Links to traditional foods diet, part 3

[Tina]

Well, when my older kids were young I planned some pretty rigid menus. I counted each hot dog I would need for the month. That was budget driven planning. Except for milk I shopped once a month and pretty much knew what I was getting before I went in and how much it would cost. I followed the monthly school menus in that every day of the week was earmarked for a main dish, Tuesdays may have been hot dogs in some form or other, beanie wienies or on buns or some way but it was hot dogs or occasional polish sausage. Wednesdays may have been breakfast for dinner, Thursdays may have been pasta with hamburger in some form. I bought whole chickens for 29 cents a pound and cut them myself. Every part got used and not necessarily for a single meal.
I fed myself, my 3 kids and 2 foster kids (6 people) and occasional spare kids like that for under $200 a month. And they ate well. Lots of fresh fruit all year long from my trees or friends'. Fresh veggies in season either I grew or friends' (don't try to feed my oldest zucchini ). I had fun doing the menus. The kids knew what was going to be dinner. The neighbor kids knew what was going to be for dinner. I think we averaged a friend at least 4-5 times a week.
But I am just as happy to not be on such a strict budget now.

[Jessica]

I'm not that organized, Tina. I wish I was.  I'm trying to be a little better though.  And I don't need to be a strict budget either...or not real strict....so I don't have to be quite that organized.

[barleychown]

I'm thankful I'm not strictly tied too a budget...there was a time I was. I still have to be careful, and make choices, but I can buy what I want, not what I have to.

Now, having said that...I make things go as far as possible. A whole chicken is at least 3 meals...and often 4.

[Jessica]

What size are these chickens??

[Tina]

Back then was also when I really first got interested in nutrition. And I baked a lot. I looked for more complex carbs. Meat was a flavoring in a dish of complete vegetable proteins. Mixing up the right amino acids to fill up my kids with the best stuff I could afford for them. It was fun. But reading the links here is a further education. Partly because science has been messing with our food more than in the 70's when I first began reading. And partly because information is much easier to come by  and widespread now.

[Tina]

The chickens I used were fryers so pretty small. But they went a long way for a couple of main dishes and then soup.

[barleychown]

Standard, storebought chickens. First day I'll roast or grill it. Mike and Marissa will get a breast, I get a thigh. I serve it with salad, bread, a veggie side and a rice or grain based side.

Second day I'll strip the rest of the meat off the carcass, and use it to make something...white sauce lasagna, tacos with beans and spicy chicken, stir fry, ect.

Third day I'll make stock out of the carcass and then add to it until I build a soup. Chicken veggie rice, chicken with tortellini, ect.

[barleychown]

I do roughly the same with a roast. Usually use one chicken and one roast in an 8 day rotation.

[Jessica]

I couldn't get that much out of a chicken.  The first day I would eat a breast, James and Tristen would fight over the legs....Tristen usually gets them....and James will eat the other breast and a thigh.  It doesn't leave much left. I have made soup with the carcass and leftovers before.

[Tina]

Well, I used to. you would be surprised how little meat moves through my house now. I just am not craving. Jonni eats away a lot, friends or out. Ted doesn't eat. The last couple of roasts I did ended up mostly dog food, happy dog!

[Jessica]

I could do without most meat but James and Tristen are both big meat eaters.  Tristen would eat only meat if I let him.

[barleychown]

So would Mike. I plate the food in the kitchen, and take it to the table.  Cuts down on overeating...and "picking" at the leftovers.

I also purposely slow the meal down. It takes 20 minutes to feel full. Make the meal take longer than that.

[Jessica]

I plate the food in the kitchen too, but James isn't afraid to go back for more. I'm going to start adding more veggies into our diets and just put more veggies on our plates and maybe they will be full before they have to eat more meat.

[Tina]

Or hide the rest of the carcass or something before carrying out those plates.

[Jessica]

James has borderline high cholesterol and knows that he shouldn't be eating as much meat as he does and shouldn't be eating a lot of the stuff that he does but he does it anyway.  He was better in the beginning but has slacked off.  I guess as the grocery shopper it is up to me to provide him with foods that are good for him and leave the junk out.  I feel bad for Tristen, though.  He doesn't eat a lot of junk food by any means but he likes some chips now and then or some cookies, etc.

[Tina]

And the real foods tend to drop cholesterol if you follow the links, Jessica. And fish oil does too.

[bayou girl]

So would Mike. I plate the food in the kitchen, and take it to the table.   Cuts down on overeating...and "picking" at the leftovers.

I also purposely slow the meal down. It takes 20 minutes to feel full. Make the meal take longer than that.

which is why they ask you before you are finished if you want desert in restaurants.  to get  you to commit before you realize you are full.

[bayou girl]

And the real foods tend to drop cholesterol if you follow the links, Jessica. And fish oil does too.

yes, fish oil is good, but you have to be careful of what kind you buy.  real fish is better if he'll eat it.  i take fish oil and my numbers came down wonderfully.  i slacked off and they went back up.  i haven't had it checked since i got better about the fish oil again.  i will say it dropped the over all by about 100 points and the bad stuff by about 70.  if i remember correctly.

[Jessica]

He will eat fish but maybe I will get him some fish oil.  It isn't too high and the doctor told him just to watch what he is eating and watch portion sizes. He really stressed the portion size of meat.  James always overeats on meat.

[barleychown]

Cod liver oil is really good for you...and you can find it in several forms.

Mike is bad about meats, but has gotten considerably better in the last year. There is hope!

[Jessica]

I used sea salt on our roasted veggies.  It was good.  James couldn't believe how good the veggies were.  I might get him to eat more of them yet. Tristen is a different story.  He would touch them.  He ended up eating a raw carrot because he says that is the only way he likes them.  He has eaten cooked carrots before but I guess he didn't like the way they looked.

[Tina]

I have eaten some really great roasted vegetables. But not any that I have cooked. It is something I just never mastered. I still tuck them in with oven roasts and meatloaf and things but they never turn out like I would like them to. Either overdone, under done (or some of each in a mixed variety) or even if they are cooked just right they are missing the roasted taste and feel.

[Jessica]

Try again, Tina.  I don't know that these were perfect roasted veggies but they sure were good.

[Tina]

Or sometimes stuck inedibly on the bottom of the roasting pan....

[Jessica]

Oops.  I wonder why that is?!?