Low carb, kid friendly recipes

I make my kids' (12-year-old daughter, 8-year-old son) lunches every day because if they eat at school it's uncrustables and chocolate milk.

I usually prepare things like tomago (rolled eggs--super easy to make) with seaweed salad, or PB2 in a small container with half a banana and some pretzel sticks, or edamame salad, or turkey rolled up with cheese, or sirniki (Russian cheese pancakes--use almond flour), or sliced tomatoes with fresh basil, mozzarella, and chicken strips.

Every Sunday, I buy fresh fruits and veggies and everyone in the family helps clean and cut them. Then, we use them all week in everyone's lunches. Favorites are jicama (which I can't eat), carrot sticks, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and sugar snap peas. Fruit is whatever is seasonal. My daughter won't eat dip, but for my son I include a small container of Opa Greek Yogurt Dressing. My husband likes chili and lime powder for his veggies.

When I make lunch in the mornings, I strive for variety and balance. They get protein first, veggies second, fruit and simple carbs in moderation, and once a week I give them a piece of candy in the box. Both kids carry their own water bottle. It's not that much work if you do it together, and the kids really like it better. They both throw a fit if they have to eat in the cafeteria for some reason.

The easiest start is to eliminate the starch from the dinner plate and replace it with another vegetable.

Does your friend at work need to make a change to the way she (not her daughter) eats?  Often, not always, the children's eating follows the parents eating.  It should be hard for most 12-year olds to eat poorly unless their parents are enabling it in some manner.

Glass houses disclosure -- I speak from experience and am not throwing stones.

I agree with this a lot.  Changing the child's eating while not changing anyone else's eating in the house won't lead to success.  

This is a struggle at our house too - my boyfriend's son is already overweight at age 10 and loves pasta and bread more than anything.

I serve a lot of chicken - bbq crockpot chicken, homemade chicken tenders, and a lot of turkey - turkey tacos, turkey sloppy joes, turkey chili.  I am not a huge fan of red meat, but I know the kids love pot roast.

I know for me, I like to feel like I am having the tasty things like "pizza" but if I make it on a cauliflower crust or flat out bread, it's much healthier!

http://realeverything.com

This blog used to be Paleo Parents.  Lots of great kid-friendly recipes and I find that Paleo is super weight-loss friendly.  

With pre-diabetes there is probably some sort of disordered eating going on if it is not type 1.  I have worked with children and adolescents who have disordered eating, and we typically try to change the family's food all at once.  Eating should be done in one designated area only, by all family members.  No eating in front of TV or movies any more.  What is absolutely 100% vital is for the parents to eat the same as the children.  If this is not done, then no interventions will be successful.

A more delicate consideration is that childhood obesity always happens for a reason.  Something else is going on in the environment.  It could be a lack of stimulation, ADHD, enabling at home or at school, bullying, etc.  Children rarely become obese because they need to eat more due to growth.  It never "just happens."  Since children cannot control their food accessibility, it is often something in the environment occurring.  I am not saying it is the parent's fault at all.  I commend you for helping them out :)  Just be prepared for it to be far more complex than they are saying.