healthful dinners for fussy people?

TaraDanielle said:

Hi
The fussy-eater thread got me wondering ...
Does anyone have some tips for healthful dinners that are not veggie
or chicken oriented? I don't need recipes if you can just list a menu
idea or whatever. Not that I mind recipes.
Thanks for any tips!
Tara Danielle

Well what sort of fussy eaters are you talking about? There are all sorts.
I don't like salads and raw veggies but I'll eat *almost* anything else as
far as vegetables go. Are you inquiring about people who are purely
meat&potatoes type folks? Or folks who won't touch anything with cheese in
it? Or folks who won't eat pasta (unless it's mac & cheese, or if it is
*not*) mac & cheese? Help me out, maybe I can help.

Jill <-formerly a very picky eater

jmcquown said:

Well what sort of fussy eaters are you talking about? There are all sorts.

Jill beat me to the punch for the first question. Here's the 2nd: what
sort of healthful dinner are talking about? There are all kinds for
that too. Are the fussy eaters worried about heart disease or diabetes
or diverticulitis or overweight or underweight or alcoholism or any of a
thousand other conditions? What's healthful for one person might be all
wrong for the next.

(But yeah, most folks in North America need more vegetables in their diet.)

--Lia

"TaraDanielle" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi
The fussy-eater thread got me wondering ...
Does anyone have some tips for healthful dinners that are not veggie or
chicken oriented? I don't need recipes if you can just list a menu
idea or whatever. Not that I mind recipes.
Thanks for any tips!
Tara Danielle

Fish.

--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths page at www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm

Replying to myself to clear up what type of fussy . . .
Our cholesterol and weight are great, but we eat too much, way too many
simple carbs and sugars and get too many headaches (lack of protein?).

DH Guy is allergic to chicken and I'm allergic to turkey, so that rules
out
a LOT. (We also get sick from garlic, which we both used to like a lot)

He doesn't like real fish (just Gortons and whatnot) and I don't like
soup. And I don't like spicy food and DH and our son do! My family
likes whole wheat pasta, but by the time we add sauce, and usually meat

or ricotta, it's not healthful at all.

Our four year-old Zander would like to have PB & honey, ham or shrimp
every
night. He will eat chicken and turkey and any kind of fish, but won't
eat roast beef! (bottom, eye, round, london broil, sirloin all included
in that beef thing, but ground beef or cheeseburgers work fine)

THANKS!

"TaraDanielle" <[email hidden]> looking for trouble wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Hi
The fussy-eater thread got me wondering ...
Does anyone have some tips for healthful dinners that are not veggie or
chicken oriented? I don't need recipes if you can just list a menu
idea or whatever. Not that I mind recipes.
Thanks for any tips!
Tara Danielle

Grilled, broiled or baked fish. Grilled or broiled cuts of very lean meat.
Roast a pork loin. The seasoning is the key for fish. You don't need to
use a gob of butter. A bit of cooking spray and your fave herbs and/or
spices and you're good to go. I have a lot of favorite fish recipes but I
also have one for shrimp and/or scallops. It's not really a recipe but
something I do. I take wooden skewers and soak 'em in water for about 1/2
hour. Then I put 5 or 6 large shrimp on each skewer. Spray with cooking
spray and then roll them in a lemon/pepper seasoning mix I buy at the
store. Throw them in the oven for about 5 minutes or so and voile'.

Michael

--
“It requires a certain kind of mind to see beauty in a hamburger bun.”
_Ray Kroc, creator of the McDonald's franchise

Quoted message said:

He doesn't like real fish (just Gortons and whatnot) and I don't like
soup.

First let me say I didn't know Gorton's used something other than
real fish for their fish-sticks, but since I don't buy Gorton products,
I guess I wouldn't know.

Second... HOW CAN A PERSON NOT LIKE SOUP!? 😉

That's like saying, "I don't like food"! Soup can be made from
anything and everything! Thick, thin, yellow, red, brown, hot, cold,
fat-free, veggie-free, dog-free... etc.etc.etc.

Tallk about fussy!! Kev

TaraDanielle said:

Replying to myself to clear up what type of fussy . . .
Our cholesterol and weight are great, but we eat too much, way too
many simple carbs and sugars and get too many headaches (lack of
protein?).

DH Guy is allergic to chicken and I'm allergic to turkey, so that
rules out
a LOT. (We also get sick from garlic, which we both used to like a
lot)

Okay, nothing I can do about allergies.

Quoted message said:

He doesn't like real fish (just Gortons and whatnot)

I'll second what Kev said about Gorton's - it's fish. And it's not ALL
breaded deep fried fish, either. IIRC both Gorton's and Mrs. Paul's (from
the freezer section) sell non-breaded, non-fried seasoned fish fillets in a
few varieties.

Quoted message said:

and I don't like soup.

No comment since soup is a staple of my diet 🙂 Do you like beans? Legumes
such as lentils or peas? (they don't have to be soup, you know). They
provide a lot of protein with very little fuss, and they don't cost much,
either.

And I don't like spicy food and DH and our son do! My family

Quoted message said:

likes whole wheat pasta, but by the time we add sauce, and usually
meat or ricotta, it's not healthful at all.

Don't know what makes you say that. The "sauce" doesn't have to be laden
with fat or meat or ricotta. It can be something as simple as pasta tossed
in olive oil with some herbs. If you like, sprinkle over a hard grated
cheese like Parm, Romano or Asiago. IIRC the harder cheeses are lower in
fat. Ever try a simple marinara (tomato) sauce? It's very tasty and
filling without all the other stuff added.

As for "spicy", I love hot and spicy but John doesn't. So I don't cook hot
& spicy, I serve it rather plainly seasoned and he can spice it up at the
table. Tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper, whatever they want. Serve it plain
and let it be seasoned by the ones who want it that way. I'm the same way
with salt.

Quoted message said:

Our four year-old Zander would like to have PB & honey, ham or shrimp
every
night. He will eat chicken and turkey and any kind of fish, but won't
eat roast beef! (bottom, eye, round, london broil, sirloin all
included in that beef thing, but ground beef or cheeseburgers work
fine)

Your 4 year old sounds like he actually eats more food choices than you and
your husband do 🙂 Obviously cheeseburgers every night that isn't a good
thing. The fish is good. Does he eat vegetables?

You have presented me with a real conundrum. And here I thought *I* was
picky! <G>

Jill

"Michael "Dog3" Lonergan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"TaraDanielle" <[email hidden]> looking for trouble wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Hi
The fussy-eater thread got me wondering ...
Does anyone have some tips for healthful dinners that are not veggie or
chicken oriented? I don't need recipes if you can just list a menu
idea or whatever. Not that I mind recipes.
Thanks for any tips!
Tara Danielle

Grilled, broiled or baked fish. Grilled or broiled cuts of very lean

meat.

Quoted message said:

Roast a pork loin. The seasoning is the key for fish. You don't need to
use a gob of butter. A bit of cooking spray and your fave herbs and/or
spices and you're good to go. I have a lot of favorite fish recipes but I
also have one for shrimp and/or scallops. It's not really a recipe but
something I do. I take wooden skewers and soak 'em in water for about 1/2
hour. Then I put 5 or 6 large shrimp on each skewer. Spray with cooking
spray and then roll them in a lemon/pepper seasoning mix I buy at the
store. Throw them in the oven for about 5 minutes or so and voile'.

Michael

Yes, shrimp kababs are great and I need to make them soon! You can make a
teriyaki-type sauce (or buy) and marinate the shrimp in it for a little
added flavor. I like Michael's idea of pork loin, too. You can always
butterfly a loin, and stuff it with various cheeses and herbs, put it back
together, tie it and either grill or roast it. How about slow cooking a ham
and experiment with various glazes?

You said you don't like soups, but how about stews? There's gumbo,
jumbalaya (it doesn't have to be spicy), Cioppino (seafood) or plain beef
stew.

My hubby is a meat man and I'm a fish and veggie girl; he won't eat anything
that isn't peppery/chile hot and I have to have extremely mild; somehow we
figure it out. If we have to make two meals, well, then we do.

kili

TaraDanielle said:

Hi
The fussy-eater thread got me wondering ...
Does anyone have some tips for healthful dinners that are not veggie or
chicken oriented? I don't need recipes if you can just list a menu
idea or whatever. Not that I mind recipes.
Thanks for any tips!
Tara Danielle

Pasta puttanesca might work for you. I find a lot of Morrocan recipes
are healthy: low fat (lamb being the exception to that rule ), high veg,
no chillies or anything, very aromatic. Indian cooking is very healthy
if you don't go for recipes that are high in coconut cream or fat.

And if your family like potatoes,. there is big world of possibilities
out there.

"kilikini" <[email hidden]> looking for trouble wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Yes, shrimp kababs are great and I need to make them soon! You can
make a teriyaki-type sauce (or buy) and marinate the shrimp in it for
a little added flavor. I like Michael's idea of pork loin, too. You
can always butterfly a loin, and stuff it with various cheeses and
herbs, put it back together, tie it and either grill or roast it. How
about slow cooking a ham and experiment with various glazes?

You said you don't like soups, but how about stews? There's gumbo,
jumbalaya (it doesn't have to be spicy), Cioppino (seafood) or plain
beef stew.

My hubby is a meat man and I'm a fish and veggie girl; he won't eat
anything that isn't peppery/chile hot and I have to have extremely
mild; somehow we figure it out. If we have to make two meals, well,
then we do.

kili

It's kind of that way here as well, kili. While I like almost everything
but lean towards fish; Steven is meat and potatoes. He does like
baked/grilled chicken but it *has* to have the skin on it. He's also pissy
about a lot of excess fat on beef (go figure). You should see the look on
his face (lol) when he comes home after a 12 hour day and faces tilapia in
tarragon butter, roast baby new potatoes and asparagus. Which is what he's
getting tonight unless I find it in my heart to throw in a Marie
Callendar's frozen pot pie (which he loves, naturally). I'm still having
the tilapia.

I suspect Alan is more adventurous than Steven is when it comes to food.
Considering Steven's profession, you would think he would eat lots of fish
and chicken. Well, he doesn't 😉 But he nags me about my diet all the time
regarding fat and carbs <shrug>

Michael

--
“It requires a certain kind of mind to see beauty in a hamburger bun.”
_Ray Kroc, creator of the McDonald's franchise

"TaraDanielle" <[email hidden]> looking for trouble wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Replying to myself to clear up what type of fussy . . .
Our cholesterol and weight are great, but we eat too much, way too many
simple carbs and sugars and get too many headaches (lack of protein?).

DH Guy is allergic to chicken and I'm allergic to turkey, so that rules
out
a LOT. (We also get sick from garlic, which we both used to like a lot)

He doesn't like real fish (just Gortons and whatnot) and I don't like
soup. And I don't like spicy food and DH and our son do! My family
likes whole wheat pasta, but by the time we add sauce, and usually meat
or ricotta, it's not healthful at all.

First of all isn't Gortons frozen fish product which is battered? That is
not healthy IMO. Sounds like all 3 of you need to try new foods. Poultry
allergies are a new one to me. I'll bet you have to watch all kinds of
ingredients in food in order to avoid a reaction.

Beef can be a healthy alternative. I'm thinking a flank steak here.
Marinade it in something you like, grill it. Then slice it thinly and put
on a large salad with a yummy dressing. I do this and use bleu cheese
crumbles with whatever I have on hand that sounds good type of dressing.

Quoted message said:

Our four year-old Zander would like to have PB & honey, ham or shrimp
every
night. He will eat chicken and turkey and any kind of fish, but won't
eat roast beef! (bottom, eye, round, london broil, sirloin all included
in that beef thing, but ground beef or cheeseburgers work fine)

THANKS!

It's easy to fix a burger for Zander while you make alternative foods for
you and the hubster. Stick with beef, pork and seafood. Good stuff.

Michael

--
“It requires a certain kind of mind to see beauty in a hamburger bun.”
_Ray Kroc, creator of the McDonald's franchise

Michael 'Dog3' Lonergan said:

Poultry
allergies are a new one to me. I'll bet you have to watch all kinds of
ingredients in food in order to avoid a reaction.

Really! I guess that includes eggs too? Cakes, cookies and the like
would be out, huh?
I'd kill myself.

Goomba38 <[email hidden]> looking for trouble wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Michael 'Dog3' Lonergan said:

Poultry
allergies are a new one to me. I'll bet you have to watch all kinds of
ingredients in food in order to avoid a reaction.

Really! I guess that includes eggs too? Cakes, cookies and the like
would be out, huh?
I'd kill myself.

I dunno but I'll bet it would be a [censored] to work around.

Michael

--
“It requires a certain kind of mind to see beauty in a hamburger bun.”
_Ray Kroc, creator of the McDonald's franchise

TaraDanielle said:

Replying to myself to clear up what type of fussy . . .
Our cholesterol and weight are great, but we eat too much, way too many
simple carbs and sugars and get too many headaches (lack of protein?).

DH Guy is allergic to chicken and I'm allergic to turkey, so that rules
out
a LOT. (We also get sick from garlic, which we both used to like a lot)

Moroccan style tangines made with beef or lamb, brown rice instead of
white, spices, and dried fruit.

Tabouli variations made with quinoa or cracked wheat (no cous cous),
parsley, cucumber, tomato, lemon juice and oil. I know you said not
centered around vegetables, but I've often gotten away with sneaking
vegetables in this dish if I grate the carrot and chop the parsley fine.
Also finely chopped red and green bell peppers.

Switch to whole grain breads. Laurel's Bread Book is still the best
source. Substitute whole grains (brown rice, cracked wheat, quinoa,
wild rice, wehani brown rice) for pasta, and use the same sauces that
you like.

Chili with ground beef, beans, possibly corn. Serve over brown rice.

_The Grains Cookbook_ by Bert Greene.

Try eating apples, pears, grapes, peaches, plums, melon, raspberries,
blueberries, strawberries BEFORE craving the sugar and pasta. (Eat the
whole fruit, not juice.) Eat fruit for breakfast.

Is duck O.K? French cassoulet with duck, sausage and white beans if it is.

Indian food: biryani (with brown rice), paneer in spicy tomato-cream sauce.

(I'm not playing doctor here, but from what I understand, a lot of times
the problem isn't with the carbs but with getting the carbs without the
fiber. Work up to the added fiber gradually. Don't switch to the whole
grain everything overnight, and start with only one or 2 portions of fruit.)

--Lia

TaraDanielle said:

Replying to myself to clear up what type of fussy . . .
Our cholesterol and weight are great, but we eat too much, way too many
simple carbs and sugars and get too many headaches (lack of protein?).

DH Guy is allergic to chicken and I'm allergic to turkey, so that rules
out a LOT. (We also get sick from garlic, which we both used to like a
lot)

He doesn't like real fish (just Gortons and whatnot) and I don't like
soup. And I don't like spicy food and DH and our son do! My family
likes whole wheat pasta, but by the time we add sauce, and usually meat
or ricotta, it's not healthful at all.

Our four year-old Zander would like to have PB & honey, ham or shrimp
every night. He will eat chicken and turkey and any kind of fish, but
won't eat roast beef! (bottom, eye, round, london broil, sirloin all
included in that beef thing, but ground beef or cheeseburgers work fine)

Here are some suggestions; maybe they'll inspire you to come up with more on
your own:

MENU 1
Pan-fried pork chops with a curry pan sauce
Brown rice pilaf with green peas
Sweet lassi (with mango, if you like)
{It's a shame you don't like soup; several would complement this meal well.}

MENU 2
Eggplant parmigiana
Scampi
Green salad
{See that soup comment above? Ditto.}

MENU 3
Ratatouille
Hot French bread
Whatever kind of Gorton's fish can be tolerated
{See that soup comment above? Ditto.}

MENU 4
Skewers with ham, peppers, onions, and pineapple
Some kind of fragrant rice (basmati, jasmine, or "pecan" rice)
Cole slaw or shredded carrot salad

The book "20 Minute Menus" has a couple recipes which would work well; I
remember in particular a couple recipes for pasta with vegetables: One of
them was tortellini with vegetables in a ricotta-yogurt sauce. (BTW, ricotta
isn't necessarily unhealthy.) The other was angel-hair pasta with veggies
in a peanut-butter based sauce. I'll try to look them up sometime in the
near future.

The Moosewood Cookbook has a recipe for a Thai salad which can be a one-dish
dinner. I posted it here before on August 27, 2004; you can Google for it if
you're interested.

Bob

TaraDanielle said:

Hi
The fussy-eater thread got me wondering ...
Does anyone have some tips for healthful dinners that are not veggie or
chicken oriented?

Most of our dinners are vegetarian, but not all of them contain actual
veggies in the main dishes:

Beans and rice
Hummus, tabouli, falafel, tahini sauce, tzatziki
TVP tacos
Udon soup (does contain veggies the way we do it, but they can be any
veggies, or you can leave them out)
Bean soups
Burritos

serene

TaraDanielle said:

Hi
The fussy-eater thread got me wondering ...
Does anyone have some tips for healthful dinners that are not veggie or
chicken oriented? I don't need recipes if you can just list a menu
idea or whatever. Not that I mind recipes.
Thanks for any tips!

Well, I'd say that "healthful" and "no veggies" seems like an
oxymoron...

Nathalie in Switzerland

No, for me it's just turkey meat (any pieces, but if there's a tiny bit
in stuffing I'm OK) and for DH it's ANY chicken (which rules out some
cakes as the cheap companies use chicken lard) but does not rule out
eggs or most cake. There is chicken hidden in a lot of turkey frozen
entrees and most canned soups :-(
Tara

It's pretty simple, I don't care for veggies and I don't like when
foods really flavore one another. I have forced myself to get over the
thing where they couldn't even touch on my plate, but actually cooking
them together for a long period really skeeves me. and the soft texture
doesn't please me either. for some reason, chowders are a huge
exception. and fall harvest soups like squash or pumpkin or cream of
mushroom. but not thin or red broth soups.
I know, most people like soup. I see rows of it in the grocer, it
comes with dinner, blah blah blah. Just don't like it.