Our boys are now 6, 9, 11 and 13 1/2. I know that in a few more years, I’ll look back on these days of “how much they ate” and laugh because they’ll soon be eating even more than they are now. But wow. It is a fact that our family went through SIX DOZEN eggs last week. Six. Dozen. That’s seventy-two eggs. And I had to ration them or they would have been gone before the week was up. (I think we may need to take another look at our 2011 Grocery Budget!)
The boys seem to all be going through growth spurts lately and I’m not sure I’m going to able to keep up. Even if I can, I’m not sure the chickens can. I hate to ask my friends with chickens to squeeze their flock just a little bit harder so that they can keep up with the Coppinger boys, but I’m afraid I may have to.
I decided over the weekend to get a bunch of food made up to make life easier during soccer season, and I think I got ahead a little bit…but with the way my family has been eating lately…I’m not really sure how “ahead” I actually got.
For instance, I made a double batch of Taco Corn Fritters, knowing they would be great for “grab and go” meals and snacks. I let the boys eat them for lunch that day, thinking that at the very least, we’d have 15 or so fritters left over for the freezer. Nope. There were four left. Emphasis on the word were, because now I think we’re down to one. So much for freezing our corn fritters. :)
I also re-created our Easy Breakfast Casserole and made Mini Breakfast Quiches as one of you ladies suggested during our Gluten Free Recipe Parade. I’ll share the recipe in a few days, but I used a dozen eggs, made 24 quiches and there are exactly zero left. I believe I, myself, got to eat a grand total of one quiche. It was good, if I remember right.
Ah well. This appears to be the new norm. I will embrace it and run with it and continue making mountains of food. God gave me boys and He gave me a love for cooking. I’m pretty sure He knew just what He was doing!
I made a batch of Breakfast Cookies, sending some home with a friend of ours who came over to celebrate his birthday. You’ve gotta love being able to give the gift of a plate of Breakfast Cookies. It was his request, after eating some at our house another time.
Here are a few other food items I was able to make and HIDE from my children so that they would actually make it into the freezer:
I cooked a whole chicken so I’d have a nice container of chicken and some broth for future meals. I also made a TRIPLE batch of Whole Wheat Tortillas. Yay, a tower of tortillas! (I have some rice tortillas in the fridge for Malachi to use right now.)
I made a quadrupal batch of Sloppy Joe Meat for the freezer. Then I adapted our Popcorn Chicken recipe to make Rice Flour Chicken Strips. They aren’t the prettiest things in the world, but now I have chicken strips to use this week for chef salads and tortilla wraps!
I was kind of on a roll with meat apparently, so I made six pounds of Turkey Sausage. I froze some of it in patties so that I can cook it up quickly for breakfasts and lunches. I cooked up the rest of it and froze it in meal sized bags. These bags of Turkey Sausage are wonderful to have on hand for Easy Breakfast Casserole and Pancake Sausage Muffins.
I made up a new batch of Taco Seasoning Mix, and I’m happy to report that everything I made is still in the jar. Nobody seems very interested in snacking on a spoonful of Taco Seasoning for some reason. At least I got ahead a little bit in the area of food seasoning. Score one for Mom. :)
Been doing any extra cooking lately? Can you keep food around your house, or does it get eaten before you can even put it on the table?
Courtney says
I have 3 boys, 9, 2 and 10 months. My oldest is beginning to eat more than all of us combined. And I know it won’t be long before my youngest two will be doing the same thing!
Kelly @ The Nourishing Home says
Love this post! My hubby and I always joke that we’re going to have to get second jobs when our boys hit the teen years. We have two boys ages 8 1/2 and 11 (can’t forget the 1/2, you know – ha ha). We often think about how much they eat and how they’ll soon be teens eating much more, and bringing home hungry teen friends too! I keep trying to find new ways to save money – buying in bulk is definitely helping, and eating less meat – meat in stuff, rather than a hunk of meat (if that makes sense). I will definitely be tracking with you, since our boys are so close in ages. Thanks as always for your wonderful insight and advice! Blessings, Kelly
Thea says
I’ve always said….if you have a girl you have to pay for the wedding, if you have a boy you make up the cost in groceries!
Somedays I get so tired of hearing – Mom, I’m still hungry. – but then I remember the thank the Lord for healthy boys, and a daughter, and the food to feed them with.
Daphne says
I love this saying! I”ll have to remember this the next time my boys are eating everything in sight! LOL!
Tori says
Oy. Just found out our baby due in August is our third boy and you’re making me nervous! In 10 years I’ll have 10, 12 and 14 year-old boys eating me out of house and home! :)
Colleen says
Would love to know if you will share the rice flour chicken strips recipe soon as I follow a GF diet and I know anything made by YOU is going to be GOOD.
Laura says
I really just followed the Popcorn Chicken recipe (linked above) and exchanged rice flour for wheat flour. I baked them longer than I need to bake the Popcorn Chicken since they were larger pieces of meat, but otherwise, I make them just the same!
Rachel says
My husband and I don’t have kids yet, but when we do, I will definitely be making mass quantities of things and freezing them!
This post reminds me of when my two brothers and I were kids. We all shot up around the same time (I’m 5’10” and my brothers are both 6’5″, so we did a lot of shooting up!), so my mom would cook huuuuge amounts of food for us, while going on about how we had hallow legs and were going to eat them out of house and home. Aw memories! I only wish I could still eat that much while remaining just as skinny as I was back then, lol!
josette says
I hear you….mine our ages 6 (almost 7),5, 3 (almost 4), 2, 1 and one in the oven. I tell my husband now…it feels like I live in the kitchen! I wonder what it will be like when they are preteens…teenagers…wow!!
I just made some of your homemade tortillas..and they were GONE in a flash! I should really triple the batch for the week, they really come in handy to make a quick bean burrito or cheese crisp.
By the way making batches of cooked pinto beans and freezing those comes in handy!!
Lanna says
I kept meaning to ask how long it took before you were able to cook like this… Mine are 7.5yo, almost 5yo, almost 3yo and 13mo, and I’m lucky if I can get sandwiches done for lunch and something on the table for dinner. I’m really, really, really hoping it gets easier so I can get on a cooking roll like you seem to be able to – since three of mine are boys. :)
Laura says
Oh yes, this was much harder when my kids were all little bitty!! I would sometimes be able to get some casseroles in the freezer then, by making three at a time, freezing two and serving one for dinner. Otherwise, I’d say by the time our youngest was two, I was able to start doing a little more cooking ahead during nap time or TV time.
susan says
i have 4 girls and a boy…it must be a trend b/c i’ve noticed my girls eating alot more too…i think it’s just cause they’re ageing.
Anitra says
Girls definitely do it too, but boys seem to have hollow legs for a few years. I have a friend with 3 teenage sons, and they go through mountains of food.
Lana says
Girls can eat boys under the table! Our youngest daughter (20) told me she eats 2 chicken legs, a plate of veggies, 3 slices of pizza and a double cheeseburger everyday for lunch in the college dinig hall. She is a size 2. We have 3 boys and 2 girls and the girls always eat more than the boys.
McKinsey says
My 8yo daughter eats me and my husband under the table! My son is 7 and will
take spells where he wants to eat a lot but at other times when he is picky about
everything. I’m sure that will change in a few years! But my daughter would eat
all day if I let her lol!
T Hollis says
When my guys were 12, 14, & 17, all playing sports & lifting weights they went through 3 gallons of milk A DAY and were starving every 3 hours – they ate full meals EVERY 3 HOURS! I thought I should changed my mailing address to Sam’s CLub or Kroger! :0) I served real food, from-scratch real food & the boys never had broken bones, knee injuries, bad colds or flu. Must have done something right!
Laura says
Very encouraging to hear!!! :)
McKinsey says
That is awesome, but you poor thing, you must have stayed in the kitchen 24/7 lol!
I have noticed since we have switched to real whole food, the kids are hardly sick
and if they do get sick, it’s only for a few days and then they are well.
T Hollis says
When you must cook everything from scratch – food allergy before all the pre-packaged stuff in the grocery) – you learn to cook ahead, cook in batches. You also buy a big freezer (or 2) and an extra refrigerator. Some things. like breakfast cookies (I’m so glad someone is still baking those!) you freeze ready to bake. The joy of the aroma of things baking in the oven not only stimulates the appetite,(as though my guys needed that) it makes memories of what “home” smells like. When the boys came home from college I would have one of their favorites baking to fill the house with “home.”
DorthyM says
I just have one son, who is 18. That child puts away more food than I’ve seen almost anyone eat before! There are days and I am so not kidding about this, he tries to take the food away from me so he can have more! I don’t think he ever registers “not hungry.” So I have been campaigning for a chest freezer so i can start putting away more food in order to try and keep up with his appetite.
Ami says
I have a friend with one child and she complains about being in the kitchen all the time. I have 3 little kids and I’m just used to being in the kitchen often, it’s okay. But then I thought about you, and although you don’t have the largest family ever, I’m sure they eat at least twice as much as my family. So it was at that point that I was utterly amazed by your food budget. You may not be a coupon queen anymore, but your savings and value of food for money spent is sky high! Good job!
I also think about you when I’m using my Bosch, because I really wish you had one for mixing up sausage.
You might have to get your own chickens!
Jennifer says
It is baseball/softball season here and the boys both play and my husband coaches. I tried to get ahead this weekend. In actuality, I made a triple batch of swedish meatballs, froze 2, had 1 for dinner. Made muffins but forgot the baking powder and salt! They were edible and we ate them for breakfast. I also made pretzels and the kids snacked on them over the weekend and I sent the rest to school today for lunches. In reality, I didn’t get very far ahead. This week I am hoping to make homemade biscuits and get some sausage biscuits put away in the freezer, as well as make homemade bagels. I don’t think any of that will last long either.
Holly in Virginia says
Lol!! I see my future clearly! I have one little boy who is two and a half and another little boy who should be making an appearance any day now. I’ve been trying to cook extras and freeze them for use after the baby comes. My little one has been eating more than ever before but he is still small so it hasn’t impacted us much yet. But I hear stories like yours all the time from other moms with boys. Sounds truly amazing! It is a blessing I like to cook!
Anitra says
Holly, I know what you mean! My two and a half year old girl eats almost as much as an adult. Unusual in a toddler.
Cammie M says
I occasionally try to do a cooking day on a Saturday when my husband is home, but I have a three year old and 14 month old and it is very hard at times. I might need a few weeks to recover from my cooking day attempt this weekend. My last recipe (Sourdough English muffins) wasn’t completed till 11pm. =P Glad it will be easier when they are older.
Stacy Williams says
I have four girls (13, 11, 9, & 7) They have started eating like teenage boys. The 9 yr old plays soccer and is on the move all day, so she wants to eat all day. I will say it is most likely not quite as intense as boys, but there are days I wonder where my skinny little things put all that food.
sharon says
i try to get breakfasts made on sunday for the coming week. Both my husband and i work and all the kids are just far enough apart that they all go to different schools/daycare during the week, so week days are a more than a little hectic. Last sunday I made two batchs of pancake sausage muffins and three batches of blueberry muffins and by the time tuesday rolled around, we were out of any kind of muffin!!! I was a little agitated and flabbergasted. Seems like the MORE cooking i do, the hungrier everyone gets. LOL!!! I just try to make sure every night that what i need for the coming morning is ready now. And, boys and growth spurts, oh my, i cant sympathize with u enough. Have a wonderful, blessed week!!
Heather T. says
3 Boys here, and some days they eat tons others not so much but they are still young, I am lucky I love to cook but I am sure that I will be overwhelmed at some point and then add in friends, its scary to think of all that food, my boys are 6, 5, and 3.
Daphne says
I love this post. My husband and I have two young boys but at one time we wanted three. I look back on those days and laugh! I really don’t know if our budget (I stay at home) or the kitchen could keep up if we had any more. My mother-in-law had three boys and keeps telling me it will get worse. She said when her boys were younger she really considered getting a cow because they went through so much milk.
It is a blessing though because I see how little my friends and siblings kids eat and how picky they are and realized we are VERY blessed. My kids will try anything and overall aren’t picky. Thanks for sharing your tips on how to TRY and get ahead! :)
Teresa says
Wow! Have you been busy. Makes me want to cook
Jessica says
I love being able to get ahead in the kitchen, and I really love being able to hop over to this site for easy, REAL food recipes to feed family! Fortunately my kiddos are small, so the food lasts a little while. But it’s also harder to take time to make because they’re small!
Six dozen eggs… wow.
AmyK says
Great post! I also spent my weekend trying to cook ahead. I have a 17 year old long-distance-running boy, a phenominally athletic 10 year old girl, and a 4 year old girl. They saw my efforts this weekend as a challenge & tried to keep up :) I made banana bread, wheat bread, pop tarts, peanut stew, oatmeal scotchies, & hamburger buns. Then I propped lasagna, enchiladas, & blueberry French toast casserole. I managed to freeze 2 loaves of bread & half of the buns…we still have some out for this week as well. I love that I have the opportunity to feed my children healthy homemade food, even while working more than full-time!
Alyssa says
I have two boys and two girls (7, almost 6, 4 and 3)…we go through a lot of food now and my mother-in-law keeps telling me that I haven’t seen anything yet, if they boys take after their father and uncle. My youngest daughter (4) and son (3) manage to eat the most at this point…if fact, the 3 y.o. can sometimes out-eat his dad…when I make spaghetti sauce I make 6 batches at a time…I usually can get 4 spaghetti dinners and a lasagna (maybe two if I’m careful) into the freezer, plus dinner that night…might last for a month (once a week use)…unless I end up giving it away! :) My problem is doing all this cooking and homeschooling and keeping up with everything else…how do you do it?
Laura says
I do this extra cooking bits at a time. If I try to do too much extra all in one time frame, I’m frustrated and exhausted. Here’s a post I wrote a few weeks ago explaining more about how I get this done: https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/two-simple-ways-to-get-ahead-in-the-kitchen
hiptobeme says
I have one boy and one husband and they would still eat two dozen quiches given the chance ;)
Ruby says
I am expecting my 6th baby, our 3rd son, any day now. I spent most of the weekend cooking ahead like you! I cooked many pounds of ground beef, Italian sausage, chicken, & pinto beans. I made 6 9×13 casseroles for after the baby is born. I baked muffins, breakfast cookies, & scones. Now the trick is to keep my advantage by acting like all that convenient food isn’t there in my freezer! I’m going to cook my meals as normal, doubling recipes for later when I can, & hopefully not dig into my stash until I really, really need it!
Camille says
My kids are 2 and 4 and we go through 2 dozen eggs a week. I was just wondering how many we’re going to go through as they get older! :-)
I’ve been baking extra bread items and stocking it in the freezer for the summer. When it gets over 100 degrees, I am loathe to turn on the oven so I end up buying bread and buns. I’m determined to have a freezer full by time the hot weather sets in this year!
Heather says
I bought a countertop convection oven from amazon.com for around $100. It’s one of the best investments I’ve ever made. I can cook two 12in’ pizzas at a time, bake bread, etc. It bakes quickly & doesn’t heat up the house at all!
Camille says
Yup, I have one! But it doesn’t keep up with our demand and I bake our bread using a water bath in the oven, which I can’t do in my toaster oven. I do need to upgrade t othe countertop convection because it is bigger, though. It is often 110 and hotter — I just don’t feel like being in front of anything hot. :-)
Heather says
http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-31199XR-Countertop-Convection/dp/B0026O18U4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1302550031&sr=8-5 is it like this one? In case you’re interested, this is the one I have. I do my bread with a water bath, too. Works great! Also, it doesn’t get
hot around the oven.
Camille says
My sister has that one! Thanks, Heather. You may have talked me in to it.
Vicki says
I love reading all these comments! It makes me realize that my boys are normal. I have 5 boys (16,14,11,10,7) and 2 girls (4,1) and we eat a LOT of food. We homeschool so I’m always thankful for Saturdays when I can do a little extra cooking. This week I made 2 batches of granola but none of it lasted until it could be used for breakfast. Oh well, at least I know they’re eating good food, not junk and preservatives.
Barbra says
Could you share your granola recipe, please?
Nancy says
I’m not Vicki but here is a granola recipe I love…
http://www.realfoodallergyfree.com/2011/04/overnight-granola-recipe/
Hopefully Vicki will see your note and share her recipe too!
Barbra says
Thank you, Nancy!
Kathleen K says
I can only smile and agree with you Laura. My 12, 10, and 6 year old boys are eating us out of house and home. I cook double portions for planned overs. But if I don’t HIDE the food, it is GONE. Frustrating, yes, especially since I’m trying to reduce our grocery spending while prices are going up. But I’m also very thankful for 3 healthy boys who haven’t been to a doctor in 2-3 years.
Heather says
I have 2 boys & a hubby that can eat. I, too, homeschool, and feel like I live in my kitchen 24/7, as I make everything from scratch. I just consider it my full-time job to feed my family healthy food for as little cost as possible. It’s not always easy, but it’s rewarding!
Marla Y says
Would love to have the recipe for the mini breakfast quiches this week. I have a women’s prayer breakfast this Saturday and I’m supposed to bring a main dish and would love to make these to bring. Thank you for sharing. God Bless
[email protected]
Brieana @ The Living Well says
I saw this and thought of you:
http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/04/reader-tip-make-gluten-free-flour-using-your-coffee-grinder.html
72 eggs! My goodness!
Kristin says
I was just on my way over to share the same link:) Fabulous ideas for cutting the cost of gluten-free foods.
Yemi Brown says
When my boys were all 5 and under, my MIL told me that rice,beans, bread, and potatoes would be my best friends in the kitchen. I did not get her meaning and shrugged it off. Now that my boys are 7, 8, and 9, I feel like my kitchen has been infested with locusts. They eat EVERYTHING! I almost envy parents with picky eaters. I was just telling a friend that I don’t know what “leftover” night is. Add my hubby to the mix and I feel like I can’t ever get ahead in cooking. And this is only the beginning.I sometimes think it might be gluttony, but the fact that I also cannot keep them in clothes longer than a month or two tells me different. Boy, did I need to vent. Off to check on my breads.
Yemi Brown says
BTW I’m considering purchasing a freezer chest. Any recommendations?
Laura says
We’ve been very happy with the ugly, used freezers we’ve purchased from our local appliance store. They give us great deals for them since they aren’t very pretty. :) They are out in our storage room where no one sees them, so the ugly factor doesn’t matter. Both of ours are upright, which I prefer…but a chest freezer would surely be great too!
Barbra says
This was a wonderful post, Laura. I, too, enjoyed reading the comments.
I am blessed by your site and am thankful for the effort you put into it. God has gifted you with a way with words, if I’m ever feeling down, I just pop by your site for a laugh. The best one was Jan 2010 (I think) when you and your boys were putting away the Christmas decorations!!! I printed it off and read it over.
May God bless you and your family and continue to provide for your daily needs! Which seems like eggs at the present time… :)
kelly says
i am wondering hwo you made your rice flour tortillas? I also wonder if you have any good rice flour muffins?
Laura says
I didn’t make them, actually. Someone on our health food co-op gave them to me to try. I think they are from Ezekiel 4:9.
Leanne says
My mother in law was blessed with 4 boys and I remember the first time I was over for dinner I was…well shocked! I didn’t realize boys ate so much. She brought food to the table in what my mother referred to as mixing bowls…lol! Now several years later I am expecting our second son and I know it will only be a few short years before we are doing the same things in our home.
blair says
Laura, does your egg consumption include your baking? There are 5 of us (4 who eat, one is just 4wks old), and we can easily go through 3-3 1/2 dozen at breakfast. Plus there’s the meals you need eggs to make, like meatloaf? Then there’s baking. I should cound how many eggs I use in a week.
Laura says
Yes, that includes our baking, etc. And when you say 3 dozen at breakfast, are you talking ONE breakfast, or breakfast all week?! :)
Lisa says
First of all let me applaud you for all the cooking ahead you do. That sort of cooking never seems to work for me. But, I do well enough if I can cook up the meat for the whole week I too am trying to get ahead this week, soccer season, field trips, talent shows. You name it. Tonight we are home so I took advantage of that. I cooked up 1/2 a pork tenderloin. Hopefully that will get us through most of the week in various incarnations.
AmyK says
Can some one point me to a link, or maybe just explain to me (this seems like such a basic question) … how do you freeze a lasagna? What kind of container, does it have a lid? Do you bake it first? Can it go straight from the freezer to the oven? I love to make things ahead & I freeze all sorts of baked goods, now I’m ready to move to main dishes!
Laura says
When I freeze a lasagna, I make it but do not bake it. I put a lid on and freeze. Yes, it can go from freezer to oven, or you can thaw it first and then bake. If you go from freezer to oven, you’ll need to add baking time.