For fall break, my sister and I drove our 7 kids to visit their 8 cousins in Denver, Colorado. One challenge of getting together with family (other than the 6 hour drive) is figuring out how to feed alllllll the children without 1) spending a fortune and 2) spending all day slaving like lunch ladies. We wanted to spend our time playing together, not slaving together.
My sisters aren’t dietitians, but they do like to eat healthy. I thought that the way they fed us was simple, healthy and filling, so I wanted to share it with you.
Here are 3 meal ideas for feeding a large group of people with 25$.
Night one:
2 Large cans of baked beans (5$)
25 Baked potatoes (5$)
Shredded cheese (about 2$ worth)
Oranges (5$)
Chopped cauliflower (2$)
Pumpkin pie (6$)
Total to feed 21 people: 25$
Why it's healthy:
fiber in the beans + veggies
vitamin C in the potatoes, oranges and cauliflower
iron in the beans and baked potato
Night two:
White chicken chili (about 5$)
Avocados (10$)
Apple slices (5$)
Homemade Cornbread (maybe 5$)
Why it's healthy:
fiber in the beans + veggies + apples
vitamin E and healthy fats in the avocados
protein + iron from the beans and chicken
Total to feed 21 people: 25$
Night three:
Rice and bean salad (10$)
Tortillas with cheese (10$)
Bananas (5$)
Why it's healthy:
iron in the beans
B vitamins in the rice
potassium in a the fresh produce and the banana
Total to feed 21 people: 25$
Note how all 3 meals used foods from all 4 food groups: fruit, vegetable, grain, protein. Using all 4 food groups gives picky kids different things to choose from, while also making the meal satisfying for all.
Using beans and cheese for the protein source keeps the cost down while still keeping it filling for our kids’ growing bodies. With the holidays coming up, it’s likely that you’ll occasionally have extra mouths to feed. Here’s a few more meal ideas that fill people up without breaking the bank or taking a ton of time.
Until next week, happy eating!
Nicole