Feeding a growing boy

[swasat]

DS is 9.5 yo and eating me through the house. I can't cook enough food, I can't buy enough food, you get the gist.


This past Sundayhe ate a breakfast of two eggs, a bowl of cereal, a glass of milk and a bowl of fruit. Then an hour later he was famished so i cut him a seedless watermelon. He ate the whole damn thing! Seriously, none of us got a single bite in. Then we sat down for  lunch at noon. He is starving, obviously, so he gobbles down two pork chops, a bowl of chicken noodle soup, a bowl of cole slaw, three chunks of bread and then tops it with a serving of ice cream. Come 2 pm he wants to eat again and gobbles down 2 bananas and a huge glass of milk. 4:30ish pm he is nagging me about hunger again so I made him a PB&J sandwich and gave him a glass of OJ. 6 pm we sit down to dinner and he acts like this is the first time he is seeing food  He ate 2 servings of quinoa salad, 2 helpings of chicken curry and rice, about a pound of strawberries and then ate 2 doughnuts. Before going to bed at 8:30 pm he drank a huge glass of milk again and ate 5 oreos.

After all this he woke up Monday morning complaing "There is nothing to eat in the house. I am so hungry I could eat a horse right now!!"  

You see where this is going??

So I need advice on what to buy and how to handle this.  There are never leftovers in my house anymore. I batchcook and freeze a lot of stuff, like meatballs, pasta, meatloaf, potstickers etc but he microwaves them and eats them up. I buy a lot of nuts, cereal bars etc but those don't fill him up, at all. Don't even ask about breads and rools and buns etc. They seem to disappear in the corner crevice of his body.

I don't mind cooking and buying. But any advice on WHAT I can make so I don't have to slog int the kitchen every single day? Or anything to avoid making mutiple grocery store trips?

I buy most o the stuff from Costco, and we still need to make two trips a week to replenish everything  DH was joking we should buy stock in Costco.

Any advice would be appreciated. Specially from those with grown boys or growing up boys.

[justme]

No advice on what to buy, but it sounds like a fine time to start teaching him how to cook his own stuff. 

[MarleyKeezy78]

Does he like hardboiled eggs? Easy snack. Boil a dozen or so to leave in the fridge and he can peal and eat or make a egg salad sandwich. 

[swasat]

He does like eggs. Good idea!!

[saveinla]

swasat - here is a thread from a while ago from wrongside who had the same issue with her son - lots of great suggestions here -

www.notmsnmoney.proboards.com/thread/37271/snacks

[Wisconsin Beth]

And you send him to parties that Rukh attends. 

[yogiii]

I was thinking teaching him how to make scrambled eggs or omelettes - MK beat me

[The Captain]

I'm assuming his weight is in the right zone?

If his weight is normal (or lordy help you even underweight) then it sounds like too many calories are not an issue.  I would go with a lot of pasta just to fill him up.  Also have to throw in my usual does he like bean, rice, barley, lentil dishes (healthy and cheap!).

Celery sticks with PB is a good snack.  PB has a good shelf life and celery lasts a pretty decent amount of time.

Keep tortillas in the house with shredded cheese and cooked beans and rice.  The tortillas can be filled with almost anything (scrambled eggs, chopped chicken, beans, rice, salsa - you name it) and are a quick and easy/filling snack or meal.  Cook a whole chicken and chop up the meat into chunks for snacking, tortilla filling, chicken salad.  Same can be done with a pork shoulder.

Before he eats anything ask him to drink a glass of water first.  A lot of time when we are thirsty we mis-interpret that to be hungry.

Good luck with the grocery bill.

[swasat]

May 29, 2014 12:18:40 GMT -5 The Captain said:

I'm assuming his weight is in the right zone?

If his weight is normal (or lordy help you even underweight) then it sounds like too many calories are not an issue.  I would go with a lot of pasta just to fill him up.  Also have to throw in my usual does he like bean, rice, barley, lentil dishes (healthy and cheap!).

Celery sticks with PB is a good snack.  PB has a good shelf life and celery lasts a pretty decent amount of time.

Keep tortillas in the house with shredded cheese and cooked beans and rice.  The tortillas can be filled with almost anything (scrambled eggs, chopped chicken, beans, rice, salsa - you name it) and are a quick and easy/filling snack or meal.  Cook a whole chicken and chop up the meat into chunks for snacking, tortilla filling, chicken salad.  Same can be done with a pork shoulder.

Before he eats anything ask him to drink a glass of water first.  A lot of time when we are thirsty we mis-interpret that to be hungry.

Good luck with the grocery bill.

Yeah, his weight is not an issue at all. He is taller than average kids (98th percentile) but weighs lesser (75th percentile). He is not skinny but there is not an ounce of extra fat on him.

Great ideas btw!

[Deleted]

Teenage boys are perpetually hungry.  They would constantly beg me for something to eat or to let them sneak down to the lunchroom to buy something before class.

That said, he seems to be eating a lot of carbs.  Those don't really fill you up.  I'd stick with the peanut butter, the eggs, the nuts, etc. as his primary snacks.  There's no prep in that.  Fruit is good for the nutrients so I'd keep a lot of that around.

He's probably just in a growth spurt, but there's nothing wrong with stressing moderation.  Just because he thinks he is hungry isn't a reason to eat constantly.  You sure he isn't bored, too?

[alabamagal]

My boys are 19 and 21, so I know what you are going through.  And they both played sports and did not eat breakfast or much for lunch.  Evening was definitely food time.

I tried to cook nutritious meals for dinner so they got all their nutrients.  After that they were on their own.  At 10 they could microwave cook.  I always had plenty of individual pizza, frozen bean burritos (yuk but one loved them), frozen beef burritos, ice cream and ice cream snacks that they could fix on their own.

As long as he is a healthy weight and eat some vegetables I wouldn't worry too much.  My older son is actually underweight so I was glad to see him eat anything.  Younger son was a bit heavy in high school (his football coach wanted him bigger), but after high school grew a few more inches and lost a little weight so he is now on the thin side.

[busymom]

My own DS is an eating machine, especially around the time he has one of his growth spurts. He does eat healthy stuff, but one of the "fill 'em up" foods I use is popcorn. Gotta have something in the fridge to feed everyone else, ya know!

[swasat]

To answer some question:

He wasn't like this before. Its become like this since last 2-3 months.

He lovvvvveees fruits. So I always have a ton of those around. However, fruits don't seemt to fill him up, except maybe apples and pears. And there is only so many apples and pears you can eat in a day.

He is not picky at all. So I try to mix things up at meal times and have at least one carb item there. If I skip on carbs then he seems to eat 3 times the protein. Like he will eat 3-4 pork chops instead of 2. I don't know....I don't feel that much protein is healthy in one sitting.

We have tried smoothies before. The kid hates them, so they are out.

I buy minimum processed food, so thats why I am struggling too.

You guys have given me some great ideas though. Thanks

[zibazinski]

Growth spurt. Been there, done that. 

[greeniis10]

I got lucky in this aspect, for some reason.  Neither of my boys (nor DSD) were big eaters.  DS1 and DSD ate a lot more meals out, as that was the main activity for their mom & stepdad.  When they were home with us they'd just eat normally, thankfully.  Plus, we didn't allow food in their rooms, so that seemed to curb it a bit also.  DS2 never went through the eating-machine phase, either.  Sometimes I'd have to remind him to eat.  I did listen in horror as my friends would talk about their sons eating entire boxes of cereal or whole bags of chips in one sitting!  Yikes.  Occasionally, the kids' friends would come over and they'd eat WAY more than my own kids.  Weird.  Thankfully they are all healthy today. 

[yogiii]

Have you tried making popcorn with corn oil?  We have a dedicated popcorn pan and fill a paper grocery bag full of popcorn.  It lasts us a few days but DH says when he was younger, just he and his brother used to eat one a night often.

[gacpa]

My mother could never have raised boys and kept them fed.  She refuses to keep much food in the house because she does not want to keep too much cash tied up in groceries around the house.

She raised two girls, and we are both small, and did not eat much living at home.  This worked out well for her.

When we go visit, she insists we eat what she cooks but it is never enough for everyone.  I go to the grocery store to bring home snacks and food for DH and DS to eat while we are there.  It makes her crazy.  She chastised me severely in the Walmart the last time we were there, insisting I had better start saving my money instead of spending it on groceries.  After all, I am going to need that money someday!

Right now, she is struggling to fix food my Dad will eat.  He has cancer and his appetite is nonexistent.  He has not started chemo yet.   Food that he will eat will be more expensive which is in direct violation of her strict food budget. 

Everyone here has given you some good ideas.  Does your son like banana bread or zucchini bread?  This is something you can make that would help keep him filled up.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

With ours, we taught them to cook and we tried desoparatly to only buy healthy food. They were eating four full size meals per day. The financial impact was huge, and it lasted until DS#2 was 22. The grocery bill went down $200/month after that. It could go down more, but we eat even higher quality food now that there's less mouths to feed. 

Rice was was a huge staple for five years. We'd buy the 25lb bag at Costco and go through it in three or less months. Cheap and easy to cook. 

[Abby Normal]

We go through this every growth spurt.  We just try and keep a bunch of easy quick things on hand and feed him every couple hours.  He's 12.5 now and hasn't had one for a while.  In fact, we get the opposite " Im not that hungry" and my world stands still for a moment.

But I know the next one is coming .....

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

For fruits, what about bananas? Those are much more filling. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

May 29, 2014 12:47:07 GMT -5 swasat said:

To answer some question:

He wasn't like this before. Its become like this since last 2-3 months.

He lovvvvveees fruits. So I always have a ton of those around. However, fruits don't seemt to fill him up, except maybe apples and pears. And there is only so many apples and pears you can eat in a day.

He is not picky at all. So I try to mix things up at meal times and have at least one carb item there. If I skip on carbs then he seems to eat 3 times the protein. Like he will eat 3-4 pork chops instead of 2. I don't know....I don't feel that much protein is healthy in one sitting.

We have tried smoothies before. The kid hates them, so they are out.

I buy minimum processed food, so thats why I am struggling too.

You guys have given me some great ideas though. Thanks

How about things like cheese and crackers as well?  If you buy minimum processed food, how about making cookies and use dried fruits and nuts and oatmeal in them instead of oreos?  That makes them a bit more substantial too.

I was going to suggest switching to whole milk if you weren't already buying it.  It is supposed to satiate you more than skim or lowfat milk and that has been my experience too.  

[swasat]

Oh we have no worries about low fat milk or anything.

Its whole, full fat organic milk and other dairy for the kids 

I am going to try out my making muffins,breads etc. I can see my weekend getting full already

[Wisconsin Beth]

May 29, 2014 13:37:40 GMT -5 @sroo4 said:

May 29, 2014 13:18:37 GMT -5 swasat said:

I am going to try out my making muffins,breads etc. I can see my weekend getting full already

Sounds like this may be a good skill for the boy to learn

Just make sure he learns to clean up too! 

[NastyWoman]

May 29, 2014 12:52:26 GMT -5 gacpa said:

My mother could never have raised boys and kept them fed.  She refuses to keep much food in the house because she does not want to keep too much cash tied up in groceries around the house. ...

-rofl-There would not have been any cash tied up in groceries around the house.  Teen boys are bottomless pits.  You can't shovel food fast enough into the house to keep them fed.   My sons ended up at 6'3" and 6'4" respectively and it felt like every inch they added (and they were quite slim) I could have bought a small car outright for the cost of food.  With food prices the way they are this year I pity families with teen boys.  Forget about saving for college or retirement -> just try to keep them fed... 

[gacpa]

Joss,

LOL  Yes, my mom was fortunate to have small girls.  She hates waste and every morsel of food cooked is to be eaten, no waste.  She weighs at most 85 pounds herself, so she does not eat much either.

She is also really bad about giving food away to family members and neighbors so it won't go to waste.  She cooked a ham while we were visiting.  After dinner, she wanted to take what was left over to the neighbors.  I told her no, we could snack on the leftovers.  I won that round.  I saw the thread about people pushing food on others.  That sounds like my mom.  She does it because she cannot stand the thought of it going to waste.

[truthbound]

So I need advice on what to buy and how to handle this.

You buy what you can afford. You tell him what you are serving for dinner is what he will be eating.

[giramomma]

I can't add too much.  I make my kids eat protein at every meal now. They also eat yogurt for snacks, instead of crackers. I'd also try to up the veggie intake. Cottage cheese is also a high protein item. I'd also consider things like nachos with beans as one of the toppings for a snack, if your DS will eat beans. As I'm typing this on tv, there's a chef making a garbonza bean salad.

I also make them drink more water, especially now that we are transitioning to summer and their activity level increasing.

My DS is 10 and we're at the same phase you are. I thought we were ok, since the two year old shouldn't eat as much...

As it turns out, my two year old will sometimes out eat DS.

ETA: What about making some granola? You can also put nuts and dried fruit in that..

[gacpa]

Good grief, I see so many great ideas here.  Lots of wise food choices and I also like the idea of getting the son involved in preparing his own food.  I bet that would be fun for him as well as a learning experience.
I am so impressed with everyone's ideas.

I had a doctor years ago trying to raise two large active boys.  She used to buy bags of fruit for them to snack on, did not last very long.  If you have any farmers markets nearby, this could be a good place to shop as well for fruits and veggies.

[Peace77]

More protein will help keep him full.  If he is having apples or pears, he can cut them up and put peanut butter on the slices.

If you are baking, add nuts or use peanut butter.  (Banana nut bread, peanut butter cookies, monster cookies)

Beans and cheese sprinkled on tortilla chips and microwaved makes a good quick snack.

Does he like beef jerky?

[Deleted]

I keep a lot of wraps in the fridge. Breakfast ones with sausage, eggs, rice and cheese and chicken ones with just grilled chicken, mayo and Parmesan (he also makes these himself).  These can be made in bulk pretty cheaply and are filling.

The things my son likes that are getting spendy are granola bars and greek yogurt.  I can get yogurt cheaper from Sam's Club, but he is so quirky about only liking Vanilla and they never carry that!  Lately, I've been looking into making my own granola bars.  I haven't tried it yet, but people say you can save a lot of money doing that. 

Also, my son went to a cooking camp last summer and loved it.  That's when he started making the wraps for himself (he also made a bacon cheesecake that you would think would be disgusting, but it was AMAZING).  He wanted to do that camp again this year, and I was all for it.