chickenpatty Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 With so many growing kids, I feel like I am always, ALWAYS, rationing everything! Everything is divided evenly and totally consumed. Actually, I think the only thing I don't ration out is popcorn and carrots. Milk is probably the worst. We now have a "you can only drink it at breakfast, unless you're having cereal...then you only get what's in your bowl" rule. I'm not sure what the point of this post is... other than to ask if anyone else ever feels this way. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 oh my.... Had this conversation this morning. Toward the end of the month, the groceries get limited. I'm saying things like "Eat it all, cause you're not getting anything else till lunchtime!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Mine always have to ask about milk---- Usually only for breakfast--mainly because I want them to drink more water, but my answer changes as the price of milk rises and falls. Yes I often feel like the food police. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Yes, and I hate it but.... I keep saying "That has to last until Friday." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I am THE GATEKEEPER! The boys are 12, nearly 14, and15.5...they have no full indicator in their gas tanks. They run, everyday - according to them :glare: - on "E" with the warning light. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Yes. My son tends to pick healthy things, like fruit, yogurt, cereal bars, etc. However, when he's on his third apple and second yogurt of the day, I have to remind him that he's gone through boatloads of both, that the dozen yogurts really were supposed to last us the rest of the week, and I'm not planning to hit the grocery store again quite yet. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 The kids around here are little and I'm already having to do that. Luckily, I only have to ration milk for a few months of the year when the cow is dry. Otherwise, all dairy products are allowed whenever you want. I even have to ration the berries that we pick during the summer otherwise there is no way I could pick enough of them to last us until next spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Yes, just recently in fact! I just told my DD6 she could have TWO olives, because I need the rest for a recipe. I let them each have ONE carrot last night, because I need the rest for a recipe. I reminded them both that the more they ate from the ONE box of sugary (all natural) cereal I bought yesterday, the quicker they have NO cereal. Just call me BummerMom. Money is definitely tighter than ever around here, and with my youngest trying to snack ALL DAY LONG, I had to crack down. Apples are unlimited here though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xixstar Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Yes, I do this here too and all the options are healthy options. But I work to make sure that each meal or snack is high fat and protein so that it will be more filling and so they don't eat all the fruit in one sitting. I also recognize that they often want to eat when they're bored at times too and want to avoid having food consumed just to be consumed. I know my kids get plenty to eat and meals are well portioned and they chow down and get their fill, but all those inbetween eatings are rationed out a bit more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 (edited) Oh, yes. In my defense, my 12yo will try to eat an entire chicken breast for lunch, when I want it to make dinner for 4 with! She also prefers my special yogurts-with-granola that are ONLY FOR WORK. And she can't eat the granola, she just wants the yogurt! Edited August 27, 2012 by dangermom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennifersLost Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 You have no idea how happy it makes me that I'm not the only one rationing milk. My daughter would never drink water if I didn't force her to. A gallon can easily go in 24 hours around here and it's $4.65 a gallon! I'm trying to institute an "only at mealtimes" rule, but she asks so often I forget.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I don't feel this way now, but I did for several years until a few years ago. Before my husband started working in his current position, our entire budget was so tight. We had all the usual bills, nothing racked up on credit, or anything like that, just not enough coming in to really cover it all. And because his former company only reimbursed his gas/tolls/parking/expenses quarterly, and because he was traveling long distances daily, that took a HUGE chunk out of our budget, just to keep him working. By the end of the quarter, it was down to "gas or milk." :tongue_smilie: We're not there now, thank God. But I still try to be frugal, especially with food. It seems like the one place in the scheme of household management where frugal thinking/practices make a difference in how much $$$ goes out each month. You know, I have a traveling husband, and this really helps. :D :lol: He is gone about 3 weeks out of every 4.3, so our food budget is lower now than it used to be when he came home. :D If you're stretching the food too much, tell hubby to get a travel job. LOL. (Just kidding). I do miss him. Really. :001_wub: But he's "not a soup kinda guy." :glare: And I can make that 10 lb. bag of Roman beans from Sam's Club, onions, carrots, celery, seasonings, water, and tomatoes from my dad's garden go a loooooooooooooong way. My children eat every bean (they just did today for lunch). He's "not into eating rabbit food." But I can grow or put together killer salads, with greens, chopped veggie toppings, seeds/nuts, and beans/eggs/protein of some sort. My girls will devour these salads. He's "a hunk of meat kind of guy." But I dice up the meat, freeze it in little ziplocs, and put the smallest amount in a stew, casserole, or stir-fry. My children eat every bit of these dishes. So.... in my world, feeding a husband is expensive. Worth the price, just expensive. :lol: I also make some freezer meals for my parents now, but that's because my dad had his stomach out (cancer) and feeding him is my mother's new full-time job. Preparing and serving good, nutritious food can be a way to bless people. I try to see it that way, and put the blessing in the pot with the bay leaf. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 You have no idea how happy it makes me that I'm not the only one rationing milk. My daughter would never drink water if I didn't force her to. A gallon can easily go in 24 hours around here and it's $4.65 a gallon! I'm trying to institute an "only at mealtimes" rule, but she asks so often I forget.... We live in central New Jersey, and pay $2.78 per gallon for 1% hormone-free, preservative-free milk. If I had to pay close to $5.00 per gallon and lived out far enough, I'd look into getting a goat or a cow. :001_huh: http://www.halofarm.com/halofarm_005.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Yes. :glare: And I can't decide if shopping at Costco helps me save money or if it just screams at the kids, "Look at ME! I am a HUGE container! Eat. Eat LOTS!" :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustybug Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Oh yes. I feel like this all the time. We are on a very tight grocery budget right now and there is no leeway. What we have is what we have until the next paycheck. I only allow my children one glass of milk and one glass of juice per day. The rest of the time they must drink water or on occasion I will make them raspberry tea. I limit them to 2 bowls of cereal as well and there are limited snacks between meals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissad2 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Yes! In fact I told dh that when our boys are teenagers one of us was going to have to get a second job to buy groceries! I'm always telling them not to eat all the yogurt because I'm not buying anymore til next week! They love cheese and will eat every last bite. I told them the other night after dinner that the kitchen was officially closed and not to ask me for another bite! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniBlondes Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Yes, I totally feel your pain. Except with milk. We're not huge milk drinkers here. I also have to be very vigilant about waste. Usually, I survive on what they discard so that nothing gets thrown away. It's like a full time job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenpatty Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Yeah, we shop and Sam's and the containers definitely don't seem all that big anymore. Hmm... restaurant wholesale next?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I have had to ration when things were tight. It has been easier around here thanks to a raise. Now, I always try to have some things I don't have to ration. We always have plenty of apples, cheese sticks, eggs, hummus, homemade bread, peanut butter and popcorn. If we run out of those things these days, I can afford to buy more. All of them are healthy and inexpensive enough that I can't really complain if the kids eat lots of it. That hasn't always been the case around here. If you are experiencing food insecurity food banks can really help. I am not ashamed to say that a few times I brought home some bread and peanut butter. It really, really helped to have just a little extra to make it through the week. That breathing space made a big difference. If you are skipping meals to make sure your kids have enough, or you are worried you don't have enough food to make it to the next shopping day, look into resources in your community. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 This thread is making me really sad. Are people really rationibg food? :( I coupon hardcore and we have a big supply of food. My kids eat day and night and are thin anyway (metabolism) i am so sorry!! This makes me want to put even more food in storage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 This thread is making me really sad. Are people really rationibg food? :( I coupon hardcore and we have a big supply of food. My kids eat day and night and are thin anyway (metabolism) i am so sorry!! This makes me want to put even more food in storage! I'm not rationing. It's just that the boys literally would eat non-stop. Since the middle boy has a metabolic issue and has to have very high fat/high calorie food as per the endocrinologist's recommendations, I have to cap it. Macademea nuts are one of the items on the list...just a few ounces is $8.00. If I let all three boys eat as much as they liked of those, I'd be in the poor house! Things like that...not everything is rationed, just some more expensive items that need to be preserved for middle ds. Plus, the other two boys do need to learn that they don't HAVE to eat 24-7. My post was mostly tongue-in-cheek concerning the voracious appetite of growing teenage boys. We are okay here. Now that said, we do have moms on this board that are really having to juggle money to keep an appropriate amount of food in the house. We do have families represented on this board that are having a very difficult time financially. That's why you are seeing so many posts about creative recipes, eating odd items out of the pantry, more from scratch high protein/low cost entres, stretching meats, using food pantries, etc. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsingscrapper Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 My dh has called me a "food nazi" to my face. His tune changes when things get tight and we actually have food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 This thread is making me really sad. Are people really rationibg food? :( I coupon hardcore and we have a big supply of food. My kids eat day and night and are thin anyway (metabolism) i am so sorry!! This makes me want to put even more food in storage! actually, yes. My kids can eat eggs and drink milk, all that they want since we have a cow and chickens, but other things (store bought food), I dole out and monitor. We are far from starving, but to keep a variety of food around (and not be down to ground beef (150 lbs in the freezer) eggs and milk) I HAVE to stay on top of my kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I try to get things with higher protein to reduce over-snacking a bit, filling muffins, hard boiled eggs, yogurts, hummus, cheese, nuts and peanut butter are things I offer. I do make popcorn but I don't buy chips, crackers and things like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I don't run an open kitchen. We serve 3 meals a day. If they need a small snack, they can have a piece of fruit or fresh veg. Milk is only available at meals. We don't keep many instant repacked snack items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I am THE GATEKEEPER! The boys are 12, nearly 14, and15.5...they have no full indicator in their gas tanks. They run, everyday - according to them :glare: - on "E" with the warning light. Faith :iagree: This. I always have to make sure they aren't just eating because they are bored, or like the taste.... I hate it, too. I wish I could overstock the pantry but that would blow my grocery bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenpatty Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Lol, I didn't mean to make you sad! Maybe my idea of rationing is less severe than yours. It's just that I can't afford to let them eat however much they want or there'd be none left. I can't afford to buy but so much! I'm not a couponer, but I make nearly everything from scratch & we try to avoid convenience or processed foods, but I can only let them eat but so much cheese/fruit/yogurt/nuts a day. They're not starving by any means - they're all strong & healthy kids. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I ration, but the kids are not really aware of it. The big hunk of meat that used to be the main dish is now soup or stir fry. After a meal if the kids are still hungry I will get out a big-ole-plate of raw vegetables. It weeds out the really hungry ones vs the ones just looking for more. :D As far as milk is concerned we go through less than a gallon a week. If we make cream soups (from scratch) or lots of muesli we might go through 1 1/2 gallons in a week. Most of the time it goes bad before we use it up. We always try to cook with it if it starts to turn so we don't waste it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 (edited) This thread is making me really sad. Are people really rationibg food? :( I coupon hardcore and we have a big supply of food. My kids eat day and night and are thin anyway (metabolism) i am so sorry!! This makes me want to put even more food in storage! I'm not rationing so much as I am trying to control overeating. My oldest is not that bad, but my youngest would eat all day if I let her. When they were little, I believed that if I didn't restrict them and kept healthy options in the house, they would self-regulate. That does not work at all for my youngest, and she's got the too-small clothing to show for it. I started dinner one hour ago, and she's been in here three times asking for snacks. When I tell her she can have a fruit or a vegetable, she leaves again. I have about 50 pounds to lose, and DH is working on 30-40. No one here is starving :lol: Really, I'm trying to go from a lifestyle where we pick and snack way too much (and then eat normal meals!) to one where we eat if we're actually hungry (not just bored) and make it healthy snacks. If you don't want the healthy snacks, then you're not truly hungry! And my kids would choose the $6 hummus and expensive olives that I bought for special treats in one day if I didn't ration them, and would leave the carrots and apples and celery until they were wilted and no longer appealing :glare: So yes, I do actually ration things like that. When it's in the house, I do ration milk and juice, because even though they're healthy, drinking just plain water is healthy too, and a good habit to develop. Edited August 27, 2012 by Sweet Morning Air Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Oh, yes. In my defense, my 12yo will try to eat an entire chicken breast for lunch, when I want it to make dinner for 4 with! She also prefers my special yogurts-with-granola that are ONLY FOR WORK. And she can't eat the granola, she just wants the yogurt! I'm not rationing so much as I am trying to control overeating. My oldest is not that bad, but my youngest would eat all day if I let her. When they were little, I believed that if I didn't restrict them and kept healthy options in the house, they would self-regulate. That does not work at all for my youngest, and she's got the too-small clothing to show for it. I started dinner one hour ago, and she's been in here three times asking for snacks. When I tell her she can have a fruit or a vegetable, she leaves again. I have about 50 pounds to lose, and DH is working on 30-40. No one here is starving :lol: Really, I'm trying to go from a lifestyle where we pick and snack way too much (and then eat normal meals!) to one where we eat if we're actually hungry (not just bored) and make it healthy snacks. If you don't want the healthy snacks, then you're not truly hungry! And my kids would choose the $6 hummus and expensive olives that I bought for special treats in one day if I didn't ration them, and would leave the carrots and apples and celery until they were wilted and no longer appealing :glare: So yes, I do actually ration things like that. When it's in the house, I do ration milk and juice, because even though they're healthy, drinking just plain water is healthy too, and a good habit to develop. I get so annoyed when the kids are "starving" but not quite hungry enough to eat an apple. Grrrr. I think that learning to make hummus and yogurt is a big budget stretcher. They're cheap to make and I believe you can snack on one or the other ALL the time. My family disagrees. :glare: Last night I had to to go to Giant instead of Food Lion. Holy Moly did that make a big fat speedy difference! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I think that learning to make hummus and yogurt is a big budget stretcher. I'm working up the nerve :lol: I'm soaking my first chickpeas ever today! I'm going to roast them with parm cheese though. I have to find tahini before I can make hummus (or else find the blade attachment to my Magic Bullet so I can make my own). And I'm juuuuust about ready to make yogurt--I've heard it can be really tart, though, and I have to research how to mitigate that a bit, or no one will eat it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I'm not rationing. It's just that the boys literally would eat non-stop. Since the middle boy has a metabolic issue and has to have very high fat/high calorie food as per the endocrinologist's recommendations, I have to cap it. Macademea nuts are one of the items on the list...just a few ounces is $8.00. If I let all three boys eat as much as they liked of those, I'd be in the poor house! Things like that...not everything is rationed, just some more expensive items that need to be preserved for middle ds. Plus, the other two boys do need to learn that they don't HAVE to eat 24-7. My post was mostly tongue-in-cheek concerning the voracious appetite of growing teenage boys. We are okay here. Now that said, we do have moms on this board that are really having to juggle money to keep an appropriate amount of food in the house. We do have families represented on this board that are having a very difficult time financially. That's why you are seeing so many posts about creative recipes, eating odd items out of the pantry, more from scratch high protein/low cost entres, stretching meats, using food pantries, etc. Faith I hope no one thinks I'm judging. I am just hoping most people in this country aren't having to cut food to get by. :( We shouldn't give aid anywhere else until we take care of our own! Prayets to anyone on this board struggling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Yup. We say all those things too in addition to, "When it's gone, it's gone until payday." Pay day isn't on the 15th or 30th any more either. It happens when it happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I'm working up the nerve :lol: I'm soaking my first chickpeas ever today! I'm going to roast them with parm cheese though. I have to find tahini before I can make hummus (or else find the blade attachment to my Magic Bullet so I can make my own). And I'm juuuuust about ready to make yogurt--I've heard it can be really tart, though, and I have to research how to mitigate that a bit, or no one will eat it. You can roast them? I had no idea. I used to just use my pressure cooker, but it died :-( Hummus is brain dead easy, but yogurt not so much. What the heck is Giant and Food Lion? :lol: I've never had yogurt fail. I make it with powdered milk and heat it to X degrees to kill the cooties, then cool it to Y degrees to add the yogurt without killing it. (I'm impatient, so I plunge my pot in a sink of cold water so it cools in two minutes.) I then pour my concoction into old yogurt tubs and stick it in a cooler surrounded by jars of hot water. I come back in 8 hours and it's done. Generally I make it at bedtime and check it in the morning. It takes 15 minutes! I think it's easier and less messy than hummus. (It looks like a bomb went off when I make hummus.) You're in NY, so maybe comparing Wegman's to Shoprite would make more sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 (edited) Yes I get tired of being the food police :glare: I don't ration my kids food -they all eat like birds and I'm always trying to get them to eat more instead of less. DH is an overeater though - I buy enough groceries for the week and they can be gone in a day or two. A whole box of crackers,two litres of juice, three bags of popcorn, an entire block of cheese - all eaten in one sitting for a SNACK. :001_huh: I know it sounds terrible but I've taken to hiding things for my kids or they don't get any at all :glare: I'm really, really tired of knowing I just boought a tub of ice cream yesterday and then offerring dessert to the kids only to find DH ate the whole tub overnight. He has taken a job where he is away a lot now - our food bill has dropped incredibly lower. Edited August 28, 2012 by sewingmama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Not rationing but policing what they eat. They are welcome to all the fruit and veggies they desire as well as yogurt, hummus, black bean dip, etc. They are not welcome to eat crackers every waking moment of the day or snack on granola bars or other "quick" snacks when we are home (those are specifically for grabbing on the way to outside activities or taking when we will be gone all day because I don't think they are particularly healthy). I shop on sundays with a trip to the farmers market mid week for more fruits/veggies/meat. Invariably by wednesday there is "nothing to eat" in the house because they have blown through the cheezits, goldfish and pretzels. (apples, carrots, yogurt and hummus are invisible when you are 7 and looking for a snack) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Even setting aside money concerns, if you have five or six teenagers who like to eat... is there really ever going to be a reasonable amount of boxed cereal, tortilla chips, granola bars - or whatever they consider the desirable kinds of food? There can be a kind of competitiveness that sets in and kids will scarf down the most highly valued stuff because they know it isn't going to last three days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in SJ Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I am the food police. I have accepted it. I begin every meal by saying: "Look around you. This is enough food for all of us. Do not attempt to take half the rice (or taco meat, or chicken, or cheese, or whatever) before anyone else has had a serving." I have one son who is terrible at this and taco nights are the worst. He wants to skip the filler parts of the meal, like beans and rice, and fill his tortilla with the expensive extras. Makes me crazy. Amber in SJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsingscrapper Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I should mention, if the idea will help anyone, that I tend to plate up "firsts" according to what I know everyone will eat then "seconds" can be a free-for-all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I grew up in a house with every bit of food planned out for a meal or recipe before the groceries were even unloaded. A sandwich got one slice of cheese, no seconds on milk, that sort of thing. I hated it, so I try hard not to have it that way for my kids. I do have limits set for health reasons -- one glass of juice per day, I'll limit cookies, etc., but we are lucky that "running out" of something means until I get to the store, not until payday. We do have several things that we always have on hand -- homemade yogurt, homemade granola, fresh and dried fruit, tortilla chips, pretzels, popcorn, cheese, veggies, pb....... but if they gobble up their favorites they will have to switch snack foods until I shop again. :grouphug: to those facing hard choices here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Yes. My kids don't have an off switch. I feel mean for making my half-grown kids ask for food...but I would be bankrupt otherwise! I mean does a family of 5 REALLY need to go through 6 gallons of milk in a week?! I don't think so! (Especially when only 4 people are really drinking most of it) I have to hide cheese...seriously. If I don't the 3lb bag I got to last a week is gone by Tuesday. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I am the food police. I have accepted it. I begin every meal by saying: "Look around you. This is enough food for all of us. Do not attempt to take half the rice (or taco meat, or chicken, or cheese, or whatever) before anyone else has had a serving." I have one son who is terrible at this and taco nights are the worst. He wants to skip the filler parts of the meal, like beans and rice, and fill his tortilla with the expensive extras. Makes me crazy. Amber in SJ And so much of being the food police really is wrapped up in this! It's not so much always about keeping a grocery bill low as it is teaching them how to be healthy eaters and how to make healthy choices. No, when you feel a little rumbly in the tummy, you do not need to always hit an expensive snack when carrot sticks or an apple are waiting for you. You do not need MOUNDS of cheese in your taco when perfectly lovely pintos are waiting to provide you with protein, iron, etc. That's where I am a lot with the boys. Forcing better food choices, :D. I'm also trying to prepare them for adulthood. The reality is that the middle boy has to absolutely, positively eat a high fat, high calorie (3500 calories per day without exercise, with an exercise plan, more than that) because he is so far under healthy weight that it's scary and his cholesterol is almost too low...as in his blood vessels wouldn't be able to repair themselves. :001_huh: So, he has to eat differently from everyone else. His brothers can learn the lesson that while their brother may need to eat $8.00 a week in macademea nuts, $16.00 a week in bay scallops and salmon, have an 8 oz. steak, drink mega amounts of whole fat milk, etc. they do not and should not do this. They are both thin for certain, but healthy range and therefore could end up with long term issues if this is the eating habit they adopt. Their brother will likely ALWAYS have to eat like this -it's hereditary though I didn't get it - maternal aunt and my two cousins have it and one of my cousins nearly died from it! So, there is training involved here. I end up being the gatekeeper because they really do have voracious appetites - I've been known to say that if I don't get dinner on the table soon they'll be cannibalizing one another :lol: - but, they also need to learn to make good choices and how to make those choices on a budget. It's not as though their first jobs out of college are likely to pay them enough to eat steak and shrimp every night of the week! Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 And so much of being the food police really is wrapped up in this! It's not so much always about keeping a grocery bill low as it is teaching them how to be healthy eaters and how to make healthy choices. No, when you feel a little rumbly in the tummy, you do not need to always hit an expensive snack when carrot sticks or an apple are waiting for you. You do not need MOUNDS of cheese in your taco when perfectly lovely pintos are waiting to provide you with protein, iron, etc. That's where I am a lot with the boys. Forcing better food choices, :D. Exactly. Yes, a taco full of salsa, sour cream, and cheese is delicious! But a taco full of beans, meat, salsa, sour cream, and cheese is really good too! It's OK to not have "deeeeelicious!" in every bite that goes into your mouth. "That tastes pretty good" is also perfectly acceptable :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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