Mission: Healthy(er) Meals

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Like many of you, I’m sure, I am finding that my metabolism and body composition is changing with age. I’ve always loved exercise and have been able get away without “dieting” because of this. Now, however, I’m finding that my workouts aren’t doing the trick, and really think that now’s the time to start working some changes into my diet. Problem is, though, old habits die hard, and the family’s used to what they’re used to. So. I’m looking for ideas on HEALTHY dinners/recipes with a couple of parameters:</p>

<ol>
<li> When I say “healthy” I’m speaking in relative terms. We’re not talking TOTALLY fat free, or carb-free…etc. Just better than, say, beef stroganoff. Or Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Baby steps.</li>
<li> Nothing fancy or gourmet. Family is NOT adventerous when it comes to trying new things. The more ordinary the ingredients, the better.</li>
<li> Must be relatively easy/quick, able to be prepared after a long workday. Slow cooker okay too.</li>
<li>Has to have SOME kind of meat. H doesn’t consider a meal complete if it doesn’t have meat.</li>
</ol>

<p>Okay. The challenge is on. Can you help JustaFamily?</p>

2

<p>Here’s one healthy meal that goes over pretty well with my family of 4, and takes about 1/2 hour which is all I can manage after working all day: broiled chicken breasts that you’ve marinated in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard; microwaved sweet potatos (they taste so good and they’re actually better for you than regular potatos), and steamed sugar snap peas. It kind of hits the salty/sweet/meaty taste buds but is pretty low fat/high fibre.</p>

3

<p>I looked through this @ the grocery, looked good, but as almost every recipe had meat in it really wasn’t what I wanted- it might work for your family though.</p>

<p>[Almost</a> Meatless: Recipes That Are Better for Your Health and the Planet (9781580089616): Joy Manning, Tara Mataraza Desmond](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Almost-Meatless-Recipes-Better-Health/dp/1580089615]Almost”>http://www.amazon.com/Almost-Meatless-Recipes-Better-Health/dp/1580089615)</p>

4

<p>Meat is an excellent choice for trying to shift a diet towards one that is more conducive to fat loss (or preventing fat gain).</p>

<p>Step One: Cut the sugars and processed foods with sugar. Candy. Deserts. Soda and juice. This is the major source of excess calories.</p>

<p>**Step Two: **Cut carb calories from grains, especially white flour products. Ditch the bread basket. Cut back to one pasta (or pizza) meal a week. Cut the breaded fried stuff. Cut the rice with every meal. Cut the cereals. </p>

<p>**Step Three: **Cut back on high calorie foods. Cheese is a prime example. Having the grilled hamburger without the slice of cheese saves 100 calories. 100 calories a day is almost a pound of fat a month, that you’ll either lose or not gain. Watch it with nuts; they are massively high calorie, bite for bite.</p>

<p>Concentrate on protein and vegetables. Salads. Try to mix in some dinners with lower cal proteins like chicken breasts or fish a few times a week along with the staples like beef and pork. Instead of stir fry on rice or meat on pasta, try fajitas with chicken, bell pepper, and onion. Or stir fry on brocolli.</p>

<p>BTW, the problem for most of us is not the meals. It’s the snacks – the chips, the ice cream, the juices, the candy, the nibble of this, the bag of that. That stuff adds up calories so fast. If you cut it out, you eat good, satifsying meals and don’t have to feel like you are dieting.</p>

5

<p>idad, the problem is, I’m fully aware of the “general guidelines”…I know in my head what I should be moving toward. The issue for me is finding a concrete, tangible way to work them into my (and my family’s) daily life by finding something that my family likes to eat, that I have time to make.</p>

<p>I guess what I’m looking for, is…tell me HOW you prepare your stir fry, or your fajitas…etc.</p>

<p>Note - S and H, both runners, can eat whatever they want, without gaining an ounce. So, they won’t put up with anything harsh.</p>

6

<p>My H family is very slender- so they think it is a reason to eat what ever crap they want- processed foods- Think Baileys irish cream :p, all kinds of sugary & high fat snacks-</p>

<p>I don’t eat that stuff not because I want to be skinny ( I am not overweight, but not of the Nancy Reagan body type like my MIL), but because I don’t like it. I have been interested in whole foods for taste as well as health reasons since I was in jr high in the 70’s.
( not to mention our family has genetic high cholesterol- & heart problems, so trying to eliminate processed food especially trans fats is critical)</p>

<p>When the kids were growing up, I often used meat as a flavoring- stir fries would be mostly veggies- used sauces for flavor and rice/bread to soak it up, & to make it more filling, instead of cuts of meat. Use tofu & tempeh a lot.
They will eat almost anything- curries, rotis, raw oysters… H was raised eating white food ( Scandinavian) & had never had Chinese when I met him!
I can’t even remember the last time I had steak, but I do like beefalo burgers in the summer.
We eat heavier breakfasts, but light dinners- often a salad & soup, or soup & sandwiches. ( easier to sleep after a light dinner as well , since H has to be @ work @ 5am)</p>

<p>There are lots of ways to make your meals lighter- what sort of things are you eating now that they like?</p>

<p>I would adapt those meals a little, before I would start getting more exotic than they are ready for.</p>

7

<p>I think there’s a book out called “Eat This, Not That” that is aimed right at the OP’s question – basically how to choose a lower fat, lower calorie version of what you were about to eat, assuming that you aren’t about to go whole-hog yet on a healthy diet.</p>

<p>A lot of this can be pretty common sense. Use a lot less butter. If you have to cook with fat, use olive oil (or canola) and use less of it than you imagined possible. Instead of sauteeing, grill/broil, or boil. Bake with high heat, not fry. There’s nothing you absolutely, positively have to fry.</p>

<p>Steak is a lot better than hamburger (or turkey burger), especially cheaper cuts which are less fatty. Forget that you ever liked the taste of chicken skin (or dark meat, for that matter) – skinless chicken breasts are the way to go. Lean cuts of pork, too. Get your family to love fish. Some of it is very meaty – shark, swordfish, tilapia.</p>

<p>Cream sauces are a no-no. Don’t put cheese on everything. Don’t put cheese on anything. Well, a teaspoon of grated Parmesan isn’t going to kill you.</p>

<p>Serve lots of vegetables. Steamed or boiled for a short time, not stir-fried. Root vegetables can substitute for starches.</p>

<p>Pasta, rice, potatoes are for special occasions, not every day.</p>

<p>Marinades, spice rubs, and fresh herbs are your friends. They make things taste great and give them pop even without fat or salt.</p>

<p>When my wife – who is really into this, I’m not – bakes, she substitutes powdered skim milk and applesauce for about 1/3 of the sugar and fat in any recipe. That takes a little trial and error, though – different recipes can handle different substitutions.</p>

<p>Oh, does milk come in any form besides nonfat? No. Does cream or half-and-half go in coffee? No. Does yoghurt have fat (or sugar) in it? Not if I have to buy it.</p>

8

<p>I cook a lot of chicken, my family loves this recipe. Just watch how much sauce you use, it’s sweet. Very full of flavor, though. I’ve typed it the way the originally written, I don’t use that much vegatable oil, or if I do, I blot some of it out with paper towels.</p>

<p>Try this:
Orange Chili Chicken
3lbs boneless, skinless chicken (usually breasts and thighs)
1/4 C vegatble oil (whatever you have)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon peeled chopped ginger
salt and pepper</p>

<p>Cut the chicken into chunks sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix all other ingredients together, refrigerate for at least one hour (Note: I refrigerate for as long as I have time–might be all day if I get this ready in the morning, might be 15 minutes if I’m in a hurry.)</p>

<p>Orange Chili Saucce
1/2 Cup freshly squeezed orange juice (or whatever carton is in the frig)
1/4 cup fozen OJ concentrate
1 C sweet chili sauce (Thai Kitchen),
Zest of 1 orange, minced ( ummm yeah not going to happen)</p>

<p>Mix all of the above, bring to a boil, cook 10 minutes.</p>

<p>Make rice</p>

<p>Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large fry pan, get it hot. Dump in the chicken, cook for about 5 minutes (browned on all sides, not cooked through). Add in the sauce, cook about 10 to 15 minutes at high heat until chicken is cooked and glazed.</p>

<p>Serve over the rice. You can garnish it with shredded carrots and bell peppers with artistically arranged bean sprouts…mostly I blanch some snow peas in boiling water and serve them on the side.</p>

9

<p>Oh, DD loves this version of fried chicken, too…</p>

<p>1 cut up chicken
plain yougart
bread crumbs
Pam</p>

<p>Heat oven—around 375. Take the cold chicken (you can soak it in ice water a while if you have time…I ususally don’t. If you soak it, pat it dry). Coat in yougart, dip in bread crumbs. Place on baking sheet, spray with Pam (well, I use a misto with olive oil, but I used Pam before I bought the misto thingy). Bake until juices run clear. Serve with some kind of potato, mashed. sweet potato fries (baked), carrots, broccoli, whatever I have on hand.</p>

10

<p>My favorite easy cooking method is to take my pork chop, my piece of steak, my chicken breast coat it with salt and pepper and some spices and saute it in a little butter or olive oil. Then when it’s cooked take a little wine or juice, saute some onions or mushrooms,or some fruit and serve the meat topped with the sauce. The combination of spices can take you to Italy, France, North Africa, Mexico your choice… </p>

<p>I serve every meal with a separate vegetable and a big salad. Rice, potatoes or bread are rarities.</p>

<p>Alternatively, I often cook British style curries. Sometimes I follow recipes, but often I just do what my Mom did. You start with curry powder (or a mix of cumin, coriander, cardomom, cinnamon, tumeric and cayenne chili powder in proportions that appeal to you) that you saute with some onions and garlic (and ginger if you like it). Add tomatoes, a potato, cubed meat. Cover with water and cook till the meat is tender. Serve on rice. My Mom used to also have chopped bananas, chopped nuts, chutney and maybe some cucumber. Later I learned about raitas (fruits or vegetables in a yogurt sauce). </p>

<p>For a vegetarian option if you can find paneer cheese it’s much lower calorie than European cheeses and it’s great with spinach and curry spices. I also really like cauliflower and chickpeas and curry spices.</p>

11

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<p>Amen. Olive oil is very good for you. This idea that eating fat is “bad” is misquided and sends people down a track of unsatisfying diets. For example, if the family likes fried chicken, you can actually serve fried chicken. Just don’t serve it with bread and a baked potato or rice or pasta or some other high cal side dish. Serve with fresh sauteed brocolli.</p>

<p>A staple for me is is to cook some chicken – either whole breasts on the grill or some boneless skinless breast sauteed in olive oil. One night, I cut up some of the cooked chicken for a chicken caesar salad – olive oil, vinegar, anchovy, Worcester, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, romaine lettuce, vidialia onions, 1 oz per person of Parmeggiano Reggiano cheese, and croutons. Another night, some of the chicken gets chunked and quicked sauteed with a sliced onion and a sliced bell pepper. A little chili powder, a chopped chipotle pepper, a couple of spoonfuls of whatever salsa is on hand. Everyone spoons some on the tortilla of their choice and adds whatever their calorie target allows: some shredded cheese, more salsa, sour cream, guacamole. Ten minute fajitas.</p>

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<p>The South Beach Diet book has a lot of recipes that are healthy, tasty, and easy. They are also low carb, but you can always add carbs.</p>

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<p>I start every single meal by cutting up some carrots and some apples and putting them right next to where I’m cooking. I find that way I snack on them while I’m eating and I eat less of the main course. I put them out for DH and the kids too if they’re around while I’m cooking.</p>

<p>The easiest way to eat healthier is to use smaller plates. The plates look full with less food.</p>

14

<p>OK, here’s one.</p>

<p>Bowl of chili, you can even add saltines (60 calories for five crackers). And, a huge salad with homemade olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and crumbled blue cheese dressing. Figure 500 calories for a huge salad with blue cheese. I don’t know for sure on the chili, but the whole dinner is certainly under 1000 calories and more food that most people can eat.</p>

15

<p>D is a runner, so I am constantly making her one meal and us another (egg white omelette, organic chicken, red meat before a race). I’d get organic all the time, but the cost is prohibitive. Ideally, we’d have many items on the table and people could have 1-2 of the items offered, and if they’re still hungry, they make themselves a turkey sandwich, but who has the time to make 5-6 dishes? </p>

<p>I re-read your original post. You’re on the right track – I believe small changes add up to a lot. Maybe think of it in ratios – imagine your average dinner plate with a meat, a starch, a vegetable. Does the meat take up 2/3 of the plate and the starch and veggie together take up 1/3? Next time, maybe make the veggie portion a little bigger and the meat a little smaller. Or make 2 veggies. When I was too tired to cook and the kids wouldn’t eat anything green, I’d let them eat fruit instead. Let them make the healthy choices and swap out one thing for another. You’re doing great! Good luck.</p>

16

<p>2015 (& everyone else too), thanks. Really, what I am attempting to do, is to figure out a couple of new “staple” meals to make quickly instead of some of our traditional favorites. WITHOUT making a big deal of it. WITHOUT announcing to the family…“this is a healthy alternative, blah blah blah”. It’s not that I don’t know what’s healthy vs what’s not, or the “diet tips”…I’m looking for your recipes!!!</p>

17

<p>I stick primarily to fruits (not cooked, not cut), vegies (usually cooked on skillet with fried onions and garlic), nuts and dried fruits. Sometime I eat meat (only if it tastes really good, grilled with nothing on it, no salt, no anything else) and once in a while chiken - cooked from the store for $4.99. Sometime I can fix soup. I also eat lots of chocolate and honey. I have ice cream at any ocasion that it is available. I exercise about 2 hours / day every day, it went up with age, choosing my favorite activies. I am sure, I might be the oldest person here. I do not have problem with weight. I do not like to cook or do other chores at home and I do not do them except for laundry. My job is sedentary.</p>

18

<p>Yeah DAP…before I went back to work full time, I had a great workout schedule too. Now it’s cut down a bit. I wouldn’t say I have a “weight problem”. I’m actually a group fitness instructor…my group ex students would laugh at me for posting this thread. I am just noticing how activity level is less likely to control the body comp changes that happen with age, so looking for another lever. </p>

<p>Anywho. Any more ideas for a quick healthy meal that my H and S would go for?</p>

19

<p>^Curious, why fitness instructor needs to exercise at all? Is not it part of fitness instruction? I am full time also - 40 hours/ week sitting down glued to my chair.</p>

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<p>Accountant by day, GF instructor by night…I teach 3 classes/week. Yes, they do count as exercise, but 3 hours won’t cut it, esp since my classes are primarily cardio.</p>