Healthy dinner ideas with a fussy husband!

[Snowwhite12345]

Looking for some meal suggestions as I feel like all I do is cook the same meals again and again!

My husband is SO fussy when it comes to veg and salad so I find it hard to bulk meals out

He will only eats carrots, Brocoli (osasionally ) and marrow fat peas, no form of salad (I love to habe salad with most dinners)

We tend to have chilli's, curries, spag bowl, flat wraps, chicken tandoori Wraps etc, all very boring and basic but all tend to be made from scratch (But I do love cooking and tend to prepare meals in advance)

We would usually have dinners with rice / baked potatos / chips (plus salad for me)

I do always measure rice/ pasta for appropriate portion sizes but we both find ourselves hungry in the evening

But looking for some different meal suggestions that we can both enjoy and find filling

Whatever you want. And tell him the chip shop's over there >>>>>>>

Ask him for his suggestions?? If he's the fussy one why is it you having to meal plan and cook, can he not help out at all???

He cooks some days and you add a side salad to yours. You cook some days with whatever veg you like and he either eats it or doesn't.

Not really the answers I was looking for tbh..

I've clearly asked for meal suggestions and not to be told 'get him to cook' I'm happy to cook, I enjoy cooking. My husband being fussy is just one of them things and I'm happy to work with that.

i Was simply asking for some meals that could potentially include things we both like as I stated 'I tend to cook the same things '

If he only eats carrots, tins of marrowfats and one sprig of broccoli in a blue moon, bar making a carrot and marrowfat curry with chips, there's not really much else.

Eat what you want and he can sort himself out or try some of it if he's hungry enough.

OP, I love this list from delicious. I'm sure you can adapt some of these for your husband. I always go to this list when I want to add easy additions to my weekday rotation.

https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/collections/midweek-meal-recipes/

You’re hungry in the evening because your meals are high in carbs - pasta / rice / potatoes which spike your blood sugar and then drop again.

what about replacing rice with barley / wild rice / oat groats which are all like rice but high in fibre and won’t spike the blood sugar so much.

Adding lentils and pulses to curries also does the same thing. If you like spaghetti Bolognese then what about cottage pie with sweet potato or swede on top? What about baked sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes? Or roasted vegetable chips (parsnips, carrots and swedes etc).

could you make burgers with beans / nuts / pulses and serve with vegetable chips?

What about lasagne? You can use slices of squash instead of pasta?

I've recently started using blended cannellini beans or butter beans to thicken sauces. As they're a good source of protein it should help to fill you up. And quite easy to sneak into home-cooked meals.

I don't understand why you are trying to fix his behaviour or make sure he gets all his vegetables like you are his mother. He can eat what you make or he can make his own. It is that simple.

Everyone on MN always throws out LTB for the most trivial of stuff. But honestly, I spent over 20 years with my ex and despite him being a cheat and an alcoholic, one of the worst things about living with him was how much of a bloody toddler he was around food. My 11YO autistic DS is less fussy than my ex was (probably still is for all I know). We split up and now I cook whatever the hell I want. I go to whatever restaurant I want. It is amazing.

@Babygrootsdad I didn't once say I'm trying to make him eat vegetables nor change his behaviour. I stated the vegetables he does eat and simply asked for suggestions that could include them.

Thank you to those with the helpful suggestions 😊 I didn't think asking such a simple question would be so difficult!!

You asked on MN, it was never going to be simple🤣 sorry no suggestions, I'm a crap cook😆

Can you "hide" vegetables in sauces? This is what a lot of parents do with fussy toddlers.

I make a lovely tomato sauce for pasta by frying onion and garlic, adding a chopped carrot and a tin of tomatoes. I simmer it for 20 - 30 minutes then blend until smooth. You can't tell that there is carrot in it.

In winter I sometimes do a pot roast with beef brisket. I lay it on a bed of vegetables and cook it for about 3 hours. I then blend the vegetables and stock to make a delicious gravy.

@Devilsmommy wish I never bothered 🤣 honestly I do wonder about some people !

@RampantIvy thank you for your suggestions!! I do tend to make my spag bowl sauce by bleeding random veg! Definitely going to try your vegetable gravy suggestion!

I have the exact same same problem with DH. Both said we need to mind what we eat but DH will never eat fruit or veg. Feel like I'm pandering to a toddler. I've started making mash with 50% potato and 50% carrot. I'm making lasagne and spaghetti with about 50% less mince and beefing it out with 50% more lentils. Aldi does pasta which is made from chickpea flour or pea flour and tastes pretty great. Everything gets a tin of peas in it. I've also started making a lot of coconut based soups. Tonight is spiced parsnip soup.

I love cooking but DH had reduced me to pizza and chips in the oven. It's nice cooking again. He's actually not even grumbled at all because guess what? Yummy, home cooked food makes you feel much better than crap.

@showersandflowers thank you for your suggestions! I'm definitely going to go and try the aldi pasta!

So with my children I blend veg into sauces/gravy. I'd add lots of veg/salad to your plate and give him a large portion of the veg he likes. Brown rice and pasta instead of white . You could also add lentils or buckwheat to meals. You could try bulgar or quinoa for a change. Will he eat sweet potato?

@showersandflowers thank you . Yes he will eat sweet potatoes! I do notices make sweet potato wedges / mini roast potatos with them, but would love other suggestions with them

Just up the protein and carb portions if you're hungry. The portion is probably not be big enough. Cook your veg separate. He's not your child so you don't need to hide vegetables in sauce.

@autienotnaughty sorry tagged wrong person ! @showersandflowers

Clearly to early 🤣

Blend it all up and feed it to him on a choo choo train spoon?

www.hairybikers.com/recipes/view/vegetable-curry

This is delicious and very filling. Obviously your dh won't eat some of veg but you could add chicken for protein

@AlisonDonut why comment if you're going to act like a child yourself?

sweet potato and carrot dish, curry or something
will you get away with chick peas

otherwise roast carrots, and other roast vegetables.

Was spag bowl a typo? Haha

I have no ideas but just sympathise, mine is the same but likes mac and cheese!

@Willmafrockfit thank you! He would probably eat chick peas to be honest as he likes them in a Samosa