One of the most common questions I get is how to cook for two when one isn’t a healthy eater! You can put these simple tips into effect tonight for dinner!

First, some background on us:

I love salads, ALL the fruits and veggies, and things like chia seeds and kombucha.

My husband does not love these things.

In fact, I think he would equate drinking kombucha or eating cauliflower rice with torture.

Don’t get me wrong- he’s not living on hot dogs and fruit loops over here. For the most part he eats what I eat, just adds cheese and sour cream to it. And skips on the salads. In the five years we’ve known each other, I think I’ve seen him eat a salad once. I’m completely serious.

Over the years I’ve learned how to cook for both of us in a way that keeps us eating healthy but still satisfies both parties. Today I’m sharing these tips! You’ll find that most of this post assumes that the healthy eater is the woman and the less healthy eater is the man. Of course, things may be different in your household, but these tips will work either way.

Pick Flexible Meals

Picking flexible meals is key to making things work when one of you eats healthy and the other does not.

The idea is that you pick meals that can be customized to each individual’s liking. Here are some examples:

• Salsa chicken for taco night- salad or traditional tacos
• A tray dinner with a variety of vegetables
• Ground turkey bolognese with pasta or zucchini noodles
• Grill night with different meats and veggies
• Turkey burgers with baked sweet potato fries or baked regular fries
• Personal pizza night with real crust or cauliflower crust

For taco night, you can make your salsa chicken in the crockpot and prepare your sides: tortillas, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, anything you’d like. When it comes time to eat, you can make your dinner into a taco salad and he can make traditional tacos.

For a tray dinner, pick an easy protein like chicken or shrimp. For the veggies, you can pick something simple that you’ll both like, or you can make half the tray veggies you like and half the tray veggies he likes. This breakfast tray bake is a perfect example of a recipe that we can make work for both of us.

For example, I love roasted cabbage and brussels sprouts, but husband definitely does not. When I make those things, I’ll cut up some red potatoes or broccoli for him, and roast the other veggies for me. No extra cooking or dishes required.

You get the idea!

Different Veggies and Sides

As I mentioned earlier, there are some vegetables my husband isn’t wild about.

He still thinks I’m crazy for grilling romaine lettuce.

When you’re planning dinner, try to incorporate sides and vegetables that you know the other person will like. This Rosemary Garlic Cauliflower Mash is a perfect example of a side that is both healthy and liked by all since it tastes like mashed potatoes!

Here are some examples of husband-friendly sides and veggies that work in our house:

• Roasted red potatoes
• Roasted sweet potatoes
• Broccoli
• Green Beans
• Beans – Black or Pinto
• Brown Rice
• Sauteed onion and bell pepper for taco night

Toppings

Toppings are another really easy way to customize your meals for each person.

My husband will add things like chipotle mayo, ranch dressing (though I do try to buy him this Primal Kitchen Ranch), sliced or shredded cheese, and sour cream to his meals.

I tend to go for toppings like hummus, vinaigrettes, nuts and seeds, plain greek yogurt, avocado, pico de gallo and hot sauce.

This way I can cook something basic like chicken or turkey burgers, and then we each can eat it the way we like.

P.S., we LOVE these feta and sundried tomato turkey burgers.

The Importance of Compromise

I make it a point to sprinkle in meals that I know my husband loves even if they’re not the healthiest or “clean”.

It’s important to compromise and cook meals that you both enjoy. This could mean cooking their favorite steak and potatoes meal, smoked sausage on the grill, chili with some hearty cornbread, etc.

Just Cook It

This tip is hilarious- I just had to share. My aunt and uncle recently did a Whole30 (his first, her second) and I remember asking her how she gets him to eat some of the meals.

Her response?

“I just cook it!”

The first time I made cauliflower fried “rice”, I didn’t say a word to my husband that it was actually made from cauliflower. There are times when I’ll sneak kale into a soup or stir fry. If you have the kind of significant other that will eat what’s put in front of them, you can give this tactic a try!

I hope these tips help give you some ideas for how to cook when one of you eats healthy and the other doesn’t. If you have any tips you’ve tried, share them below!