What do you YT meals look like for you?

amother

OP ↓

Yesterday at 9:49 am

If you are health conscious or on a diet but don't have a specific food plan you need to follow, what do you eat at the Yom tov meals?
The meals are so long and so much food, I feel like I'm eating more than I usually eat even if they are healthy options.
On a regular weekday, I don't eat these kinds of meals twice a day.
Can you share how you navigate Yom tov meals in a way that you are partaking and enjoying but also not overeating?

amother

Dustypink

Yesterday at 9:55 am

Yom tov season definitely brings more meals and more food than otherwise but making more healthy options is better than other choice.
I've cut back on sides at most meals I serve a vegie with meat dish. And always large salad with first course. Nobody needs extra kugels and potatoes. Desert can be skipped or fruit sorbet or compoat

amother

Khaki

Yesterday at 9:57 am

amother OP wrote:

My yt meals used to look like a kings 10 course meal. Over the years, I have realized what’s important. Number 1- bekavidik food made from hashem’s natural food. Number 2- to finish the seuda feeling light.

I stopped doing 2-3 first courses. Meaning no soup and appetizer. Either a soup or an appetizer. I only serve chicken and meat so that there will be options for each person, but I used to actually serve like 3-4 types of meat and 1-2 types of chicken. Always a light salad or grilled veggies, and I make my side dishes from rories recipes. Natural and GF

oneofakind

Yesterday at 9:58 am

It's one big meal and a small meal at night. I won't eat much challah regardless and no dips except a little homemade chumus.
I want to eat RH morning so I'll have someone else make Kiddush and I'll eat some matza crackers and cottage cheese. I'll make sure to limit the amount of cake I'm sure to come across.

amother

Emerald

Yesterday at 9:58 am

First of all, our side dishes are vegetable heavy. So while the family might be eating apple kugel, I have tons of salad and roasted veggies. In terms of desserts, it's apple season! I do make apple cake but I cut the sugar and make it whole grain. I also make a lot of unsweetened fruit desserts like compote and applesauce.I brew fresh iced coffee (regular and decaf ) and two kinds of iced tea so that there are plenty of nice things to drink that are low calorie. Finally, I acknowledge that I will probably still gain a few lbs and can lose them after yom tov.

amother

Carnation

Yesterday at 10:03 am

1. Minimal challah - healthy dips
2. skip soup (don't like liquid calories)
3. one side with the meat
4. salad and veg options
5. dessert is fruit based like salad, blended frozen fruit sorbet

most importantly, eat mindfully!

amother

Oatmeal

Yesterday at 10:13 am

I do a lot of salads in beginning of meal
Either app or a soup
For mains I don’t do a carb side
So will do a different protein at each meal with 2 veggie sides plus a green salad
I always cut up fresh fruit with dessert
Is it more than I usually eat yes
But does it help me not feel bloated and gross also yes.

amother

Watermelon

Yesterday at 11:13 am

I keep my meals low carb (I do serve carbs for the rest of the family but also tons of roasted veg).

My meals are mainly protein main and lots of roasted veg and/or salads.

Healthy soups, like zucchini soup etc.

Ex:
Corned beef, roasted cauliflower, coleslaw (sugar-free)

Grilled chicken, stringbeans, roasted broccoli

I skip dessert.

Aurora

Yesterday at 11:36 am

I like to start meals with either a salad, or a soup heavy on vegetables.

amother

Pumpkin ↓

Yesterday at 11:43 am

This is going to be a challenge, esp Sukkos which we're spending at DC whose house, unlike ours, is always full of goodies and whose challah is to die for, whose meals always feature 2 if not 3 mains and multiple sides, and whose salads are always swimming in dressing. I'll have to be a tower of strength to stick to my frugal (calorie-wise) eating plan. It's also going to be the first YT I'm doing this, as last Pesach I was still in full fress mode and didn't even try exercising any kind of control. Or any exercising of any kind.

In my house, things are less lavish. If there are multiple options, it's usually different veggies and salads with little or no dressing. Almost never anything fried, the challahs are small, no dip course. Not very different from a regular Shabbos except different varieties. Maybe a quinoa pilaf instead of potatoes or barley, maybe a slightly different ethnic chicken dish, maybe an exotic veggie in the salad in addition to the usual ones, that sort of thing. I'll put raisins in the challah, maybe make a different kind of soup instead of the usual chicken broth with vegs. There will be fruit salad first, as I do every Shabbos and YT, followed by soup. Soup, as long as it's not loaded with creamer, margarine, or starchy add-ons like croutons or fried noodles, is a very weight-loss friendly food. It fills you up so you eat less afterwards, it can't be eaten very quickly , and it's a great vehicle for painlessly consuming more vegetables.

Then chicken (very seldom red meat),various veggie dishes, one sweet kugel because it's YT (I may or may not splurge for myself). Honey cake and tea for dessert because it's RH, but I plan to either skip the cake altogether or maybe just eat the crumbs that stick to the serving plate to give the illusion of eating cake.

Basically I follow a plan that involves eating a certain number of portions per day of each category of food: so many servings of milk, so many of fruit, so many of protein etc. I keep a tally in my head or plan ahead for weird days like YT. My plan also allows you an optional extra daily portion of any kind of food except fat, plus it allows you one optional major indulgence once a week. So if I really want that honey cake or an extra two slices of challah on YT, I can have them without feeling that I've run off the rails. What I can't do is eat three kugels and three inch-thick slices of challah loaded with mayonnaise dip twice a day for three days running.

I won't be counting the apple and honey, but I will be using just a dab of honey on a slice of apple to be yotze, not having "a little apple with my honey" as I used to do.

At least, that's the plan.

amother

Gardenia

Yesterday at 11:46 am

Our regular meals are usually all healthy, this is my regular plan:

Traditional challah (nothing healthy here)
Baled salmon
Egg salad (just egg)
Israeli salad
Cabbage salad
Avocado salad
Herring
Roasted chicken or meatballs (in the oven)
Roasted potatoes/ sweet potatoes/ green beans/ cauliflower

A bit of rice or pasta for the kids
Dessert parve ice cream for the kids and dark chocolate for adults if we want it

amother

Geranium

Yesterday at 11:55 am

For people who do lots of salads, can you share recipes? I love having salads but blank out on ideas. I like them healthyish and no carbs.

amother

↑ Pumpkin ↓

Yesterday at 11:55 am

Forgot to mention that, weather permitting, I plan to go for a nice long walk each day of YT rather than spend the whole day in the house aside from going to shul. If your shul is far away, you have it made. Mine is all of a 3-4 minute walk, so I will have to force myself to get up and go out after lunch.

amother

↑ OP

Yesterday at 1:00 pm

I have large meals with lots of guests and all kinds of food.
On a regular weeknight, I'll just eat "main course" protein carb vegetable. Yom tov I'll be hungry and there are lots of dishes and lots of time until the main course. I'm also uncomfortable just sitting there not eating anything.
I know I shouldn't be hungry at the night meals but I always end up that I am.

amother

↑ Pumpkin

Yesterday at 1:02 pm

amother Geranium wrote:

For people who do lots of salads, can you share recipes? I love having salads but blank out on ideas. I like them healthyish and no carbs.

I don't use recipes, just cut up diff veggies and mix colors or arrange on a plate. We provide bottled dressings for those who have to have them.

amother

DarkYellow

Yesterday at 1:26 pm

Fill up on proteins, fats and veggies. Same as always.

Small amount of spelt sourdough, non refined starches like sweet potato, winter squashes, small portion or clean-ingredient desserts.

amother

SandyBrown

Yesterday at 1:31 pm

My menu is basically the same size just different food. Plus dessert. If we have guests I might make a second side and main in case they don't like what I served.

Tamari

Yesterday at 1:43 pm

amother Geranium wrote:

For people who do lots of salads, can you share recipes? I love having salads but blank out on ideas. I like them healthyish and no carbs.

Lettuce, green cabbage, peas, pomegranate, peanuts or cashews with a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and salt & pepper.

Spinach leaves, spiraled beets and carrots, red onion, roasted protabello mushroom strips with a lemon vinaigrette.

amother

Junglegreen

Yesterday at 1:47 pm

amother Pumpkin wrote:

Can you at least ask for the salads to not be dressed and you’ll dress your own plate? That can be a bit helpful, and make you feel slightly in control/better about yourself.

chocolate moose

Yesterday at 4:24 pm

I do the planning, shopping, cooking and cleanup so I am in control. I only eat one course and I only eat bread by day. I have been doing this for years with a rov's approval for weight loss and now for diabetes. low carb of course. I eat extra protein so I'm not hungry.

sometimes I lose weight over shabbo/yomtov.