Cooking for the family not on IP
 

I'm hoping to get some strategy tips for when I prepare meals for my daughters, age 3 and 5. I make their breakfast every morning, pack their lunch for school, and make them dinner in the evening. This is a lot of exposure to non-IP foods, and the temptation is there everyday to nibble here and there. The only thing I can think of is to chew sugarless gum when I'm in the kitchen and preparing their food. Got any ideas to help me through this? I think this has me worried the most about being successful and 100% OP.

I am in the same position - cooking everyday for my DH and son. While I am tempted at times, I keep a bottle of water with me at ALL times, and I have just committed to not messing this up. I dont' want to have to re-start. I find this the hardest part of my day at times, especially if I am making them something that I would have enjoyed.

I make them the same thing as I'm having plus a whole grain carb. That would be out main meal, protein veggies Plus a carb for them. Lunches are different as I have salad. I make them sandwiches and soup or leftovers or whatever really. It's the baking that I have to shove gum in my mouth!! LOL!

My kids are super picky. During the week I have our nanny feed them before I get home from work. Then I cook for dh and myself.

I truly believe a low carb diet is best, so I am less tempted by their food, but when they break out the pretzels I am easily swayed!

On the weekends we eat out a lot. I almost always have steak, asparagus and salad. I do not touch their food, even if it means leaving it behind!

My son is 2, and my husband appreciates and prefers healthy meals, they eat pretty much what I eat - except for a whole grain carb on the side (bread, quinoa, etc). My son has eggs & blueberries typically for breakfast, he has lunch at preschool, but during the weekend it's whatever protein + veggies we eat w/some crackers or a slice of bread, and dinner is close to lunch, greek yogurt and milk are common kid-food additions for him (& hubby). The only real "temptations" are the fruit we provide for my son.

He loves marinated, baked chicken breast, roasted pork loin, and grilled beef fajitas, he gobbles up broccoli and rutabaga fries faster than we do! That being said - I started in on him early - and we haven't gotten in the 'picky eating' stage yet. I would work on phasing out the tempting stuff and chomping on the SF gum, Mio water, whatever gets you through the prepping process!!

One thing I will do, when making 'tempting foods' - I make myself something similar. When making pancakes for them - I make Crispy Cereal pancakes for me. Baking birthday cupcakes for him, baked an IP birthday pudding cupcake for me (we have the same birthday).

The way of eating I have on IP is something that I want to maintain in our house forever (lean meats, a lot of veggies, whole-grain low-carb). So they better get used to their veggies!