What is normal eating for a family [don't judge]

amother

↑ OP ↓

Mon, Jul 29 2024, 1:32 am

amother Dimgray wrote:

Maybe not the healthiest, but you definitely have a regular menu for many people.
Op, do you work outside of the house?
If not, what can you do to help have supper ready on time? It seems like you have a solid supper schedule you just need to find a way to have ready on time.
I’d also try to make an effort to have healthy snack options.
You’re doing great

yes I work - I dont have a choice - even if we can't have programs/but have the same money as I'd have on programs - programs decrease - my salary will stay stable or go up a bit
hsuband is limited in work options - works f/t but minimum wage and can't earn more [it hurts but it's the truth and his limitations is how he was created. he is well meaning hardworking person but limited in earning ability]
it's my struggle - getting food on the table on time

amother

↑ OP ↓

Mon, Jul 29 2024, 1:42 am

dankbar wrote:

You are doing good, you have cooked meals daily for them.

Maybe you can make things you can freeze, or put things into oven before going to work or cook at night for next day.

I'm giving you good ideas but I also struggle with timing.

good to know it's not just me
I came to terms with this
I'm a little clumsy
I'm not fast in the kitchen
it takes me time to process things
and I juggle a lot
so there goes
but I try

amother

Bottlebrush

Mon, Jul 29 2024, 1:47 am

I'm dysfunctional. For breakfast my kids eat cereal and milk. Sometimes eggs, scrambled or an omelette, most of the time with cheese and butter in it. With toast. I rarely make pancakes. For after school either a leben or a yogurt and a mini bag pretzels or potato chips
Supper is mainly one dish.
Chicken (various)
Tacos
Hotdogs
Meatloaf - with sliced potatoes if I'm feeling fancy.
Creamy orange pasta
Creamy spaghetti
Grilled cheese
Bean wraps with crumbled farmers cheese
Rarely its just rice with corn for supper.
I've been making green beans in the oven, but it's not usually served along with the meal.
Slices of apple if I'm feeling fancy.

Comparing to my childhood I think I'm doing a lot better than my mom. I grew up surviving on literal sugar for breakfast and ready made meals. My mom only cooked 1-2x a week.

amother

Honeysuckle

Mon, Jul 29 2024, 2:19 am

OP
I feel similar to you, except you’re more functional 😀
We all go to sleep late and therefore my kids and I wake up and need to rush out the door in minutes, and therefore most of us don’t eat before leaving to school/work.
I do offer them grab and go type stuff for the way but most of my kids don’t even take it along with them.
Ironically my children do well in school, and for years I’ve been going to conferences waiting to hear that my kids don’t function at school because their tired and starving but bh it’s always been positive, somehow.
Lunch I send them to school with rice cakes and cheese /pancakes / pizza bagels/pizza slices/ waffles / melted cheese on bread or a bagel- basically anything that can go in the microwave for 30 seconds. Wish my kids had hot lunch at school - they did for awhile and we all loved it but if fazed out due to funding issues. They take to school a lot of processed nosh, true junk food.
For dinner I actually do cook - but I don’t make salads or veggies - just the protein and starch. Think meatballs and rice , chicken and potatoes , pepper steak and rice , Shnitzel and farfel. (If you can’t tell it’s all 1 pan dinners that take a few minutes to prep), I’m always late coming home from work and rushing to get something in the oven. Most days we don’t eat dinner until after 8 by the time everything is ready.
Another issue that I have is that my husband only likes flaishig for dinner and I have a few kids that are picky eaters won’t eat flaishig so I end up making them separate dinners like baked ziti or potatoes with cheese on top etc .
I work full time and it’s so hard for me to stay on top of our families food intake. We’re also on a budget (understatement ) and therefore I don’t have the luxury of buying the healthy versions of most items. And my time is also limited for various reasons so I just need to do whatever is quick and easy.
Erev Shabbos my kids eat food as I make it, and if the cholent is ready they’ll have that too. we don’t have shalashudis or melava malka - I know we should .
Sundays we literally just nosh all day. It’s bad.
Writing this all out has been a wake up call for me.

amother

↑ OP

Mon, Jul 29 2024, 2:25 am

amother Honeysuckle wrote:

to anyone out there who may need to hear it:
you can become a version of functional even if you grow up with dysfunction
I understand you very well by the way

amother

Aqua

Mon, Jul 29 2024, 2:30 am

Breakfast by us is cornflakes in a bag or toast and cream cheese while running out the door. Lunch is served in school and supper is whatever I'm not too lazy to make. I do wings a lot bec it's very cheap, with rice because it's also very cheap. My kids love it but my husband won't touch it so he gets schnitzel almost every night. I usually have vegetables in the fridge, mostly Cucumbers which the kids snack on but I don't officially serve it unless it's Shabbos or Yo"t
My married kids married into families with much healthier food structures and I see them trying to find a balance between my cheaper/more laid back food relationship and their spouse's healthier, more expensive/work intensive upbringing. My daughters in law are embracing Mac and cheese and choosing tuna instead of salmon. At the same time my boys come visit and fill my fridge with yogurt and avocado for their kids.
Ftr, I consider myself and family to be very functional and BH we are all healthy, ba"h

Jewishmofm

Mon, Jul 29 2024, 2:53 am

OP - Go you for reaching out and thinking about how to get your family healthier. What you posted seems quite functional and normal, if not the best for maintaining healthy weight/blood sugar. Two things have made it possible for me to feed my family on time most nights. (Hey, life is all about 80/20 - if 80 percent of the time is good, the other 20 won't be so impactful) My crockpot and my freezer. When I am up to making a fresh supper, I make twice the amount we need. I package half into the freezer for a more hectic/less together day. I'll take those out in the morning, and pop into the oven and set a start time to reheat. Sometimes, I don't and I take it out and put it straight into the oven when I get home, and start it reheating right away. Crockpot meals can be very healthy, filling, simple and cheap. I have seen that instapots are very popular, but have no experience with them.

amother

Amaranthus

Mon, Jul 29 2024, 8:14 pm

Jewishmofm wrote:

I also try to double meals and freeze one for a future me whos frazzled and doesnt want to prep dinner.
I love my instapot. Frozen chicken can turn into a yummy dinner in 30 minutes. Think chicken tacos, teriyaki chicken bowls, pasta and meat sauce, chicken soup. It's definitely my backup dinner. My big problem is the dishes. I DESPISE washing dishes and therefore make less food or try to squeeze it all into one pan to minimize the dishes that will sit in the sink for the next 3 days.