Would the Duggars like or cook what you had to eat today?

[defrauding]

I just wanted to share that having grown up in a Jewish home, I have always associated hummus. halvah and falafel with Israel. Perhaps the Duggars would try it if we presented it as traditional Hebrew food.

Speaking of which, I had a falafel plate last night at an Israeli joint in my neighborhood. I bet the Duggars would like the place because one of the walls has the Ten Commandments in Hebrew.

[clibbyjo]

I think I just "out healthed" myself on the cake I just made. I wanted to make carrot/zucchini bread but was out of zucchini so made carrot/beet/blueberry cake with oatmeal flour. I have no idea what it will taste like, but I am slapping on cream cheese icing when its cooled so they will eat it.

[demgirl]

I just had the most vile turkey sandwich for lunch. It would have been an "eh" sandwich - your basic slightly stale bread, slightly too sweet cold cut turkey, watery tomatoes, iceberg lettuce. Like I said, it could have just been an "eh". But the sandwich place uses miracle whip.

Never again. Never. This makes me think the Duggars would like it though. I totally see them as Miracle Whip people.

[Black Aliss]

I don't know if this is good and liberating or sad and depressing, BUT I have recently decided that I would rather die an earlier death than try to eat a more healthy diet like many of you seem to. Now, I don't eat tater tot casserole, but today for b'fast I had pancakes and sausage, lunch, a tuna sandwich, plum, pretzels, dinner grilled chicken, cucumber salad, rolls. I eat processed food (GASP!) and occasionally even make green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup. I just don't think I can eat tofu, brown rice, what's the gov't say now - 10 servings of fruits/veggies each day. Now, I love fruit and might be able to pull off a good amt of fruit, but I just feel depressed when I think about all of those veggies. Somehow "regular" (to me) food makes me feel safe and comfortable. I just joined a new homeschool co-op and 3/4 of the families are those pesky healthy eaters - vegans, no white sugar, no processed anything. I feel so sad that as we build a community, we won't be able to enjoy food together. I can't bring a batch of brownies for the kids or coffee cake for the Moms - I don't use whole wheat flour and alternative sugar and dairy products. Do you think this is all a fear of change? Am I alone in my refusal to become organic/all natural etc??

I'm not a vegan or even a vegetarian although meat usually makes its appearance in my cooking as a flavoring agent rather than a main event. However I've developed a repertoire of tasty vegan dishes, some of which are also gluten-free, and if I'm asked to bring a dish to a potluck I'll usually bring one of those, so that pretty much anyone can enjoy it. Seriously, would it kill you to eat whole wheat pasta or brown rice for one shared meal a month?

[Black Aliss]

Nope. No way. Breakfast: steel cut oatmeal with walnuts and a splash of [real] maple syrup. Lunch (at my desk): salad of mixed baby greens, cucumbers and tomatoes, all from my garden, with feta cheese, baby shrimp, kalamata olives, and homemade greek-style vinaigrette. Dinner: grilled sockeye salmon, black bean and roasted corn salad, and baby green beans from the garden. Bedtime snack: homemade blueberry-basil buttermilk ice cream.

[Rosa]

Molly Trolly, how about the other side - would it kill the Officially Healthy Eaters to have one night a month they relax the rules a little?

I have one - ONE - reliable, easy, cheap, peanut-free, tomato/potato free, vegan, soy-free, gluten-free recipe I have been taking to Those Potlucks for years.

Steamed broccoli, brown rice, and mildly spicy cashew-butter sauce (made with Braggs instead of soy sauce) with vegan fair-trade molasses instead of brown sugar. I stopped going to one local parent group because one of the moms asked me to please bring another dish because they didn't allow any sugar in their child's diet.

I lived with vegans for years, but the diet rules parents make for kids visiting other people's houses have me not inviting one of my best friend over - she always expects me to make a meal and then tells me what to make and complains about all the things that she can't eat. Just because she decided not to. Oh, and her child steals food off the shelves and runs off into the corner to stuff her face, because at my house food includes flavors like "sweet" (dried fruit), "salt" and "fat" and at home those are all verboten. We have to hide the dried fruit and remember to never offer her ice cream. (Luckily my kid is around people who keep kosher, halal, vegan, or have allergies to peanuts, legumes, or dairy, so he understands the concept "some people don't eat some things".)

I think half the women I know have motherhood-inspired eating disorders, these days. Last winter we took our kid to a grownup birthday party and several people complimented me for letting him eat a piece of cake, because the parents they know don't let their kids have sweets even for special occasions.

[Black Aliss]

Molly Trolly, how about the other side - would it kill the Officially Healthy Eaters to have one night a month they relax the rules a little?

No, of course not, but they'd think it would. And in the case of actual allergies, yeah, it might kill someone or at least make them very ill. In my experience the diets of the Officially Healthy Eaters (or orthorexics*, as I prefer to think of them) are usually less healthy than my family's omnivore regimen. I just prefer to choose my battles, that's all. ;)

*orthorexia is defined as an obsession with "healthy or righteous eating". It often begins with someone's simple and genuine desire to live a healthy lifestyle. The person may choose to stop eating red meat, but eventually cuts out all meat; then all processed foods, and will eventually eat only specific foods that are prepared in very specific ways.

[Rosa]

Orthorexia is the word, for sure!

Luckily I have enough people in my life who aren't like that (the lifelong vegans are *way* easier to be around than the "OMG I have to do this perfect or my baby will be FAT" folks.) So I just don't share food with the folks who have to be like that. (Among other things, when my son doesn't like some of the food on offer, we're teaching him to say "No, thank you" and not "ew, ick, no, I don't eat that!" so having adults modeling the "How can you possibly eat that! No way!" dinner table behavior is not helpful.)

[defrauding]

I don't know if this is good and liberating or sad and depressing, BUT I have recently decided that I would rather die an earlier death than try to eat a more healthy diet like many of you seem to.

Ehh, I wouldn't take this thread as a representative sample of people's eating habits. Threads about the meals people eat tend to attract self-congratulatory posters -- you know, like the posters at TWoP who constantly bring up what they're eating:

"Bwah! I almost choked on my organic arugula salad with fair-trade papaya and homemade lemon-agave dressing (flavored with basil I grew in my backyard, of course!) after reading your post!"

[emmiedahl]

I just wanted to share that having grown up in a Jewish home, I have always associated hummus. halvah and falafel with Israel. Perhaps the Duggars would try it if we presented it as traditional Hebrew food.

Ditto here. Add in shakshuka, ptitim, etc. I don't really view those foods as exotic because we eat most of them at least once a week.

[demgirl]

you know, like the posters at TWoP who constantly bring up what they're eating:

"Bwah! I almost choked on my organic arugula salad with fair-trade papaya and homemade lemon-agave dressing (flavored with basil I grew in my backyard, of course!) after reading your post!"

:lol: That's the funniest thing I've read in a while. I hate TWoP these days.

[Shirley MacLaine]

Ehh, I wouldn't take this thread as a representative sample of people's eating habits. Threads about the meals people eat tend to attract self-congratulatory posters -- you know, like the posters at TWoP who constantly bring up what they're eating:

"Bwah! I almost choked on my organic arugula salad with fair-trade papaya and homemade lemon-agave dressing (flavored with basil I grew in my backyard, of course!) after reading your post!"

Ahahahahahaha! A+

Don't sweat it, LadyBBR. I have a pretty diverse food thing happening - sometimes it's the good shit and sometimes it's unheated Chef Boyardee right out of a can. People just tend to post what they want other people to know that they've eaten or that they've made. It's not a crime, you're just probably not hearing when people eat straight out of the tupperware with their fingers at 4am. :dance:

[GolightlyGrrl]

Ehh, I wouldn't take this thread as a representative sample of people's eating habits. Threads about the meals people eat tend to attract self-congratulatory posters -- you know, like the posters at TWoP who constantly bring up what they're eating:

"Bwah! I almost choked on my organic arugula salad with fair-trade papaya and homemade lemon-agave dressing (flavored with basil I grew in my backyard, of course!) after reading your post!"

I grow my own basil. (says in small, guilty voice).

I'm sure what I ate today would not quite be Duggaresque other than the bowl of Cheerios I had this morning. For lunch I had a corn, tomato and basil salad. And for dinner tonight I'm having a bowl of homemade chicken soup (with stock made by me), and some homemade cheesy biscuits.

Note: I don't always make things from scratch. Sometimes Doritos are my dinner because I just don't give a flying rip.

[Shirley MacLaine]

Homemade cheesy biscuits!!! Jealous.

[GolightlyGrrl]

Homemade cheesy biscuits!!! Jealous.

Perhaps I can post the recipe some time.

[luckylassie]

I once went on a liquid only diet (it was a medically related diet for surgery). I'm gonna try it again for some quick pound dropping.

[Shirley MacLaine]

I once went on a liquid only diet (it was a medically related diet for surgery). I'm gonna try it again for some quick pound dropping.

Should lead to some equally fast pound gaining.

[emmiedahl]

I grow some of my own herbs, just because they are cheap to grow on a window sill and hella expensive to buy. It's not a political statement or anything.

[GolightlyGrrl]

I grow some of my own herbs, just because they are cheap to grow on a window sill and hella expensive to buy. It's not a political statement or anything.

I'm doing the same thing. I live in a small apartment, and I have no backyard to speak of, so a garden is out of the question. However, my living room window sill gets lots of sunlight so I decided to start my own little herb garden. It's going quite well. I love fresh herbs!!!

[luckylassie]

Even my dog loved the tater casserole (there was a little bit left in the leftover container so I let her taste it). German shepherds have great taste.

[emmiedahl]

I'm doing the same thing. I live in a small apartment, and I have no backyard to speak of, so a garden is out of the question. However, my living room window sill gets lots of sunlight so I decided to start my own little herb garden. It's going quite well. I love fresh herbs!!!

I am getting to be a pro at container gardening. All the neighbor children are fascinated by the plants squeezed onto a 5x5 ft patio. I just love fresh herbs and heirloom tomatoes, and I can't afford them so the only choice is to get them to grow here.

[Daenerys]

I do wonder how none of the Duggar children seem to be very overweight despite living on a diet of such processed crap. Even with all the running around, Jill is impressively slender for someone who thinks of Tater Tot Casserole as a balanced meal...

[Shirley MacLaine]

I do wonder how none of the Duggar children seem to be very overweight despite living on a diet of such processed crap. Even with all the running around, Jill is impressively slender for someone who thinks of Tater Tot Casserole as a balanced meal...

dem genes

[Spartan89]

I do wonder how none of the Duggar children seem to be very overweight despite living on a diet of such processed crap. Even with all the running around, Jill is impressively slender for someone who thinks of Tater Tot Casserole as a balanced meal...

Definitely genes. My mom, in her 20s, could not get above 90lbs (at 5'1''). According to my dad she could eat constantly, sometimes polishing off half a large pizza in one sitting. She has never had an eating disorder. She's gained about 20lbs after having me and my brother though!

At 21, I'm the same. I really can't gain any weight even if I eat nothing but pastries all day long. I do appreciate this genetic gift, but I also get tired of being accused of having an eating disorder. Seriously, it's amazing how many people think they have a right to comment on my weight because I'm small.

I'm going to guess that the Duggar girls are just blessed with very good genes. Good thing too, because the vast majority of people would definitely not be able to eat that way and still look healthy.

[emmiedahl]

It's genetics. The activity certainly helps, and I doubt they are eating heavy meals 3x a day. Who has the time to cook that much?

There seems to be a range of body types in the Duggar family, which is normal. I have 5 children who eat the same things and have the same basic activities; one is 'thick', at the very top of a healthy range, 2 are average weight, and 2 are underweight. If anything, the skinniest ones eat more than the others.