Younger Siblings Coming Up for 4 Days

MalSponseller
MalSponseller Posts: 217 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Morning MFP.


So, from the 20-23 I'm very excited to have my two younger sisters down for the first time. Granted, I've baby sat numerous times while still in high school, but I've never had a sleep over with them in my very own apartment. As I'm in college and have a part time job, I only get to drive up for about 24-36 hours every 3-6 weeks to see them, and the past few years, being Army, they lived in South Korea. So getting to spend this time with them is a huge deal to me. I love my sisters.

So, how to appease the appetites of a 13 and 9 year old?

My step-father is Korean, so my sisters are half. They got their metabolism from their dad; they can eat anything and not gain a darn pound (and tan super quick, my youngest sister is the color of a coconut, I swear!). My mom is going to help with getting food for their stay as I am broke college kid, but I know the 'burden' of preparing the food will come down to me. I want to continue eating healthy, as I'm part of a challenge group at the moment, but don't necessarily want to cook two separate meals all the time: one that fits into my calories and one that satisfies them. Anyone with kids or siblings have any fool-proof (if there is such a thing) recipes or ideas for lunches and dinners?

Also, I'll have to watch the 13 year old, cause she's likely to blow my diet. She LOVES cooking, actually seriously thinking of going to culinary school (she's super intelligent and is already looking into colleges and such). But she currently has a fad for deep-frying everything: pickles, chocolate bars, home-made onion rings, etc. This is the girl that, on a regular basis, makes home-made funnel cake (and it's damn good, too!). If she wants to make treats while she's here, that's fine, but are there some healthier spin-offs of these things that she could experiment with? She's a great cook and I don't want her to think I don't want her cooking at my apartment, or that I don't appreciate it.

Also, planning on taking them to the one restaurant in town that EVERYBODY goes to, called El Sombrero. Really good Mexican food that's pretty cheap. Haven't had the chance to research yet, but anybody have some go-to Mexican dishes that aren't horrid in calories? I have a feeling my fajita quesadilla won't be one of those things.

Thanks in advance guys! And just so you know, I'm going to have them working out with me: walking with me, or helping me count sets/reps if I'm weight training. The 9 year old is already saying things like, "I'm so fat" or "I have to lose weight!" and before she gets old enough for it to turn into any kind of eating disorder, I want to set an example of good eating habits and exercise. Super looking forward to this!

Replies

  • MalSponseller
    MalSponseller Posts: 217 Member
    bumpness
  • Amryfal
    Amryfal Posts: 225
    i can't think of any recipes offhand right now, but two thoughts:

    1) re: fried foods. i looked into deep-frying a little while ago because i *love* fried chicken. it isn't actually as greasy and fat-filled as you'd think. not for everyday consumption, but for an occasional treat, if done right, it's ok. include a pinch of baking soda in the coating and it will help the coating puff and absorb less oil. also, if the oil is at the proper temperature, the food will absorb less. i measured the oil before and after cooking, and that gave me an idea of how much oil to log. both hints produced gorgeous, crispy fried chicken - of which i had ONE piece, LOL ;o)

    2) re: mexican restaurant. i make chicken enchiladas at home, because the enchilada sauce is pretty low fat/low cal, and so is salsa, if you like it spicy. i use corn tortillas and less cheese. maybe you could order chicken enchiladas with corn tortillas and ask them to cut back on the cheese? for me, it's the chips at the beginning that are murder. and i only order my beloved chile rellenos on cheat days. heh.
  • MalSponseller
    MalSponseller Posts: 217 Member
    I may have to let her fry something then, lol. Just have to keep her from doing it EVERY day.

    And unfortunately, I', not a huge fan of corn tortillas, but I may just have to suck it up and go that route.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    If the 13 year old wants to be a chef, why not explore healthy cooking and natural ingredients with her? Check out some cookbooks from the library, go to the grocery store with her and help her experiment with healthy dishes? Chefs should be well rounded - most know how to cook full-fat, fried foods AND healthy dishes. And they have to know about a lot of different ingredients, including veggies, lean protiens, beans, rice, etc.
  • Amryfal
    Amryfal Posts: 225
    If the 13 year old wants to be a chef, why not explore healthy cooking and natural ingredients with her? Check out some cookbooks from the library, go to the grocery store with her and help her experiment with healthy dishes? Chefs should be well rounded - most know how to cook full-fat, fried foods AND healthy dishes. And they have to know about a lot of different ingredients, including veggies, lean protiens, beans, rice, etc.

    good idea. also, does she like to experiment with spices? that was how i challenged myself. i love cooking and baking - but i had to learn to cook healthier meals. i like flavor, but it's harder to make healthy things taste awesome without all the fat/salt/etc. get some fresh herbs or even dried spices and let her experiment with beans, rice, chicken - it can be fun to have "tasting" parties, and if you don't get it right and it tastes terrible, lol, laugh about it and learn from it.
  • MalSponseller
    MalSponseller Posts: 217 Member
    If the 13 year old wants to be a chef, why not explore healthy cooking and natural ingredients with her? Check out some cookbooks from the library, go to the grocery store with her and help her experiment with healthy dishes? Chefs should be well rounded - most know how to cook full-fat, fried foods AND healthy dishes. And they have to know about a lot of different ingredients, including veggies, lean protiens, beans, rice, etc.

    That is a really good idea. Don't get me wrong, she knows way more about cooking than I do, and we often cook Korean food in the house (which is pretty low fat if you're eating the traditional, heavy-fruit heavy-veggie dishes). I do have some spices in the cabinet I used like ONCE for a dish I was trying; could possibly try to get her to figure out something with those. I also have two cans of evaporated milk that was given to me, and currently the easiest think to make with it seems to be cheesecake. o.o Maybe she can figure out something for that. xD

Categories