Engine 2 Challenge: Feeling All Alone in a Crowd?

-By Jen F. from Whole Foods Market St.Paul

Taking the E2 Challenge can seem a daunting enough task, but what happens when those you live with aren’t quite ready to make that leap with you? Whether you live with a spouse, significant other, or even just housemates who share cooking duties with you, no one has the time or energy to make 2 completely different meals every time you want to eat together.  And although I’d love to tell you that if you just try really hard, you can convince them to join you in the challenge, I know from experience that doesn’t work for everyone’s reality. So read on for some suggestions on how to cope if this is sounding familiar to you.

First, let me tell you a bit about my household – I have a husband and a beautiful 2 ½ year old daughter. My husband is fairly competent in the kitchen, but if left to his own devices, his cooking repertoire is pretty limited.  Don’t get me wrong – he enjoys fruits and vegetables (he’s the main gardener in the house) and is fairly good about trying new things. We eat a pretty wide variety of foods, and don’t have beef with every meal – it’s equally common for us to enjoy chicken, turkey or fish as the main course. But that’s the catch – to my husband, a meal without animal protein as the main course or ingredient isn’t a meal…it’s an appetizer. And although I’ve been able to broaden his food horizons in the years we’ve been together and have elevated the health value of our diet overall, the “meat makes a meal” attitude is a mental stumbling block I have not been able to pull him beyond.

And so, I’m not a vegan…I’m not even a vegetarian. For breakfast and lunch, it’s not hard to stick to E2 as I typically eat those meals alone or with my daughter who is completely content with a PlantStrong ™ meal. But for our family, dining together as often as possible is important to us, so the first time we held a 28 day challenge, I didn’t think there was any way I could do it without always making two meals. But I became determined to make it work, because I really wanted to see what the fuss was all about, and more importantly, I want to create healthy habits for my daughter (who’s been a lot easier to “train” than my 40-something husband!).  Through that experience, and my ongoing attempts to stay true to the four pillars of our Health Starts Here program long term, I’ve learned a few tricks that I hope will help those of you who might be dealing with a similar situation.

Plan your meals to include lots of plant based side dishes you can all enjoy, and make the entrée switch easy.

• For example, a hamburger for my husband, and a veggie patty for me, surrounded by steamed broccoli (he can add butter or cheese to his if he wants), baked sweet potato fries and romaine salad with carrots and tomatoes (with his and her dressings). Or baked fish for him, marinated tofu for me, all paired with steamed baby carrots and a brown rice pilaf.

Make meals that already use meat sparingly and cook it on the side.

• Tacos or Tex Mex Bowls: black beans, avocados, tomatoes, corn, peppers, lettuce, cilantro, lime wedges, salsa and hot sauce on corn or whole grain tortillas are all E2 friendly. Browning a little ground beef on the side takes little additional effort, and shredded cheese or sour cream can be added by your non-E2 diners. Bonus tip: try our Health Starts Here Avocado Lime Dressing as a non-dairy substitute for sour cream!
• Spaghetti: Make your own sauce with a base of no salt added tomato sauce, no salt added diced tomatoes, then add Italian seasonings like basil and oregano, veggies like mushrooms, red and green peppers, onions, garlic, broccoli, artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes (not packed in oil). For your non-E2 diners, you can add some browned ground beef or sliced Italian sausage or a few meatballs to their serving. Serve it all over a whole grain pasta (or, in my house, whole grain pasta for me, white for the hubby)
• Find a great chili recipe with lots of beans, and add ground beef in the non-E2 portions. This can work for other soup recipes as well.  (PS – my husband says he doesn’t like brown rice, but when I sneak it into a soup or stew, he never notices!)
• Kabobs: Load the skewers up with baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, onions and marinated tofu cubes (if desired). Cube a chicken breast, some shrimp, or a small piece of steak on its own skewer for your non-E2 dining partner.
• Although meat isn’t allowed during the E2 challenge, it is allowed in small amounts with our overall Health Starts Here program (which is otherwise identical to E2). Find some HSH recipes that include meat, and use a mix of meat and a non-meat option (like tofu, tempeh or seitan, or additional beans or grains).
• Panini Night: have a selection of toppings and let everyone build their own sandwich, then wrap in foil and bake, or heat in a skillet. For an E2 friendly option, make sure you have a dark lettuce like spinach or arugula, hummus for a great spread, a variety of veggies like sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, shredded carrots, and of course, a whole grain bread. Add sliced turkey, cheese & butter or mayo options for the non-E2-ers.
• Build Your Own Pizza Night: same idea as Panini night, but have a whole grain crust, no-salt tomato sauce, extra roasted veggies, olives, mushrooms, baby greens, and some finely ground cashews in place of cheese for you. Make nitrate-free pepperoni, sausage or ground beef as well as cheese available for the meat-eaters.

Take Advantage of “Solo” Nights.

• If you are like most families, there are usually a few nights each week where you don’t dine together.  I take advantage of these opportunities to make a delicious E2 recipe, but make a double batch and freeze the leftovers, so if my husband decides to cook some night and make steak or pizza or something else along those lines, I can quickly heat up a frozen meal and still enjoy dining with my family.

Take Charge.

• Even if you typically do all the cooking, declare a few nights a week to be your “turn.” Meaning, you make a wonderful E2 meal, and if not everyone in the household wants to eat it, they need to make their own dinner. Remember, you aren’t asking them to eat mud – you are making a positive change that will lead to greater health and well-being. After a while, you may find they give in and decide to join you.

Lastly, the challenge is only 28 days. You CAN make it work. What you do after that is something we will discuss in another post.  In the meantime, do you have tips of your own for cooking in a “mixed” household without feeling like a short order cook? Share in the comment section below.