Need Help with Dinners!

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HelloSweetie4
HelloSweetie4 Posts: 1,214 Member
in Recipes
SO I live in a meat and potatoes kind of family. I am trying to find healthier alternatives to the favorite meals but its tough. My family always has potatoes or rice with each meal and 2 out of 4 of them are not huge veggie fans. I don't want to cook a separate meal for myself, but I am having a hard time coming up with side dishes that they will like and are lower in calories. Luckily, I tend to have a calorie surplus at the end of the day so I am usually under my limit, but I don't want to be wasting those calories on terrible foods. Is there anything that you do to make starchy side dishes a little better for you?

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  • heavensshadow
    heavensshadow Posts: 264 Member
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    If your family digs mashed potatoes (like mine does), try substituting whipped roasted/steamed cauliflower in it's place and prepare as you would potatoes. You can barely tell the difference.
    :wink:
    Have you tried switching proteins, from say ground beef to ground turkey, or lean pork loin for a sirloin?
    There are also some excellent stuffed pepper recipes I swear by that I batch cook and freeze/refigerate for later, too.

    I've come to find it's not about total food replacements, but rather easing into it with food substitutions...find something your family enjoys and upgrade it with healthy twists (like a different way to cook it, say) or find a similar substitute!
    Hope this helps, good luck!
  • nikkit321
    nikkit321 Posts: 1,485 Member
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    I'd go with a meat, veg, and starch at every meal. Even if you prepare a starch for every meal, that doesn't mean you have to eat it, or you can drastically reduce the portion. You personally could skip the starch and have meat, cooked veg, and raw veg for your meal.
  • natsladybug
    natsladybug Posts: 10
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    How about switching there regular potatoes to sweet potatoes? You can do about the same thing with sweet potatoes that you can do with regular potatoes. I actually like the seet potatoes better then regular potatoes.
  • Susann1963
    Susann1963 Posts: 126 Member
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    Great advice ladies! On the mashed cauliflower, try to blend it with some potatoes at first, and be sure to use a food processor or blender so its smooth. Another great substitute is celery root! It looks ugly and you should be able to find at the grocery store, but it has similar texture to potato and a hint of celery aroma. So good! Have you tried Coucous? it is actually just tiny pasta, but cooks in 5 minutes and has a lot of protein.
    I also agree to always have a vegetable so that the family gets what they want (ie: starch) and you can make other choices.
  • m16shane
    m16shane Posts: 393 Member
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    Roasted butternut squash is on e of the alternatives we've done and love it!
  • heavensshadow
    heavensshadow Posts: 264 Member
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    Oh! Try using spaghetti squash in place of noodles next time you make spaghetti and meatballs.....just be sure to drain it well before topping with all the good stuff.
    :smile:
  • ccarre81
    ccarre81 Posts: 134 Member
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    Try adding roasted butternut squash to your mashed potatoes... say 50/50. It cuts the calories by about half and I bet your family won't even notice (maybe start with 1/4 squash, 3/4 potatoes and gradually increase). It adds a buttery and nutty flavour... super delicious. The best thing is you can roast your squash, mash it up and freeze it in portions. Everytime you make potatoes defrost your squash and just dump it in your mashed potatoes.
  • dlynnkind
    dlynnkind Posts: 134 Member
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    www.skinnytaste.com

    Check out this website. You would be surprised what small substitutions you can make without sacrificing taste.

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