Experienced menu planners, I need your help please

annie123

There are 3 of us:

DH............his liver produces too much cholesterol so has to follow a low saturated fat diet. Eats most things but doesn't like bland food.
Does semi manual work and comes in from work hungry around 7pm

DD..........21 years old and does not absorb fats properly, so need a diet with higher than average fat intake. Eats most things but not spicy anything hotter than a korma is too hot for her! comes in from work hungry 8.45-9.30pm

Me..........I eat fish if it doesn't look like one but otherwise a veggie and settles for beans on toast!


I can sort myself out, that's not a problem but I end up cooking 2 different dinners 5 days a week.

DD happy to reheat in the microwave.

So far I do:


Chilli......take out portions for DD before adding chilli and freeze some for other days

Spag bol.....not a problem

Cottage pie....not a problem

Fish pie..........:j we can all eat but find it an expensive dinner

Stir fry rice..........both eat chicken but DD likes honey glazed, and DH hates it too sweet, so he has thai 7 spice or something along those lines.

Pasta bakes.........hubby says bland and tastless...........dd likes

Beef casserole.....they both like

Try to do puddings to make up fat content for DD


The rest of the time I cook different things for each of us and I'd like my evenings back:D

Menu ideas/time management help needed please

zarazara

Hi ,have you tried making a meal for yourself then adjusting it for the others ,so basically you are all eating the same thing? For example a fish pie with boiled veg [peas,sweetcorn,carrots etc]. Should be ok for DH as its low fat,you could add a sprinkling of herbs or mustard sauce if he finds it too bland. For you daughter serve up with grated cheese on top and /or a cream sauce made with full fat double cream. Another meal could be pizza, home made,the topping being chopped tinned tomatoes and herbs and onions and peppers,for your daughters portion add grated cheese. if you have cereals for breakfast then you and dH can have skimmed milk and daughter full fat milk or single cream. I also feel that as your daughter is 21 she should be taking more responsibility for herself,so,if you make a meal to suit yourself and DH then she could eat that with you then have a high fat pudding,cheese crackers,choc biscuits,coffee with cream,and so on, to make it digestable and suitable for her. hope this helps.

purpleheather2810

Low saturated fat doesn't have to be bland. Add herbs, spices etc so that there is plenty of taste. If I were you I would be aiming to cook healthy, low sat fat meals for everyone and then adding extras for dd. This is what we did when my dd was a toddler and a little underweight. Such as adding a little butter or grated cheese to things as they are dished up, such as veg, jacket potato, etc or adding the fat in the pudding as someone else has suggested. Or making a choice of sauces to pour over your meat/fish or whatever, one which is full fat and one which is low fat.

Re fish pie being expensive, have you tried farmfoods for frozen fish? They are very reasonable. Perhaps use a mixture of cheap white fish plus a smaller amount of smoked fish and/or seafood to make it more tasty and interesting. Fish is often reduced in the supermarkets too - we get a lot this way as it is too expensive otherwise.

annie123

Thanks, hadn't thought of adding cheese for DD, DH finds mild cheddar bland and doesn't like it but DD does so that can be added to all sorts of things.

Haven't made pizzas all winter so can start that again too.
And the sauce idea is good also.

DD does work hard, leaves home at 7.40am and gets home 9pm 6 days on 4 days off rota so don't mind her not sorting herself out.

No farmfood near me.:(
I buy fresh fish when whoopsied and on special at the fish counter, just priced it up and will leave out the salmon fillet that gets added to the coley/haddock/cod what ever I have, reduces the cost quite a bit:o
That goes back to the days when I had a job!

Purpleclutterbuck

Hiya Annie!
There is a Farmfood at Sutton (just found it on the store finder) so I may just get ask my friend to take me there on a visit but I'll first have to defrost the ol' freezer to make more use of it
A nice easy meal is chicken thighs chopped up (skin removed) and put into buttermilk for a couple of hours coat in pax* stuffing mix then bake in a med oven till crisp - you can use aubergine or courgettes but not sure if it would work for you
Will have to think about veggy options - x Pcb x