Maxwells Meals.

[MaddieMoody]

I'm not sure this has been answered before, except the mention of burritos, or Wheat Thins. Oh, and sandwiches. Remember when Ma Maxwell ate the 'cheese paper'?

 

Have the Maxwells ever posted a meal plan, or hinted at what sorts of things they eat? I'm picturing fun-less plates of plain lettuce, or perhaps a plain baked potato for the days they really want to cut loose. I noticed they're always drinking bottled water; has there been a ban on pop or juice?

 

So curious about this. I have this image in my head that Steve restricts food or something.. interested in your thoughts.

[kpmom]

They list a few of their meals here

titus2.com/d-grocery.htm ( at the end of their grocery lists.)

I believe they do restrict food to a degree. I know someone on their cooking forum asked them if they still eat homemade bread and soup (only) for 1 dinner a week, and Sarah said yes.

Also once she made an asparagus (I believe) pie and took a picture for the blog. Someone asked if that one pie fed them all (9 at the time), and again Sarah said yes.

[VodouDoll]

Oh, and sandwiches. Remember when Ma Maxwell ate the 'cheese paper'?

Whoa, I do! And it was the most hilarious thing that had ever happened to any of them.

[MrsYoungie]

Whoa, I do! And it was the most hilarious thing that had ever happened to any of them.

Say what now? wtf is cheese paper?

[VodouDoll]

The paper that slices of American cheese are wrapped in, you know? One time Teri accidentally didn't peel a little bit off and wound up eating it, and they all laughed for hours. It merited its own blog post. Wacky!

titus2.com/blog/index.php/2008/04/03/border-crossing-paperwork-scenery-and-eating-hazards/

[Jencendiary]

The paper that slices of American cheese are wrapped in, you know? One time Teri accidentally didn't peel a little bit off and wound up eating it, and they all laughed for hours. It merited its own blog post. Wacky!

titus2.com/blog/index.php/2008/04/03/border-crossing-paperwork-scenery-and-eating-hazards/

Every family has stories like this, and even insignificant ones can be the source of laughter for YEARS. But most people don't expect folks who weren't there to think they're funny. I think the thing that galls me the most about the Maxwells is their self importance.

[Koala]

How the hell did she eat half of it before she noticed???

[MaddieMoody]

She was probably really hungry. It'd been a while since the two animal crackers, no? :/

[jesusfreak]

Ironically, that was probably the most fiber she had gotten in a long time.

[skankbiscuit]

I remember reading a menu of theirs and thinking they sure don't get enough veggies or protein. Maybe that's why they all look so pale and anemic. I think one night they have homemade tortillas and salad. And I believe they eat the same meals, week after week on the same day. I guess this is their way of not making food an idol or something.

I personally always get excited when Sarah makes Ultimate Turtle Cheesecake for a special occasion.

Don't get me wrong, they don't seem to overeat AT ALL and that is so admirable and rare these days - but I think they could get away with eating a little more.

[clibbyjo]

I believe their food is restricted as well. Its all about having the control to eat 1 bran muffin,even if you are a 6ft. growing boy and need 8 to feel full. They all exercise and are fit looking in person,I doubt nighty dessert is on the menu.

Food for them is probably not for enjoyment, it might become an idol. Cheap, healthy meals that meat the daily requirements for whatever they are doing and no extra are what they get.

[WonderingInWA]

I agree. I don't ever remember them talking about eating meat and their weekly menu doesn't seem to mention meat, but I did email them once and ask them if they are vegetarian, and they are not. I'm guessing they just don't eat much of it so not worth mentioning. And limiting meat consumption is healthier as long as you are replacing it with some other protein.

[YPestis]

There was a time when Steve and a few of the boys were looking kind of chunky (I think Nathan has not lost any of the lbs gained since marriage). Then the guys all slimmed down. Especially Steve. I wonder if they were all on some diet and are trying to keep trim by eating healthy. They have shown the boys making cookies, the girls making baked goods. So I do believe they eat junk food. In fact, I don' think they eat super healthy or super unhealthy. Food is one area that I find they are kind of moderate on these days. But maybe I like eating healthy myself so I don't think they eat all that plainly.

[demgirl]

Maybe it is healthy, it's just odd to list dinner as "Soup" or "Salad and tortillas". Sure, I have nights where I'm not very hungry and a bowl of soup does me fine. But they seem to eat like that all the time. It just seems so nonsubstantial. And boring.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

It probably depends on how they make their soup. I love soup, and have plenty of meals that are just soup. But when I make soup, it has enough "stuff" in it to be at least halfway to stew. That's fine for a meal, but if we're talking soup of the sort that comes out of cans often, or that gets served as appetizers some places that's mostly liquid, yeah, it'd be pretty skimpy.

Tortillas and salad (with nothing else) sounds like way too little, though. If the tortillas were actually quesadillas so there was cheese, it'd be different...

[ElphabaGalinda]

Whatever they eat it's sure to be super boring and minimalist. And probably rare that they get anything they particularly enjoy the taste of. Can't risk their food becoming an idol, after all. Worse than the food itself is eating the same thing over and over again, week after week. I'd get bored.

[Guest Anonymous]

They seem to eat OK, apart from the weekly overcooked burritos. There was one time the boys made muffins and bacon for breakfast. Odd combination, but a lot of effort just for breakfast. They have also posted times when the boys have cooked a roast ham and injected a honey mix in to zsush it up. They posted a sample menu on the forum which looked like a basic plan that they altered to suit. Teri commented recently that she finds it a novelty now to ask the girls what is for dinner, instead of them asking her, so it doesn't sound as if they have a rigid plan.

I think the fact that the girls are responsible for the entire household chores, including all meals, s more snarkworthy than what they eat.

[bananacat]

Low calories doesn't automatically mean something is healthy. Plus their menu is boring, and I say that as someone who eats very few foods. I guess it depends what they put on the salad or spread on the tortillas, but bread and lettuce isn't healthy because there's minimal protein and probably not enough calories. It could be a great meal if they spread some peanut butter on the tortillas or put some almonds in the salad, but that seems to extravagant for them to do.

But I am kind of surprised by the bottled water. I usually just drink water out of convenience. I got sick of carrying jugs of juice or soda up the stairs while I lived in college and realized that a Britta filter weighs just a fraction of that. But bottled water is so expensive and if I'm gonna spend extra money on a beverage, I might as well get a sweet-tasting treat. When I know that I'll need to bring a drink somewhere, I put water in a reusable bottle and if I run out, I'll fill it at the sink in the bathroom. With fundies' obsession with being frugal, I'm surprised they buy bottled water.

[MamaJunebug]

Interesting that the Maxwells sound a bit like my gateway family, the Servens. I mean, for Christmas breakfast they had yogurt and fresh fruit? No, no no no no no no no no Christmas breakfast is fun breakfast food! Waffles and sausages, maybe even a cheese blintz! And hot cocoa to acknolwedge the winter chill!! But then ... I need to lose about as many pounds as Mother Serven weighs, probably, so who's laughing at the end of the fitting-room session? Mother Serven. Not MamaJunebug. :shock:

[emmiedahl]

It could be a frugality thing too. Our meals are boring as heck. You can eat a healthy, adequate diet on very little money, but frills cost more. They seem very cheap when it comes to quality of life issues.

[TMS]

Hmm, I don't really think much of their menu. I think they're giving a basic skeleton, and not a lot of detail. The other night I made homemade chicken tortilla soup, which was loaded with chunks of chicken, tomatoes, onions, and black beans - and served tortillas on the side, along with grated cheese and avocado slices. It was a filling, hearty meal, and we had leftovers. But maybe if I was making a quick menu sample, I might say "soup and tortillas" without all the details. There are a lot of things to snark about on the Maxwells, but I just think some people are reading too much into their menu. They all look fit and healthy, not skinny, and maybe they're "pale" because they're Irish like me. I grew up with my friends telling me I need to get a tan; well guess what, I don't tan, I could spend the summer outside and I'd still be "pale" and freckly.

[Alcyone]

In the MOTH book (my copy is more than ten years old), there is a section on meal plans. At that time, Mom and Dad Maxwell had a date night every week. They would leave the older children in charge of dinner which, for convenience, was always frozen pizza and fries. The previous night they always had homemade pizza and then Sunday night, of course, was burrito night. She explains that this took care of three dinners a week and she only had to come up with the other four meals "for the sake of variety".

I am both a health food nut and easily bored with the same foods so the pizza two nights in a row thing would not work for me. I guess my kids and husband would have liked it, though!

Another funny thing from the chapter is that on the "master grocery list", the only breakfast food listed is Rice Krispies and next to it in parenthesis is Nathan's name. It makes it look like he was the only one who ate them. I wonder if the others had that good old standby ----cold pizza----for breakfast. ;)

[Deleted03]

Interesting that the Maxwells sound a bit like my gateway family, the Servens. I mean, for Christmas breakfast they had yogurt and fresh fruit? No, no no no no no no no no Christmas breakfast is fun breakfast food! Waffles and sausages, maybe even a cheese blintz! And hot cocoa to acknolwedge the winter chill!! But then ... I need to lose about as many pounds as Mother Serven weighs, probably, so who's laughing at the end of the fitting-room session? Mother Serven. Not MamaJunebug. :shock:

ugh mamajunebug, I usually eat a very light breakfast after having eaten for 6 hours straight on christmas eve! ;)

[TMS]

ugh mamajunebug, I usually eat a very light breakfast after having eaten for 6 hours straight on christmas eve! ;)

Haha, same here. We have a lot of food on Christmas Eve, and then Christmas mornings are crazy, with the kids opening gifts, and preparations being made for company and a big Christmas dinner. We always have Pillsbury cinnamon rolls and coffee (kids have milk) for breakfast.

[TMS]

In the MOTH book (my copy is more than ten years old), there is a section on meal plans. At that time, Mom and Dad Maxwell had a date night every week. They would leave the older children in charge of dinner which, for convenience, was always frozen pizza and fries. The previous night they always had homemade pizza and then Sunday night, of course, was burrito night. She explains that this took care of three dinners a week and she only had to come up with the other four meals "for the sake of variety".

I am both a health food nut and easily bored with the same foods so the pizza two nights in a row thing would not work for me. I guess my kids and husband would have liked it, though!

Another funny thing from the chapter is that on the "master grocery list", the only breakfast food listed is Rice Krispies and next to it in parenthesis is Nathan's name. It makes it look like he was the only one who ate them. I wonder if the others had that good old standby ----cold pizza----for breakfast. ;)

That is odd. We usually have pizza (take out) on Sundays but my husband loves my homemade pizza, and is always "begging" for it. Sundays are my days off, though, so if I make homemade pizza during the week, we will eat out on Sunday. I can't stand the thought of pizza two times in the same week, much less two nights in a row!