Again with the too many kids, not an adequate amount of food

[Kailash]

Does the lack of food have anything to do with the hate that (some) fundies seem to have of fat people?

I think it's possible, although most would never admit to it. Gluttony is preached against for sure.

[Mudball]

Smoothies with oatmeal are the next big thing all over pinterest. I've been wanting to try it because I love smoothies but they don't hold me over until lunch. When I menu plan and put our menu on the fridge I never put in side dishes or fruit because fruit and veggies we eat are totally dependent on what the CSA provides that week or what is on sale/looks good. I don't plan ahead for that.

I suppose it depends on which dietary philosophy you adhere to, but most Americans get far more protein than they need. Also, it's more important to look at the big picture than an individual meal. A low in protein meal of a smoothie isn't going to be harmful when you consider a previous meal included chicken livers and bacon.

[TrueRebel1]

I think it's possible, although most would never admit to it. Gluttony is preached against for sure.

I thought about this bit. My husband was raised in an ATI family who had very rationed, meager meals. They made fun of another family in their church who's cooking style was Mennonite-like (rich homemade meals, lots of butter and cream, always a dessert). I think the feeling was that this other family were being wasteful and indulgent which of course, was ungodly (why use a cup of butter when you could use a dab of margarine?). While being "fat" was also considered an ungodly trait, I think the meager meals were more of a prideful way to show that you were frugal and not indulgent.

I have to laugh (well, it's kind of sad too) now that the children of these 2 families are grown up. My husband and his siblings are all stunted in growth, have horrible dental issues, are weak and easily injured, and have various other health issues. The "other" family who ate the rich foods have strapping children, all strong and healthy and energetic people. THIS is why I have a problem with families who have more kids than they can afford to feed -- it really does make a difference in the kid's lives long-term.

[3 ring circus]

Were are the fruits and vegetables???????

Milkshake night, really :cray-cray:

[fun2beme]

Were are the fruits and vegetables???????

I guess the bananas would count but I think they're one of the strachier fruits. Although the riper they are, the lower the glycemic index they have (per my diabetic mother). I wonder how many servings she gets per shake. If it were up to me, I'd prefer to have a bowl of oatmeal, with the sliced banana and almonds on top.

[lawlifelgbt]

Who authored the book Fourteen that you mentioned? Now you've piqued my curiosity, IReallyAmHopewell.

[Feberin]

I never list veggies or sides with my meal plan. We always have options for them in the house so I decide or let my husband or son decide when dinner is getting closer. I write my meal plans on a calendar and it's not very big so I don't go into a ton of detail. My son also pretty much has a PBJ sandwich every day for lunch if he's at home (he's not allowed to have nuts at school). It's only a little bit of jelly and on whole wheat bread. It's probably not the healthiest option but I don't think it's the worse thing he could be eating. I don't meal plan for lunch but decide spur of the moment and let my son pick his own lunch. However he always has fruit with his sandwich and sometimes cheese or something else too.

[lilith]

Well, inspired partly by this topic but mainly by the 38 degree temperature today, I made smoothies for dinner and the kids are satisfied with it and thrilled with the novelty.

I used (for 3 kids) three frozen bananas, two big handfuls of frozen strawberries, two cups Greek yoghurt, 2 cups untoasted muesli, cinnamon, honey and lots of milk. While I wouldn't do it every night, I don't feel like they have missed out on anything by having this for dinner. And I didn't heat up the house by turning the stove or oven on.

[Evilbad]

All I'm saying is you are all quick to jump on this as ZOMG SO UNHEALTHY when in reality, it's totally "Little Kid food" and I doubt she's just serving what's listed. The main course is always the most expensive/time consuming and generally the one that's listed.

And maybe I'm projecting on the food issues but for the most part, the food isn't that bad, pancakes are freaking awesome and hey, the kids eat so yay, and if you're judging her for that, please step up and judge me for serving egg sandwiches or scrambled eggs in burritos once or twice a week because we're super busy. The other night, we totally did waffles for dinner, too. Although that was a weekend dinner and just because. Not even any eggs or bacon! Just pure waffel-y goodness.

I just think you're all reaching here as far as a reason to judge the fundy. Since when do you need a reason? She's not starving her kids and the food is fairly typical finger food and easy to prep/eat food that most little kids I know eat, so no big deal. I also think it's annoying with the whole "KIDS NEED XYZ EVERY MEAL OR YOU'RE A TERRIBLE PARENT" because toddlers' nutrition is generally measured in days or weeks, because of how little they eat. Preschoolers are also still sometimes grazers, so you have to measure their nutrition through several meals.

[Evilbad]

And here is the unedited version, which isn't nearly as salacious as the one listed in the OP. But, whatever.

Week 1:

grilled cheese with spinach

dirty rice with bacon (saute bacon. saute onion, celery. add black beans and cooked rice. voila.)

fettucine alfredo (two chicken breasts used)

eggs, toast, bacon

lettuce wraps (use one pound of beef)

Week 2:

pancakes (Make with a mix of coconut, wheat, & almond flour, sprinkle some flax meal in it – makes it heartier and stretches it further. This recipe has the right balance of egg to flour so that it’s not like eating quiche but it’s not a total carb-fest either.)

coconut beans & rice (cooked rice, beans, usually saute onion & garlic, add red pepper flakes & coconut milk, cilantro. I use this recipe but I don’t do it in the slow cooker.)

kielbasa sausage, potatoes, & green beans (Add chicken broth & onion flakes. Yum.)

hot dogs (We have a fire pit we like to use for company so I save this for weekends when I feel lazy and we’re hosting.) Or sliders made with a pound of ground beef and 3 cups of cooked pinto beans if I can spare the beef.

grilled chicken with salad

spanish rice with beef – 1 pound beef used, add beans to stretch further (beef, chili powder, tomato sauce, rice)

Week 3:

tacos

beans & rice (I learned how to cook beans from this lady’s ebook. Highly recommend.)

pasta carbonara with bacon

chicken dish (Maybe mustard chicken - my favorite dish ever, maybe chicken curry, whatever I feel like.)

almond smoothies

[lilith]

And here is the unedited version, which isn't nearly as salacious as the one listed in the OP. But, whatever.

Week 1:

grilled cheese with spinach

dirty rice with bacon (saute bacon. saute onion, celery. add black beans and cooked rice. voila.)

fettucine alfredo (two chicken breasts used)

eggs, toast, bacon

lettuce wraps (use one pound of beef)

Week 2:

pancakes (Make with a mix of coconut, wheat, & almond flour, sprinkle some flax meal in it – makes it heartier and stretches it further. This recipe has the right balance of egg to flour so that it’s not like eating quiche but it’s not a total carb-fest either.)

coconut beans & rice (cooked rice, beans, usually saute onion & garlic, add red pepper flakes & coconut milk, cilantro. I use this recipe but I don’t do it in the slow cooker.)

kielbasa sausage, potatoes, & green beans (Add chicken broth & onion flakes. Yum.)

hot dogs (We have a fire pit we like to use for company so I save this for weekends when I feel lazy and we’re hosting.) Or sliders made with a pound of ground beef and 3 cups of cooked pinto beans if I can spare the beef.

grilled chicken with salad

spanish rice with beef – 1 pound beef used, add beans to stretch further (beef, chili powder, tomato sauce, rice)

Week 3:

tacos

beans & rice (I learned how to cook beans from this lady’s ebook. Highly recommend.)

pasta carbonara with bacon

chicken dish (Maybe mustard chicken - my favorite dish ever, maybe chicken curry, whatever I feel like.)

almond smoothies

That does look better balanced, though still lacking in green vegetables in my opinion. I don't see milkshake night listed there at all - is that what "almond smoothies" got interpreted as? Cause to me, they are pretty different. A milkshake is milk, icecream and sugary syrup to flavour and colour, whereas a smoothie has fresh fruits, yoghurt and often some oats or grains whizzed in to make it more substantial - I imagine that using almond milk would make it even healthier.

[LilMissMetaphor]

All I'm saying is you are all quick to jump on this as ZOMG SO UNHEALTHY when in reality, it's totally "Little Kid food" and I doubt she's just serving what's listed. The main course is always the most expensive/time consuming and generally the one that's listed.

And maybe I'm projecting on the food issues but for the most part, the food isn't that bad, pancakes are freaking awesome and hey, the kids eat so yay, and if you're judging her for that, please step up and judge me for serving egg sandwiches or scrambled eggs in burritos once or twice a week because we're super busy. The other night, we totally did waffles for dinner, too. Although that was a weekend dinner and just because. Not even any eggs or bacon! Just pure waffel-y goodness.

I just think you're all reaching here as far as a reason to judge the fundy. Since when do you need a reason? She's not starving her kids and the food is fairly typical finger food and easy to prep/eat food that most little kids I know eat, so no big deal. I also think it's annoying with the whole "KIDS NEED XYZ EVERY MEAL OR YOU'RE A TERRIBLE PARENT" because toddlers' nutrition is generally measured in days or weeks, because of how little they eat. Preschoolers are also still sometimes grazers, so you have to measure their nutrition through several meals.

I find threads like this funny because inevitably someone will come up with something like..."How can she do that to her kids??? Last night my child was served delicately flame-broiled filet mignon, drizzled with sun-drenched organic heirloom pico de gallo, with a side of the freshest caviar, and incidentally, I don't know where YOU live, but it all only cost me $5 at my local market which is only ten steps down the road!"

Meanwhile, my kid gags when he smells eggs and eats far more vegetable crackers than actual vegetables, but hey, he scarfs down kimchi like there's no tomorrow and hoards his seaweed as if it's about to disappear from the world. I think we're probably doing okay.

[Koala]

And here is the unedited version, which isn't nearly as salacious as the one listed in the OP. But, whatever.

Week 1:

grilled cheese with spinach

dirty rice with bacon (saute bacon. saute onion, celery. add black beans and cooked rice. voila.)

fettucine alfredo (two chicken breasts used)

eggs, toast, bacon

lettuce wraps (use one pound of beef)

Week 2:

pancakes (Make with a mix of coconut, wheat, & almond flour, sprinkle some flax meal in it – makes it heartier and stretches it further. This recipe has the right balance of egg to flour so that it’s not like eating quiche but it’s not a total carb-fest either.)

coconut beans & rice (cooked rice, beans, usually saute onion & garlic, add red pepper flakes & coconut milk, cilantro. I use this recipe but I don’t do it in the slow cooker.)

kielbasa sausage, potatoes, & green beans (Add chicken broth & onion flakes. Yum.)

hot dogs (We have a fire pit we like to use for company so I save this for weekends when I feel lazy and we’re hosting.) Or sliders made with a pound of ground beef and 3 cups of cooked pinto beans if I can spare the beef.

grilled chicken with salad

spanish rice with beef – 1 pound beef used, add beans to stretch further (beef, chili powder, tomato sauce, rice)

Week 3:

tacos

beans & rice (I learned how to cook beans from this lady’s ebook. Highly recommend.)

pasta carbonara with bacon

chicken dish (Maybe mustard chicken - my favorite dish ever, maybe chicken curry, whatever I feel like.)

almond smoothies

The "version" I posted was word for word from the post I linked. You may find it on the fourth picture down on said post.

[snarkopolis]

I thought the whole point was that most fundies with too many kids tend to feed them mostly carbfest filling things and that that menu looked like an example of non nutritiousness at its' zenith. Not whether smoothies are good or bad (in moderation) but the fact that most of the fundies mentioned on this board wouldn't know a vegetable unless it bit them in the ass and the servings they dish up are not large enough for growing children. Tator tot casserole anyone?

[Sydney Fox]

Who authored the book Fourteen that you mentioned? Now you've piqued my curiosity, IReallyAmHopewell.

I'm waiting to hear about this book as well. I tried finding it on Amazon, but came up empty. Please let us know who the author is. Enquiring minds want to know!

[Mudball]

I thought the whole point was that most fundies with too many kids tend to feed them mostly carbfest filling things and that that menu looked like an example of non nutritiousness at its' zenith. Not whether smoothies are good or bad (in moderation) but the fact that most of the fundies mentioned on this board wouldn't know a vegetable unless it bit them in the ass and the servings they dish up are not large enough for growing children. Tator tot casserole anyone?

Honestly, though, this is an American phenomenon and not a fundie one. Standard American Diet and alla that.

[Coconut Flan]

Another direct quote from her post:

Oh, and I add sides as appropriate. Usually just a salad or a roasted vegetable. I didn’t say these meals were exactly balanced.

[TrueRebel1]

Tricia from Little House in the Hills is still on a mission to feed her family for even less for 31 days. Monday's menu:

Breakfast: Leftover oatmeal and freshly-made pancakes

Lunch: hot dog casserole, fried potatoes

Dinner: Leftovers from lunch, homemade granola bars

Nothing that resembles a fruit or vegetable. Also probably no real form of dairy. And the next day's menu isn't much better:

Breakfast: Leftover pancakes, orange slices

Lunch: At my parents' house

Dinner: Spaghetti noodles with alfredo sauce, orange slices

Pancakes, noodles, and oranges? What about protein? What about greens? Oh, but then it would cost more than $75 for 2 weeks of food, and heaven forbid that happen. :angry-banghead: If someone wants to eat like this, that's fine. But only feeding kids these "fluff" foods (that's what they are; no real nutrition) is just not fair when you could offer them better meals. And for someone like Tricia, who hopes to have one baby per year, this isn't optimum nutrition for her or her babies.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Tricia from Little House in the Hills is still on a mission to feed her family for even less for 31 days. Monday's menu:

Nothing that resembles a fruit or vegetable. Also probably no real form of dairy. And the next day's menu isn't much better:

Pancakes, noodles, and oranges? What about protein? What about greens? Oh, but then it would cost more than $75 for 2 weeks of food, and heaven forbid that happen. :angry-banghead: If someone wants to eat like this, that's fine. But only feeding kids these "fluff" foods (that's what they are; no real nutrition) is just not fair when you could offer them better meals. And for someone like Tricia, who hopes to have one baby per year, this isn't optimum nutrition for her or her babies.

That is such a small amount and nothing has any nutritional value. Those poor kids.

[Koala]

That is over the top ridiculous.

[fun2beme]

I really, really hope her parents serve large portioned, balanced meals with plenty of leftovers to send home.

[Koala]

Look at this from an earlier post:

4. Dishing out specific food portions, and then not allowing "seconds" for the kids

Okay, now this sounds harsh, until you hear me out. This is a HUGE time-saver for me, besides possibly being a money-saver. Our meals were taking forever. Now I prepare two bowls (or plates) of food, with plenty of food on there, so that they don't need anymore besides that. If they're unable to finish what's on their plate, I put it in the fridge, so that they can eat it the next meal. We're not big on throwing food away!

A good example here would be sour cream. The girls love sour cream, and they could probably eat a half container each, if I'd let them. But I have specific meals planned, all throughout those 2 weeks, that require sour cream. So if we're having soup or tacos, I give them a small scoop each. It saves the sour cream for the next time we need it, and honestly... the girls don't need anymore than that!

:pull-hair: I guess seconds for the adults is just fine. Let the kids go hungry...

[Koala]

And this...

Lunch: The kids ate snacks (we were at the park), and I ate leftovers when we got home

Snacks do not = lunch for growing kids

[Elinor]

Like Diana, I don't have much issue with the dinners, but the lunches are just weird to me. I suppose it's a cultural thing? Here, lunch is a cooked, substantial meal and is accompanied (in schools and restaurants at least) with a salad bar, bread and sometimes dessert. Dinner is often a cooked meal as well, but on weekdays usually quite relaxed. I remember having cheese sandwiches and hot chocolate or pancakes or scrambled/fried eggs on toast for dinner quite often as a kid, but that was after eating a balanced lunch at school.

I just can't imagine having to live off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all day until dinner. I'd get stupid hungry. Though I guess if one ate a cooked breakfast it would work?

I don't think most American children get cooked lunchs. When I was a kid my typical lunch was a sandwich, fruit, and a cookie.

[TrueRebel1]

Look at this from an earlier post:

:pull-hair: I guess seconds for the adults is just fine. Let the kids go hungry...

This is just disturbing. I get that sometimes you have to "ration" food for kids -- because otherwise they stuff themselves on things they shouldn't. But if her girls really "could eat half a container of sour cream", it might be because they're hungry, or craving the calcium and protein (which I doubt they get much of). Personally, I serve my kids (in the 2-5 age range) what I consider an "appropriate" meal; if they eat it and request more of one particular food, they are free to fill up on it! I tend to think that children crave what their body needs, and so long as I make sure they're still eating a balanced diet, I need to listen to their needs.