Agree, Kara!

I get stressed and overwhelmed easily, so with two young boys and a voracious hubby, my 'family meal plan" took months to implement.

At first, I knew I couldn't just switch my whole world and eat wonderfully, cook great meals and try new things. So I committed to eating easy-to-count "diet meals", if you will. I used Lean Cuisines and whole foods that required very little, if any preparation and cooking. My husband took over cooking for himself and the kids.

After a couple of months, I saw myself slowly getting back into making meals. The thing for me, is that I AM A GREAT COOK. At least my family thinks so. LOL I did cut out 2 or 3 meals that are just downright crap, but most things I made previously were healthy, I just ate way too much each meal. So it too awhile for me to want to cook, when I felt like i couldn't eat it.

As I lost weight and my stomach (and eyes!!) edjusted to the right portion sizes, I have begun to cook more and more. But i still don't cook as much as I used to. It's okay to just have sandwiches some nights. or "breakfast for dinner". It doesn't always have to be a 4 course meal. Focusing less on food and more on spending time with my family has been awesome. It's about getting joy from THEM and not joy from DINNER.

[QUOTE=ennay;4152317]

And mommy is NEVER on a diet. Ever.

QUOTE]

EXACTLY! My kids have noticed that some meals I don't eat the same things as they do, but I tell them that is what I am having. It hasn't been a huge deal, b/c we all tend to eat different versions of the same meal, like the previous psoter said. One of my boys eats mostly carbs, the other is a carnivore. My husband is a tank. LOL So if my meal is different, maybe even completely different, they've come to look at it as just something Mommy likes to eat, which it is.

I refuse to make myself eat something, just b/c I am calori counting. Sometimes I just dont' want a smaller portion of the dinner I made, so I prefer a sandwich or even ceral and berries. I don't EVER want my children to feel like women should eat less or "diet". (shudder)

I definitely agree healthy cooking is the best way to go. Also portion control should be a really big part also. My kids are 3 and 5 they don't know what a diet is nor do I want them to. I really just need to gain some will power so I'm not overeating until I feel like I'm gonna pop! That is not a healthy habit I want to share with my children!

It is absolutely not necessary to cook two or three different meals. How about fresh fruits and vegies, lean meats, chicken or fish ? You generally can eat those on any diet and your family certainly can eat healthy food, too. Maybe they will have a desert that you will skip or maybe they might have gravy which you will skip but mainly all are served the same meal. Unless someone has food allergies , everyone can have the same meal.

I don't have kids, but I'm vegan so I'm used to a similar problem. One trick that works well is to make a pot of something as the base, then divide it into two pans and add the disputed ingredient. For instance, middle eastern stew, cook the veg, then divide up, put beef mince into one pot and chick peas into the other. Stir-fry, cook the veg, divide up, then put chicken into one pan and tofu into the other; alternatively, just cook the chicken separately and put onto the plate for the non-vegan(s).

I tend to cook the same meals for my family. I do try and use low-fat ideas. The kids and my husband just get most of the pasta, rice or potatoes I cook. I tend to have the same portion of protein, more veges, and far less carbs. Mostly my kids like chicken or ground beef and they seem happy with my efforts to make it all a little healthier.

Please do what you can to teach your kids how to choose healthy foods and healthy portions. My family failed at this and now as an adult when I visit and see what they're eating (that hasn't changed at all in 20 years), I'm appalled at the total lack of nutrition. My parents never serve a salad or vegetable with a meal (they consider potatoes and corn to be a vegetable) and eat only processed meat and side dishes. They eat small portions, but you're always hungry after a meal because these was no substance or nutrients in the food.

You can make the same dishes you already make, like Kara said, and just make them healthier and make sure you're eating the appropriate amount for your meal plan.

Some great ideas on how to tweak/add vegetables/etc to meals you likely already make are:
http://www.skinnytaste.com/
http://www.eatbetteramerica.com
http://www.cookinglight.com
http://www.eatingwell.com

I've always eaten mindfully because my mom always cooked healthy foods for our family and I do the same with mine. There is nothing "off-limits" but just making simple changes to your preparation can alter the nutrition dramatically.

My kids are 15 and 13. What I do is pull out the WW cookbooks and we decide together what meals to make. I am NOT a short order cook and will not make different meals for everyone. I also dont make things they honestly dont like. So far, we have found tons of great low fat/ low calorie meals we all enjoy.