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12-14-2017, 09:19 PM | #1 |
Rose Bouquet
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 924
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Cheap, Healthy, Filling lunches for a large family?
I thought there was a very old thread here on this topic but can't find it. Does anyone have ideas? Trying to be frugal and not eat junk but needing to fill tummies of 6 kids ages 4 to 15 Any ideas or is there another thread on this? Thanks!!
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Lorene~Mom to 6 great kids 09/02,08/04,10/06, 05/10, 06/11 and 11/13 |
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12-14-2017, 09:38 PM | #2 |
Rose Garden
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 27,356
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Re: Cheap, Healthy, Filling lunches for a large family?
bean burritos (make beans from dry)
fried rice (try to go minimal on the oil and maximize the veggies if you want healthy. I just use the frozen mixed veggies. They're cheap and people like them). chili or taco soup any kind of soup plus homemade, whole wheat bread (can be breadsticks, garlic rolls (make like cinnamon rolls but use garlic and your fat of choice with bread dough)
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Erin born of water and of the Spirit 4/96 married 5/02 Mama to: 2004 2007 2010 2012 2017 2019 Jan 2, 2024 And many I hope to hold in heaven one day |
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12-14-2017, 09:40 PM | #3 |
Rose Garden
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 18,255
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Re: Cheap, Healthy, Filling lunches for a large family?
Lunch is so hard. Everyone wants to eat at different times, and really, making a bunch of sandwiches is tedious and time consuming.
Soup is good, and easy to toss in the instant pot to be done around lunchtime and whenever people want to eat, but none of my kids are big soup eaters. I'd probably make lentil or black bean soup all the time if they were into it. Healthy is different to different people. Most people won't think bready things are healthy, but I am OK with it. We don't have any dietary restrictions, so we can eat just about anything. Veggie wraps are a favorite. Whatever veggies I have cut up for salads go in the tortilla with either hummus or cream cheese, then salad greens, a tiny bit of dressing, and just roll it up. I just use plain ol' white flour tortillas, so they are cheaper than a loaf of bread. If we are having sandwiches, we go through a whole loaf, so tortillas are more economical, even if I get the good, whole wheat kind. I have been known to get big loaves of French bread if we are having sandwiches and making them like a party sub instead of making individual sandwiches. My son makes tuna melts once a week. Trader Joe's whole wheat English muffins, toasted in the toaster, then topped with tuna straight from the pouch, then covered with cheese slices. Heat it in the oven until the cheese is melted. Serve with sliced cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. Only half the kids eat it. The others usually do English muffin pizza instead. We do a lot of "snacky lunch" with whatever we have on hand. I can't wait to see other peoples suggestions. I get so bored with lunch.
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Last edited by RealLifeMama; 12-14-2017 at 09:43 PM. |
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12-14-2017, 09:43 PM | #4 |
Rose Bouquet
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 924
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Re: Cheap, Healthy, Filling lunches for a large family?
My version of healthy has changed quite a bit with the increase in mouths to feed. Yes I love soups but they are not usually fond of it- Lately we have been defaulting to turkey sandwiches using deli turkey but that gets expensive. The younger ones are ok with pbj, but Like the wrap idea too that could be a bit healthier also.
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Lorene~Mom to 6 great kids 09/02,08/04,10/06, 05/10, 06/11 and 11/13 |
12-14-2017, 09:49 PM | #5 | |
Rose Garden
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 18,255
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Re: Cheap, Healthy, Filling lunches for a large family?
Quote:
We also do Annie's Mac and Cheese twice a month. Three boxes feed everyone, so that is just about $4-5. That costs about the same as PB&J depending on what kind of bread we use.
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A, Mother of Dancing Diva, 21 Boy Wonder 19, Mr. Cool 15, and Ninja 13 Sunshine, 11, and 8 year old Joy
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12-14-2017, 10:00 PM | #6 |
Rose Garden
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 27,356
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Re: Cheap, Healthy, Filling lunches for a large family?
Oh, more- some of my kids really like saag aloo and it is very healthy!
Also we do a lot of baked French fries when I don't have a little baby. Just chop up potatoes into fry shapes, salt, and baked on lightly greased or silicone pans. I know most people wouldn't consider that lunch but we do. I don't make them now since I don't have time to peel potatoes and I miss them. We make pita pizzas a lot. I don't know healthy those are but they aren't terrible for you and they are fairly cheap (we get pita breads at Costco) and everyone likes them. Oh, and sushi bowls. Just make a bunch of sushi rice and chop up toppings (we use seaweed, cucumber, avocado, sesame seeds, and ginger). Then we throw all that stuff in a bowl- much easier than making sushi. Pancakes can be fairly healthy depending on how you make them, and they are definitely cheap and easy. Do you ever eat potato pancakes? Those are cheap and yummy, too. I like them with applesauce.
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Erin born of water and of the Spirit 4/96 married 5/02 Mama to: 2004 2007 2010 2012 2017 2019 Jan 2, 2024 And many I hope to hold in heaven one day |
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12-14-2017, 10:15 PM | #7 |
Rose Garden
My kid shoots laser beams from his hands
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,900
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Re: Cheap, Healthy, Filling lunches for a large family?
Aglio e olio (pasta in garlic sauce. We usually add parm)
Instant pot fried rice French bread pizza Tuna or chicken patties Pancakes spread with peanut butter and rolled up. Cut into sushi slices of your kids are into that Egg salad sandwiches Baked potatoes topped with veggies and cheese or leftovers. Dumplings Hong Kong noodles |
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12-15-2017, 11:29 AM | #8 |
Rose Garden
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Seattle area
Posts: 21,260
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Re: Cheap, Healthy, Filling lunches for a large family?
This week I did a cabbage stir fry, where it was 1lb of meat and a whole head of cabbage, with garlic and ginger and soy sauce. It was really filling and would have made enough for all four us for two meals, except early bird decied she loved it and ate more than dh and I put together so it was only good for a meal and a half.
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Momma to my 29 weeker Early Bird who is thirteen and my little Wiggle Worm born 33 weeks who is nine. How do I have a teenager?! I don't feel ready for this. |
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12-15-2017, 01:10 PM | #9 | |
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Re: Cheap, Healthy, Filling lunches for a large family?
Quote:
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12-15-2017, 02:43 PM | #10 |
Rose Trellis
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 2,482
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Re: Cheap, Healthy, Filling lunches for a large family?
We also make Tortilla de Patata. Diced potatoes (if you use raw, fry them and drain) To cut down on frying, we bake potatoes and dice them so we can use them quicker.
In a little olive oil cook dice onion and garlic brown the potato dices and then add scrambled eggs (eggs= for the amount of potatoes you are using for a individual serving, 2 eggs, 9 inch skillet, probably 4 eggs...... use your discretion) Cook like an omelet and then flip it like a pancake. If I am doing a family size, I have 2 skillets so I can just flip into the next skillet and not break the tortilla de patata. (in Spain, they would serve it plain with a side salad or you could add some small shrimp, ham or bacon. I am pretty sure it would work well with Turkey sausage that is pre-cooked and crumbled.) |
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12-15-2017, 03:52 PM | #11 |
Rose Garden
Why climb a mountain? Because it's there!
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Selkirk Mountains
Posts: 52,860
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Re: Cheap, Healthy, Filling lunches for a large family?
My kids often scavenge for lunch. . I eat a big breakfast and a very small lunch. They do the opposite.
Soup is my favorite. I'm looking for very filling, economical, packable lunches for skiing. Soup in a thermos is tricky but we do it. I'm thinking of baking a big pan of Mac & cheese and putting it in my thermal carrier. If I get my act together I could have burritos hot and packed. Baked potatoes covered in chili (or stew) is another winter favorite. |
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12-15-2017, 05:29 PM | #12 |
Rose Garden
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 5,542
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Re: Cheap, Healthy, Filling lunches for a large family?
If you eat bread, hand pies are a good make-ahead meal. The dough for these hand pies is fantastic. The filling good, too and lends itself to endless variations. (You can even use leftovers!) Empanadas and cornish pasties are other options, but the crusts for those are more like the pastry you would use for a dessert pie.
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Darcy married to my Photographic Genius (1/00) Mom to: Prima, Secunda, Tertia, and Quarta Youth and Beauty are fleeting, but the ability to bake a great chocolate cake lasts forever! |
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12-16-2017, 07:49 AM | #13 |
Rose Garden
I am the mountain. I am not the storm and the storm is not me. -Ian Cron
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 28,913
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Re: Cheap, Healthy, Filling lunches for a large family?
We do some of the above but Leftovers is our main lunch. We made rice and mix w spaghetti sauce, taco meat refrigerator beans etc.
Corn tortillas w all of that too. Quesadillas (corn tortillas refrigerator beans cheese and tomato) We r gluten free, yeast free and can only eat 2 legumes. Bread is a very rare treat cuz of cost. We also do egg salad and tuna salad in a bowl or w lettuce. Other things are more expensive that we add (fresh fruit and veggies) but my rule in general is that there must be protein. Oh and gravy. I add gravy to lots of leftover meats and rice. Just thickened seasoned chicken broth. Since broth is so cheap and healthy.
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~Spring always comes after winter~ 2 Corinthians 4:16 “ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ” |
12-16-2017, 09:33 AM | #14 |
Rose Trellis
For G
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: close but not close enough to the beach
Posts: 2,806
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Re: Cheap, Healthy, Filling lunches for a large family?
Following, we're severely budgeting this coming year and food is a big cost in our household.
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Wife to V since 5/19/07 my hard workin man Mom to G since 8/10/09 my crazy 10 yo Z since 9/10/13 my wild thing 6 yo Surprise! N born 2/8/16 terrific 4 yo *my help comes from the Lord above*
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12-17-2017, 12:12 AM | #15 |
Newly Planted
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 3
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Re: Cheap, Healthy, Filling lunches for a large family?
We have beans with a lot of our meals. Hummus on everything is good because dry beans are cheap and it's filling. We like to have stuff ready to make wraps; we eat that a lot. Quinoa spiced up with salsa or both and spices is something we have a lot that's not too expensive. I buy it in 25lb bags at WinCo. That's how I buy beans, whole wheat pasta, and other dry goods too. We often have soup, but I see that that's not a favorite.
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