How far does a pound of meat go in your house? A pan of muffins? A loaf of quick bread?

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

It used to be that I could make a pound of ground beef into taco meat for the four of us and have enough for DH to take a smallish portion to work the next day. But last week I made two pounds and it was gone by the end of the night. Now, granted, we were having taco bowls (so no tortillas or rice, just cheese/tomato/sour cream/lettuce/salsa as toppings), but is that crazy? Same thing when I make muffins or banana bread or something--one batch is mostly gone by the end of the day, and it's definitely gone by the middle of the next day. I turned a pound of beans into black bean soup, and although again, there was no rice or bread to go with it, we did have raw veggies before we ate, and nearly the whole pot of soup was gone by the end of the night. (I'll admit, though, that it was the best darned black bean soup I've ever had. Even DH, who prides himself on his black bean soup, was very impressed by this recipe!)

 

It feels excessive to me, but maybe it isn't? I try to avoid the higher-carb fillers like bread, rice, tortillas etc., mainly because DH doesn't want them, and none of us needs the extra carbs with our meals, but boy does it makes it hard to stretch meals. And I would love to make more muffins and treats like that for breakfast or desserts or lunchbox snacks, but again, if they don't last more than a day, are we out of control, or is that just how long these things last in a household with growing kids? My kids are 9 and 12, if it matters.  

 

TIA.

[JessReplanted]

Not far. If I make a meal with ground turkey I have to use 2 lbs.

 

We're doing Whole 30 right now so I'm not baking anything, but when I do I have to ration, or it will immediately disappear.

[Lady Marmalade]

It used to be that I could make a pound of ground beef into taco meat for the four of us and have enough for DH to take a smallish portion to work the next day. But last week I made two pounds and it was gone by the end of the night. Now, granted, we were having taco bowls (so no tortillas or rice, just cheese/tomato/sour cream/lettuce/salsa as toppings), but is that crazy? Same thing when I make muffins or banana bread or something--one batch is mostly gone by the end of the day, and it's definitely gone by the middle of the next day. I turned a pound of beans into black bean soup, and although again, there was no rice or bread to go with it, we did have raw veggies before we ate, and nearly the whole pot of soup was gone by the end of the night. (I'll admit, though, that it was the best darned black bean soup I've ever had. Even DH, who prides himself on his black bean soup, was very impressed by this recipe!)

 

It feels excessive to me, but maybe it isn't? I try to avoid the higher-carb fillers like bread, rice, tortillas etc., mainly because DH doesn't want them, and none of us needs the extra carbs with our meals, but boy does it makes it hard to stretch meals. And I would love to make more muffins and treats like that for breakfast or desserts or lunchbox snacks, but again, if they don't last more than a day, are we out of control, or is that just how long these things last in a household with growing kids? My kids are 9 and 12, if it matters.  

 

TIA.

 

NM.  I replied as if one of your kids were boys, and I saw on another post elsewhere that you have girls.

 

Are they fairly active?  My DD dances 14 hours a week and will eat more than DH does most days.  She is very trim and athletic, and I need to add in the carbs or I'd never be able to afford to feed her.

 

As to the original question, it is very difficult for me to be able to stretch one pound of ground meat to feed four of us.  The only way I could do that would be to use it in a soup or marinara sauce.  It takes about two pounds for meatballs, taco meat, meatloaf, burgers, etc. these days.  I think that's just a result of growing children. 

[Aspasia]

I have four kids, but they're really little--7, 4, 2, and 7 months-- (and the baby doesn't really eat anything but breastmilk and a little mashed veggies every day). A dozen muffins is only good for one breakfast at our house, plus two more for dh to bring to work the next day, IF I set them aside first. And that's with supplementation by milk/yogurt and fruit. I've started making two dozen muffins if I want leftovers for the next day.

 

Can't speak to the meat thing, because we're vegetarian, but I make refried beans in the crockpot. My recipe uses three cups of dry pinto beans. You'd think I could freeze a lot afterward, but once we eat dinner (usually tacos or something like that) we only get one or two cans' worth to freeze. So I guess we eat a pound of beans. I'm the same as you, though. I'm always blown away by it. I mean, my kids are little. But apparently when there are this many people, things just go fast. 

 

What I've started doing with muffins is, I make the batter in huge batches and freeze it. I hate frozen muffins thawed, but this way, I get all the convenience of frozen muffins, but they are baked fresh. Just cut a corner out of the freezer bag and pipe the batter into the muffin tin. :)

[lailasmum]

I use a pound of meat or some alternative in  most meals and it's always just enough for 4. My 10 yr old eats a scary amount so I think kids that age are really hungry especially in the winter, If I had two with that appetite it wouldn't be enough. I made a bigger casserole with about 1 1/2 lb meat and tons of veg mid week and that only had one portion left.

[QueenCat]

Your girls at an age where they are going to eat more, due to growing (or soon to be growing). Typically, a batch of 12 muffins lasts for two days here, at most. 2 lbs of meat, with little else, would last one meal for the four of us. Two meals IF there were also beans, rice, cheese, tortillas, etc.

[fraidycat]

Not far. I use 1 lb. for three of us when DH is gone. Two lbs. when he's home. Leftovers are rare.

[AK_Mom4]

If I was eating your amazing bean soup (yum!) for dinner, I would probably want a salad to go with it to feel full.  When you are avoiding the carb-fillers, it can be hard to stretch the protein, so i would think it isn't surprising to use extra.  on taco night with three of us, DH cooks a pound of hamburger, but he and DD fill their meals out with refried beans so it works out ok.

 

Maybe look more at your side dishes?  Steamed and mashed cauliflower or roasted veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, peas and mushrooms are fabulous roasted) would stretch your protein much farther and help folks feel full faster.

 

ETA - and hummus is a great palate filler.  A little goes a long way with veggies, but makes you feel full.

[happypamama]

What is this pound of meat of which you speak? If I'm making pasta, I can get away with less meat, but we normally consume two, closer to three, pounds of meat. That's with a very veggie heavy meal, as we don't eat many grains at dinner, and a lot of fats. And this is before teenage boys.

 

A pan of muffins -- I don't know, haven't made them in a while. Probably two snacks or one breakfast.

 

A loaf of quick bread -- one snack, or one breakfast if I also served eggs or peanut butter with it.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

We're doing Whole 30 right now so I'm not baking anything, but when I do I have to ration, or it will immediately disappear.

 

Seriously! I guess it doesn't help that the baking sessions are few and far between, so when I actually do make something like muffins, everyone's so excited that they can't stop eating them! And I don't exclude myself from that group :lol: It's part of the reason I don't bake much anymore. 

 

NM.  I replied as if one of your kids were boys, and I saw on another post elsewhere that you have girls.

 

Are they fairly active?  My DD dances 14 hours a week and will eat more than DH does most days.  She is very trim and athletic, and I need to add in the carbs or I'd never be able to afford to feed her.

 

As to the original question, it is very difficult for me to be able to stretch one pound of ground meat to feed four of us.  The only way I could do that would be to use it in a soup or marinara sauce.  It takes about two pounds for meatballs, taco meat, meatloaf, burgers, etc. these days.  I think that's just a result of growing children. 

 

Oh yes, they are girls, but they love their food! It has always amazed me when I hear my friends talk about how their kids eat, like "Oh, they didn't want any lunch today, they weren't hungry" or "they won't eat anything but a few chicken nuggets and they complain about everything else." My kids have almost ever turned their nose up at a meal or forgotten to eat. They eat every cuisine we've tried with them. And adult friends love having them over because they're willing to try anything that's made.

 

What I've started doing with muffins is, I make the batter in huge batches and freeze it. I hate frozen muffins thawed, but this way, I get all the convenience of frozen muffins, but they are baked fresh. Just cut a corner out of the freezer bag and pipe the batter into the muffin tin. :)

 

This is brilliant! I don't mind frozen muffins because we toast them, but sometimes nice fresh muffins are in order. Thanks!

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

OK, this thread is making me feel much better. I'm trying hard to get a handle on both our food budget and our health, but I feel like I can't do both at the same time. Adding in the carb-y sides brings the budget down a LOT, but none of us does well with too many carbs in our diets (especially my youngest, who will try to only eat high-carb foods if they're in the house). But eliminating the carb-y sides and focusing on the protein/veggies has made our budget skyrocket. I'm getting so frustrated at always trying to strike a balance between the two. 

 

[sparrow]

We're long past the days of "a pound of meat" . Baked goods will last 2 days. I'll alternate ground beef or turkey in tacos with 2lbs of lentils.

[Laura Corin]

I plan on about four ounces of meat per person per meal.  If people need more calories, they can fill up on whole grain carbohydrates.

[Dory]

My kids are still young but a pound of meat won't go very far in this house. I need 2 pounds of ground beef for any meal I might make with it. A 6 pound roast will be 3/4 gone by the end of a meal. My dd eats just as heartily as her brothers here too (as did I at her age). 1 dozen muffins will last the day (2 muffins each per snack/meal) if the kids are the only ones eating them. If dh is home the muffins will be gone pretty quick. We go through a loaf of bread every day to day and a half. I know that will increase though. When I was younger, my brothers could come home from school and polish off a loaf of bread each as an after school snack (it was homemade bread). My mom used to make 16 loaves a week and we were always out of bread before the end of the week.

[Chelli]

For the five of us when I make tacos it takes two pounds of meat. There are no leftovers.
 

A batch of 12 muffins is gone at the end of breakfast.

A loaf of quick bread is usually gone the same day, but there might be a few slices left the next day.

 

I also live in a family of carbivores and meat lovers so those items go super quickly around here. 

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I plan on about four ounces of meat per person per meal.  If people need more calories, they can fill up on whole grain carbohydrates.

 

I've seen you post about this often, but it doesn't seem to work here. I've often wondered why. Neither DH nor I can lose any weight when we're eating even a small amount of carbs, and youngest DD seems to have some kind of carb addiction and will forgo any other part of a meal if carbs are present in any form. She would eat wheat bread and brown rice all day if I let her. A few people have suggested to me that there's an insulin-resistance element at play, but I haven't managed to follow that up yet. 

[Laura Corin]

I've seen you post about this often, but it doesn't seem to work here. I've often wondered why. Neither DH nor I can lose any weight when we're eating even a small amount of carbs, and youngest DD seems to have some kind of carb addiction and will forgo any other part of a meal if carbs are present in any form. She would eat wheat bread and brown rice all day if I let her. A few people have suggested to me that there's an insulin-resistance element at play, but I haven't managed to follow that up yet. 

 

I don't know.  

 

Tonight, we are having baked chicken pieces with tomatoes, fresh lemon thyme and olives, accompanied by boiled new potatoes with olive oil, and steamed French beans.

 

I plate the food, in general.  People are welcome to get more of anything (from pans on the stove) once they have finished what is on their plate.  Exceptions (to plating) are made for anything that someone really hates.  Whole grain snacks (whole grain cereals, rice cakes, fruit) are unlimited.  Sweet snacks are rationed.

 

Husband and I are normal weight; both boys are slim to skinny.

 

L

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I don't know.  

 

Tonight, we are having baked chicken pieces with tomatoes, fresh lemon thyme and olives, accompanied by boiled new potatoes with olive oil, and steamed French beans.

 

I plate the food, in general.  People are welcome to get more of anything (from pans on the stove) once they have finished what is on their plate.  Exceptions (to plating) are made for anything that someone really hates.  Whole grain snacks (whole grain cereals, rice cakes, fruit) are unlimited.  Sweet snacks are rationed.

 

Husband and I are normal weight; both boys are slim to skinny.

 

L

 

Mmm, that sounds yummy and not too far off from what we eat. I've only recently managed to get green beans back on the menu here. I'll admit that it involved some bacon  :rolleyes:  But I'm happy that the kids will finally eat (and enjoy) them. IIRC, you're in an area where there's plenty of walking to be done in the course of a day, right? That's one of the things I really hate about where we live--typical American suburb, where there's no walking anywhere. Except to the local fast/junky food places, of course! If I'd only known 12 years ago what I know now...

[momofkhm]

I usually use 2 pounds of ground beef for a meal, make sure there are at least 6 chicken breasts, 3-4 pounds for a roast.  Well, I used to cook for 5.  Now dd is at college, but ds has taken up the slack.  So it's still for 4 - kids are 17 and 14 at home.  There are leftovers, but that's what we have for lunch.  

 

OH!  Chili and meatloaf HAVE to be made with 3 pounds, or there is not enough.

 

One pan muffins and quick breads, enough leftover for one person the next day.

 

 

[Laura Corin]

IIRC, you're in an area where there's plenty of walking to be done in the course of a day, right? That's one of the things I really hate about where we live--typical American suburb, where there's no walking anywhere. Except to the local fast/junky food places, of course! If I only knew 12 years ago what I know now...

 

There's not much functional walking - I live in a small village, so there are no shops or anything to walk to.  I walk most days (with the dog) but it's not walking-as-transport, as it would probably be if I lived in London or New York.

 

L

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

There's not much functional walking - I live in a small village, so there are no shops or anything to walk to.  I walk most days (with the dog) but it's not walking-as-transport, as it would probably be if I lived in London or New York.

 

L

 

Ah, got it. Yes, that's how it is here.

[KungFuPanda]

There are 4 of us. Two teens. A pound of taco meat is generally what we eat for one meal, but I serve rice, beans, vegetables, and taco shells or flour tortillas. Usually there are enough ingredients left to freeze a couple burritos. I can do this because none of us have enormous appetites and because I'm not afraid of a little starch. If we all ate just a bowl full of meat with toppings I'd need twice as much meat.

 

I know that starch/bread is the dietary devil-du-jour, but I'm guessing that'll blow over eventually. There's a huge difference between having three rolls in one sitting and adding a spoon of rice to your plate. I think 1/4 meat 1/4 starch and 1/2 veggies is a decent dinner. To go starch-free, you need to up the veggies, and not the meat, to fill the gap. So, in this particular meal, a salad under much less meat would be the way I'd go. I'm not sure filling up on meat is much better than filling up on bread.

 

That's my ideal anyway. It's not the reality of every meal at our house. I'm over salads by winter and there are some nights that the veggie sides get skipped because I didn't get around to making the soup. Oh, maybe serve tortilla soup next time?

 

A pan of 12 muffins, or a loaf of banana bread will last us 2-3 days. I made two loaves of sourdough bread on Sunday and we have half a loaf left.

[Annie G]

With dd off at school, I usually only cook for myself, dh, and 20 year old ds. I cook a pound of meat and have enough leftover for lunch for one of us the next day.   It took some training, though. When the kids were young, they ate a lot more- which makes sense since they were growing and very active. But now we're all adults and we eat a lot less.  But like I said- it took some training. I had to portion out food and after a while of seeing what a 'serving' is supposed to look like, they were able to plate their own without just adding more food because it was there. 

 

I rarely make muffins or quick bread. Maybe twice a year.   

 

Ice cream is our difficult food. Even though it's brutally cold about half the year, my family will eat ice cream every single day if I have it available. 

[Bootsie]

It used to be that I could make a pound of ground beef into taco meat for the four of us and have enough for DH to take a smallish portion to work the next day. But last week I made two pounds and it was gone by the end of the night. Now, granted, we were having taco bowls (so no tortillas or rice, just cheese/tomato/sour cream/lettuce/salsa as toppings), but is that crazy? Same thing when I make muffins or banana bread or something--one batch is mostly gone by the end of the day, and it's definitely gone by the middle of the next day. I turned a pound of beans into black bean soup, and although again, there was no rice or bread to go with it, we did have raw veggies before we ate, and nearly the whole pot of soup was gone by the end of the night. (I'll admit, though, that it was the best darned black bean soup I've ever had. Even DH, who prides himself on his black bean soup, was very impressed by this recipe!)

 

It feels excessive to me, but maybe it isn't? I try to avoid the higher-carb fillers like bread, rice, tortillas etc., mainly because DH doesn't want them, and none of us needs the extra carbs with our meals, but boy does it makes it hard to stretch meals. And I would love to make more muffins and treats like that for breakfast or desserts or lunchbox snacks, but again, if they don't last more than a day, are we out of control, or is that just how long these things last in a household with growing kids? My kids are 9 and 12, if it matters.  

 

TIA.

A pound of ground meat will have approximately 1000 calories (depends on fat content).  So, if you think of 1/4 pound for each person that is 250 calories; 2 pounds divided by 4 people would be about 500 calories.  Much depends upon how much in "toppings" you are putting on the meat, but if you have active kids, especially if they are going through a growth spurt, they could easily need that many calories in a meal (depending upon the rest of the day, of course).  

 

I find that "topping" the meat with lettuse, tomatoes, salsa, etc. results in very little veggie intake.  If we have a taco salad--start with the lettuce, tomatoes, etc. with a topping of taco meat we get much more veggie in take.  It is simply a matter of thinking of what the "garnish" is.

[Joker]

It actually goes pretty far here with four of us. I only use a pound when I make tacos and there are enough leftovers for at least two lunches the next day. Dh and both dds eat a lot (3-4 tacos with salad and veggies) and I usually will eat one or two. There is no rice or beans but I think there is much avocado on the tacos as there is meat.

 

When I make grilled chicken or fish, a pound is more than enough when coupled with sides. Those are usually oven roasted veggies and sweet potatoes, and we always have raw veggies and salad stuff on the table for meals. When I make pastas and add meat, they usually only have around half a pound of meat and they last two days.

 

Muffins and baked goods, OTOH, rarely last to the end of the day.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I had to portion out food and after a while of seeing what a 'serving' is supposed to look like, they were able to plate their own without just adding more food because it was there. 

 

What did you do if they wanted more after their first initial appropriately sized serving? That's a problem here. My kids are always convinced that they're still starving, no matter how much we talk about serving size and your stomach only being as large as your fist, etc.

[Ohdanigirl]

I have four boys (15,14,10,4). The oldest wrestles and has practice 5 days/week for 3 hours. The second plays soccer, with practice for two hours twice a week, 90 minute games on week-ends, and infornal get togethers with his soccer buddies almost every non-practice day. The only way I can stretch a pound is by always serving two sides, beans and rice or veggies and pasta, etc. They are growing and active, so I'd say this is necesary and their pediatrician agrees. I also tend to cook meat with veggies tossed in.

 

For example, I would have cooked that pound of ground meat with diced onion, diced tomato, one small potato, a can of corn, two winter squash, and even a handful of peas. My family eats spicy food, so I would even add jalepenos cut into strips. In addition to the sides, I often serve a soup as a starter. Lentil soup and fideo are my kids favorites, but also veggie soup. I do not serve any noodle based soup for DH or it is a smaller portion. He is not as active as my dc. They also eat corn tortillas with most meal. Flour tortillas are a rare in our house.

[Joker]

What did you do if they wanted more after their first initial appropriately sized serving? That's a problem here. My kids are always convinced that they're still starving, no matter how much we talk about serving size and your stomach only being as large as your fist, etc.

 

I have one who would eat three servings of pasta in record time if I let her. I maker her have a bowl of salad or plate of raw veggies in between the servings. She sometimes will still eat two servings but hasn't asked for a third in a long time. Everyone here eats salad or raw veggies after their initial servings of food before having more. It's easy since it's just become habit to always have them on the table for meals.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

That's a good point! I also tend to throw in two bell peppers, a large onion, and a tomato or two into my taco meat and sauté it well before browning the meat. Adds lots of flavor and nutrition, as well as vegetable bulk.

 

You can work a surprising amount of veggies into many meat dishes to stretch them, and it generally only enhances things. Lentils, too, can often be added into beef dishes without much changing the flavor.

 

Huh, that never crossed my mind. Except I have one who despises peppers, even hidden in things, and I can't stand tomatoes unless they're in sauce or salsa form. I could do the onion, though, and that might help in the satiety arena. Even cooking in some beans might help, although lentils/beans and I do not get along AT ALL. If I made them on a day where we don't have much to do the next day, though, I could probably survive it. I could also add in some corn, maybe. Thanks!

 

We do actually put the lettuce under the meat, typically, though we didn't that particular night because I was supposed to make another veggie and never got to it. We did have avocados too, though. 

[Laurie4b]

We have 4 teenaged or young adult sons. 2 lbs. of ground meat would provide one serving each with a few able to have a small second helping. Muffin pan gone in an hour if they were all home and knew it was there. Same for quick bread.

 

I try hard to make sure the meat stretches and I do include healthy carbs to do that (bean-based or whole wheat pasta, brown rice, etc.) . We rarely have bread with dinner (only on holidays) and rarely have dessert other than fruit.

[Annie G]

What did you do if they wanted more after their first initial appropriately sized serving? That's a problem here. My kids are always convinced that they're still starving, no matter how much we talk about serving size and your stomach only being as large as your fist, etc.

 

They often did at first- especially carb heavy things. For instance, a half cup of rice is a serving. So I would plate  half cup of rice and if they wanted more, they went back and had a second helping. But it reinforced the concept that they were having two servings. Before, they would put at least one cup on their plate and consider that a serving.  Do you let the kids put more than one serving of a food on a plate at once?       We also tried to slow down their eating...if you do that, their food might settle and they'll feel full before time to get a second helping. While training the family, we started dinners with either a salad or a cup of veggie soup. By the time dinner was served, we'd already eaten that and they weren't ravenous. 

 

I'm not sure why it worked with my crew but it did. We rarely have second helpings now, though ds does usually go back for a third taco.    Perhaps it's because we started this when dh had his heart attack and at the same time, both my mom and dh's mom were fighting cancer. My kids got pretty serious about their health. 

[Bootsie]

That's a good point! I also tend to throw in two bell peppers, a large onion, and a tomato or two into my taco meat and sauté it well before browning the meat. Adds lots of flavor and nutrition, as well as vegetable bulk.

 

You can work a surprising amount of veggies into many meat dishes to stretch them, and it generally only enhances things. Lentils, too, can often be added into beef dishes without much changing the flavor.

Ground mushrooms have a similar "meaty" texture and can be hidden in ground meat for tacos, sloppy Joes, etc.

[Lady Florida.]

Not far, but I have a teenage boy.

 

I took a loaf of bread out of the oven yesterday around 4pm. It's more than half gone, and has not been used to make even one sandwich. He's just been carb-loading with it.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

In addition to the sides, I often serve a soup as a starter. Lentil soup and fideo are my kids favorites, but also veggie soup. I do not serve any noodle based soup for DH or it is a smaller portion. He is not as active as my dc. They also eat corn tortillas with most meal. Flour tortillas are a rare in our house.

 

This is a great idea. I like to have some bone broth in the house but I haven't been very good about making it and keeping it (it usually end up as soup for a main course). My oldest wouldn't want it, but my youngest would jump at it before dinner, and she's the one I'm more worried about. 

 

Because of the way they cook down my family doesn't know they're in there. I've found my family might complain with any one of those veggies in isolation or slightly cooked, but well browned in a little tallow with a ton of seasoning on top? Everyone generally raves.

 

Another great veggie that hides beautifully in sauces is spinach. You can wilt a ton in there without affecting the flavor. Zucchini and cauliflower, too :)

 

OK, I'll try it next time. I bet I could sneak a green pepper in, and onion, and the beans if I can manage to save some after our next round of black bean soup (the one bean dish I'll suffer for :lol:). Thankfully they don't mind beans ever--it's me who has to limit them, even though I love them and would eat them every day if I could.

 

Do you let the kids put more than one serving of a food on a plate at once?       We also tried to slow down their eating...if you do that, their food might settle and they'll feel full before time to get a second helping. While training the family, we started dinners with either a salad or a cup of veggie soup. By the time dinner was served, we'd already eaten that and they weren't ravenous. 

 

I'm not sure why it worked with my crew but it did. We rarely have second helpings now, though ds does usually go back for a third taco.    Perhaps it's because we started this when dh had his heart attack and at the same time, both my mom and dh's mom were fighting cancer. My kids got pretty serious about their health. 

 

I actually plate their food, but they are "trained" into the idea of seconds no matter how much was on their plates the first time. We recently bought smaller bowls and plates and that helped some, but not enough. We do have salad with probably 4 out if 7 dinners, but I serve it WITH dinner, not before. That and a cup of soup/broth are a great idea, especially if I can time it to happen a good 15-20 minutes before we sit down to the actual meal. Often I'm so in the thick of cooking at that point that I just keep telling them to wait wait wait, and then by the time dinner is ready we're all ravenous. 

[Joanne]

The 18 inches between my mouth and my belly.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Ground mushrooms have a similar "meaty" texture and can be hidden in ground meat for tacos, sloppy Joes, etc.

 

Oh, brilliant! My pepper hater also hates mushrooms, but she won't notice them if they're that small!

[Bootsie]

Is your major concern over-eating in general, over-eating particular types of foods for health reasons, or over-eating relatively expensive food items?

[Gil]

It used to be that I could make a pound of ground beef into taco meat for the four of us and have enough for DH to take a smallish portion to work the next day. But last week I made two pounds and it was gone by the end of the night. Now, granted, we were having taco bowls (so no tortillas or rice, just cheese/tomato/sour cream/lettuce/salsa as toppings), but is that crazy? Same thing when I make muffins or banana bread or something--one batch is mostly gone by the end of the day, and it's definitely gone by the middle of the next day. I turned a pound of beans into black bean soup, and although again, there was no rice or bread to go with it, we did have raw veggies before we ate, and nearly the whole pot of soup was gone by the end of the night. (I'll admit, though, that it was the best darned black bean soup I've ever had. Even DH, who prides himself on his black bean soup, was very impressed by this recipe!)

 

It feels excessive to me, but maybe it isn't? I try to avoid the higher-carb fillers like bread, rice, tortillas etc., mainly because DH doesn't want them, and none of us needs the extra carbs with our meals, but boy does it makes it hard to stretch meals. And I would love to make more muffins and treats like that for breakfast or desserts or lunchbox snacks, but again, if they don't last more than a day, are we out of control, or is that just how long these things last in a household with growing kids? My kids are 9 and 12, if it matters.  

 

TIA.

If you have girls, then 9-14 is like prime growing time for them, right? I think this is just how it is with growing kids. Pal and Buddy eat more now than when they were 3-5ish, but not a lot more. I fully expect that I will be homeless by the time they hit the 12-16 year stage.

 

We use a lot of carb fillers though--rice being a major one.

 

[Mommy22alyns]

1 pound of meat for tacos isn't enough anymore.

 

Muffins disappear with breakfast.

 

Quick breads last maybe 24 hours.

 

I think it's pretty typical.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Is your major concern over-eating in general, over-eating particular types of foods for health reasons, or over-eating relatively expensive food items?

 

My major concern is overeating in general, but it's also tied to the money issue (which is what has me thinking about it today--I was meal planning). I feel like our food budget is crazy high, but I also buy mostly natural/organic foods and I try not to buy much in the way of the higher-carb fillers, because their presence tends to exacerbate the overeating issue here. So it left me wondering whether it's completely crazy that we polished off two pounds of ground beef when I made taco bowls last week or a pound of beans in the form of black bean soup. It sounds like we're actually not that far outside the norm here, though I would also like to reduce how much we eat in general. 

 

As for overeating particular types of food, I'm less concerned about that because I tend not to buy foods that I feel are unhealthy (for us), so if they're not in the house, we can't overeat them. I will occasionally buy, say, a loaf of fresh rosemary-olive bread (I had a coupon and a weak will last night :lol:) and I can accept that we're going to put a hurting on it, but it's OK because that's a rare treat for us. 

 

If you have girls, then 9-14 is like prime growing time for them, right? I think this is just how it is with growing kids. Pal and Buddy eat more now than when they were 3-5ish, but not a lot more. I fully expect that I will be homeless by the time they hit the 12-16 year stage.

 

We use a lot of carb fillers though--rice being a major one.

 

I guess it probably is. My DD12 is 5' 6" now, and I swear she picked up those last two inches in two months  :svengo:  It just all seemed to happen so fast--I used to be able to send DH to work with leftovers after the majority of home-cooked dinners, and now it seems like I never have leftovers! I'm having a hard time adjusting, and he's buying more lunches at work, which is bad on several levels. 

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Thanks everyone, this thread has been helpful in so many ways. I really appreciate your thoughts and ideas. I'm still listening, but I wanted to get my thank you in now so I don't forget later!

[Artichoke]

One thing I learned about meat prices from reading The Tightwad Gazette was to look at how much meat I had left after cooking it. Do you know how much meat you're actually placing on the table? It may seem counterproductive to a budget, but we now purchase local grassed beef for $4.89 a pound from a local farm. It's about .75 more a pound than 80/20 ground beef at the store. The difference is that there is little fat so more meat is going to our table. It also has a heartier texture than store bought which leads us to eat less before becoming full.

 

On a side note -- we also eat less when we have good dinner conversation. Many nights we'll eat by candlelight ( just inexpensive tapers and holders ), read aloud at the table, or toss out a topic for discussion. It's a wonderful time of bonding and doesn't take much longer than just sitting down to eat.

 

Eta: I also make the easy refried beans recipe in the crockpot that someone posted on here. I can't find it at the moment. Maybe someone else has it bookmarked. These freeze wonderfully, and are always served when we make any sort of taco or burrito meal.

[MEmama]

For something like tacos, I use a package of vegetarian taco mix or a loaf of tofu--so maybe 8 oz?. Add beans (sometimes), veggies and a tortilla and it will feed the 3 of us for dinner plus the next day's lunch. So, 6 meals, easily. Vegetarian lasagna or enchiladas--6-8 meals. A big soup or chili can last a few days.

 

No one in the house will eat muffins or quick breads. Maybe a slice, but the rest gets forgotten about so I don't bother.

 

We do eat fish, no more than 3 oz or so each. So a pound of fish gets us through dinner and lunch the next day, combined with veggies at dinner and a salad with lunch.

[Guest]

The cheeky answer? About as far as I can throw them, maybe 6 ft? ;P

 

I couldn't resist, I'm sorry!

[Elisabet1]

I made chili the other day, in the crock pot. I said only one pound of meat because people usually are not that in to the chili. I thought it would simmer for a while and soak in the flavors and be so good.

 

Nope..apparently..it was so good..simmering did not happen. It was gone as soon as the smells hit the air. Everyone came to the kitchen and ate the entire thing and asked me to make more. 

 

It was 1 pound ground sirloin, 1 can chili beans, 1 can tri colored beans, 1 can black beans, 1 can rotel, 1 can tomato soup, 1 can diced tomatoes. So..plenty of food! Should have had left overs!

 

However, tacos..a pound can last a while. Tator tot casserole...we will use 2 pounds and it will be gone with that meal. So it depends on the meal.

 

I did not used to think older son ate a lot. But when he is home, I need an extra pound every time.

 

Oh..sloppy joes...3 pounds are needed.

[foxbridgeacademy]

....My kids are 9 and 12, if it matters. 

and there it is.  When DS was about 11 and DD 9 I started noticing the lack of leftovers.  Now that they are 13 and 11 I have to use about 1.5 pounds for what I used to use only 1 pound for(and still very little in the leftover department).  I don't know what I'm going to do when they get in the 15-17 age range, make them get a job and help with the groceries?  

[Cinder]

Well my dc are just not eaters. A pound of taco meat mixed with a can of black beans--this is how I always make it--serves 5 of us. Two adults, two older teen boys and one younger girl. And we might have a small bit leftover. Muffins--only ds2 and I like muffins or quick bread so I've taken to making partial batches because once the leftovers go in the fridge or freezer neither of us enjoys it as much. Chili--one pound of meat, one can of red beans, served over rice and yes, we'll have a serving or two leftover. Chicken--one pound usually feeds us whether I've made stir fry or baked chicken with sides. Ds1 hates chicken, though, so will only eat a tiny bit. Seriously. Someone mentioned their kids will forget to eat. Mine will choose not to eat if they don't see anything they feel like eating. :rolleyes:

[trulycrabby]

We have four athletes in the house, me included. Two or three pounds of meat don't go very far here. I can stretch things with beans or lentils, but whatever I cook doesn't seem to have many leftovers.

[Laura Corin]

About budgeting: I look carefully at cuts of meat.  Chicken breasts are very expensive here, but whole chickens can be cheap.  Today, I bought two whole chickens (about to expire), cut out the four legs to cook this evening with other elements and put the four breasts in the freezer.  Cooked the two carcasses into stock that will form the basis of more than one meal for four (probably noodle soup and lentil soup).

 

 Each leg will feed a person or more; each breast will feed two people (stretched); the total from two chickens is four to eight leg portions, eight breast portions and eight stock/broth portions.  So twenty or more portions from two chickens.  If I had just roasted the two chickens, more meat would have been eaten and the two chickens might have only fed us about ten portions.

 

L

[Mom-ninja.]

It used to be that I could make a pound of ground beef into taco meat for the four of us and have enough for DH to take a smallish portion to work the next day. But last week I made two pounds and it was gone by the end of the night. Now, granted, we were having taco bowls (so no tortillas or rice, just cheese/tomato/sour cream/lettuce/salsa as toppings), but is that crazy? Same thing when I make muffins or banana bread or something--one batch is mostly gone by the end of the day, and it's definitely gone by the middle of the next day. I turned a pound of beans into black bean soup, and although again, there was no rice or bread to go with it, we did have raw veggies before we ate, and nearly the whole pot of soup was gone by the end of the night. (I'll admit, though, that it was the best darned black bean soup I've ever had. Even DH, who prides himself on his black bean soup, was very impressed by this recipe!)

 

It feels excessive to me, but maybe it isn't? I try to avoid the higher-carb fillers like bread, rice, tortillas etc., mainly because DH doesn't want them, and none of us needs the extra carbs with our meals, but boy does it makes it hard to stretch meals. And I would love to make more muffins and treats like that for breakfast or desserts or lunchbox snacks, but again, if they don't last more than a day, are we out of control, or is that just how long these things last in a household with growing kids? My kids are 9 and 12, if it matters.  

 

TIA.

Sounds normal to me. We go through more. I have one more kid than you