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OT- Keeping growing boys full!
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Since the birth of my 3rd or 4th child, I have disliked lunch time. That’s why I taught my kids to make their own lunch as soon as possible. I also have a buddy system so that I usually only have to feed myself and the youngest child. Those of you feeding a house full of little ones probably think this sounds divine but it has its draw backs!
I now have 9 DC and lunch can get pretty chaotic. I care about nutrition and cook mostly whole foods from scratch but I’m not pleased with the nutrition level of the children’s lunches. I’m also tired of them being HUNGRY ALL AFTERNOON! Some days we have lots of good left overs and things go better but most days they make a sandwich or eggs and toast and call it good. No fruit, no vegetables and then in an hour they are starved! And it doesn’t end. They want to eat all the way up to dinner time. Then I’m struggling to come up with healthy snacks and they are asking for chips and junk that we buy very little of and save for special occasions.
My friend got me thinking about this when she told me that they eat breakfast and lunch a little late and eat very light in the evening because their lunch was so filling! This works for them because they are farmers and everyone’s home for lunch. I can’t make lunch my largest meal but it needs to be more filling than it is. They ask for lunch at 11:30 and we don’t eat dinner until 6! Maybe I need to fill them up more at breakfast too! I guess I forgot to mention that 8 of my 9 kids are boys and they range from 18 months to 19. They all eat a lot.
Does anyone have any ideas for keeping boys full? Easy whole foods recipes that can be made gluten and dairy free for a quick and filling lunch? How do you fit lunch prep (and breakfast prep) into a homeschool day?
My kids eat a lot in the afternoon too 🙂
We eat breakfast around 7:30am, lunch around 11:30, snack at 3 and dinner around 5:30 or 6pm. Going from lunch to dinner is long, even for me, I need a snack too.
My YDS is a “grazer” and eats a snack around 10:30am as well. My other kids did it around his age (5 years) as well.
It can be difficult, but I also have to remember they are growing like crazy and my kids are active (on swim team as well as just regular play). So I try not to go to “crazy” by the constant hungry claims.
For snacks we do cheese sticks, fruit, hard boiled eggs… Something with a bit of protein and that seems to help.
2 of my kids also struggle if they go too long with out eating, they get really grouchy and have stomach trouble. They get so hungry hard to eat and when they eat they get unset stomach but they are so hungry. I was and still am that way, so I tend to be a bit sensitive to the idea that small snacks throughout the day are ok, just because that is how my body does better. Rather than big meals, more of “grazing”. I often has a snack while making dinner just to tide myself over to dinner, LOL (a slice or two of cheese).
I also find for my kids it goes through phases, the challenge someone always seems to be in that “phase”. My DD went through a period of time where she ate non stop, then slowed down on her own. I discovered she had grown 1.5″ in 2 months. Guess she needed the extra food.
So sorry that was not very helpful… I guess I have not found a solution, haha. I just go with it because it seems that no matter what I make and they eat they are hungry again before long. Talking to my friends with kids similar ages… we all seem to be dealing with the exact same things. I think it is pretty normal.
Oh, but they don’t snack all day long either. We keep pretty “strict” about waiting for the 3pm snack window. The kitchen and pantry are not “open” all the time. 🙂
I realize it’s normal for growing kids to get hungry but… I’ve heard about how the French children aren’t given much in snacks, and that meal time is more of an event. I just wonder if there’s a way to get away from “grazing” and only serve one snack in the A.M. and one in the P.M.. I do try to get them to eat protein but there’s less variety for my dairy free child.
I feel like there has to be a better way than what we’re doing but I’m afraid it will require more cooking on my part. 🙁
My oldest (9) is allergic to dairy and nuts, so I feel really limited as to what I can give him for a quick snack that is filling and has some protein in it.
I’ve started reading Trim Healthy Mama, and it’s made me painfully aware of the quantity of carbs I’m giving this child. :-\
Every family is different! I have 9 children as well, 7 are sons. We’ve always had scheduled food times (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack). We always try to pair a protein and we always offer more fruit or veggie. For example dinner tonight had me telling one son who was asking what is for seconds/thirds that the options were more salad, more veggies, and some nuts or cheese.
Proteins we make use of:
nuts and nut butters, meats (make a list, seriously, there are so many that I never think of without a list), yogurt and other dairy options (I know you said no dairy, but there are non-dairy options that may fit in here made from other ingredients).
We do a lot of veggies, fruits, and offer a grain of some sort at each meal with the protein too.
I have found that getting everyone into the same eating routine (what time we eat or snack) makes a big difference because they learn to actually eat well when there is food time, and their body generally learns to ‘expect’ food at those times instead of it being so confused about when to expect food because of random eating and snacking times each day. Switching over would be annoying for you at first because the complaints will be loud for a couple weeks, but really, it’s doable. And require a veggie in quantity if they’re asking for more food – they need the bulk/fiber so they don’t feel empty. Also water – between meals/snacks a child who is hungry is handed their waterbottle and expected to work on drinking it.
My first question is: what are they eating for breakfast? Carbs aren’t filling. So I would really try and make breakfast protein-heavy: eggs, milk, oatmeal topped with yogurt and nuts etc… Or protein rich muffins with fruit and milk etc…
Lunch at 11:30 is likely fine as long as you do an afternoon snack, likely around 3:00. Again focus on protein rich foods. And while it may be more work, I’d say you’re going to need to be more involved in lunch time. They can make their own food, but you need to be the one telling them what to make. Leftovers are great. Sandwhiches aren’t bad – as long as they’re made with a whole grain bread with meat, cheese etc…. A hearty chicken soup with whole grain rolls with peanut butter, Chicken quesadillas are a great lunch, as is chili. Chili nachos are good too.
For snacks – celery sticks with peanut butter, yogurt, nuts, cookies made with nuts, a nice sweet bread (banana oatmeal bread with walnuts is delicious and protein packed, especially when spread with butter or peanut butter).
Dear starving children’s mother, (ha-Ha)
My 4 children, three of which are boys, eat 5 medium meals a day. we don’t eat breakfast til 8:30, getting some house and barn chores done prior. My kids have an egg on toast every morning and a bowl of grits/oatmeal/cream of wheat (which we love} my second boy, caleb, makes breakfast every am. snack is fruit, since were not big with it at breakfst. lunch is leftovers/salads, taco salads/ granola. We make homemade granola 2x per month and this is considered dessert after lunch, dinner or snacks. It’s homemade in the Ball canning book and we adore it with cold milk from the farm. this stuff is filling and makes a great hot cereal with adding milk. My children are very active outside and with barn chores and often times may only eat 3 large meals in fall, spring and summer. They each have a water thermos on ice and it’s toted wherever they are off to.Sometimes, I wonder are they truly hungry or are they bored and want to eat. Snacks never are junk. They are homemade granola bars, apples with cheese, cukes and cheese, send them to the garden and tell them to pick it and wash it snack!(today had blueberries and cherry tomatoes)
The granola bars are just yummy and remind me of rice crispy treats. A double batch usually lasts a week in air tight container. single batch: mix 5 cups quick/ rolled oats,4.5 cups rice crispies, 1 pkg graham crackers crushed(1 section, there being 3 in the box), 1 cup coconut, set aside. Next melt 1.5 sticks butter or equivalent (coconut oil), 1/3 cup cooking/coconut oil, 1/4 cup honey, 1 cup raisins/craisins/dried blueberries. Add 2 bags 10 oz. large marshmellows and 1 tsp. vanilla. melt together then turn off heat and mix in dry ingredients. press into greased cookie sheet. cool and cut. They will be a hit. Play with it adding in different dried fruits and cereals to the mix like Cheerios.
As I’m typing this I’m recalling todays lunch of ice cream and chocolate cake, eaten at church as we finished cleaning. I realized lunch time had passed and we enjoyed leftovers from the youth rally yesterday. It’s not typical, but it was enjoyed!
I hope this helps ! Martha
Like someone said, each family is different, and this is what we are doing during this season of life. We usually ate around 7/8 and 11:30/12 and 5/6 with an afternoon snack. The children wanted big snacks, saying they were still hungry. But then they wouldn’t eat supper very well and truly be hungry before bedtime.
So I started giving them a morning snack around 10:30/11 and moved lunch back to 12:30 or 1. Then they would get a small snack, usually fruit, mid-way til supper.
But I’m pregnant and was feeling quite sick with this schedule. So I go ahead and eat lunch (usually leftovers) when they have morning snack. After the children eat lunch, the two youngest and I are ready for rest/nap.
I never changed what we ate, just the times. And even those aren’t set in stone. If the children aren’t hungry for lunch, I let it wait a little longer and they may not need the afternoon snack. They have been less grouchy in the late afternoon this way and eating supper better/more.
I’m sure this will change in time, but for now it sure helps.
So glad I started making baked oatmeal. I spend 20 – 30 minutes the night before putting it together in a 9 X 13 and let it set overnight in the refrigerator. This will feed 6 people well. It bakes in 40 – 45 minutes the next morning. It is so filling, we don’t need a morning snack. I have noticed better behavior when I serve this rather than cold cereal and a fruit, needing a snack within a few hours. And I insist they must have a fruit in the morning. The recipes I use have milk, but you might be able to use water or a non-dairy milk. These are the recipes I started with, but I have adjusted by adding more oats and baking powder and egg and less sugar and cinnamon. And I chop a batch of nuts and keep in the freezer to sprinkle on top. Then I can leave it off part of it if someone does not want nuts. Most often, I make the banana/blueberry using frozen blueberries. For a change I make the apple/craisin/raisin. And every once in a while a pear/raspberry.
http://www.annies-eats.com/2011/09/12/baked-oatmeal-with-fruit/
http://www.onceuponachef.com/2014/03/amish-style-baked-oatmeal-with-apples-raisins-walnuts.html
Avocados are a fruit that are very nutrient-dense and calorie-rich, with healthy fats. They can be eaten alone, added to a smoothie, or used in recipes. But do not cook/heat as they become bitter. They can be used to replace mayo. Buy hard/green and let ripen on counter standing upright for a few days. When black/soft to touch, refrigerate for a week or so. You can also cut in half, scoup it out and freeze to go into smoothies. Smoothies are a great snack and can be a meal replacement if made right with enough calories.
Potatoes – Russet, red, sweet, etc. You can scrub them up and put in crock pot in the morning; quick and easy. Very filling.
Soups/Salads: We always have lettuce in the refrigerator so anyone can have a salad anytime if they are still hungry. I make a large stock pot of soup on the weekend and we eat one meal on that when I make it. Then we eat a few lunch meals on it through the week. If there is some left and we are tired of it, I freeze the remainder for later. Or if you make chili, you can use leftovers in a recipe like Chili Pie, Dorrito Casserole, Chili Mac, etc. I often freeze some chili before it is lunch leftovers (and all gone) for the purpose of pulling it out of the freezer another week to go in one of those recipes.
You can make your soups more filling by adding potatoes, brown rice, or noodles. Or serve with crackers or whole-grain bread and butter. A basic Vegetable soup can be varied with what vegetables and beans/meats you add each time. I use frozen pre-cut vegetables where I can and canned tomatoes, and I cut up fresh onion, celery, cabbage, potatoes, etc. Add in broth and vegetable or tomato juice. And I use a variety of spices, but like Mrs. Dash Extry Spicy most of the time.
Soups we make (non-creamy):
Chili
Chicken Noodle (w/ frozen peas/carrots). Cut up fresh celery.
Italian Chicken Noodle
Vegetable (Beef/Bean/or Ground Turkey) – Vary the vegetables each time
Lentil Soup
Taco Soup
Sweet Potato Black Bean chili/soup – My new favorite!
You can make your own broth so you have the large quantity of broth you need without buys tons of quarts of store broth. I use both. But I can get 20 quarts of broth by cooking two 4 – 5 pound whole chickens in a large stock pot. The broth cooks with the chicken. De-bone chicken to use in other recipes and keep the bones to make your second round of broth to freeze for later. (You can even make a third round of broth, but not as rich.) After the last batch of broth is strained, I cook down 3 quarts to 1 quart concentrated to freeze in a Ball quart jar. Then I add 2 quarts water when I pull it from the freezer to make a pot of soup. But if you don’t want to do that, just go with the store broth, or make homemade vegetable broth.
I am following this thread, because I have learned that the above works well for us, but it is not 100% of our meals, so need more ideas!
I forgot to add the recipe link:
http://minimalistbaker.com/5-ingredient-sweet-potato-black-bean-chili/
You ladies are AMAZING. As always, just listening to everyone’s ideas has helped me figure out what I want to try.
1. I think I want to add a morning snack and push lunch to 12:30. This will also give me more prep time on days I want to cook something for lunch.
2. When my children eat sandwiches I want to offer soup, salad or some kind of potato with it.
3. I only make soup or beans about once a week. If I up that to twice and use the 12 quart pot instead of the 8 quart one. I will have more leftovers for lunch. And soup and beans are cheap! Win, win!
4. I’m hoping to get back in the habbit of making my own bread again. It’s a lot of bread but would make me feel better about what they’re eating.
5. I’m thinking about making it an assigned chore to have one of the kids make granola bars, cookies etc. for a different kind of snack a couple days a week. Right now they eat a lot of Apple’s or bananas with peanut butter.
6. I also want to make a list of snack options for them to choose from. (In case they are tired of apple’s and peanut butter!) I’m going to make a list of proteins and a list of fruit and veggie options and tell them to choose one thing off each list. If they eat that and aren’t full or it will be a long time until the next meal, then I’ll add a carb like: popcorn, toast, granola bar, cookie, muffin etc..
As far as breakfast, we eat a lot of eggs, toast, oatmeal(baked or regular) and muffins. I think everyone’s just tired of the same things. I want to change it up and try the add ins for the baked oatmeal and maybe some higher protein muffins etc…
Wings to fly, it sounds like we cook similarly! I really like your ideas and recipes. I have plenty of chicken broth in my freezer and my favorite chili is “Pumpkin Black Bean Turkey Chili” from a Fix It and Forget It Cookbook. I can’t wait to try the sweet potato one!
I’m sure I won’t change it all overnight but I’m working toward it one step at a time. I knew the day would come when I had a house full of teenagers. Now I just need to learn how to feed them well. I have 4 teenagers (3 full grown) and my 2 preteens eat like crazy. The youngest 3 don’t eat as much but like to “graze”. ? If feeding them is my biggest problem, I’d say I’m doing pretty good! I do feel blessed!
I don’t have teenagers yet, so maybe this won’t help. But here’s what I do. My oldest is 11, three of my four kids are boys, and eat a ton. Several years ago I cut out snacks because I felt like I was in the kitchen all day, after the initial hump they just began to eat more at meal times and stopped asking for snacks. We have an occasional snack if lunch is early/dinners going to be late. I notice if I give them a snack a couple days in a row, they start expecting it and complain about how hungry they are, but when they’re not used to a snack they’re fine.
At every meal I make sure they get enough protein and make sure there is a ‘filler’, something they can fill up on if they’re having a hungry day. Potatoes, rice cooked in broth, good bread, oatmeal, etc. Something that can be slathered in butter. Lol. In addition there’s usually a fruit option at breakfast, a mandatory fruit or vegetable at lunch, and dinner there is always a vegetable.
while we do not have snacks routinely, I do sometimes get a kid going thru a growth spurt who will get hungry in the afternoon. Their option is always the same milk or cheese plus fruit or veg. It’s not exciting, so it cuts out boredom eating but a truly hungry kid will enjoy it. It also requires zero work from me. 😀
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