Low carb people: Do you feed your whole family low carb?

[Plucky]

Since I am on low carb, and so is 14dd & dh then I cooking low carb for dinner for everyone. The kids are handling it pretty well, but they do complain some about the cauli-rice. I cannot believe that our meals usually had rice or pasta as a centerpiece. I keep a little rice in the house just in case someone wants some, and I am also offering Quinoa. I have 2 kids that actively dislike cauli-rice but are happy with Quinoa so that is what they use. I just keep extra in the fridge.

 

It is challenging to find low carb family meals that everyone likes. The kids that also eat carbs get enough good carbs throughout the day that they are fine low carbing for dinner. Do you feed your family low carb? What is your best family friendly low carb cookbook? Also, what do you use as a substitute for rice and pasta?

 

Thanks!

[Stephrhena]

My husband and I are doing the P90X workouts and diet...the first phase is low carb (almost no carbs). I am making my kiddos something else with the meats we eat. For example, we will all have grilled meat of some sort and veggies, but I will make my girls mashed potatoes or something to go with it as well. I just do a small side though...the main food is the meat!

[redsquirrel]

I feed my kids whole grains and unprocessed foods. They are both a very health weight (the eldest is actually underweight) and very active. I see no reason to cut back on healthy carbs.

 

If we eat rice it is brown. If we eat pasta it is whole wheat. They eat lots of whole fruits but not juices. We have pasta or rice maybe once a week.

 

I wouldn't fee my kids cauliflower rice, but I wouldn't eat that myself, lol. If I can't have .5 a cup of brown rice then I would rather not have any rather than have faux rice. But that is just me. I happily eat mounds of cauliflower and don't see a reason to pretend it is something else.

[Ria]

yes. We are not so much low carb as whole grain and good carb. But yes, we eat this way as a family. Always have. :)

[Plucky]

I feed my kids whole grains and unprocessed foods. They are both a very health weight (the eldest is actually underweight) and very active. I see no reason to cut back on healthy carbs.

 

If we eat rice it is brown. If we eat pasta it is whole wheat. They eat lots of whole fruits but not juices. We have pasta or rice maybe once a week.

 

I wouldn't fee my kids cauliflower rice, but I wouldn't eat that myself, lol. If I can't have .5 a cup of brown rice then I would rather not have any rather than have faux rice. But that is just me. I happily eat mounds of cauliflower and don't see a reason to pretend it is something else.

 

I have a reason to pretend it is rice. I have been prescribed low carb eating by my doctor. Carbs make my blood sugar spike and it is definitely not good for me.

[happygrrl]

We also have to eat low carb for health reasons. I find that when I try to do the substitution thing it never works... too many memories of what the real thing tastes like! So, when we do shredded cauli in the stir fry then I call it shredded cauli. This way there are no expectations.

 

What we do is change up individual components so that we can still eat our favorite meals. Last night, for example, we had Mexican. In the old days it would have been green and red chili enchiladas, rice and beans. Now I cook chicken in the chili sauce, shred it, and we eat it over a bed of lettuce then top with the usual suspects (guacamole, red onions, olives, etc.). Not the same, but gives you the same feeling.

 

That said, a great recipe when we are craving pizza is this:

 

In a pot brown italian sausage and onions. Add chicken broth and a jar of spaghetti sauce. When this is fully heated add your normal pizza toppings; pepperoni, olives, whatever you used to have. Simmer for 30 minutes, then serve topped with cheese.

Really fulfills the pizza craving!

[redsquirrel]

I have a reason to pretend it is rice. I have been prescribed low carb eating by my doctor. Carbs make my blood sugar spike and it is definitely not good for me.

 

Then you shouldn't eat it. I am a 'rather do without than make do' sort of person when it comes to food. I have been a vegetarian for over 25 years now, vegan on and off, and I am very familiar with all the ways to pretend to have a certain type of food.

 

For example, if I have to be dairy free for heath reasons I don't have vegan cheese. I just find ways to like food that doesn't have cheese.

 

I do much better with as little processed sugar as possible so I drink my coffee and tea plain rather than use splenda.

 

I would rather eat my meal without rice rather than put cauliflower through a food mill.

 

It's just personal choice, not a judgement of what anyone else does. And the fact that I hate cleaning the food mill. :lol:

 

I hope the low carb diet is a solution for you.

[Plucky]

We also have to eat low carb for health reasons. I find that when I try to do the substitution thing it never works... too many memories of what the real thing tastes like! So, when we do shredded cauli in the stir fry then I call it shredded cauli. This way there are no expectations.

 

What we do is change up individual components so that we can still eat our favorite meals. Last night, for example, we had Mexican. In the old days it would have been green and red chili enchiladas, rice and beans. Now I cook chicken in the chili sauce, shred it, and we eat it over a bed of lettuce then top with the usual suspects (guacamole, red onions, olives, etc.). Not the same, but gives you the same feeling.

 

That said, a great recipe when we are craving pizza is this:

 

In a pot brown italian sausage and onions. Add chicken broth and a jar of spaghetti sauce. When this is fully heated add your normal pizza toppings; pepperoni, olives, whatever you used to have. Simmer for 30 minutes, then serve topped with cheese.

Really fulfills the pizza craving!

 

Mmmm, that sound delicious. I'm going to try that.

 

Oh, here's something else we do. We used to love wraps, so I bought some Carb Balance tortillas. They are 32 grams of carbs but 26 grams of fiber so for the way I count carbs in my food it would only be 6 grams of carbs. It is so nice to have that option.

[Plucky]

Then you shouldn't eat it. I am a 'rather do without than make do' sort of person when it comes to food. I have been a vegetarian for over 25 years now, vegan on and off, and I am very familiar with all the ways to pretend to have a certain type of food.

 

For example, if I have to be dairy free for heath reasons I don't have vegan cheese. I just find ways to like food that doesn't have cheese.

 

I do much better with as little processed sugar as possible so I drink my coffee and tea plain rather than use splenda.

 

I would rather eat my meal without rice rather than put cauliflower through a food mill.

 

It's just personal choice, not a judgement of what anyone else does. And the fact that I hate cleaning the food mill. :lol:

 

I hope the low carb diet is a solution for you.

 

Well, dh and I are preferring the cauli-rice. It's just harder to get the kids to switch. The cauli-rice is very easy to make in the food processor. Then I just throw the pieces in the dishwasher.

[happygrrl]

Mmmm, that sound delicious. I'm going to try that.

 

Oh, here's something else we do. We used to love wraps, so I bought some Carb Balance tortillas. They are 32 grams of carbs but 26 grams of fiber so for the way I count carbs in my food it would only be 6 grams of carbs. It is so nice to have that option.

 

We were amazed that it tasted just lile Pizza! Of course, we hadn't had pizza in about 9 months, so that might bave helped! :D

 

Wish we could eat the wraps, but we have a celiac thing going on. It's more for dh and the kids, though, so maybe I could sneak one for myself now and then. Thanks for the thought!

Edited August 3, 2011 by happygrrl

[Emmy]

Well, dh and I are preferring the cauli-rice. It's just harder to get the kids to switch. The cauli-rice is very easy to make in the food processor. Then I just throw the pieces in the dishwasher.

 

I just bought some cauliflower today so I can try the cauli rice thing. I am hoping I (and DH) will like it. :)

[happypamama]

We eat low-carb-ish. DH eats very low-carb (very little grain and fruit), so most of our dinners are low-carb. The kids and I try to eat whole grains and good carbs, but whereas he eats eggs every single day for breakfast, we swap eggs with oatmeal or whole grain pancakes sometimes. Or we'll have sandwiches/whole grain pasta for lunch (and we eat fruit with lunch, sometimes in smoothies for breakfast or snack).

[Blueridge]

When I have scrambled eggs, I make the girls toast with jam to go with it. When I make a meat/veggie thing, I serve them bread or a side of mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice. I have a protein pancake recipe for me, and use a regular ww pancake recipe for them (occasionally). We serve family style, all the bowls and things in the middle of the table. That way they can get those extras that they like, and I can pass on the carby stuff.

[mothergooseof4]

I see a doc that specializes in natural medicine and he treats me for glucose issues. He taught me to roast my rice and allows one serving per day. You use brown rice and roast it in a dry skillet. Just put your burner on medium heat and stir the rice as it browns. Let it roast until dark brown. You can then store it again and cook just like normal for a meal.

 

He says that this breaks down the carbs and lows the glycemic index of the rice. I can eat it without feeling a carb high/crash.

[FriedClams]

I don't do low carb but am on WW. The whole family is along for the ride!

[Momof3littles]

For dinner they eat whatever we eat for the most part (I will modify stuff like leaving sauce off, etc. but they eat the same dinner that we do). They eat Ezekial bread, regular organic jelly w/ sugar, I don't really limit their fruit intake, etc. but most of what I cook is LC, and most of our food is LC. They do get some non LC snacks here and there. They also get stuff like mac and cheese for lunch maybe 1-2x a month, or if I'm freezing soup for them for lunches sometimes I will add a little brown rice to it. Oh, and they do get homemade waffles on the weekend 1-2x a month, but they'll also eat the coconut flour ones we make if carby ones aren't an option.

 

I do make them things they enjoy like popsicles, homemade ice cream, etc but those are all usually with erythritol/stevia. They will eat our store bought Purely Decadent coconut milk/erythritol sweetened popsicles and ice cream too.

 

But regular meals are usually fairly LC. I don't go out of my way to add grains to dinner. Mine actually like cauli rice.

 

eta: fwiw, I eat this way because I'm convinced for my family, this is our healthiest option. I have a history of PCOS and IR. Since I don't view it as a "diet," I choose to feed everyone the same way for the most part. We don't LC for weight loss, but for overall health.

Edited August 3, 2011 by Momof3littles

[Ellie]

Not necessarily. If I cook something that's full of carbs, like spaghetti, I just don't eat it myself. I'll eat veggies, salad, etc, or make it with meatballs and I'll eat those with sauce. Fried chicken...no potatoes or gravy for me ::sulks:: just chicken and veggies.

 

No biggie. :-)

[reign]

I wish we could all eat the same meal. But all three girls have a dislike of meat. The 4 will eat salmon (which is great the 2 times a year that's a option) . The baby likes chicken lunch meat which isn't a everyday food. They will all eat a few chicken nuggets if they are from McDonald's which isn't helpful at all :p they do eat low sugar though. Whole grains lots of fruit. :tongue_smilie:

[kokotg]

My kids are lower carb than they were before, but I wouldn't say they're low carb. We're also doing gluten free right now, so that adds an extra layer of complication. They're pretty much off of bread, and I'm trying to cut way back on how much sugar they have. But they snack on tortilla chips and popcorn a lot, and they eat a TON of fruit. For dinners, they often, but certainly not always, have white potatoes with whatever meat and veggies we're having, and they have rice pasta probably once or twice a week. I'd love to get them off, or at least mostly off, all grains, but the gluten thing is already a big adjustment, so we're taking it one step at a time.