Our Client Lost 100 lbs Without Counting Calories
Before we jump into exactly how she did this, I want to make it clear that this was not a quick, drastic, or overnight change. This took our client a [...]
Ok, so you’ve got PHFF down like the back of your hand (if you don’t know what I’m talking about yet, check this post out first.)
But also a quick summary: PHFF stands for protein, healthy fat, and fiber. It’s a great strategy to make sure you’re creating a blood-sugar-balancing meal that will satisfy you and give you the right balance of nutrients you need!
The concept is simple, flexible, and effective! What could go wrong? Well…your fam. Your picky eaters. We love ‘em, but they might not jump on the PHFF train as easily as you did.
Don’t fear. I’ve got you. Below are 6 meal ideas everyone will love so you’re not stuck making 2 completely different meals.
Who doesn’t like nachos? You can use any chip you prefer. If you want to go above and beyond, you can take high-fiber or whole-grain tortillas, cut into triangles, spritz with olive or avocado oil and salt, and air fry until crispy.
Next comes your protein of choice. You can do a lean ground beef or ground turkey and season with your preferred taco seasoning.
Toppings can be cheese, black beans, diced bell peppers, avocado, salsa, sour cream, cilantro, onion, etc.
You can either make a giant batch or separate plates so each person can completely customize.
For your PHFF version:
Another option: if your family wants to make nachos, you can take the taco-seasoned protein and make yourself a taco salad if you really want to up the fiber. Start with a bed of greens, add your protein, and top with tomatoes, onions, peppers, avocado, etc. Your dressing can be sour cream or non-fat, plain Greek yogurt combined with your favorite salsa. Yum.
Going back to basics here, but you can’t go wrong with sandwiches or wraps for lunch. They are completely customizable and EASY.
When it comes to bread, I would opt for a whole grain/high fiber variety from your grocery store for yourself and then pick up what your family would eat if you need an alternative option. Same goes for tortillas/wraps. I like Flat-Out brand and also X-treme Wellness!
The rest is up to you! Fill up your sandwich with your preferred deli meat, veggies like spinach, peppers, tomato, onion, cheese, avocado, etc. This is very PHFF-friendly with lots of protein from the meat, fiber from the bread/wrap and veggies, and fat from meat, cheese, and potential mayo or avocado.
If you can’t tell, most of these ideas are very flexible! You can choose whatever your family prefers and it’s easy to customize for you without doing something completely different.
Smoothies also fit the category! Build your smoothie with whatever ingredients your family likes best. The other hidden benefit with smoothies is that those certain picky ones (we all have ‘em) don’t have to know all the ingredients if you don’t want ;). SO, if you want to sneak in some greens, some chia or ground flax seed, or even frozen cauliflower, nobody is going to know. Probably.
To make sure your smoothie is PHFF, build it as follows:
Protein: protein powder of choice (at least 25g of protein per serving). If you need help picking out a product, check this out.
Fat: add any nut butter you prefer or full-fat coconut milk, avocado, or coconut oil. 1-2 tbsp will provide 10-20g of fat.
Fiber: add the fruit you prefer like berries or a banana and then add chia seeds or ground flax seeds if nobody else cares or would notice.
Check out this guide for building the perfect PHFF smoothie too.
Again, who doesn’t like pancakes or waffles? The key to making a PHFF version is adding more protein in some way.
One option is to buy an already made high-protein mix like Kodiak Cakes or Birch Benders. Easy! And then when you make your stack, add more berries for fiber and maybe a few eggs on the side.
You could also make your own batter from scratch. This is my favorite recipe, which you can double, triple, etc. depending on how many people you’re serving:
We love this recipe too: 5-ingredient peanut butter protein pancakes
Bonus tip: meal prep your pancakes/waffles! They store beautifully in the freezer and then you can pull them out on a busy school morning for everyone.
I don’t think I need to explain to you how to make a burger, but let me drop some helpful ideas to make YOUR burger more PHFF, and then everyone else can build theirs how they prefer. Again, you’re not doing something completely different for yourself.
Ok last idea for you is when you have a pasta night, there are a few easy swaps that your family has a 95% chance of not even noticing/caring.
Choose which tips make sense for your people, but you can totally make pasta night PHFF-friendly!
Other family friendly recipe ideas:
Back to school breakfast ideas
Biggest takeaway: please do not be cooking separate meals for yourself even if you’re prioritizing blood-sugar-friendly meals! PHFF by nature is supposed to be easy and flexible, so don’t overcomplicate it. For more PHFF meal ideas, check out our seasonal meal plans, or join the waitlist for Metabolism Makeover.
Happy cooking!
Elle, MM Coach
