What do you feed your families?

bitesizeMelly
bitesizeMelly Posts: 15 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Fellow mommas, what do you cook for hubby and the kids? I usually make myself something healthy, and something that taste good for the family. Should i just make everyone eat the same thing. Cooking multiple dishes can be so tedious and my family should eat healthy too, but i want the food to also be enjoyable. Also i hate having any kind of junk food chips, cookies, candy in the house because i dont have that much self control. Should i get rid of it for everyone? All suggestions are welcome and pleas share your personal experiance.
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Replies

  • 42kgirl
    42kgirl Posts: 692 Member
    My kids get two choices for dinner - take it or leave it. Fortunately, they eat pretty much anything thanks to their chef daddy. Mom, however, does not throw together lamb shoulder on a Tuesday. I've let them help me in the kitchen since they were quite small and that helps, too. They feel they have a part in it all.
  • cbenzerga
    cbenzerga Posts: 65 Member
    I can already see this being tricky for me too. My hubby will eat whatever I make for him. But ofcourse my 10 month old is not going to eat a spinach salad...I don't see him eating a spinach salad anytime soon. So right now he still eats baby food for the most part, but that won't continue for much longer. Then what do I do? Make a seperate meal for him I guess. I'll just try to keep it healthy.
  • tigerlily8045
    tigerlily8045 Posts: 402 Member
    They eat what I fix. If the hubby doesn't like it he can eat Ramen noodles...LOL They are both really good about eating healthy anyway. It was just me that had a problem.
  • arickim
    arickim Posts: 137
    We all eat the same thing. We have changed it up a little, but mostly we still eat what we ate before me dieting.
  • pachamb
    pachamb Posts: 52
    I am not a mom but I am a live in nanny of 5 kids so I hope you won't mind me posting. I do all the cooking and I feed the kids the same thing that I eat. They do enjoy there hamburgers with buns and there salads with ranch as I do not. They no longer get french fries or mashed potatoes though. Since there is 5 of them and me and there mother it would be a little crazy cooking 2 different meals most times they don't mind eating the healthy stuff. We went primal in january so every now and then one makes a comment "is this Primal" I reply with a yes of course and they say OH GREAT it gonna be gross but they eat it anyways :) and it usually not to bad. Thats just dinner for lunch and breakfast they eat what they please I still buy pop tarts and the junk food they like to eat but NO CHIPS AND SODA IN THIS HOUSE. :)
  • bergsangel
    bergsangel Posts: 131
    I can already see this being tricky for me too. My hubby will eat whatever I make for him. But ofcourse my 10 month old is not going to eat a spinach salad...I don't see him eating a spinach salad anytime soon. So right now he still eats baby food for the most part, but that won't continue for much longer. Then what do I do? Make a seperate meal for him I guess. I'll just try to keep it healthy.

    Your 10 month old will eat that!! Maybe not right now, but he/she will eat whatever foods you repeatedly present to them! Now, they all go through a stage at about 2ish where they basically seem to be starving themselves, but you have a blank palate...give the good (meaning healthy) stuff. I messed this up twice, but my 3rd child does well....lol
  • mmklinemm
    mmklinemm Posts: 58 Member
    We all eat the same meals in our house. My kids are 6 and 4, and if they don't choose to eat what I make, that's their choice. Fortunately, neither my kids nor my husband are picky eaters. My husband and I strongly believe in leading by example. That includes what we eat. It makes no sense to make yourself a healthy meal only to feed the rest of your family what you consider unhealthy. Healthy and nutritious doesn't have to equal unenjoyable or bad-tasting.

    ETA: We don't have any kind of banned-foods list in our house. We still have chips, candy, the occasional soda, etc. But that stuff rarely gets eaten. We tried to teach the kids early on about making smart/healthy choices. It's all about moderation.
  • RedHotRunner
    RedHotRunner Posts: 850 Member
    We all eat the same thing, though I take into consideration the type of food everyone likes. Occasionally I will make an extra side like macaroni and cheese for the husband and kid while I have a side salad.
  • bergsangel
    bergsangel Posts: 131
    Oh and to the actual question, they usually eat whatever I am eating. Hubby is saint when it comes to food and will praise anything that is set before him. Sometimes i have to give the kids something dfferent, but not usually.
  • Diary_Queen
    Diary_Queen Posts: 1,314 Member
    They eat what I fix. If the hubby doesn't like it he can eat Ramen noodles...LOL They are both really good about eating healthy anyway. It was just me that had a problem.

    This is how it is in my house... since my kids have been old enough to complain. Dinner will be eaten or they can go to bed hungry. I'm not a short order cook and I won't be feeding them junk just because they want it. They see all their little school friends come to lunch with bags of chips, snack cakes, sodas.... No, no, no... not gonna happen. Now that's not to say that we don't all indulge from time to time.. just a bit. Some nights, I may use beer battered fish fillets to make fish tacos, but then we also will have low sodium black beans & cabbage slaw with it and use small natural corn tortillas. I'm not going to treat myself any better or worse than my kids.
  • therealnani
    therealnani Posts: 2
    I encourage them to eat what I've made but since they eat earlier than my husband and I, I usually make them their regular "kid food"-- pasta with homemade sauce, soup, fish sticks with broccoli, etc. I think what matters most is portion control and mostly non-processed foods.
    Also, get rid of the junk food. They don't need it anymore than you do. My kids snack on Pirate's Booty, apple slices, cheesesticks, carrot sticks, cucumbers, clementines, pickles, yogurt, whatever I have. I don't buy cookies or chips--those are special treats that I save for when we eat out or something.
  • Jesea
    Jesea Posts: 376 Member
    We eat the same thing. I try very hard to pick things that everyone likes, and try new recipes 2-4 times a month (I aim for one new recipe a week). We all get a vote on whether or not a new recipe is a "keeper" or not, and there have definitely been some that weren't, and on those nights the boys (ages 2 & 7) can have some fruit or yogurt or carrots instead. If we have decided it's a keeper together then you eat what's on your plate. Both my boys can usually find something on their plates to eat, and I usually put raw veggies as a side in addition to whatever we're having. I control my portions very carefully, but not as much for my very active boys.
  • Amber50lbsDown
    Amber50lbsDown Posts: 255 Member
    We all eat the same things I just tweek mine.
    I will have a small portion and eat my meatballs with spinich insted of the noodles or if we are having something like potatos I will just leave off the toppings.
    and it I make sandwiches for lunch I will eat mine in a salad insted of bread.
    Just small things like that make a huge difference and not alot of extra work.
  • dmanning0819
    dmanning0819 Posts: 93 Member
    I have found things that everyone can eat and we had a family meeting about how important it was for mom to be healthy, etc. etc, My family gets how important this is so we have made up family menu's that everyone likes.

    For instance: Breakfast for supper
    Taco salads, they can eat regular tacos, not cooking extra's
    tuna stuffed tomato's or they can have sandwiches
    Spaghetti with whole grain pasta and low carb tomato sauce
    Hamburger steaks and sweet potato fries

    These are just to name a few on our list, but you really can start doing some research online of healthy meals your family will love.
  • Meaganandcheese
    Meaganandcheese Posts: 525 Member
    I only make one meal. I ask my husband in advance for his input when I am planning and grocery shopping, but just about everything I cook is modified to make it healthier or lighter. Luckily, he's really flexible and not terribly picky. We don't have kids yet, so it's yet to be seen how successful this is with little ones someday.
  • JessieArt
    JessieArt Posts: 275 Member
    My house is not a restaurant, they eat what I cook. I make one meal. It includes lots of lean meat, veggies and fruit.

    Of course, once in awhile we have what my son calls "defend for yourself night". That's when everyone either eats, leftovers, PB&J or something like a corn dog from the freezer. They are usually fighting over my left over South Beach Diet Chili or homemade stew.
  • Briaboo4
    Briaboo4 Posts: 1,080 Member
    My family's diet wasn't too bad before I started MFP. I've mainly changed my own portion size.....but we are eating more lean meats and fish now. Anyway, to answer your question, my son eats what I eat.
  • Flab2fitfi
    Flab2fitfi Posts: 1,349 Member
    Both me and hubby are trying loose some weight so will eat the same thing. I still do the same meals as before but use less meat/more veg and smaller portions. Two of my children have autism so they quite often will eat separably but the other two has the same of us.
  • RachelsReboot
    RachelsReboot Posts: 569 Member
    My kids eat exactly what I do, this is a lifestyle change for me and it's not one that harms them. They don't complain about what we eat, they like it (but then again I used to be a professional private chef) they are learning better habits and both of my teenagers have lost some weight themselves. I do not control what they eat at school or away from home but they are making better choices on their own.

    Edited to add, I do keep berries and apples in the house for the kids to snack on but I don't eat fruit myself. Never really cared for it much.
  • staceyseeger
    staceyseeger Posts: 778 Member
    The only time that we eat the same thing is when we dine out for wings & burgers or mexican food. We never eat the same thing at home. I don't eat what I cook for them & they couldn't survive on what I eat. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • Grlnxtdr0721
    Grlnxtdr0721 Posts: 597 Member
    I have a kind of picky 3 year old. For him, I make either chicken nuggets, fish sticks, etc and at least one vegetable, apple sauce and milk. My husband is stuck eating whatever I am
  • Briaboo4
    Briaboo4 Posts: 1,080 Member
    Oh...and I also think you should get rid of the junk food. They should learn to eat healthy now so they don't end up with weight/health problems later on.
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    We are a take it or leave it household. Why do healthy and tasty have to be separate meals? Start your kids off with good habits now.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    Every body in my house gets the same thing. If you're eating one thing and your kids are eating something else what is that teaching them? Last night for dinner my 2.5 year old had black bean soup with taco meat and cheddar cheese because that's what we have on hand.
  • dragonsheart84
    dragonsheart84 Posts: 75
    The difference between what I eat and what my husband eats is portion size. I am more conscience of my portion size then my husband. My 10 year old and 4 year old eat how ever much they want. My 4 year old only weighs in at 38 lbs and my 10 year old is at 92 lbs. They are both healthy and on track with their weight. So, our diets have changed a little but not a lot. Not as much junk food but still some snacky things. Not as much fast food but still the occasional papa john's pizza. We just control how much we eat now. Instead of half the pizza it is only one or two pieces. I have changed from soda all the time to water all the time with some diet green tea with citrus.
  • tlinval
    tlinval Posts: 175 Member
    I'm not a restaurant. That's my moto in my kitchen! :laugh:

    Everyone eats the same meal most nights. The exceptions are like on "left-over" night we'll let the kids pick a left over meal to eat, everyone usually eats something different that night. On tomato soup and grilled cheese night, hubby and kids will eat that and I'll eat a different soup (I don't like tomato soup). I use to cater to their eating habits, but I just don't have the time, money or desire to cook like that! I figure everyone should eat healthy, not just me. What they actually *eat* off of their plates is a different matter (they're 5 & 2) but that's not my fault! If I offer it enough times they'll eventually eat it...at least that's my philosophy!

    I might tweak my meal (use laughing cow cheese instead of full-fat cheese for my sandwich) but for the most part our plates all look the same.
  • Buckeyt
    Buckeyt Posts: 473 Member
    I make the same thing for my wife and kids that I eat. Usually that means they don't get things I don't like, such as sweet potatoes.

    Kids get a pass on very few items, Mushrooms being one.

    My wife and I love things like Brussel Sprouts, and asparagus. Kids have to eat those, not a huge portion but enough.

    I eat healthy foods so that's what the rest of the family eats. If I'm not going to eat frozen pizza why would I serve it to my kids.
  • frugalmomsrock
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
    I can already see this being tricky for me too. My hubby will eat whatever I make for him. But ofcourse my 10 month old is not going to eat a spinach salad...I don't see him eating a spinach salad anytime soon. So right now he still eats baby food for the most part, but that won't continue for much longer. Then what do I do? Make a seperate meal for him I guess. I'll just try to keep it healthy.

    You might be surprised! My little guy eats all sorts of healthy stuff. :) My kids absolutely LOVE spinach. Let me change that. My LITTLE kids absolutely love spinach. My older two are very picky. :-/

    Typically for meals, I make a main dish that's for everyone. I'll then make a couple veggies--one for the littlest ones, hubby and me, and one that everyone (including the pickier older kids) will eat. I will make a starch on only half the suppers-whole grain couscous, brown rice, sweet potatoes, etc. Those are not forced on anyone... I do insist on a protein and veggie though. I also usually have green salad for husband, oldest daughter (lettuce+cheese+dressing only), and myself... As for a whole other meal, um-no.
  • hotmama1174
    hotmama1174 Posts: 109 Member
    They eat what I eat-why does healthy not have to be tasty?!?

    I am changing my bad eating habits to healthy ones to set a good example for my children so they will eat what I eat so they can make better choices for themselves when they get older.
  • ItsMeRebekah
    ItsMeRebekah Posts: 909 Member
    we all eat the same thing. who has time for 4 different meals? not this mama!

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