Yes, they are all mine. Yes, with the same mother. Yes, we know what caused it, we like it! No, there were no twins, multiple births, or adoptions. No, we are not catholic, or mormon.

This is my favorite knife style

So, what do you feed your kids?

I get asked this fairly regularly, and since I do almost all of the cooking in our house these days (I am a stay home, freelance writer, my wife runs an inhome party business for [Pure Romance] (https://www.pureromance.com/angelmorris)) that link may be NSFW, although there is no nudity so, I know the answer to this question.

First, let's talk about shopping

this is where we shop, if there is one near you, go there! save 20%

I'd like to say that I am super organized and get all my shopping done in one monthly trip, then cook all of it in one day, put it in the freezer and thaw it as needed. HA! Not likely, but we take out our food budget on the 10th of each month and I do one big trip then, for the staples. (mostly)

• A month's groceries cost us about $800-$1000 depending on how carefully I shop and what meals we decide to make.
• Instead of a specific list of meals, I tend to buy ingredients I cook with, such as frozen meats, pasta, potatoes and canned veggies and stock the pantry.
• Then lunch items and perishables are purchased for the first 10 days- 2 weeks. (some things like milk and bananas won't last that long and must be purchased more frequently)

Yes, it's a lot of bags of groceries, but I have a lot of help carrying it in, and ask each kid to put away a certain number of bags so that most of it is stowed, without my having to do it! YAY!

*This is one of the huge misconceptions about big families, they all help. I sometimes feel sorry for friends with two or three who act as
if they are domestic servants to their children. If a kid in a family
of 10 cannot feed itself by the age of 5 (pour cereal, make a
sandwich) it may not survive. I jest, of course, but just barely. *

this is my exact stock pot, with steamer baskets, it's great!

How meals break down in our house

Breakfast is typically dry cereal or fruit for the kids. This can be as healthy as you want to make it. It's mostly not in our house and we know it, but you pick your battles.

• I do cook for my wife, who requires a low sugar diet and higher protein intake, most days.
• There's not enough time, except in the summer and on weekends for sit down breakfast, but, we are ALWAYS together, so meal times are different at our house.
• As kids age, most of ours don't eat breakfast often. We leave it up to them as long as their checkups are good. (judge away, I'm pretty much immune by this point.

Lunchis a serve yourself affair. From the time we've had kids old enough to fix their own, they have been responsible for one younger sibling, making it easy for mom and dad.

• We stock frozen lunch items, sandwich stuff, and things like canned soup and ramen that are easy and fast to prepare and try to have at least two choices on hand
• Sometimes, several will co-op and prepare a pot of mac and cheese, or other hot lunch item
• Chips, fresh veggies, fruit and cheese sticks are usually available, most days to supplement

We don't have a problem getting them to eat fruit and more than the basic veggies come in time. My oldest son basically refused vegetables, until he went to college and now lives on the stir fry he used to turn his nose up at.

Dinneris the one cooked meal every day in our house. Sometimes I cook others, if my work is caught up and I just feel like it. Dinner is the "you eat what you get" meal of the day.

• No, we don't do the sit down dinner as often as we'd like, typically we are rushing to get to dance, piano or drama, or a game (my 15yo son cheers I think because he likes tossing cute girls around) and a few have done sports. although no athletes at the moment.
• Sometimes it's spent in front of the TV, but TV watching at our house is not a passive activity, it is time for analysis, banter and debate about the values being presented.
• Other times, it's a chance for kids home from school to catch up on messaging, or spend a few minutes on a game, or other digital activity before tackling homework.

**I'll share more about "screen time" in our house and our philosophy, but basically, as long as morale remains high and they leave the screens when asked to help out, or go outside to play, it's not strictly limited, although Mom or Dad can call for unplugged at will. *

Typically, at least once a week, we do have a sit down dinner, sometimes around the table, sometimes around a movie, and almost always there is Sunday lunch at Nana's house, which is pretty traditional in that sense.

Ingredients and other things I recommend

We tend to make a lot of the same recipes from month to month. In part because they are easy, quick and inexpensive, and because they are things we have found that the kids will eat without gagging.

• We keep most meat, except for sandwich meat, sausages (hot dogs, mostly) and canned meat, frozen. It keeps forever and I have some tips on using it without spending much time thawing it.
• I buy boxed pasta, rice (white and brown) and canned vegetables in quantity. They go with many things and make it easy to throw a meal together.
• We typically keep shredded cheese, fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes (I love the fire roasted ones for recipes) onions, potatoes, fresh veggies in season (squash, carrots, green beans, okra, cucumbers, salad greens, and brussel sprouts) as well as sour cream and cream soups on hand for cooking with.
• We go through a dozen or more bags of microwave popcorn, 4-10 bags of chips (however many I will buy) 2 or 3 boxes of Aldi brand "cheezit" crackers, a bag or two of apples and two loaves of bread pretty much every week.
• I try to stay stocked up on spices I use a lot. My favorites (at the moment) are: dry cumin, salt, pepper, garlic salt (in a grinder from Aldi), oregano, chilli powder, paprika, one herb-ish and one savory spice blend in a shaker, oregano, an Italian spice blend, rosemary, time, lemon pepper, a chicken bouillion powder and crushed garlic in a jar in the fridge.
• My utensils are simple, I like a japanese chef knife, I do almost everything with it. Very handy. A pair of ceramic coated, non-stick skillets, several sauce pans (expensive pans are awesome, my father in law works for William Sinoma and has gotten us some great ones) and a giant stock pot. I also have various caserole dishes, and several baking sheets and other than a few hand utensils, a blender a can opener and a pannini maker, that's it.
• We use the microwave a lot, I know, it's not the healthiest way to cook, but my family eats home cooked meals almost every day, with at least some fresh ingredients, so don't judge me.
• Other than that, we have a side-by-side refrigerator (would love to add a large deep freeze) and a five burner, glass top range with a big oven.

if you don't have a ceramic lined skillet, get one, best non-stick and healthy!

Concepts for cooking that I learned from my mom

I grew up with 6 brothers and sisters, we were several times poorer than my wife and I have ever been and she cooked a lot from scratch without recipes. I grew up helping her and became her sous chef at some point, when I realized I liked cooking.

• Unless it's baking, temps are relative, most things can cook together at a common temperature if you have more that one item in the oven, add things that will burn later, and drop the temperature on whatever is already in there. (the math is mostly mental)
• Meat such as boneless chicken, hamburger, ground turkey, and frozen fish filets do not necessarily have to be thawed before cooking. They cook wonderfully in foil packets, or will thaw in the skillet as you start the browning process, or can be boiled.
• Smell your spices, if the smells go well together, so will the flavors, almost always. You get good at this with a little practice. Also, lots of sites online recommend spice flavor profiles you can use for different dishes.
• Don't be afraid of spices, more than one is always better, add them sparingly and taste. She never measured.
• Unless it's a souffle, most cooking is not rocket science, if it sounds good, try it. If it sucks, there's always Ramen.
• Use fresh ingredients whenever you have availability and time. But, even adding a little chopped fresh onion or garlic to a can, or boxed dish makes it better.
• Learn to time your dishes from prep to presentation, there is hardly any meal I cannot have ready in an hour, by myself for ten people. It's all in the timing and grouping tasks together.

Okay, let's get to some recipes

I do not claim all of these as original. In fact, some came off the back of a box or can and have been adapted over time. Others were from my mother and still others were shared from friends. Make them your own.

1. I will share quick recipes first. Most have only a few ingredients and made from canned goods you can keep and prepare really fast, with delicious results.
2. Next up more complex things, finally a favorite for when you have more time and money to spend on something they will love.

Two super fast and easy dinners kids love

1. Hot dogs: I don't need to describe this, but for $8 I can get enough hotdogs, buns and chips to feed my crew. We typically boil them. They won't burn, (if they do, please let someone else do the cooking) and they plump up, making them a little more filling.

2. Panninis, or quesadillas: you can make taco meat if you want, other great fillings are: cheese, chopped tomato, chopped green onion, chopped black olives, lunch meat, sour cream, pretty much anything you put between tortillas or bread. Use a sandwich press, or cook them in a skillet, pressing them flat with spatula.

Cheap, fast and easy dinners

**Most of these recipes are "scalable" so ingredients are listed by number of people, want more, add another quantity and get a bigger pot. *

Chicken and noodles

love these noodles, right here, cook great! and also happen to be cheap! win/win!

1. One pound wide egg noodles for every 4 people

2. One can of canned chicken, or 1 cup, boiled chopped chicken, per bag of noodles.

3. Two cans of Campbell's canned chicken noodle soup.

4. Boil the pasta in a large enough pan to hold all ingredients

*I dump my noodles in the cold water, add salt and a dash of olive oil, it saves me time

1. Open your cans and break up the chicken with a fork while the pasta is cooking
2. Drain the pasta and if needed, rinse in cold water*

*rinsing can firm up noodles that have been cooked just a little too long, best to leave them a bit "al dente" as they continue to cook
even after the water is drained away

1. Pour your pasta back into the pan and add canned ingredients, stir over medium heat until it bubbles
2. Serves nicely with green beans and salad, but my kids mostly pour it in a bowl and scarf it down solo

Five can, easy chicken chili
*use one can of each ingredient for every two people

1. One 16 oz can of chicken broth
2. One can of Great Northern Beans
3. One short can of green chilis chopped (4 oz I think)
4. One can sweet whole kernel corn
5. One can, or about 1 cup, of cooked, chopped chicken breast
6. Dry cumin, about 1 teaspoon for every 2 people
7. Tortilla chips
8. Sour cream
9. Shredded cheese

The instructions for this one are complex and may sort the real cooks from the wannabes, read and follow them carefully, are you you ready?

1. Open all cans
2. Add all canned ingredients to stock pot
3. Bring to a boil
4. Serve hot, add crushed chips, sour cream and cheese to taste **I also like a sprinkle of crushed red pepper for kick. *

Easy Spaghetti with meatballs

Really? You need a recipe on this one? Okay, here's the deal, boil your noodles, find a jar sauce you like, buy frozen meatballs, voila! We eat this at least twice a month, served solo,in a hurry, or with french bread, steamed green beans and a salad.

This is one of those times a little fresh onion and garlic are good, I also add a can of fire roasted tomatoes to the sauce for texture and to make it spread a little further. NO, I do not know how to select the right amount of damn noodles, don't ask.

Now for something a little fancier, or as we like to call it, "company food"

Chicken enchilladas

This is my own recipe, after trial and error

1. One pound of skinless boneless chicken breast for every two to four
2. people
3. Two short cans of green chilis, chopped
4. One can of green enchilada sauce
5. One 8 oz tub of sour cream
6. One can of cream of chicken soup
7. Medium sized flour tortillas
8. Shredded cheese

Scale this recipe for as many as you have by adding another quantity for every two to four people. If in doubt, always make more, the leftovers keep well.

1. Boil the chicken until it breaks apart with a fork easily
2. Chop or shred the chicken meat, finely
3. Combine chicken and canned ingredients in a large mixing bowl
4. If you like extra spice, now is the time to add it, try a packet of taco seasoning for a little kick
5. Ladel warm ingredients into the tortillas, roll them and place them in a large casserole dish
6. Pile shredded cheese on top about a half inch thick, more or less, as you like
7. Cook on 350 until edges brown and filling is piping hot
8. Serve with salsa and tortilla chips, add spanish rice and refried beans for a complete meal

potatoes are not all the same, these are my favorites

Foil dinners

Aka hobo dinners

ingredients are listed per person and each packet can be customized if you choose

1. A frozen beef patty, fish filet, or half chicken breast.
2. One chopped potato
3. Chopped onion to taste
4. Frozen veggies, corn works best
5. Aluminum foil
6. *Butter or olive oil
7. Seasoning for fish or chicken, you can add it for beef, but it doesn't generally need it.
8. Salt and pepper

*My wife and I disagree, I find olive oil delightful, she, the granddaughter of a dairy farmer, disagrees. These ingredients can be customized to include anything that cooks well roasted. I have added tomatoes, bell pepper and squash in the past with good results. *

1. Take enough foil to cover one serving four times over
2. Fold the foil in half to double it
3. Add ingredients on top of the foil, with the meat on the bottom, seasoning next, chopped potatoes and veggies on top
4. Add a pat of butter,or olive oil and salt and pepper on top
5. Fold the foil over and seal the edges by folding to create a packet
6. Place your foil dinners on a baking sheet
7. Cook for one hour on 375 degrees
8. Carefully open packets to avoid steam, and serve on a plate

And here is my all time favorite recipe

Zuppa Toscana

*This is an Italian style potato soup I loved at Olive Garden. My wife bought a recipe book for my birthday that included a knock off of the Olive Garden version. *

this is what Italian sausage looks like, remove the casing before cooking

1. 1 1/2 pounds of small red potatoes for every three people *remaining ingredients will be scaled to serve three, add what you need accordingly
2. One pound of sweet, uncooked Italian sausage (I prefer the turkey version)
3. One can of chicken broth
4. One 8 oz carton of heavy whipping cream
5. One bunch of fresh green kale
6. Crushed red pepper

Preparation is listed in order to save time

1. Start sausage cooking in large sauce pan. break it up and cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching
2. Chop potatoes into approximately 1/2 inch cubes
3. Chop the kale, do not mince
4. Once sausage is brown, add potatoes
5. Pour in broth and heavy cream and mix the soup thoroughly
6. Add kale
7. Shake red pepper into soup, to "cover" the top (use your best judgment here, start small and taste)
8. Allow the soup to boil, then reduce to a simmer until the potatoes are tender
9. Serve with sour dough bread
10. You're welcome

Well, that was fun, now I'm hungry. Happy eating folks, if you have a favorite, easy, big family recipe, leave it in a reply, we need some new ones.

@Dolemite this post is for you!