It's no secret I love a low calorie snack or a sneaky way of eating vegetables. But my husband is not the same way. And it is a blessing he is not as obsessed with his figure as I am. Nonetheless, we live and eat in the same house and I am not into the whole making two separate meals lifestyle.
We eat a similar variation of one meal for breakfast and we eat the same thing for dinner. For lunch he gets packed leftovers or a sandwich and on the weekends our lunches are more of a free for all depending on what we are doing and what food we have on hand. But the bottom line is that much like the photo of our morning shakes, his is pretty and tasty while mine is much greener and healthier. But to an extent, they are sort of the same thing.
It took me awhile to get my husband to come around on the healthy eating bandwagon. He loves his fast food and ice cream. But we have found a balance of the importance of a balanced diet as well as creating healthy food that tastes good. I am a bit of a foodie myself so I have taken upon this challenge with excitement. Slowly his food gets a little healthier and I take great pride when he can't tell I added spinach and chia seed to his breakfast.
So what do I feed him? Here are some examples:
-Morning Shakes: For me my shakes are full of berries and spinach. His is a more subtle combination. He is a big fan of Strawberries Wild from Jamba Juice (with no boost might I add) so I tried to come up with something that would appeal to his taste buds. His current shake is made up of apple, banana, strawberries, spinach, milk, and vanilla extract. I used to add sweetener but found that the apple and vanilla add natural sweetness on their own. Once he got used to the morning shakes I started subtly adding spinach. Now when his shake is closer to a shade of brown than pink, he barely complains. Barely.
-Morning Eggs: when he is in the mood for a hot breakfast I will make eggs or egg whites either in a tortilla or english muffin. Usually cheese and some lean meat is involved (like deli turkey). Bacon bits are a great way to add flavor without actually cooking or eating full fat bacon. I will also hide a little flax seed or some chopped up spinach. For me it is usually just egg, veggies and meat.
-Dinner Salad: I have been trying to eat more of a diet focused on fruit and vegetables so we have been eating salad almost every night. I know this is not a new concept, but we both fill up pretty quickly on a big salad before the rest of the meal. The secret? Homemade ranch dressing and croutons. And I load that salad full of carrots, onions, tomatoes, broccoli, and bell peppers. He doesn't care for all the veggies. But he loves that ranch and croutons. It's a compromise.
-Meat, pizza, and one non-favorite food: He, like many men, likes meat. Most of our meals have meat. He will go for meatless nachos though. We also have homemade pizza once a week. My side has chicken and veggies while his has turkey pepperoni. Between most meals having meat and weekly pizza, I can throw in one meal a week that he is not necessarily his favorite without any complaints. Like lean turkey and veggie chili. Or quinoa mac and cheese. Both delicious but healthy.
This is just a small example of what we eat. If you want more dinner ideas, I keep my Recipe Box Pinterest Board up to date with new recipes I like. My ultimate goal is to create healthy meals from fresh foods that taste good. My husband values my passion for eating healthy and for the most part has come along side me in support. Eating out and eating junk food is a treat. By keeping it a treat and not a regular part of our lives we enjoy it more. Plus over time, his body responds to junk when we are eating clean, reiterating my point of the importance of eating well.
I never got anywhere by nagging my husband about what he eats. Instead I share my own stories of what I am learning, goals I have for myself, all the while still taking him into consideration in what I prepare for us.
It can be a hard battle but I find that if you work on it slowly over time with gentleness and kindness, your point will get across. And in my opinion, hashing it out is much more beneficial to the future health of your family over the immediate gratification of not arguing about it now.
If you or your family are looking to get your health back on track, I am currently reading Greater Health God's Way by Stormie Omartian and it is changing my life. It is so good and encourages you to look at health for the sake of living a full life and being able to fulfill your life's purpose...which can be more effective when you are healthy.
// What do you feed your husband?
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