Feeding Growing Hungry Boys

I can't say enough about this idea, they have considered everything from budget to nutrition and time. Spend one day every two weeks and cook it all up, freeze it.
http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/centsible/tvshows/cook_once.asp

Hi S.,

First I'd like to echo what everyone else has said: Thank you for doing what you're doing. I'm in awe.

Second, I'd like to offer my assistance. I'm a chef, and I have lots of ideas and recipes for how to make a food budget stretch without becoming boring or routine. It depends on how much time you want to spend, but other than that the possibilities are endless. Some questions I'd ask are how adventurous are your boys when it comes to food, how willing are they to help out in the kitchen, and are there any food allergies to be aware of.

I have recipes for everything from Morrocan Chicken Tagine with Couscous to Thai Curries. If you want to try some new things, please feel free to email me directly (____@____.com) and I'll get you easy to follow, step by step instructions that you can make regardless of your level of "expertise" in the kitchen.

I have three kids with another on the way, so I use the time I spend making food into "cooking lessons" with my kids. They love learning about food and it makes them feel very valued that what they helped make ends up on the table for dinner. If your boys like to help, this will add another dimension to time you spend with them, as well as giving them a valuable life skill.

A few quick site referrals before I sign off: go to www.epicurious.com. This is a great tool for wonderful, exciting recipes that are easy to follow. Sunset magazine's website also has great ideas, as well as Family Circle's website.

I wish you the best of luck with your amazing family. Email me anytime - I'm in Oregon City, so if you're still looking for moms to hang out with, I'm here!

L.

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf is fantastic! Also, when you get in the mood to start having them try new things, www.allrecipes.com is one of my all time favorites! It can adjust your ingredients for how many you want to feed, it offers feedback and suggestions on recipes... I turn to it more than anything else. They have so many recipes that if something sounds good at a resteraunt or in a conversation I usually have no trouble going home and finding the recipe on that website. Good luck!

You have GOT to check out allrecipes.com! This is my FAVORITE web site. You can find nutritional meals, see what others have said (and what changes they recommend) AND you can increase the serving size and it will automatically increase the ingredients for you!!! It will even make a shopping list for your meal plan! I can't say enough about this site...see what you think!

Check out this link. It was from a similar request and has lots of recipes and links.

http://www.mamasource.com/request/11093219103236685825/16...

Hi S.,

My name is D.. I love to cook. I have diabetes and I am a mother of 3 boys. So I am constantly looking and trying to create healthy but yummy meals that please everyone. Have you ever gone to www.foodnetwork.com that is a wonderful place to start. You can look up just about any food item and get different recipe ideas.

2 Recipes I came up with myself follow:

1. Fresh Home Made Salsa. Nothing like chips and salsa. Or salsa to go on a baked potato or top chicken with it.

Here is the recipe:
1 - 16oz. can of Petite diced tomatoes
1 - Jalepeno Pepper
1 - Habarnero Pepper
1 - Medium White Onion
1/2 - Bushel of Fresh Cilantro
1 - Lime
Dash - Salt & Pepper

Chop up all your vegitables, and combine in a bowl. Squeeze the fresh lime juice into mixture, and add salt and pepper. Mix and serve. Makes enough to put into a canning jar.

2. Moist & Tender Chicken Breast

8 - Boneless Chicken Breast
1Cup - Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
2 TLBS. - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Rinse and cut chicken breast into long strips. Each breat you can probably cut either in half or into 3 strips worth. Heat a non-stick skillet with butter and oil in it. Salt and Pepper chicken and coat with the bread crumbs. When pan is ready place all chicken in the pan. Let each side cook at least 3 to 5 minutes a side. I cut a couple pieces in half just to be sure there is no more pink and the outside of the chicken is a nice golden to almost dark brown. Serve with rice, or potatos, or pasta. The chicken turns out so tender and juicy and not fatty.

I hope you enjoy. Let me know if you would like anymore recipes. I have plenty. I do my best to make a lot of healthy meals without cutting out all the flavor.

-D.

First of all, God bless you for diong what you do!! Thank God there are people like you in the world to help the less fortunate. I wish we all had that capacity/willingness!

I'm sure you've heard all the same things, but I rely on anything with pasta and ground beef to feed hungry boys. Tacos/burritos are also good because you can augment the meat with beans, cheese, etc. Mac & cheese is good, too. And bread is filling--try stromboli which is a meat filling baked inside bread. It's delicious--sorry I don't have the recipe but I'm sure it's online somewhere. Soups and bread are filling too, and the soup can go in the crock pot all day. Good luck--and again, thank goodness for people like you!! You are a mother in the truest sense of the word.

S. L.
I get recipes from bettycrocker.com, 1,000recipes.com,
and bhg.com/kitchen. You might find something interesting there.
A. W.

I'm on a mailing list called Saving Dinner that costs $20 or so per year. You can sign up for any one of several different types of menus (mostly dinner menus) and every week, they send out a meal plan for the week with sides and shopping lists. I've found that I buy a lot more real produce then I was ever inclinced to and that I cook a lot of food I had never thought about. (www.savingdinner.com)

I think most of the menus are catered toward 4 people, so doubling might be pretty easy.

One other plan I've seen a lot of people do, but never committed to myself, is the big Once-A-Month cooking. The ladies I've seen do it love it, and they can throw together a few weeks' meal prep ahead of time, scaled to whatever size they need. I know there are a few OAMC Yahoo groups and a whole bunch of cookbooks out there for it.

All that said, my favorite free resource has to be allrecipes.com. They have an ingredient search that lets you plug in a few items you have in the freezer and pick your food. It seems to be the best organized recipe web site I've seen.

In my eternal quest to get a little more organized, I've bounced between all sorts of meal planning and recipe sites, applications, and books. Still looking for the magic one though!

-B.

I look up recipes at www.kraftfoods.com/kf. I can mark recipes I really like for future use, but it also allows me to look up receipes based on a base ingredient or if there is a particular taste my boys have. They do have a lot of recipes around Macaroni & Cheese, but there are so many easy dinners. I find that a lot of things I'm able to make really only take 5 to 10 minutes to prepare (not including any baking time). This really helps me stay within budget.

Hi! You also might look at America'sTestKitchen.com, CooksIllustrated.com,or EatingWell.com.
By the way, I live in No Portland and would love some new friends! My son is 3, I have 2 big dogs, and no more hubby. I am not religious, conservative-thinking, or pretentious. If you want to, reply. I think you sound absoltely amazing, and would like to hear more about your family! Good going!