So, I selfishly started this thread. The above is how I feel all the time, not just pregnant!
Anyway, Healthy eating suggestions:
Anyone have suggestions for healthy side dishes? Our meals tend to be a main, a side and a veggie. The side typically is pasta or white rice or rolls. I'd like to find healthier sides. Not having a side isn't really an option. For me maybe, but my H eats an unreal amount of food, easily two or three times what I do, (he must have a crazy high metabolism because he's far from overweight) so without a side, I'd barely be able to keep up with cooking enough for him and having some leftovers!
Sure, I could just eschew sides myself, but I like having sides sometimes! And I want our children to grow up eating some healthier options. Any suggestions? Particularly easy stuff? We have quinoa sometimes. My H likes that, but I don't love the flavor. I tried a pilaf with lemon and something once, and it was gross! Prep suggestions besides just plain quinoa?
I am a very lazy cook now that I'm pregnant. My H also has food sensitivities to gluten, so that limits what I can do usually. Baked/cooked chicken, veggies, and rice make up the bulk of our meals, just prepared in different ways (Italian vs. Mexican vs. stirfry). Will your H and kids eat brown rice? I typically serve that to make myself feel like I'm eating healthier. What about two veggie options, like a steamed broccoli plus a salad (with all of the fixings, obviously)? I also love a good sweet potato fry (I buy mine pre-sliced/frozen at Wegmans because I'm lazy, but I don't think they're that hard to make on their own).
I did make this once and we both liked it. I think I did double rice (H can't eat orzo) and added extra cheese (because you can't go wrong with more cheese). https://lifecurrentsblog.com/homemade-rice-a-roni/
Our meals tend to be a main course and two veggies or on occasion a veggie and a cold salad or some pasta, cous cous, occasionally mashed potatoes. I've been really focused on our family's health and nutrition over the past year so that's why the heavy veggie push for us. Honestly, I chop a cucumber and tomato salad just about every other day. It's really versatile. I can add onion, chives, or avocado if I want.. it can be dressed with oil and vinegar or left plane for ranch or whatever dressing the eater may like. It's easy to throw together and bulky, but not terribly calorie dense so you can really bulk much if you're hungry. I also find it to be pretty kid friendly, I usually end up leaving some unseasoned to the side for my kid who is a pretty picky eater.
I also like to fry up sliced zucchini on the stove top. It's best fresh and hot so it's the last thing I cook of the night and it's a fast prep. It can take a lot of flavors, I've used Cajun spices, but a house favorite for us is with some garlic powder and then lightly coated in a bit of tomato sauce. Sometimes I'll just add a touch of oil and cook it with some button mushrooms and add some soy sauce, that can be tasty too.
I also keep a few steamer bags of our favorite frozen veggies in the freezer for nights when I can't be bothered to cook something on the stove or chop a salad.
We have various preparations of sweet potatoes as a side at least once a week. Either we slice them in thick discs and roast them in the oven, or we dice them in tiny cubes and cook them on the stove. MH also has an enormous appetite (and, frustratingly, is super lean), so we are often in the same predicament.
For a healthy snack this week I made chia pudding with coconut milk (the Silk original flavor, so it has a little sugar but nothing crazy). I’ve been adding frozen blueberries, unsweetened dried coconut, and almond slivers and having it for my second breakfast/morning snack. It’s so good and it was ridiculously easy to make!
Okay, this thread is my jam. Love reading about what everyone has going on in their kitchens! @gomillis, that chia pudding sounds amazing!
For us, we do a lot of chili, taco salads with all the fixin's, Mexican rice and beans, and we rotate between chicken, either shredded or grilled, seasoned ground beef, or sometimes venison. Smoked sausage, red onion, bell pepper, and tater skillets are easy to throw together, and veggie soup is a go-to. I love sheet pan dinners like this fajita recipe, or sometimes I'll just season some chicken breast, taters, and a veggie of some kind, and throw them all in the oven to cook together. I recently made this classic meatloaf that my whole family really enjoyed, especially the kiddos, and this is an amazing roasted tater recipe for a side. We also do a lot of steamed broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, green beans, and sometimes roasted cauliflower for sides. Quinoa made with chicken broth is also a good option. The other night I grilled some cajun shrimp and served it with a spinach salad. My husband is a big fan of kale salad, which we make with kale, dried cranberries, diced apples, feta cheese, and walnuts. Oil and vinegar dressing. This is a side a lot of the time.
Personally, I love buffalo shredded chicken sandwiches and also lasagna/pasta dishes, but my husband is very fitness conscious, so I try to keep those kinds of meals to a minimum. Oh, and an easy one that we've been having lately is just to throw a bag of mixed frozen veggies in with some ground beef, season with oregano and other Italian seasonings, and we eat it with hot sauce. Doesn't get simpler than that.
OH, and one more! I LIVE for this reuben in a bowl recipe, but the pastrami can get kind of expensive. The sauce MAKES it, though!
Okay, I'm sorry. I just got started and couldn't stop. I could talk about food forever and ever, amen.
@wednesdaygirl1019, lol, I've tried brown rice. H prefers white rice, and the times I've bought brown, he's eaten it but has noted he prefers white. As far as two veggies, I guess I tend to categorize them differently. It seems odd to me to have two different veggies, but no other side. And most of the problem is me. I don't like veggies, especially salad, so eating double veggies sounds not great to me. I know I need to eat them, I know they're good for me, but if it was up to me (I guess it is up to me as an adult, but I'd rather not be obese, bring on diabetes or die of heart disease), I'd just eat French fries, chicken fingers, pizza and ice cream. That cauliflower sounds good. I've never eaten much cauliflower. The big thing for me is making veggies taste good with seasonings and such and not so bland, so that sounds really good.
@riatortillaxo, no, although come to think of it, I think have heard that before.
@catana15, that quinoa fried rice sounds interesting. One of the other issues I've had with trying other add-ins to quinoa is it just seemed to mush together. I'll have to try again though. The idea of cauliflower rice sounds yummy to me, but not so sure about H. He tends to be pretty skeptical of "healthy substitution"-type stuff. Like when people make desserts that have avocado in them or gluten-free cake. The Mexican quinoa, too, sounds good. I have at least one other recipe I've liked from that site. Cilantro I can take or leave, but H loves it!
@redbaramid, that salad actually sounds similar to something my MiL makes. And I liked it despite typically disliking fresh tomatoes and cucumber. Might have to try that one or ask my MiL for her recipe. I've had fried zucchini and reeeeaally wasn't a fan. And yea, you can only really eat it fresh!
@gomillis, people always talk about sweet potatoes, but I've never really had them. I'll have to ask H his opinion. Or I could make both those and regular if he dislikes them. Tossing baked potatoes in the oven is easy enough.
@lachnessmomster, some good ideas, thanks. I did have a kale salad, also by my MIL, that sounds very similar to what you're saying that I really enjoyed. Add pasta to my list above and yeeeesss. Lasagna is one of my favorite things ever. I love pasta so much, but H isn't a fan except very occasionally or spaghetti.
Thanks so much! Definitely some good ideas. I think my two big takeaways, besides trying new things, are to try cauliflower (I can remember having it maybe once or twice growing up, so it's not just something I ever got used to) and ask my MIL for more of her recipes, haha!
We do cauliflower rice, cauliflower mash, broccoli rice, butternut squash noodles/rice, zucchini noodles, or buy the low carb pasta online. We were put on a low carb meal plan by our doctor about a year ago and haven't looked back. The sides were the hardest at first but we found alternatives. In the freezer section they have all the veggie alternative side options.
@coldlife I hear ya on being picky about vegetables. I also can't eat them unless they're covered in seasonings. I think vegetable recipes are my most pinned posts on Pinterest because I need the variety. Cauliflower is great because it takes on the flavor of other things in the dish. I am also not ashamed to admit that I will eat just about any vegetable covered in cheese. I made a brussels sprouts gratin for Thanksgiving with a cheese sauce and bacon and my sister is still raving about it. I don't even like brussels sprouts that much but man do I love that dish!
I honestly could share and talk about recipes all day. And I love seeing what other people make (like that reuben salad @lachnessmomster)
I love bean salads as a side. My favorite is three different types of beans mixed with avocado, lime juice, apple cider vinegar and some salt. It's quick to make too.
Married July 2014 DD born June 2016 Second due August 2020 (team green!)
There are some great suggestions here! I absolutely hate planning meals for the week... I never have any ideas. I’ll be reading along here for sure. I have an instant pot and will need to rely on it more when I go back to work in 2 weeks so if anyone has any IP meal suggestions, please share them!!!
coldlife
member
Re: Eating: w/o 2/17
Anyway, Healthy eating suggestions:
Anyone have suggestions for healthy side dishes? Our meals tend to be a main, a side and a veggie. The side typically is pasta or white rice or rolls. I'd like to find healthier sides. Not having a side isn't really an option. For me maybe, but my H eats an unreal amount of food, easily two or three times what I do, (he must have a crazy high metabolism because he's far from overweight) so without a side, I'd barely be able to keep up with cooking enough for him and having some leftovers!
Sure, I could just eschew sides myself, but I like having sides sometimes! And I want our children to grow up eating some healthier options. Any suggestions? Particularly easy stuff? We have quinoa sometimes. My H likes that, but I don't love the flavor. I tried a pilaf with lemon and something once, and it was gross! Prep suggestions besides just plain quinoa?
I did make this once and we both liked it. I think I did double rice (H can't eat orzo) and added extra cheese (because you can't go wrong with more cheese). https://lifecurrentsblog.com/homemade-rice-a-roni/
Also, if you like Indian style foods, this was delicious and not too spicy (I think, but then again I love spicy):https://www.acedarspoon.com/turmeric-roasted-cauliflower/
ETA tag
I love fried rice, so these are two options. This one is with quinoa. https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/quinoa-fried-rice-recipe/
This one is with cauliflower. https://livingsweetmoments.com/cauliflower-fried-rice/
Mexican quinoa. https://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/
This is great too, unless you hate cilantro. Avocado cilantro lime rice. https://www.cookingclassy.com/avocado-cilantro-lime-rice/
I also like to fry up sliced zucchini on the stove top. It's best fresh and hot so it's the last thing I cook of the night and it's a fast prep. It can take a lot of flavors, I've used Cajun spices, but a house favorite for us is with some garlic powder and then lightly coated in a bit of tomato sauce. Sometimes I'll just add a touch of oil and cook it with some button mushrooms and add some soy sauce, that can be tasty too.
I also keep a few steamer bags of our favorite frozen veggies in the freezer for nights when I can't be bothered to cook something on the stove or chop a salad.
on the stove. MH also has an enormous appetite (and, frustratingly, is super lean), so we are often in the same predicament.
For us, we do a lot of chili, taco salads with all the fixin's, Mexican rice and beans, and we rotate between chicken, either shredded or grilled, seasoned ground beef, or sometimes venison. Smoked sausage, red onion, bell pepper, and tater skillets are easy to throw together, and veggie soup is a go-to. I love sheet pan dinners like this fajita recipe, or sometimes I'll just season some chicken breast, taters, and a veggie of some kind, and throw them all in the oven to cook together. I recently made this classic meatloaf that my whole family really enjoyed, especially the kiddos, and this is an amazing roasted tater recipe for a side. We also do a lot of steamed broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, green beans, and sometimes roasted cauliflower for sides. Quinoa made with chicken broth is also a good option. The other night I grilled some cajun shrimp and served it with a spinach salad. My husband is a big fan of kale salad, which we make with kale, dried cranberries, diced apples, feta cheese, and walnuts. Oil and vinegar dressing. This is a side a lot of the time.
Personally, I love buffalo shredded chicken sandwiches and also lasagna/pasta dishes, but my husband is very fitness conscious, so I try to keep those kinds of meals to a minimum. Oh, and an easy one that we've been having lately is just to throw a bag of mixed frozen veggies in with some ground beef, season with oregano and other Italian seasonings, and we eat it with hot sauce. Doesn't get simpler than that.
OH, and one more! I LIVE for this reuben in a bowl recipe, but the pastrami can get kind of expensive. The sauce MAKES it, though!
(Edited to fix punctuation/broken link.)
@wednesdaygirl1019, lol, I've tried brown rice. H prefers white rice, and the times I've bought brown, he's eaten it but has noted he prefers white. As far as two veggies, I guess I tend to categorize them differently. It seems odd to me to have two different veggies, but no other side. And most of the problem is me. I don't like veggies, especially salad, so eating double veggies sounds not great to me. I know I need to eat them, I know they're good for me, but if it was up to me (I guess it is up to me as an adult, but I'd rather not be obese, bring on diabetes or die of heart disease), I'd just eat French fries, chicken fingers, pizza and ice cream.
That cauliflower sounds good. I've never eaten much cauliflower. The big thing for me is making veggies taste good with seasonings and such and not so bland, so that sounds really good.
@riatortillaxo, no, although come to think of it, I think have heard that before.
@catana15, that quinoa fried rice sounds interesting. One of the other issues I've had with trying other add-ins to quinoa is it just seemed to mush together. I'll have to try again though. The idea of cauliflower rice sounds yummy to me, but not so sure about H. He tends to be pretty skeptical of "healthy substitution"-type stuff. Like when people make desserts that have avocado in them or gluten-free cake.
The Mexican quinoa, too, sounds good. I have at least one other recipe I've liked from that site. Cilantro I can take or leave, but H loves it!
@redbaramid, that salad actually sounds similar to something my MiL makes. And I liked it despite typically disliking fresh tomatoes and cucumber. Might have to try that one or ask my MiL for her recipe. I've had fried zucchini and reeeeaally wasn't a fan. And yea, you can only really eat it fresh!
@gomillis, people always talk about sweet potatoes, but I've never really had them. I'll have to ask H his opinion. Or I could make both those and regular if he dislikes them. Tossing baked potatoes in the oven is easy enough.
@lachnessmomster, some good ideas, thanks. I did have a kale salad, also by my MIL, that sounds very similar to what you're saying that I really enjoyed.
Add pasta to my list above and yeeeesss. Lasagna is one of my favorite things ever. I love pasta so much, but H isn't a fan except very occasionally or spaghetti.
Thanks so much! Definitely some good ideas. I think my two big takeaways, besides trying new things, are to try cauliflower (I can remember having it maybe once or twice growing up, so it's not just something I ever got used to) and ask my MIL for more of her recipes, haha!
I honestly could share and talk about recipes all day. And I love seeing what other people make (like that reuben salad @lachnessmomster)
DD born June 2016
Second due August 2020 (team green!)
https://detoxinista.com/instant-pot-vegan-quinoa-burrito-bowls/
I also like to slice potatoes, put a little olive oil, salt and paprika on them and cook in the oven. Healthy fries!
DD born June 2016
Second due August 2020 (team green!)
https://detoxinista.com/instant-pot-vegan-quinoa-burrito-bowls/
I also like to slice potatoes, put a little olive oil, salt and paprika on them and cook in the oven. Healthy fries!
DD born June 2016
Second due August 2020 (team green!)
I have an instant pot and will need to rely on it more when I go back to work in 2 weeks so if anyone has any IP meal suggestions, please share them!!!