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

I'm not the one hiding veg in sauces!

No wonder men never grow up.

The problem is, @Snowwhite12345 that many of us read posts like this and get such a sinking feeling. I don't know how long you've been together, but just imagine the next 40 years doing this. Imagine having children and having to deal with a couple of toddlers and a fussy adult as well. "Daddy doesn't eat it-why should I???". Imagine never ever having a nice meal cooked for you. I think that's why people think that maybe it would be a good idea to try to sort out the fussiness rather than the cooking. Incidentally , marrowfat peas? That's a blast from the past!

We've just started a meal subscription box to get out of a food rut. I'm liking it far more than I thought I would. I don't mind cooking but the thinking of meals was driving me nuts. I think we will incorporate some of the new meals in to our routine when it ends.

Try roasting broccoli, has a different flavour and if successful roasting cauliflower, this opens up roasted cauliflower dishes, excellent with chickpeas in a Middle Eastern dish or tagine.

OP it’s spag bol not bowl , stands for bolognaise….
How about a fish pie ( with marrow peas) , lamb chops ( with carrots and peas) ? . I think I’d just be changing the meat/ fish around for him . Perhaps minute steaks with chimichurri marinade, minted lamb etc.

But can't you see how difficult and restrictive you're making it for yourself by pandering to his limited diet?

Imagine a world where you think 'I'd like X for dinner' and you just make it, rather than thinking 'But DH won't eat it so I'll have to think of something else' followed by 'Oh, I'd like to have Y but he won't eat that either' before eventually settling for dull Z that you've had dozens of times before and are sick of but you know he'll eat without face pulling and moaning.

How much headspace and actual shopping/cooking does DH do regarding family meal provision?

@CurlewKate
they might already be in their 60s, dont assume anything

🤣 that's the vibe

As long as the spoon is the right colour

You could add broccoli to the mac and cheese.

Stir fries with finely chopped carrots, broccoli and go crazy with some sugar snap peas and baby corn. He might eat them and if not he can put them on your plate!

What about roasted veg? Potato, sweet potato, peppers, onion/red onion and garlic. Add halloumi on top at the end.

Add a tin of chickpeas to curries.

Try cooking a bit more rice and pasta if you are still hungry. I use 500g pasta for a family of 5.

Pulao or biryani with the marrowfat peas and carrots.

In my house, the person doing the cooking gets to choose what to cook. Anyone who does not like what's on offer can have bread and cheese.

OP this is one of those classic Mumsnet threads where the first few answers have set the tone for all your replies. People are jumping on the bandwagon and slating you, you asked for recipe advice but instead are getting marriage advice. Have you tried following Bored of Lunch on Instagram.. so many brilliant easy recipes for slow cooker and air fryer..

absolutely
its the way it goes here often unfortunately.
another day, different answers
or there is a Food section or recipe section here

My ovaries are cringing reading this thread.

It's hardly unusual to consider other people when cooking. I have to consider one vegetarian, one who doesn't like fish or seafood, two who don't like mushrooms and one nut allergy. I can't complain really as I don't like quorn or very spicy food! I'd rather do the cooking and let the rest of the family do the washing up. I don't feel resentful.

@Snowwhite12345
You might be able to get this moved to "Food/recipes" rather than "Chat".
Generally the conversations there will be more about the question you've asked rather than the dynamics of your relationship, or whatever.

Soup could be a good option. Have a portion as a starter. Blitzed creamy soups are good for those not keen on veg.

I find burritos or wraps are a great meal for fussy people. You prep everything ie protein and then the veg and leave it all out in bowls kind of self service. Those that like veg can load their wraps with veggies as well as chicken or whatever. Those that done just load the veggies they do like or none and just protein and grated cheese.

I also find that introducing adjacent veg can help fussy eaters. So he eats marrowfat, could you try a broad bean or tinned peas? See if he'd accept that .. especially if it was in a curry or a stew. The other thing I do is cut up the unliked veg very large so can be easily removed. For example, we love katsu curry but DS doesn't like most of the veg I put in the sauce. So I chop very large chunks of carrot and leeks so he can just pick them out on his plate then he throws them back into the pot and I tend to pick extra veg as I love veggies.

Try looking on Simply Cook to see if there is anything he will eat

As he likes mince, could try meatloaf, meatballs, rissoles - can usually hide some veg in

I add finely chopped celery, carrot & onion plus grated courgettes in bolognaise, chilli, cottage/shepherds pie

If he will eat chickpeas a simple quick dish is to mix a tin of those with a tin of tomatoes, spoon of chilli then put in an oven dish. Add cubes of feta cheese and bake for 20 mins. Scoop up with pitta/flat bread

Does he like stew? My DH will eat carrots, potatoes, swede, turnip, parsnip & celeriac chunks in those if they are cooked long enough (3-4 hours in lots of good stock with ale or red wine) as 'they all just taste like gravy'!

Fajitas or tacos? You can just add what you both like veg wise along with the meat

I was going to suggest different types of blended soups. Can stick any kind of veg in those. Also different types of meat.

An alternative idea is to make a meal like an Indian banquet, with a chicken curry that you know will be eaten, but also a dahl and a vegetable curry as side dishes to encourage new ideas without any more pressure than to try a spoonful. If he doesn't eat them, freeze them in individportions so you can add a bit more interest to your curry in the future. I love sweet potato, spinach and chickpea curry, or a mushroom curry

Not my DH but my DD has begun to get very very fussy. We regularly bulk out spaghetti bol with veggie mince or finely chopped veg and mushrooms. What she can't see won't hurt her. More faff. But at least I can feel virtuous in feeding her.

Likewise soup. Everything goes through a blender. Can't tell what is in it 😆.

Lots of other good suggestions above.

Otherwise, my advice is if he eats curry get your self some very good south Asian cookbooks. The sorts that have really recipes in them not just the sorts of thing Jamie Oliver and others dish up as curry (although tasty are not authentic). Lots of very good vegetable and lentil based dishes in there which you could try. Madhur Jaffrey or Indian Delights would be a reasonable starting point.

I agree with a PP that if he would eat marrowfat, would he eat tinned peas? Then move to frozen etc.

Fish pie made with a filo pastry lid is really nice. Jamie Oliver has a very easy recipe. Whatever veg you both want on the side.

If he likes sweet potato, you can use it to replace mash in any recipe (good on cottage pie). Or it's nice in cubes and cooked in a curry.

Replacing half of the meat with lentils or oats in curries, chilli, spag bol etc bulks them out and should help keep you fuller for longer and you genuinely don't notice them. Cheaper too!

Stir fried noodles are also nice. They work well with broccoli and carrots but you could add chopped spring onions, edamame beans and coriander on the top of your serving very easily. Actually, edamame might be something for your DH to try as they are very mild in flavour.

It might be easier to think what you’d lie to eat and ask for ways to adapt it. FWIW my DH used to turn his nose up at salads, he now makes his own….I just started making them and eating them and he would have a bit.

Spag bowl is definitely an eggcorn.

I like it