa, spaghetti without meat sauce(but with lean beef that isn't bad either. We also make homemade pizza which isn't horrible at 216 cals a slice. The boys eat until they are full, but my wife and I keep the portions measured for ourselves. There are times one of the boys will have something else, but that is more because of them being picky. We did that before we started eating better. In general we don't eat out much anymore, but the boys don't say much. We are by no means health nuts! We still eat many of the same foods, just in sane amounts. I would imagine it is easier with both parents being on board.

I try to integrate what I'm making for them with what I'm eating, such as fajitas or stir fry, I grill steak / chicken for them and fix the veggies separately. Or sometimes I fix them eggs and toast and I eat, whatever, or I make a vegan soup and they either eat it or find something else.

i'm doing this not only for myself but for them also! i want my kids to eat healthy. i want my husband to eat healthy. cooking a lean protein, a whole grain carb, and a veg for dinner every night is balanced. you can take short cuts and use frozen veggies (and even frozen brown rice!!) to make dinner more quickly. kids learn to LIKE dinners that don't include mac and cheese every night. i don't worry about their portion size (just mine.) it's waaaaay too much work to make more than one meal for your family. and they will be healthy right along with you!!

Agreed! Prior to this diet my 10 year old son had already started battling high cholesterol! I was mortified. My children need this as much if not more than I do! I was always one of those moms that stopped at Mc Donalds after a ballgame or ordered pizza on a family night. Now I am trying to instill healthy eating habits and the enjoyment of being healthy into the whole family. They didn't like it at first, trust me! But over time they are adjusting and asking less and less for "junk food" and starting to enjoy many of the healthier foods! We have also started watching portions on my son, because he does tend to overeat, asking for not only seconds, but thirds and fourths if you let him. He has always been a big boy, at 5ft5 and 169 lbs with size 9.5 mens shoes and he is only 10, but he does have some extra weight in the core area, and what really broke my heart was when I saw he was starting to get stretch marks at such a young age! Not to mention if you do not have your family eat healthy with you, it will make it 10 times harder for you to avoid cheating etc.! Good luck!

Also maybe try Taragon Turkey burgers, my kids loved them even before the diet, and we eat them regularly, plus they are really healthy! (p.s. we substitute mushrooms for the zucchinni, or just leave it out, I do not care for the texture it leaves in these)

These burgers are delicious! And not much more trouble than making beef burgers.
(Joseph Mercola, Dr. Mercola’s Total Health Program)
PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes
SERVES: 4
1 lb ground turkey
½ cup coarsely shredded zucchini
¼ cup chopped red onion
1 tbsp fresh (or dried) tarragon leaves
2 tsp Dijon-style mustard
½ tsp Spike vegetable seasoning (or salt)
3 grinds black pepper
2 large eggs
Preheat broiler or grill.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and shape mixture into patties.
Cook 5 minutes per side, or until browned. (Do not overcook.)

I totally agree with you. You'll burn out trying to cook separate meals. Your family's health is too important to serve them inferior food. My husband has come around and now prefers whole grain bread after eating white bread for 55 years! Thank goodness my mother was ahead of her time. She always served salads, lots of vegetables, bean dishes. We weren't allowed to drink soft drinks...maybe one a year. Do your kids a favor and save them from a lifetime of poor health. They will then pass on healthy cooking to your grandchildren!