My DH eats everything!

[budgetmom]

I have been trying to cut costs down on our food some and in my efforts I discovered something-my DH is a pig! I knew this before, but I never really calulated the cost of all of it. I am currently making 8-10 serving meals for a family of 4, two are small children. If we have any leftovers, it's only enough to put in his lunch for the next day. DH is no where close to being over weight. I think his leg is just hollow, LOL. Does anybody have any good hearty recipes for meals to feed an army that won't break the budget?!

[tinapbeana]

Re: My DH eats everything!

budgetmom, i know the feeling! actually, DH & i are both pigs and apparently eat like starving mad-people. my best recommendation in general is soup (it's a dieting trick!): studies show that people who eat a bowl of soup as an appetizer consume less food and calories over the course of the entire meal than those that don't eat soup. basically, the liquid volume in food makes you feel full. so, maybe a bowl of soup for DH along with dinner? and, just me pearsonally, i always feel fuller when i eat beans... (yes, i already know what everyone is thinking!)

along those lines, i think fall/winter are great soup times anyways, so maybe they could be meals unto themselves more often. my cheapest soup is made from 1 lb white beans, 1 diced potato, 1 diced onion, 2 chopped carrots, and 1 lb diced ham. whole pot costs a couple bucks, depending on how much you pay for the ham. buy a box of jiffy cornbread mix for $0.33 and make cornbread fritters, and you have a cheap tasty extra filling meal.

[Broken Arrow]

Re: My DH eats everything!

Wow. So, there's someone else out there that eats more than me?

Now that I am learning to cook for myself, I have learned that basically starchy foods is my friend. Pasta in particular. Rice too. Filling and cheap to boot.

[PrincessPerky]

Re: My DH eats everything!

complex carbs stay longer..as does some protien or fat. takes longer to break down.. keeping more in use less stored or speedburned.

we as a family of 5 eat more than most ...dramatically more. my 11 month old eats more than most 2 year olds...course the average 2 year old eats nothing! (lest you think we are fat, all are under weight or average weight)) Anyway.....

I have found oatmeal keeps the kids full longer than most cold cereals....
plain yogurt with fruit lasts longer than store bought mixed..not entirely sure why.

whole wheat bread, pasta, and brown rice loasts longer than white.

plain salad on the other hand is practically a waste of time unless I serve whole wheat rolls with it.

wheat germ will help any meal 'stay' longer.

By stay I mean the time beytween hunger calls, simple sugars are burned fast so your body uses them up then asks for more....complex carbs, and protien take longer..so does real fat...which is why one tends to eat a billion of those diet cookies..no real fat to make you feel full.

Also vegetables 'slow down' the speed of eating..giving the stumach a chance to say it is full.

Junk food AKA 'empty calories' is just that, empty..practically as soon as the bag of cookies or chips is empty high metabolism folk start hunting for more..the only reason for delay would be guilt!

Unfortunatly brown is more expensive.....

[tinapbeana]

Re: My DH eats everything!

I have found oatmeal keeps the kids full longer than most cold cereals.... plain yogurt with fruit lasts longer than store bought mixed..not entirely sure why.

bet you the store bought fruit yogurt has sugar added in some way, shape, or form as opposed to the naturally occuring sugar in the yogurt & fruit itself.

[budgetmom]

Re: My DH eats everything!

I seem to be doing ok on what to buy, it sounds like. I bought plain yougurt last time I went to the store and I've been mixing all the leftover baby food that DD won't eat anymore (she's really liking the solids!) in to it. Oatmeal is a favorite for us and I add all kinds of things into it like fruit, honey, brown sugar... you get the idea (oh, but not all of them at the same time! I think I would have to hang them by their toes until their sugar high was over if I did something like that, LOL). I just pulled a loaf of oatmeal bread out of the oven to have for breakfast tomorrow with yougurt as a matter of fact...

We do eat some brown rice, but we have white more often, it's cheaper, but you already know that. We never get brown pasta unless it's a fabulous deal, but we really don't eat a lot of pasta dishes. I really don't like Italian food that much (although DH LOVES it). I make it as a special treat for him on occasion, but cooking like that just seems so expensive to me. I don't know of many other pasta dishes that aren't Italian. I would love to hear some if anybody has some.

We eat veggies on a regular basis. Not a lot raw (DH calls it rabbit food, meaning he can't get full off of it) but sometimes we do. I do feed my DS raw veggies for snacks. I still have to cook them for DD.

Beans and lentils are always in my pantry (dried) and I usually cook the whole bag (1 lb.) in a meal. Still, there is usually not a lot left over.

DH must have an extrordinarily high metabolism to be consuming so much food! He told me the other day that he was told he had high colesterol several years ago when he was still in the military. (So nice of him to finally let ME know...) He's obviously not conserned about it, but I am. I can't help but think that eating all of this food is just contributing to his unchecked colesterol. Plus, it just costs so much!

[tinapbeana]

Re: My DH eats everything!

I don't know of many other pasta dishes that aren't Italian. I would love to hear some if anybody has some.

chinese: you can make a tasty 'lo mein' using spaghetti noodles

Beans and lentils are always in my pantry (dried) and I usually cook the whole bag (1 lb.) in a meal. Still, there is usually not a lot left over.

beans are usually cheap, especially if you buy in bulk. maybe double beans?

must have an extrordinarily high metabolism to be consuming so much food! He told me the other day that he was told he had high colesterol several years ago when he was still in the military. (So nice of him to finally let ME know...) He's obviously not conserned about it, but I am. I can't help but think that eating all of this food is just contributing to his unchecked colesterol. Plus, it just costs so much!

if you're concerned, scan local ads & newspapers for free cholesterol screenings in your area.

[JanH]

Re: My DH eats everything!

This area has a lot of Cajun influence so everything is over rice. I have gotten used to chili over brown rice, spaghetti, beans, vegetables, cheese, everything over rice. It is really filling and you have a lot of energy. Don't use the spices, but love the rice.

[JanH]

Re: My DH eats everything!

along those lines, i think fall/winter are great soup times anyways, so maybe they could be meals unto themselves more often. my cheapest soup is made from 1 lb white beans, 1 diced potato, 1 diced onion, 2 chopped carrots, and 1 lb diced ham. whole pot costs a couple bucks, depending on how much you pay for the ham. buy a box of jiffy cornbread mix for $0.33 and make cornbread fritters, and you have a cheap tasty extra filling meal.

I never learned how to make soup. I'm gonna try this one since it is getting cooler. well--relatively speaking--cooler for our climate.

[PRICEPLUS]

Re: My DH eats everything!

Soups are neat. You can put all sorts of leftovers and goodies in there. My grabndmother uedd to make mystery soups. They can be very filling. I add a beaten egg into the soup to thicken it up when cooking Lotsa pasta and beans really fill you up and you can stretch soup by adding more veggies. At least that is what I do. I too eat like a pig!

[JanH]

Re: My DH eats everything!

Okay, that sinks it. Now I'm hungry! Gonna go see what's for dinner.

[tinapbeana]

Re: My DH eats everything!

I never learned how to make soup. I'm gonna try this one since it is getting cooler. well--relatively speaking--cooler for our climate.

don't feel bad, jan, i never learned how to make soup either... the white bean 'recipe' is what i came up with when i started camping and needed something that wouldn't require me to haul a bunch of cans up a mountain!

for me, soup is any liquid with some amount of solids making their way around. take 1 liquid (water, chicken/beef/vegetable broth, or tomato paste thinned with water) and add 3-6 more items from wherever you stash your goodies. simmer till you think it's yummy and chow down!

[budgetmom]

Re: My DH eats everything!

Thanks everyone! I will try the soup, it sounds yummy! I don't know how well it will go over with my DH, though. He's a MEAT and potatos kind of guy. I guess He's just gonna have to learn to accept change.

[Broken Arrow]

Re: My DH eats everything!

I'm a meat and potatos kind of guy too. However, I am trying to find cheap alternatives though. Hot dogs, bologna, and spam are some of the examples. Don't know if he's willing to do that though.

[JanH]

Re: My DH eats everything!

I'm a meat and potatos kind of guy too. However, I am trying to find cheap alternatives though. Hot dogs, bologna, and spam are some of the examples. Don't know if he's willing to do that though.

My MIL tells a story about her one of her early meals as a bride being fried spam......