Low Calorie, Semi Healthy, Easy,flavorfull Recipes for Picky Eaters..

low calorie, semi healthy, easy,flavorfull recipes for picky eaters

Wow! If I could find some of those, we'd all be healthy and thin! I'll be reading!!!

Until you start introducing healthy foods into your diet you will never get a craving for them. Salads are one of the best things to eat for a meal, along with some tasty crackers or warm, buttered bread as a treat. Make a batch of the package ranch dressing and use it for dipping carrots and celery... most kids love that.
Celery and pnut butter is one of my favorite snacks, good for ya and pretty delicious.
An apple is practically a meal in itself and very nutritious. Try baking some potatoes and adding some toppings like turkey chili, or cheese and salsa.
Make a big pot of soup ... use a can of vegetable broth for your base and throw in potatoes, carrots and any other veggies that y'all can tolerate...
Just realize that the foods you listed in your post are pretty much suicide foods these days and are definitely the type that are contributing to obesity.
You have to adventure with new foods so that you can acquire a taste for them. The only reason you are eating the way you are now is because that's what you were fed while growing up and that is what tastes good to you. If you would have been raised with someone that cooked healthy you would be eating that way right now. Start now by getting a special cook book and teach your children better habits than you were taught.

Good for you! Here are a few ideas:
Breakfast: We alternate with cereal (Cheerios, Life, Kix have the least amount of sugar and taste good), Oatmeal (Old fashioned oats) and eggs. On the weekend, I premake the lunches for the week. They are allowed to buy lunch from school up to 3 times and take lunch the other two days. I premake pasta or chicken noodle soup. Or premake chicken breast and slice then for sandwiches. I try not to buy the prepacked meats - they have a lot of preservatives and salt. I also cut up veggies on the weekend to munch on throughout the week (celery, carrots, jicama, cucumber) I put out with dinner or for snacks after school with hummus or ranch dressing. I have a lot of great recipes for dinner and if you want more you can email me. Here is a Veggie Cobbler recipe. Everyone in the family likes it even though it is hard to get vegetables in them sometimes!
Veggie Cobbler: Go to www.familyfun.com and do a recipe search for Veggie Cobbler. I have a notebook I bought at an office supply store with page protectors and when I find a recipe in a magazine or online that I like, I put it in the notebook into one of the categories that I tabbed ("meats", vegetables, desserts, fish/seafood, etc.) One of our favorite recipes is "Pastina with Peas and Carrots" and is found on the Food Network website: http://www.foodnetwork.com/giada-at-home/index.html
Do a search with the name. You can find the ingredient "Mascarpone Cheese" at Sprouts and Safeway in their specialty cheese area.
K.
____@____.com

Well I only have two kids right now ages 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 so a lot of the time I just make modification on what I give them and what I feed me and my hubby. Like for them for breakfast they eat the normal pop tart, waffles etc. But me and my hubby just drink a chocolate slimfast or the weight control oatmeal. For lunch the kids eat mac & cheese, sandwiches etc. But I eat a lean cuisine or a salad, half a sandwich with some yogurt. Dinner there are ways to still make a good meal but just change a few things. Like sometimes I make tacos for the kids but for me I put the meat and cheese over salad so it's a taco salad and that cuts out calories because I don't eat the shell. Or if I make something like chicken and baked potatoes I'll make the frozen cheesy veggies for me instead of the potatoes. K and this might sound gross but it's really good. So you know how when you make lasagna you put a layer of cottage cheese? It's kinda like that. So I make the noodle for the kids but for me I put cottage cheese on my plate and then the sauce on top. I'm telling you it's good and saves on calories. Also I don't know if you have a crockpot but if you do this is any easy one. You put cut up chicken, potatoes, carrots (any other veggies you like) and a can of campbells chedder cheese soup, can of milk and let is cook until chicken and potatoes are done. On high it's done in about 4 hours or less. I also make a salad with it and some rolls. Again I just eat the chicken and veggies and it's really creamy and good. Anyways hope some of this helps to get your mind on the track you want.

personally the first & small things we did is no boxed foods (like hamburger helper, macncheese etc.) then we changed to ground chicken or turkey in place of hamburger, it is much more lean & better for you, even if its a turkey burger. use whole wheat everything, bread, pasta, brown rice, whole wheat tortillas etc. we cut out chips & junk like that. we rarely eat potatoes or other starchy veggies & we double up on good green veggies or eat on veggie with a salad every meal (no jar dressing, balsamic vinegar & oil is my fave. or even just a squeeze of lemon juice is really good)

we do chicken a lot either chicken breast with two veggies (non starchy veggies, not potatos or corn) & a little brown rice. if you want to do something like spaghetti then use whole wheat pasta & ground chicken or turkey & then use canned stewed tomatoes with spices instead of canned sauce (or get an organic sauce they have less sodium & sugar) even enchiladas with whole wheat tortillas, ground turkey, skip the chips & eat the enchiladas with lots of lettuce & tomatoes on top with a homemade salsa (much less sugar and sodium than jar). these are some great easy things you can do along with cut down portions & exercise.

for breakfast do yogurt with fruit if you like bagels they have whole wheat bagel thins that are good, or half a whole wheat english muffin

Good for you to stop eating the boxed stuff... So bad for you . Great advice already..our easy, healthy favorites:

Any type of baked chicken. Kids especially love the the chicken legs. They call it chicken with the bone. Sprinkle generously with lots of HERBS. We like Italian Seasoning herbs, then w/ S&P. The herbs are full of goodness. Throw in cleaned, pierced potatoes at the same time. Add a side veggie.

Easiest lasagna ever: No kidding:

Brown 1lb ground Turkey, add heaping Tblsp Italian seasoning
Mix in 1 container Cottage Cheese, I use the 4% with 1 Jar your choice Spaghetti Sauce, rinse out with 1/4 c. water and a splash of wine or vinegar.

IF you have more time, saute some extra veggies: onions, garlic, peppers, mushrooms, whatever your family prefers.

The ingredients above become your layering sauce.

Now layer with 1/2 and 1/2 Whole Wheat lasagna noodle one layer, regular Durum Wheat noodles next. Start with sauce on the bottom layer. It helps to coat with a EVOO or cooking spray. NO need to pre or par cook the noodles. Layer them in right of the box.

Layers go:

Sauce - Noodle - Parmesan Cheese
Sauce - Noodle - Parmesan Cheese
Sauce - Noodle - Parmesan Cheese
Final topping should have more sauce, then a generous sprinkling of Italian Cheeses or Mozzarella

Cover with tin foil. Bake 1 HR at 350 degrees.

Double the recipe and make 2 on the weekend.

It gets better with age and is a great leftover.

Serve with a green salad.

I'll send more later ;)

I also recommend picking up cookbooks at Thrift Stores and the local Library.

Instead of worrying about calories, worry about eating REAL food. If your great grandmother wouldn't recognize it, it's not REAL. Start making food from scratch. No more boxes, fewer cans. Take baby steps to get there and do the best you can as you go. Real food includes fat and fat is not the enemy. Good luck on your journey.

Check out the website www.cookinglight.com or get the magazine. I've subscribed for years. Some issues I don't see much, others are great. I cut out the ones I want to try and put them in a folder. After I try them and like them I put them in clear plastic pages in a 3 ring binder. That is my recipe book. I don't buy any prepared foods in boxes or frozen, except for veggies and fruit.

Read "Real Food: what to eat and why.". It will change your life.

Try making your favorite sandwich with a large leaf of crisp romaine lettuce instead of bread. I started using whole wheat low carb tortillas instead of regular ones. Any little thing helps...

We just recently started raising our own chickens for eggs and meat, and steers and pigs for meat. No doubt where our proteins came from! ;-)

Some people have some good ideas (although I would steer clear of the slimfast shakes & lean cuisine meals - try to stick with as much natural food as possible). One of my "go to meals" that kids love & is very tasty for adults as well is Crispy Baked Chicken Strips (so much better than the frozen nuggets kind you buy at the store). Here is a link for the recipe - http://www.food.com/recipe/crispy-baked-chicken-strips-89503

If you are trying to eat a more lean diet substitue ground turkey or chicken for ground beef.

Best of luck to you!