We continue to have houseguests, and have been having such a great time. Asa and Justus are at church camp, so while we are so proud of them and excited about what they are learning, we sure do miss them being home! Can’t wait to hear about their adventures. :)
As I have been cooking for our guests, but not cooking for my teenagers, I have really learned about how much my two oldest boys eat. Here is a little story problem for you:
The Coppinger family of 6 has 2 teenagers away at camp. They have welcomed 4 guests into their home while their boys are gone. If Laura continues to prepare the same amount of food she normally serves at each meal, what amount of food will she have leftover at the end of each meal?
Give up? Our family of 6 take away 2 equals 4 plus 4 guests equals 8…eating the same amount of food normally prepared for 6 and leaving leftovers.
Conclusion: My teenagers eat as much food as two or three people…each. I knew they ate a lot, so this has been eye opening to experience just how much they can put away. I love that they are such good eaters! You can bet I’ll be making their favorites when they come home. Have I mentioned that I miss them?
Here’s our menu this week (for 6-2+4=8 people)
Sunday, July 7
Chocolate chocolate chip muffins, grapes
Pizza casserole, tossed salad
Leftovers
Monday, July 8
Whole wheat waffles, strawberries, whipped cream
Nachos (with healthier cheese dip), kiwi
Grilled Italian chicken, tossed salad, green beans, watermelon
Tuesday, July 9
Scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, hashbrowns, cherries
Easy noodle stir fry with carrots, broccoli, and zucchini
Black bean taco salad, cantaloupe
Wednesday, July 10
Creamy orange cooler, toast
Tuna salad on lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, grapes
Pizza on the grill, veggie tray, watermelon
Thursday, July 11
Pancake sausage muffins, blueberries
Pigs in a blanket, baby carrots, raspberries
Grilled salmon, potato wedges, peas, tossed salad
Friday, July 12
Quick mix biscuits with butter and jelly, cantaloupe
Homemade hoagies, pineapple mango smoothies, carrots
Chicken tacos, watermelon
Saturday, July 13
Homemade whole wheat donuts, blueberries
Leftovers
Grilled steak, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, tossed salad
Karen says
Ooooohhhhh, teenager food math. You’ve got it worse than I do (I’ve only got one teen, but the other son will be 11 on the 11th). I cannot believe how much food they put away! I’m so grateful for your blog because I try so hard to cook from scratch for a bundle of reasons but I’ve always fell a bit short on the weekly meal-planning gig. Thanks for your inspiration! :)
Jenny says
We just had this conversation at my in laws. Eight kids, four of which are teens, eat more than grandma expected.
Rebecca says
I am seeing this already with my kids who are 5 7 and 8! I’m sure it will only get worse as they age. I remember when we would stay at my grandparents’ home and my mom would help with the meal prep, my grandma would assume she needed 6 or 7 servings of each dish, 2 for her and my grandpa and 4 or 5 for my parents and us 3 kids. my mom would always tell her to make double that, and even so there were hardly any leftovers with 3 teens age 17, 15 and 14, all of us active and athletic we at like horses, never full, always hungry.
Dee Wolters says
Teenage math! So fun. I have college kids math going on these days. It is similar to teenage math, but works like this. Wolters family of 6 has 3 girls away at college, leaving 2 adults and 1 teenage boy at home. Dee (mama) visits the store weekly to stock up on grocies for the coming week. But 1, 2 or all 3 college girls come home for a day or 2. Why does everyone keep opening the ref and saying, “There is no food!” While boys eat a lot, girls who run Cross County in high school or college eat A LOT. And college kids like to take a few things back from Mama’s kitchen. So thankful for healthy, active kids!
Charity says
what fun! mine are little (1,3, and 4) but the two older ones already eat as much as my husband most of the time. It always cracks me up when I go to an event (like a wedding) and they are like “well you just have little kids right? So, they don’t eat much. We’ll just put you down for 4 plates.” sigh.
Tracie says
Before I had a son, I wouldn’t have believed you. But, my little guy at 2 1/2 eats more than I do!I can’t imagine what the teenage years will be like!
Kathleen says
Yes, I hear you. We count our family of 5 (2 adults, 3 boys, ages 14, 12, 8) as 6 adults when it comes to food. The adults eat like adults. The 8yo eats like an 8 year old. The 12 yo is just beginning to eat more. The 14 yo? Well. He cleans up all the rest and is back in the kitchen an hour later for a snack.
chrisd says
Like Kathleen, we have five in our family. 2 adults, 16 yo boy, 14yo girl and 12 yo boy. When I make dinner, I prepare food for 6-8, erring on the side of 8 when I can.
My husband was talking about going vegan and I’m not sure we can at this point. I don’t think I could cook enough produce to fill my youngest.