I'd forgotten how much they EAT!

[Red]

My twin 16yodd's are home from my eldest's house where they spent the summer.

Man, they're like little vaccuum cleaners!

BIG vaccuum cleaners!


It's breakfast, munch something, lunch, last night's leftovers, a snack, ice cream, chips, another lunch, more snacks, dinner, 3 more snacks!!!

Holy Moly!: I made popcorn, fried up potato chips, (they ate alllll the fruit first), the cereal is gone, the fridge looks BARE, and it's days till payday.

Time to bake!

[nolonger]

Baking really helps, although I've found that whole grains fill them up and white flour just goes right through them. Also, potatoes are inexpensive and if you have a microwave, the kiddo can nuke one quickly when the hunger pains hit. My mom also let Sis and I have all the dried beans we wanted as long as we cooked them and cleaned up after ourselves. Canned beans are a bit more expensive, but still fairly inexpensive teenager food.

As I mentioned on another thread, even if you don't qualify for food stamps, you might still be eligible for a box from your local food bank. Ours is not particularly humiliating, since what they do is collect up all the produce, bread, etc. from local stores that is still perfectly good, but is a bit old to sell to folks who only go shopping once a week or less frequently, and give it to people who need it. The food would otherwise just be thrown away. The food bank relies on volunteers to run and teenagers are welcome to help out as long as they are supervised by a parent or other adult family member. It is not funded by the government, so it's recycling, barter, and community service, not begging for a handout.

[Red]

You're right about the baking. It's just been so harried, getting everyone home and then ready for school. DD18 is going off to college. Just tons to get done.

Tomorrow, i'm making oatmeal cookies. That'll hold 'em but they need so MANY snacks a day, yk?

WEe are trying to stretch our money, but I can get more stuff. I'll be looking into food stamps, again, soon, though.


I guess I could use some recipes!

[ninelives]

Remember:

They only eat as much as you LET them eat.

[BelovedK]

My DS is sneaky about what he eats. I recently went for a granola bar and discovered that the whole (big economy size) box was completely empty
Sometimes you just can't control it. I have no idea when he ate them, probably after I was in bed...

[Red]

Originally Posted by ninelives

Remember:

They only eat as much as you LET them eat.

Well, they ARE teenagers. And they ARE hungry. And they're thin, and active and eating healthy foods.

I just mean that they eat alot, not that they shouldn't.

[nolonger]

Originally Posted by ninelives

Remember:

They only eat as much as you LET them eat.

When he spends his babysitting money on food instead of CDs, clothes, video games, movie tickets and the like, I think it's safe to say that he doesn't eat any more of the family groceries than he needs to.

I am under the impression that if I didn't let him eat every day, I would be commiting a crime called "child neglect".

Red, here's my dd's recipe for tostadas:

In the morning, put a sixty-nine cent sized bag of red beans on the stove, bring the water to a boil, and turn it off. Let it soak until you'll be home for an hour or two. Cook the beans until they're soft. Mash them up and fry them in a skillet with a small amount of oil.

Toast some corn tortillas (canned foods had a huge bag of four dozen or so for under three dollars this week) in the oven. Cover with a generous helping of the refried beans, a dollop of salsa (they have it at the dollar store usually, but we still have some of our own that we canned when we got a good deal on tomatoes and peppers at the Farmer's Market), some chopped lettuce (food bank for us, but it's fairly inexpensive if you have to buy it) and if you wanted to, you could add fresh chopped tomato and/or some grated cheese.

Top with a second corn tortilla if you want.

Mexican food tends to be a hit with most teens and it seems to be much more nutritious than comparably priced "poor white people" food.

If you have a bread machine with a "dough" cycle, you could use that to start some pizza dough before work/errands/life. When you come home, roll it out with a rolling pin. Enough for one loaf of bread is usually enough for two pizzas. If you don't have pizza pans, you can use cookie sheets. Spaghetti sauce works, but it's too expensive; I just use cans of "Tomato Sauce", also frequently available at the dollar store, and add my own oregano, basil, etc. and maybe some sauteed onions, garlic. Olives and pineapple are both inexpensive toppings. You don't absolutely have to use cheese if it's too expensive or if you don't like it. I've also used fresh dill and a little sprinkling of Olive Oil, which is delicious.

[rainbowmoon]

I agree with the suggestion of mexican food. it's sooo cheap! I usually make a big pot of rice and and beans and snack off it all week! I also made 60 burritos for my freezer this weekend and it only cost me around $10. quesadillas and nachos would likely be a hit with the teens as well. what kinds of recipes do you need?

my kiddos are toddlers but they eat more than me at times I swear!

[Red]

noordinaryspider, that recipe looks great! I make enchiladas alot, and of course, tacos and burritos. But that would be something a little different. (They often make fajitas or nachos for a snack, we bake tortillas to make chips.)


I make pizza often. I love making bread so I often have dough. THey're easy about toppings, though lots of mozzarella is a must!

Anyone know how to make crakers??? THey're always looking for some and they're pricey to buy.

And if anyone knows how to make fruit. *sigh* They aate all teh pears I bought for the week in two days. Course, I'm thrilled theyr'e snakcing on fruit! But I thought I'd get one!


I can just see me telling them they can't *eat* anymore, they've had enough! Sheesh! I wouldn't take healthy food from a healthy toddler, why would I keep it from my teens? :headscratch:

Today I'm baking cookies. : Ah, I can feel the love already!!!

[nolonger]

Originally Posted by Red

Anyone know how to make crakers??? THey're always looking for some and they're pricey to buy.

2C. WW flour (preferably pastry flour)
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 c. milk, soy drink, water, etc. mixed with 2 t. lemon juice
1 large egg (the cookbook calls for it but I just add more water)

Combine flour and soda. Cut in butter until mixture has texture like oatmeal. Add liquid and egg. Blend to make a stiff dough. Knead thoroughly. Roll 1/8" thick on a floured board, cut into squares and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Prick with fork. Bake at 400F for about 10 minutes.

ds used to be embarassed when I'd bring a plate of these in for his friends because homemade crackers are so WEIRD, but when he saw his friends' positive reactions, he stopped complaining. They aren't that hard to make, but dd hasn't taken over yet. I've been making them since the kidlets were toddlers and ds had to have barley or rice flour instead of whole wheat, so I guess they have some "comfort food" value to them.

Zucchini muffins are another cheap, time-tested favourite around here.

[rainbowmoon]

if you make pizza/bread dough regularly how about calzones? you could make a bunch at once and freeze them for quick snacks. you can also do stromboli,etc.


Calzones
2 loaves bread dough, frozen
6 oz. sliced mozzarella cheese
5 cups spaghetti sauce
Pizza toppings (to add to cheese filling, if wanted)

Thaw two loaves of bread dough. Divide each loaf into 6 parts each. One at a time, roll out each dough piece on a floured board or stretch with your hands, making 12 7-inch squares. Fold each dough square over half a cheese slice to form a turnover, and pinch edges to seal (I use a fork). The book says that another option is that you can also ladle 1/3 cup sauce onto center of each square before making the turnover, but the sauce tends to seep out.

Place each turnover in a small sandwich bag, or wrap in plastic wrap. Put 6 turnovers in a 1-gallon freezer bag. Divide sauce in half and store in two 1-qt freezer bags; enclose bag of sauce in a bag of Calzones. Do the same for remaining 6 turnovers.

To prepare for serving, thaw sauce; heat in a medium pan 10-15 minutes until bubbly. At the same time, take frozen turnovers out of plastic, and place them about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet sprayed with a nonstick spray. When thawed, preheat oven to 325. Bake for about 15 minutes. Turnovers will be golden brown when done. Ladle sauce on top of turnovers, and serve. Makes 12 servings

[MrsCorell]

Now I'm REALLY worried! DS is 11 and already eats a ton! He had 6 pieces of sausage, 8 pieces of bacon, 3 fried eggs and 4 pancakes for breakfast this morning before school. Then, an hour later, grabbed a plum and a banana to eat on the walk there!!!: He eats as much as DH already!!

What I dont' get is where it goes..........He's 5 feet, 1 inch tall and only weighs 80 pounds. He's the same height as me and I'm 135. I'm gonna be cooking full meals just for him for snacks soon!!

[Momma Lou]

LOL I just had this issue with my 14 yo son. I told him that the locust in the plague during Moses' time ate less in their whole time then he did in two days. We went shopping just after my son arrived (he lives with his father). Within three days most of the food was gone. A whole loaf of bread and a gallon of milk in two days! Not to mention every 5 minutes were the words "Mom, I'm hungry!"

[Red]

I can't wait to try the crackers! I'm already thinking of varitations.


rainbowmoon, my calzones always explode. Do you know why? (I sure don't!)

Those of you with younger kids might want to start baking and freezing NOW!

[tnrsmom]

Some great recipes here, thanks Rainbowmoon. I will be using them for my 11.5 yo ds son, aka the human garbage disposal. 4 yo dd eats almost as much as he does though.

[Tiki]

I have 5 kiddos and it is amazing how much they eat also. especially my very thin very fit 12yo dd's. (they can eat more than me most days) somedays however they eat very little, which made me realize they eat when they need to. add in my dh (very phsyically active) and we go through amazing amounts of food, when i look at how much i spend a month on groceries, it makes my heart stop: i have found that making sure the snacks are healthy and have a healthy protein seems to help hold them over a little better.