S/O feed your family thread-serving sizes

[Quiver0f10]

In reading the thread about feeding your family for $10 it became obvious to me that my family eats more than the average :blushing:. So I am curious how close to serving size portions your family eats? Do you plan ahead that each person will get only X amount? Do you do snacks in between meals?

[hsmom]

I do not do serving size. I figure I have growing boys and a girl. If they want to eat the whole apple or orange than so be it. Or if they want a second glass of milk then more power to them. Now the only thing I limit the size on is sweets, other than that the kitchen is always open.

 

Now my kids are not even close to over weight, or anything. They are all bean poles. Unlike me who has to stay out of the kitchen and not even watch them eat or I will gain their weight and mine.

[Osmosis Mom]

I absolutely do not plan serving sizes (well, except for yesterday when we had crepes and we concluded we needed to quadruple the batch). I hate that thought. I'll add bread or scoop on the rice (our main staple). It is obvious to our kids that one person can't eat all the meat balls and they totally self-regulate, but in general then they are not huge meat-eaters to begin with.

 

I think it is important that they don't feel the need to be greedy or that they are not getting enough. However, in general then I also do not save food if someone is not there. They know that we'll get more at some point.

 

BTW then we are eating more frugally now due to having to, but the kids are really eating well. I think we have changed our eating habits a bit to eating more beans fx. and they have accepted that fact.

[Jennifer in MI]

The only things I limit are the expensive things. So, when we have meat, I serve the kids. But, I also make sure we have lots of side dishes so they can fill up. I never limit those. I also never limit snacks - as long as they're healthy (well, unless we're about an hour from mealtime!). But, our snacks aren't easy - the kids have to work for them - no chips or crackers here. So, I don't think they're snacking out of boredom.

[2squared]

I used to count serving sizes when my kids were smaller (yes, I know they are still small). Now the older three eat a lot, so I gave up. I try to cook enough to fill them up so they don't snack as much. My 6yo is eating like crazy. He goes through at least 5 apples a day, so I know he needs more protein.

 

I cook 2lbs of ground beef when we have tacos, and we never have leftovers. Same with most other meals. My kids are very active and healthy. I want to fill them up.

[ereks mom]

In reading the thread about feeding your family for $10 it became obvious to me that my family eats more than the average :blushing:. So I am curious how close to serving size portions your family eats? Do you plan ahead that each person will get only X amount? Do you do snacks in between meals?

 

For us, a portion of meat is one piece of chicken, one hamburger patty, one pork chop, etc. and I cook one portion per person per meal, although I do sometimes cook one extra so dh can take the leftovers to work with him the next day for his lunch. When I am making something from a mix (instant potatoes, cornbread, oatmeal, grits, etc.), I follow the directions on the package and make enough for 4 servings--one serving each for the four of us. If I'm going to make extra of something so everyone can have seconds, it's usually vegetables or bread (biscuits, cornbread, muffins, etc.)

 

ETA: When I cook some of those ENORMOUS chicken breasts I buy at Kroger, I usually cook only 2 of them to feed all 4 of us. Even then, there are sometimes leftovers.

Edited May 15, 2010 by ereks mom

[angela in ohio]

We have three meals a day. No snacks unless we are out somewhere and get treats, but then we are very liberal about those (fair food, stopping for ice cream, cake and goodies at parties, etc.) We also order pizza or go out to eat with friends or family a few times a month.

 

I dish up everyone's plate from the stove for dinner, so they get a set amount. There is usually a bit left over for whichever dc is having a hungry day. For lunch and breakfast, dc get their own, but they know what serving size they are expected to have. We have a drawer full of measuring cups, and we use those as serving utensils a lot, which makes it easy to put 1 c of veggies on the plate.

 

Our dinner for 3 kiddos and 2 adults: 1.5-2 lbs of meat (chicken, fish, or lean ground beef,) 1/2 c rice/potato/pasta/corn for ds and I and 1 c for dds and dh, and 2-3 c of veggies (usually 2 kinds, sometimes 3) total per person.

 

For lunch, dh doesn't get to eat (he does have a snack when he gets home from work and in the evening,) I eat a sandwich or salad with 1 c raw veggies and 1 piece of fruit, and dc eat a sandwich or soup/crackers with the same.

 

For breakfast, we all have a bowl of bran flakes with milk or yogurt and a serving or two of fruit, or we have eggs and oatmeal with fruit.

 

Dc get one glass of milk a day and drink water the rest of the time.

 

Our diet is very plain and boring, but it helps me keep track of how much fruit/veg/protein everyone gets.

Edited May 15, 2010 by angela in ohio

[mbeaser]

It depends on what you are talking about. If we're having pork chops, then, yeah. I make one for each of us, but they can have seconds on mashed potatoes or the other veggie if they eat all of their regular servings. And, if we are having something that's going to take a while to cook (like hash browns) and they want something to eat after they've finished the rest of their food, then they can have peanut butter on wheat bread or something. Some things we don't get frequently or in large quantities, like canned fruit. They can only have their serving of that (unless someone else doesn't want theirs), but they can have something else to eat if they are still hungry after their fruit is gone.

 

My kids do snack, usually twice a day (at bedtime and then either a mid morning snack with a later lunch, or an earlier lunch and an afternoon snack, although I don't generally let them snack after 3pm or they won't be hungry for dinner). They can generally have bananas or apples whenever they want (except 3pm-dinner time) unless they've already had 2 bananas that days, or if they didn't finish their last piece of fruit (3yo is especially bad about this) and that is mostly because we've got a finite quantity and I only shop once a week.

[LisaKinVA]

I usually know how much will feed my children and dh and I right now... although that is going to start to change soon.

 

We have 3 meals and 2 snacks. Snacks are usually apple w/ peanut butter, cheese stick and crackers, or other fruit/veggie/protein combination.

 

I dish up a portion for each (based on if I know they LIKE it, will tolerate it, really can't stand it...or have never eaten it). My kids will eat bread in place of something they don't like, or have never tried. In those cases...bread is their reward for eating their portion. But, they also don't get 2nds of bread. If they are still hungry and don't want the main meal, we have raw veggies they can eat.

 

We have eliminated juice from our house (except for special occasions, and for the baby, because she is anemic and the juice helps iron absorption). Chocolate milk is gone too (has really reduced milk consumption around here), so the children can have water or plain milk to drink.

 

Our family of 7 usually eats for roughly $12 a day. Some days it's a bit less, but that is because I buy and cook in bulk, and we've added more beans to our diet. Once the veggies start coming in, it will lower our daily budget by around $2 a day.

[twilkin]

I got a giggle reading all the serving amounts. I have 6 kids at home plus dh and even if I doubled the amounts there would be a huge brawl over the food. When I cook it's for an army. 10 lbs of chicken at a time or a 5-6 lb meatloaf. 5lbs of potatoes at a time. I also do not ration anything except milk and sweets. If I didn't ration the milk we'd go through 4 gallons a day. My 13dd can put away 3 chicken leg quarters on her own and she's as thin as a rail. They get their fill of meat and I require they eat at least a small portion of veggies. We eat country style around here. Fried foods, garden veggies, and lots of meat. My kids are all healthy and happy and not the least bit overweight. Breakfast is just cereal and milk, a light lunch, snack, and always a big sit down dinner to end the day. Of course if they are hungry anywhere in between we stock cheese sticks, yogurt, and fresh fruit they are free to grab at anytime.

[Julie in CA]

I cook 2lbs of ground beef when we have tacos, and we never have leftovers.

It's funny that you should say that...I was trying to compare how much food I make for my family in comparison to some of my friends, and that's the exact question I asked them: "How much meat do you use when you make tacos?" :D

 

Just for informational purposes, I myself use 3 lbs. of ground beef when I make tacos, and I add a can or two of chili beans to the meat as it's cooking. We usually have a bit left over to make dad a big burrito for lunch the next day. :)

[Julie in CA]

My sister-in-law will cook 4 pieces of chicken, 4 potatoes, and open one can of corn. For her family of 7. :confused: I could never figure out how they could get by on so little, until I noticed her husband and children raiding the fridge at the in-laws house several times a day(they live on the same piece of property). :001_huh:

[joannqn]

I've found that we've cut back on portions since switching to mostly organic produce and local grass fed meat that's free of hormones and antibiotics. I also make almost everything from scratch. The only thing not from scratch, really, is the staples (ie. I don't make my own peanut butter or jelly). I think there's more nutrients so you don't need as much. We're also learning to takes smaller bites and eat more slowly so we can tell we've had enough before we overeat. The change in eating behavior (as described in The French Don't Diet Plan) cut my portions in half.

 

For example, dinner last night was a garden salad (romaine lettuce, tomato, carrots with balsamic vinaigrette), broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, and fresh wild-caught cod. We only used a pound of fish, 3 medium potatoes, half a head of broccoli, half a head of cauliflower, and about 3 cups of salad for the five of us. The baby ate some baby food carrots, chunky baby food oatmeal, and about two tiny bites of each of my cauliflower, broccoli, potato, and cod. For dessert, we each had three fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies.

[joannqn]

It's funny that you should say that...I was trying to compare how much food I make for my family in comparison to some of my friends, and that's the exact question I asked them: "How much meat do you use when you make tacos?" :D

 

I use 2 pounds of meat for burritos (we rarely do tacos), but we also have homemade refried beans, lettuce, tomato, salsa, and homemade guacamole as fillings. We have enough leftovers for everyone to have burritos again for lunch the next day.

Edited May 15, 2010 by joannqn

[Quiver0f10]

Well the replies are encouraging. There is no way my kids would be satisfied with 4 oz meat or beans and a half cup or rice or potatoes for lunch or dinner. We do eat a lot of veggies and have a salad with just about every meal but they would be snacking all day on those smaller portions.

[JenC3]

So far I'm lucky too my kids are not big eaters. Certain things they will eat lots of, but generally they are not. I was a light eater as a kid until puberty so I'm sure it will pick up.

[Laura Corin]

I don't measure out portion sizes, as such, but I serve onto plates with a rough layout of 1/4 each of starch, protein, veg and fruit (often the fruit is in a separate bowl, but it would fit onto a quarter of the plate). There are never second helpings of protein - only veg usually, sometimes starch. So the protein might be one pork chop, one chicken leg or one scoop of beans. Our evening meals are, in a week, usually red meat once, chicken twice, fish twice and vegetarian (not cheese) twice. I have cholesterol problems, so I only eat the fish and I double up the veg to make up for it on other nights.

 

The adults snack on fruit/nuts, mostly; the children need a lot of energy at the moment (Calvin has grown five inches in the last year) so they are eating big bowls of muesli or making toast. I find that whole grains are key in making them feel full.

 

ETA: I don't make tacos, but would use about one pound of meat for spaghetti sauce for three people, and there would be leftovers for lunch for two.

 

Laura

Edited May 15, 2010 by Laura Corin

[Carrie12345]

My kids' appetites vary from day to day. To be fair, so does mine. And our portion sizes also vary depending on what's being served.

 

Since switching to whole wheat pasta, I can usually get away with one box. White pasta is 2 boxes. When we have sausage, we could easily demolish 3lbs, since everyone in the house LOVES sausage. If we're having roasted chicken, a 5lb whole bird will yield leftovers for another dinner AND a lunch (plus soup, if I convince myself to make it), but we'll kill 2lbs in one night if I'm making naughty fried chicken breasts! They eat large portions of potatoes, small portions of rice. 2lbs of green beans vs. 1lb of broccoli. Multiple ears of corn, small servings of kernels.

 

My kids are pretty good about wrapping their plates to save their leftovers for another meal if they've taken too much. If they're still hungry, we have plenty of frozen vegetables on hand for a quick fix, and usually plenty of fresh fruit (though it goes quick around here).

 

They snack often, but it's usually fruit or toast with peanut butter. Sometimes oatmeal, and I have one dd who will snack on salad greens. This summer, the girls (and probably ds#2) will be raiding my garden throughout the day and munching on wild blueberries.

 

The only thing I REALLY hate and try to limit is milk. I don't feel milk is even necessary (though I love cooking with it), so it kills me when they manage to go through a gallon in a single day. It's almost enough to make me want to lock the fridge!

[Mynyel]

I got a giggle reading all the serving amounts. I have 6 kids at home plus dh and even if I doubled the amounts there would be a huge brawl over the food. When I cook it's for an army. 10 lbs of chicken at a time or a 5-6 lb meatloaf. 5lbs of potatoes at a time. I also do not ration anything except milk and sweets. If I didn't ration the milk we'd go through 4 gallons a day. My 13dd can put away 3 chicken leg quarters on her own and she's as thin as a rail. They get their fill of meat and I require they eat at least a small portion of veggies. We eat country style around here. Fried foods, garden veggies, and lots of meat. My kids are all healthy and happy and not the least bit overweight. Breakfast is just cereal and milk, a light lunch, snack, and always a big sit down dinner to end the day. Of course if they are hungry anywhere in between we stock cheese sticks, yogurt, and fresh fruit they are free to grab at anytime.

 

 

Well the replies are encouraging. There is no way my kids would be satisfied with 4 oz meat or beans and a half cup or rice or potatoes for lunch or dinner. We do eat a lot of veggies and have a salad with just about every meal but they would be snacking all day on those smaller portions.

 

We don't fry food (well maybe once a month, can't handle the grease...stomach rebels) but I can't and won't control portion size. My children have learned to take less than they think they can eat and if they want more the have a small second helping. However I don't know when they are going through a growth spurt or in the case of us girls when our cycle will be starting and we tend to eat a bit more.

 

I do need to fix more veggies and we are more fruit eaters than veggies. We always have banana's, apples, grapes, blueberries, strawberries etc... in the house always.

 

However we aren't big meat eaters either (you'd never know my lookin at me :)). For instance I used 1.5 pounds of chicken to make enchiladas the other night. Half of it we froze in individual bags to have for lunch and such. The other half we ate over two meals. So the 1.5 lasts for 4 meals.

 

We aren't bean eaters, I have tried and the kids just don't like them. We eat meat but it stretched because we just don't eat a lot of it. We eat a lot of salad, sandwiches, yogurt, fruit and such. My kids kinda graze all day.

 

Anyway more than anyone probably wanted but here it is!

[Daisy]

The serving sizes I put down for that $10 menu are what our family would eat. Not what I would force them to eat, but what they would actually eat.

 

With bread and meat, I dole out portions & usually cook 6. (Usually making one 3 oz piece for the kids, 1 for me, 2 pieces for hubby, and an extra one for hubby's lunch the nxt day.)

 

With veggies and anything that grows in my yard, the kids can free graze.

 

We don't like milk. I buy 2-3 gallons of milk a MONTH.

 

Can't remember what the other talk was about. Oh yeah, fruit. Well, in CA the fruit is HUGE so yes, typically my children are sharing a cut-up apple or orange, otherwise, it goes to waste.

[Irene Lynn]

When I was first married, I was shocked at my dh's appetite. I was used to a family of 4, two parents, who were not short, but did have small frames, and two girls. We did not have big appetites. My mother was very careful with the budget and we did not have snacks. The meals that were mentioned would have worked in our family, if the extra 2 people ate like us. Once I married, I kept trying to fix meals the same size as my family would have eaten with the idea that I would have leftovers for the next days. It never worked. I would eat one portion and he would eat the other three. He WAS much taller and bigger boned than my father and he worked at UPS as a loader. He ate a LOT! Different people need different amounts and some families have a more little ones than teenagers. There is no way those meals could fill up two or three teenaged growing boys.

[2squared]

Activity level has a lot to do with appetite. My kids are young, but they are active. They spend at least 4 hours/day outside running around our 5 acres. I'm sure they would eat less if we lived in town and they didn't have as much freedom to move their bodies.

[kewb]

Certain things I plan ahead and limit the amounts, such as shrimp. My kids love shrimp and like their mother could eat it by the barrel full. I am always amazed at people who can get 3 meals out of a roast chicken. I get dinner and bones for making stock the next day. Maybe, there is a thigh or a wing left over but that is a rare occurance.

 

As for snacks, mine will snack on fruit or yogurt or cut up veggies through out the day.

[Renee in NC]

I use 2 pounds of meat for burritos (we rarely do tacos), but we also have homemade refried beans, lettuce, tomato, salsa, and homemade guacamole as fillings. We have enough leftovers for everyone to have burritos again for lunch the next day.

 

We use 2 pounds of meat, 1-2 cans (or the equivalent dried) chickpeas, and 1-2 cans of corn for tacos. We usually have some left overs, but how much depends on whether we use 1 or 2 cans of the add-ins.

[RoughCollie]

I put regular serving sizes on each plate. I make sure DH and the boys get 6 oz. of meat/protein at dinner. If the boys want more, they may have seconds or thirds (they always choose meat) after they eat their vegetables.

 

At dinner, I put three 1/2-cup servings of cooked veggies on each plate. If a salad is served, I serve two 1/2-cup servings of veggies.

 

I serve a cup of a carbohydrate-laden food: brown rice, potatoes, whole grain pasta.

 

I frequently serve fruit with dinner, too. Everyone in this family drinks milk with meals.

 

The boys may have seconds and thirds of everything. I am watching DH's diet for him, so he is stuck with seconds only of veggies. I think that the whole time DH is eating dinner he is daydreaming about a few banana popsicles afterward.

 

The boys snack between meals. Actually, they eat meals between meals. DD, in contrast, will have yogurt, a fruit smoothie, or a salad for a snack.

 

DD and I are the perfect ones in this family. :D We eat healthily on purpose. I measure food servings because that's the minimum I want the guys to eat. If my boys and DH had it their way, they would eat no veggies and fruits, and subsist on junk food and steak.

 

To feed my family on $10 a day is not even remotely possible. The guys would find the meals posted here unappetizing. If I didn't cook, the guys would be just as happy to live on frozen pizza, fast food, Stouffer's frozen meals, bags of chips, assorted candy, and soda. They would all troop to Outback (if they can find one here) for their 16 oz. steak fix about once a week.

 

RC

[Daisy]

If I was making tacos, I wouldn't use ground beef. Hmmm, but I usually use about a pound of grilled mahi-mahi for the four of us.

 

We'd each eat two tacos (fish, cabbage, sour cream, salsa, cilantro, corn tortillas), fresh mango or pineapple, and a big salad.

 

I do think activity level plays a large part. If we lived on a farm or hubby had a highly physical job, our serving sizes might look different. My kids are plenty active roller blading, climbing trees, riding bikes, but probably nothing like they would be if they lived in the country. My children are also still young. I imagine when my son hits his growth spurt things will change.

 

They did eat an entire plate full of veggies today. I counted what they ate for snack. It was 2 large carrots, 5 radishes, 20 pea pods, and 2 broccoli stalks (no florets).

[RoughCollie]

P.S. Jean, we do not serve thread here. :D

[Daisy]

P.S. Jean, we do not serve thread here. :D

 

:lol::lol:

[myfunnybunch]

No plan. :) My kids just eat small servings.

 

For example, I started giving them half an orange, or splitting a piece of string cheese between them because there was always food left on their plates. If they want more, they can help themselves. If I want them to actually eat a whole orange, I have to slice one for each boy and leave orange slices out on the table for the day. They're usually gone by dinnertime.

 

I have two who won't eat meat. A bite or two of chicken or pork, maybe, and no red meat. That makes a difference in our meal servings.

 

They can snack if they want to, but it's sporadic.

 

Dh eats a lot, but not as much as he used to, and I decided several months ago to limit my portion sizes, so even the adults in our family don't eat huge portions.

 

I agree about activity level. It's been rainy and chilly here until this last week, and we are all eating a little more now that we're all outside.

 

Our Japanese exchange student said that portion sizes here are very large compared to Japan. :)

 

Cat

[joannqn]

Activity level has a lot to do with appetite. My kids are young, but they are active. They spend at least 4 hours/day outside running around our 5 acres. I'm sure they would eat less if we lived in town and they didn't have as much freedom to move their bodies.

 

My DS8 can eat as much as the adults in our home (or more) if it is something he likes.

[TravelingChris]

Well in the 10/meal I had to tweak it several times since a) I do not have 6, I have 5. I made it low carb which we don't do too. I don't limit food, per se, but do limit food I serve. So for dinner, I know we serve less meat than many others. I make one chicken for all of us five. I add something like rice or noodles or mashed potatoes and vegetable. If we are having pork chops, we have one fairly small one each or if they are thick kind, we have less than one each. For steaks, if they are larger ones like round steak, it is one or two for the family or if they are little filets, one each or sometimes one of us shares.

[abbeyej]

I don't restrict portions (though sometimes there is what there is, and when it's gone it's gone), but I guess my family just doesn't eat that much. *I* eat more than anybody else in my family. The kids are very active, but they're skinny and not very tall (dd particularly). I would only cook a pound or so of meat for the four of us. If I cooked more than that, I would have planned for leftovers to serve at another meal. But I only cook meat once, perhaps twice a week. The rest of the time we eat vegetables, beans, some whole grains, and lots of fruit. We do eat tons and tons of veggies. ;) ... But eggs, say, I only ever make one per person. It's not that I'm trying to limit us, that's just how much one of us can eat. If I'm scrambling all the eggs together, I might only make three for the four of us. (We'd eat them with some whole grain, like whole wheat English muffins or homemade bread and fruit as well...)

 

The funny thing is, dh usually gives me a hard time for making more food than is necessary! :)

[Lolly]

In reading the thread about feeding your family for $10 it became obvious to me that my family eats more than the average :blushing:. So I am curious how close to serving size portions your family eats? Do you plan ahead that each person will get only X amount? Do you do snacks in between meals?

 

We would starve. They would be raiding the fridge within an hour. And, we rarely have leftovers.

[LarlaB]

I think we have small portions, but we do have snacks in between meals so that certainly offsets things. But part of it is that we are watching our money, and so I make sure there is no waste from a meal.

 

For instance, we just had 4 hamburgers for dinner 1lb of organic ground beef w/ mushroom, blue cheese, garlic topping (no buns) , a small organic salad w/ strawberries, 1/2lb sweet potato fries & 1/2lb grilled asparagus and had decaf iced tea to drink. DD & DS split a 1/4lb burger and then both wanted more. So yeah- they ate as much protein as DH & I did- LOL. Everyone left the table stuffed. :001_smile:

[littlebug42]

The menus I came up with were not typical here but they would be if I had to worry about feeding our family on $10 a day. I would then be forced to make sure everyone got what they needed although I probably still wouldn't limit my children but would limit myself. The only things here that I try to control portions of is milk and orange juice because they would drink it all in a day if I would let them.

[Quiver0f10]

P.S. Jean, we do not serve thread here. :D

:lol:

[2squared]

If I'm scrambling all the eggs together, I might only make three for the four of us. (We'd eat them with some whole grain, like whole wheat English muffins or homemade bread and fruit as well...)

 

When we eat eggs, I make a whole dozen for the six of us. I serve them with toast (topped with butter, honey, cinnamon sugar, or homemade jelly) and milk. We eat fruit for snacks, so I don't serve it with meals. Our families eat almost the same amount. :lol:

[Karen in CO]

In reading the thread about feeding your family for $10 it became obvious to me that my family eats more than the average :blushing:. So I am curious how close to serving size portions your family eats? Do you plan ahead that each person will get only X amount? Do you do snacks in between meals?

 

My ds is home again my grocery bill shows it. Lets talk portion sizes - breakfast - I eat 1 egg + 2 egg whites + a cup of something green + some onions and garlic and salsa all cooked in olive oil. My ds eats 6 eggs, a cup of oatmeal with fruit and almonds in it (measured uncooked), an avocado and a banana. My dd9 won't eat eggs but she eats a half a cup of oatmeal (measured uncooked) with an apple in it. The youngest will eat the oatmeal plus an egg and 7 frozen mini-pancakes and a handful of berries or a half of an apple sliced. Hubby eats a cup of oatmeal with almonds, 2 eggs, and a banana.

 

This is our typical breakfast - we raise our our eggs and the oatmeal is pretty cheap, but an avocado, apple, two bananas and green vegetables every morning..... I guess we could be under $10 for breakfast.

 

For the taco comparison - I use 1 pound when ds isn't home and 2 when he is - I add two cans of beans per pound of meat. Somedays we have leftovers for my lunch and somedays we don't, but I aim for leftovers.

 

I don't generally count serving sizes except when I am shopping to estimate how much to buy. I only restrict sweets.

[Peela]

We are really loose around food here. We eat whenever and pretty much whatever we like, within reason. We dont eat much meat (dh is vegetarian, the kids and I eat meat about 2, sometimes 3 times a week) and I dont take any notice of serving sizes- but then, I dont usually cook food from packets either.

Our food bill is pretty high, though, but that is partly because I have taken to eating (and serving ) much, much more vegetables, and we always have lots of fruit, and I am trying to do as much as possible organic. I think our food bill is about 2/3 or more, fruit and vegetables- which is a good thing, however, not cheap.

[cjzimmer1]

It's funny that you should say that...I was trying to compare how much food I make for my family in comparison to some of my friends, and that's the exact question I asked them: "How much meat do you use when you make tacos?" :D

 

Just for informational purposes, I myself use 3 lbs. of ground beef when I make tacos, and I add a can or two of chili beans to the meat as it's cooking. We usually have a bit left over to make dad a big burrito for lunch the next day. :)

 

Your kids are older than mine so I would expect you to need more food than we do, but for comparisons Here's what we did/do. We used to use 2 pounds of hamburger and have only a little bit of meat left over. Now I use 2 pounds of meat, about the equivalent of 1/2 pound of dried beans cooked and probably 3-4 cups cooked brown rice. We will easily get 2-3 meals out of the concoction. Since several of mine are not that fond of beans, I simply mix all three together as our filling - it prevents them from going heavy on the ingredient they like (meat) and "forgetting" the stuff they don't like as much. I will sometimes also mix a pound of cooked frozen (we don't eat canned) corn in with it.