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

[BlondeAgent007]

When doing exchanges for a meal plan, bacon is counted as a lipid(fat) source, not a protein source. It has very little protein compared to fat.

[alysee]

I don't see a problem with it really, some families do that. My parents insist on having the whole family over for Sunday dinner. My inlaws insist the same thing on Friday nights. We usually have my parents/family over for afternoon tea/coffee and desserts on Saturdays.

Could just be a standing thing that happens in her family.

[Koala]

I don't see a problem with it really, some families do that. My parents insist on having the whole family over for Sunday dinner. My inlaws insist the same thing on Friday nights. We usually have my parents/family over for afternoon tea/coffee and desserts on Saturdays.

Could just be a standing thing that happens in her family.

That may be...but I could also see it being that:

A. Her mom wants to make sure her grandchildren are actually eating (hell, someone even gave her kids food as a birthday gift)

B. Her attempt to save money. Her parents pay for the food and then send some home = Total spent: $0.00

[TrueRebel1]

That may be...but I could also see it being that:

A. Her mom wants to make sure her grandchildren are actually eating (hell, someone even gave her kids food as a birthday gift)

B. Her attempt to save money. Her parents pay for the food and then send some home = Total spent: $0.00

I know of some families who have standing dinner invitations, or a certain day a week where everyone goes to Mom and Dad's for dinner. I think that's great, and I don't see a problem with it. I think some parents enjoy helping out their kids who have young kids themselves and can use the break from cooking!

BUT. When you're writing a blog about how to save money, it seems odd to use "free" food from parents as part of "how to save money". I mean, personally I'd compensate for it by saying, "We ate with my parents today, but if I'd cooked at home we would have spent X amount of money on dinner." And I'd add that to the blog's grocery budget.

[lizziesmom]

Is the goal of this blogger to save money or feed her children nutritious meals that will help them develop? If it's the latter, she seems to be failing miserably.

[EmmieJ]

Either most fundie big families don't eat enough, or I have a bunch of pigs in my family. Every time a fundie posts a recipe, I cringe because the amount they use would get me through about two of my kids. Tonight just two of mine ate dinner. Three people went through 12 chicken cutlets. I had two. My sons had 5 each. We also had mashed potatoes, salad, and garlic bread. I didn't have garlic bread. The two of them ate the whole loaf of Italian bread. Four hours before that, they each polished off a large pizza. They're not fat. But my kids can eat.

And what about growth spurts? My son is going through one now, where he's always hungry. I am having a hard time keeping up with him, and that's just one kid. A menu plan like the one posted would most definitely not satisfy his hunger.

Also, I think the meal plans are missing a beverage, like milk. Is she only giving them water at each meal? No snacks at all during the day? No sweets or homemade cookies for a dessert item? And I agree that fresh fruits and veggies don't make much appearance. I know the FDA recommends 5-6 servings of fruit/veggies per day. I'll admit my household often falls short, but our average is at least 3 servings. An apple, grapes, raw carrot for a snack, vegetable with dinner, glass of apple or orange juice. These things are daily staples at my house.

She also forgot to include the cost of a daily serving of vitamins. I consider that part of my grocery budget.

[HereticHick]

Speaking of possibly not enough food, Kim C. at LiaS (which is family of 12) posted today:

"Dinner tonight was a rotisserie chicken from Costco with homemade artisan bread, roasted green beans with garlic (not as good as they sound; they were tough and under-cooked), mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes."

Someone already posted a comment asking if she really meant a SINGULAR chicken. Also--2 kinds of potatoes?

[Koala]

Speaking of possibly not enough food, Kim C. at LiaS (which is family of 12) posted today:

"Dinner tonight was a rotisserie chicken from Costco with homemade artisan bread, roasted green beans with garlic (not as good as they sound; they were tough and under-cooked), mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes."

Someone already posted a comment asking if she really meant a SINGULAR chicken. Also--2 kinds of potatoes?

I have 2 kids, a husband, and a greedy cat. The 4 of them can eat one of those rotisserie chickens in one sitting. (I don't eat chicken)

[already hungover]

I am still reading the Little House in the Hills blog. 3 day menu:

I think Monday was particularly sad. :( She has 3 kids.

So much Cream of Wheat. We're approaching Oliver Twist levels of gruel. Don't ask for more! :stir-pot:

[Koala]

So much Cream of Wheat. We're approaching Oliver Twist levels of gruel. Don't ask for more! :stir-pot:

That's the sad thing...the kids aren't allowed to ask for seconds.

**side note** on that LIAS post? How old is that kid she has in the front seat? Safety first there Kim. Safety first.

[Sobeknofret]

So much Cream of Wheat. We're approaching Oliver Twist levels of gruel. Don't ask for more! :stir-pot:

Sadly, if I could eat wheat, I'd eat this much CoW :( I love it dearly. Oatmeal doesn't even come close as far as I'm concerned.

[Mudball]

Other than food amounts (wilted stalk of celery, 4 mushroom, 2 chicken breasts to feed 42 people lol) I don't find this food very snarky worthy. Cream of wheat is delicious. Carbs are great. Lol.

I have a niece that lived for years on little more than ramen, pancakes, Mac and cheese, cheese and crackers and an occasional apple. Now she's healthy, very intelligent, and has grown just fine. She's thin too, and very athletic. I think some are getting a little too alarmed at 2 potatoes at one meal or a day of carb foods.

As for eating at her parents, I think it's a stretch that her parents worry the kids aren't eating well enough based on that menu. It's far more likely, to me, that they are a close family that enjoy spending time together.

[TrueRebel1]

You know, looking over these menus posted, I have to admit there have been times when I've fed my family similar fare. Like...

...the first few days after we moved to a new house. (Left over pizza slices and canned chili)

...when the whole family was sick. (toast and oatmeal)

...the last day of a long road trip. (crackers and oranges)

...when I unexpectedly have to run errands all day and forget to make something for dinner. (Smoothies!)

...that random day when I haven't grocery shopped in forever and the cupboards are bare.

In other words, it being the exception, not the plan, to feed my family an unbalanced, meager menu. There are a lot of things I'll go without or put aside before I feed my growing children cream of wheat and pancakes repeatedly. :pink-shock:

[August]

Disclaimer: when my parents or inlaws come to stay we go to the supermarket together. They'll prompt me to fill up the freezer too. I see this as just what parents do. I'll do it when it's just my husband and I at home and my kids are supporting kids.

As for the wheat/wheat/wheat day. That's pretty piss-poor. I wonder if she has PPD? That's wheat and water, wheat and butter and milk, and crowned with wheat and milk and egg. Can't she even vary the grain, or make the pancakes as fritters?

[August]

Other than food amounts (wilted stalk of celery, 4 mushroom, 2 chicken breasts to feed 42 people lol) I don't find this food very snarky worthy. Cream of wheat is delicious. Carbs are great. Lol.

I have a niece that lived for years on little more than ramen, pancakes, Mac and cheese, cheese and crackers and an occasional apple. Now she's healthy, very intelligent, and has grown just fine. She's thin too, and very athletic. I think some are getting a little too alarmed at 2 potatoes at one meal or a day of carb foods.

As for eating at her parents, I think it's a stretch that her parents worry the kids aren't eating well enough based on that menu. It's far more likely, to me, that they are a close family that enjoy spending time together.

Carbs are not evil, and kids really pack them away. BUT if you stop cooking normal food and just cook what they eat on their worst days they'll stop eating anything else. We all have pancakes or biscuits for lunch every now and then, but they need to have the vegetables served to them if they're ever to accept them.

I have 2 kids, a husband, and a greedy cat. The 4 of them can eat one of those rotisserie chickens in one sitting. (I don't eat chicken)

I still remember once going to a friend's house as a kid and they ate a whole chicken. I came home and we all marvelled. One chicken should feed six people, not 3. (Which means LiaS should have had two)

[Koala]

Other than food amounts (wilted stalk of celery, 4 mushroom, 2 chicken breasts to feed 42 people lol) I don't find this food very snarky worthy. Cream of wheat is delicious. Carbs are great. Lol.

I have a niece that lived for years on little more than ramen, pancakes, Mac and cheese, cheese and crackers and an occasional apple. Now she's healthy, very intelligent, and has grown just fine. She's thin too, and very athletic. I think some are getting a little too alarmed at 2 potatoes at one meal or a day of carb foods.

As for eating at her parents, I think it's a stretch that her parents worry the kids aren't eating well enough based on that menu. It's far more likely, to me, that they are a close family that enjoy spending time together.

I am glad that your niece is healthy, but surely you aren't asserting that pancakes, ramen noodles, macaroni and cheese, crackers, and a bit of apple = an appropriate diet for a growing child.

My grandparents smoked directly in my face and I don't have lung cancer, but I don't go around saying that smoking in your kid's face isn't a big deal.

My mother drove with me in her lap and never had a wreck, but I don't tout that as evidence that car seats are unnecessary.

[Mudball]

Well, appropriate? No. But I also don't think it's alarmingly dangerous. I don't think there's no point to feeding kids well balanced meals, but there is the other end of the spectrum too - it's not awful to eat biscuits, cream of wheat and noodles (or whatever that menu was) in a day, or to have a day now and then that is low in protein or what have you.

There is almost no diet out there that isn't snarkable by someone, with so many food fads and diet theories going around now.

I'm not touting anything as unnecessary, I'm saying reasonably speaking 1 meal now and then like Friday's isn't a big deal.

[ILoveJellybeans]

The thing is about the kids who live on nothing but mac and cheese, chicken nuggets and cereal between the age of 3 and 6, is that they are usually like that because they are really fussy eaters who turn their nose up at anything else and the parents would rather them eat that kind of thing than starve. Not because thats all their parents can afford to give them because they keep on breeding and refuse all sorts of government assistance.

[EmmieJ]

Speaking of possibly not enough food, Kim C. at LiaS (which is family of 12) posted today:

"Dinner tonight was a rotisserie chicken from Costco with homemade artisan bread, roasted green beans with garlic (not as good as they sound; they were tough and under-cooked), mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes."

Someone already posted a comment asking if she really meant a SINGULAR chicken. Also--2 kinds of potatoes?

I know that the rotisserie chickens from Costco are, on average, bigger than the ones I can buy at my grocery store. Still, my son could probably eat an entire grocery store rotisserie chicken for dinner if I let him. I don't know how you could feed a family of twelve on one large chicken - unless everyone gets one 2 oz serving or something like that.

[fun2beme]

I still remember once going to a friend's house as a kid and they ate a whole chicken. I came home and we all marvelled. One chicken should feed six people, not 3. (Which means LiaS should have had two)

That sounds about right to me. When my family visits, 4 adults eat their fill (my dad has a huge appetite) and I get at least 2 cups of leftovers to shred. Although I'm one of those "divers" who practically lays in the heating unit to grab the chicken all the way in the back to see if it feels heavier than the others...