Meal Prep for Dieting Parents with Non-Dieting Growing Teens

[Anonymous]

DH and I are trying to shed a few pounds, but I’m struggling with how to keep our supper calorie count down while at the same time preparing food for skinny (and growing) teen boys. I work full time, so it needs to be efficient. I am NOT cooking separate meals for us. Ideas welcome! I’m especially interested in things that can be made ahead of time. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

ChatGPT will create an efficient menu for you.

[Anonymous]

Just keep things separate - meat sauce and pasta, but they're in two different bowls, so you can take very little pasta and the boys can take much more. Same meal, different portions.

[Anonymous]

I usually make a meal that's kind of low carb, and then I make a carb to go with it that my kids can eat as much as they want.

So, I might have zucchini noodles bolognese, and garlic bread.

Or

burrito bowls with a choice of lettuce or rice as a base.

Or

homemade pizza and I use a mushroom as the base for mine, serve with salad

Or

[Anonymous]

It’s all portion control. My plate is heavy on the veggies and salad. Teen’s plate is heavy on the carbs and protein. But we all eat the same foods. I just need to make a lot more of the carb and protein than I otherwise would.

[Anonymous]

I frequently sub lettuce, TJs hearts of palm pasfa or cauliflower rice for carbs. Also, kids can have seconds, you limit yourselves to one and done (pretend you're at a restaurant).

[Anonymous]

Fajitas
Tacos
Baked chicken
Tofu

You skip the carbs

[Anonymous]

NP but I don't have chatGPT and would love for you to paste it here.

I have the exact problem, OP and here's what I'm doing.
Salad items and grilled chicken and turkey burgers for us. It's boring but it works. I cook a pot of grains at the beginning of the week if we want to go crazy and make bowls.

I'm just beginning to do food prep for the boys-- they've been at camp- have a reprieve. Here's what I plan

Bulk cooked Meatballs and Meatloaves to warm up. Bulk pasta to warm up. Sauces (they like red and alfredo or creamy pesto) that I make on a regular rotation. Chili (chicken turkey or mix with some beef) that they can eat with microwave baked potato, aforementioned pasta.

They are also welcome to our salads and lean meats in any quantity. They do like a grain bowl sometimes too.

Would love more teen ideas though.

[Anonymous]

I agree that it’s the same food, different ratios.

So like this week’s menu:

Roast chicken, roast baby potatoes and blanched green beans—I have 1/2 a chicken breast, like 3 potatoes and a bunch of green beans. 3 kids split the rest of the chicken and eat a pile of potatoes each and some green beans.

Last night was tamales and a cold corn and bean salad kind of dish with fresh tomatoes and black beans and stuff. I had one tamale and then about 1 cup of the bean salad and no chips. Kids had 2-3 tamales each, then split a bag of chips which they used to scoop up big bowls of the bean salad.

Tonight was falafel wraps. I had mine over a bowl of lettuce with the veggies and hummus and falafel as toppings. Kids had them in pitas and ate 3 pitas each stuffed with their fav toppings.

Tomorrow is a chicken sautee dish with rice. I will have one chick n thigh, some of the cooked veggies and a little rice. They will have like two cups of rice, 2-3 chicken thighs each, and veggies on the side.

Thursday is a Thai salad with peanut sauce and shrimp and noodles on top of chopped cabbage and other veggies. They will have triple the amount of noodles and sauce that I do.
Friday is soup and bread and cheese. I will have 1 slice of bread and a little cheese and lots of soup. They will eat half a loaf between the three of them and eat tons of cheese.

[Anonymous]

Portion control is how I do it. For example, when I make pasta as a main course: My kid and DH get the bulk of the pasta and garlic bread. I eat more of the veg and salad than either of them would want. But I don’t restrict food choices, so I do eat a bit of pasta and a slice of the garlic bread.

[Anonymous]

They should be eating exactly the same healthy stuff you eat, just more of it.

[Anonymous]

We have big salads + a protein and vary the amounts by person. DD might also get bread with hers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I frequently sub lettuce, TJs hearts of palm pasfa or cauliflower rice for carbs. Also, kids can have seconds, you limit yourselves to one and done (pretend you're at a restaurant).

Tell me more about this hearts of palm pasta. I have been eating low carb for two years. I am very satisfied with riced cauliflower as a substitute for rice but cannot find a good pasta substitute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should be eating exactly the same healthy stuff you eat, just more of it.

I'm a parent of a teen boy athlete, heading into his growth spurt and exercising 4 -5 hours a day. If my kid ate the same food as someone dieting in the same proportions, he would never be full because his calorie needs are so high. Including foods with more fats and carbs is what helps him get what he needs.

[Anonymous]

Make what the kids like plus extra veggies. No need to change the menu. Adults just take a smaller portion and more veg.