Make purees to sub for mashed potatoes, using root veggies.

Wilting greens packs a lot of nutrition into a little serving, and you can put them in meatloafs, soups and stews.

Smoothies.

I prefer raw or barely blanched veg, and just buy lots. My problem is that I often have some kind of issue that leads to a sore throat, and then I can't face raw, scratchy vegetables. I try to have soups then, but it becomes something of a chore. More often, I'll make a sandwich that's mostly salad and trick myself into eating it because the bread softens the scratchiness.

If your issue is that you run out all the time, you're just not buying enough. You could log what you buy, and when you run out of it, so you can see how long which things last you so you'll know what to buy more of or buy more often. Give yourself permission to waste a bit. If you're frugally trying to make sure you have none left when you shop next, you'll run short. Instead, focus on using the more delicate things first, and have at least some carrots and onions, (good) bagged lettuce and beans for the end of the period. Also, have plans for what to do with vegetables that start to go before you've used them, like soups or smoothies, or just garden compost.

It sounds like you aren't doing meal plans, and for me, that's the key to success.

It would be unbelievably rare (as in, I can't remember it ever happening) for me to run out of anything with our home food storage plan (similar to what is taught by the LDS Church).

I "shop" at home first for meal planning, and then physically shop at 2-3 stores once a week working from an on-going list. I could go for much longer periods without shopping, but staying within my budget depends on buying loss-leaders, manager's specials, and mark-down/clearance items. I buy at rock-bottom low prices as a rule, which is how I can stay within a $125/month food budget for two adults. About 20-25% of my food dollars go towards fresh food while the rest goes toward restocking our home food storage. This includes once-a-year purchases, like a bucket of powdered milk (which I've used exclusively since 1981), and other bulk items.

There are fresh veggies from the garden, and in the winter I grow my own indoors which includes growing wheatgrass (and other similar grains) for juicing, sprouts made with grains/seeds/beans (your little garden-in-a-jar), and microgreens. Add to that herbs I bring indoors from the garden (thyme, rosemary, chives, parsley, basil) and a couple hydroponic methods.

I dehydrate as much as possible as a way to preserve garden and free produce. I gave up home canning because it's too expensive for such poor-quality food.

There is a small variety of frozen vegetables - I only have the refrigerator-freezer space (and I also dehydrate frozen vegetables if I get them at a "stock-up" price), and some canned vegetables (although most of the canned vegetables get donated to the food bank).

The last type of vegetables I store are my long-term storage foods - freeze-dried - (peas, green beans, corn, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, celery, onion, spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes/tomato powder, sweet potatoes, cauliflower - and a plethora of dried beans). They are also rotated out of storage to the kitchen pantry, especially when fresh produce is scarce. I wish I would have found freeze-dried foods years ago because they are so darn convenient.

-Grainlady

A meal plan for the week would definately help here as would a nice selection of frozen vegetable to use if you do run low during the week

Dad is in his upper 80's. and needs some "help" from me in staying hydrated. There are always fruit juices in the fridge which he likes. Fruit is always on the counter for snacking and I try for meals that are high in liquids, like soups, stews, pastas with sauces. And if all else fails, I just nag him to drink some water or juice.! And no, Dad, beer does not count.......

Grainlady, I'm interested in freeze-dried foods (and having a better "pantry")... where do you get your freeze dried foods?? Thanks!

Smiles,

Sooz

For vegetables I go with my homemade bloody mary mix. It has lots of veggies and is easy to drink without "scratchy-ness". If you are not fond of tomatoes use the same veggies (onions, sweet peppers, carrot, celery, and optional beets, garlic, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, or hot sauce) and cook together with diluted chicken or beef broth, then put in a blender. Add salt, pepper, and/or sugar and other spices to your taste. Cold, room temp, or heated. You can blenderize a lot of cooked veggies that make it all go down easier rather than trying to eat a plate of veggies you have to chew and so without an appetite liquefied veggies are best.

Sooz-

As with all food purchased, I wait for sales/bargains. These are a few of my favorite sources (in no particular order).

Honeyville - http://honeyville.com/  This is where I purchase almond flour, hi-maize resistant starch (5# bags), freeze-dried foods and a lot of misc. items. Sign-up for their electronic newsletter and you will get alerts to their sales (up to 20% off throughout the year), and shipping is $4.99 for your ENTIRE order.

Mountain House - http://www.mountainhouse.com/ (Many outlets sell the Mountain House brand, so check for best prices.) You can purchase 2-serving packages of a number of vegetables if you want to try them before you buy them in #10 cans. I keep a number of the 2-serving packages on hand (72-hour emergency kit) and stock my granddaughter with them at college each year (including entrées). She actually uses them for her meals occasionally, as well as her 72-hour emergency backpack.

Augason Farms - http://www.augasonfarms.com/  Home of Morning Moo's Whey-based Milk Substitute (powered milk that actually tastes good). If you have a membership to Sam's Club, be sure to check prices for Augason Farms products there. I've often purchase Morning Moo's (bucket) for less than from Augason Farms, and the shipping is free from Sam's Club. I also get e-mail alerts to sales. Our Sam's Club carries some of the Augason Farms products.

Sam's Club - Golden Grill Hashbrown Potatoes (I vacuum-seal these in quart canning jars using my FoodSaver.

There are other on-line sources, but these are the ones I use the most.

-Grainlady

Thanks, Grainlady! I really appreciate your input and recommendations! I've never ordered from Honeyville, and had never heard of Augason Farms! Sam's Club is about 15 minutes away, but we're not members.

I actually have a few "cans" (?) from Mountain House that I purchased decades ago. I have no clue if the items are still "good" or not. From what I recall, Mountain House didn't use TVP or soy whatever--they used real meat. The TVP / soy whatever causes massive ... gas.... for hours and hours and hours!!!! in DH's digestive system!

Thank you again!!!!!

Smiles,

Sooz

Scratchiness in your throat or face would indicate a food sensitivity. Have you been tested for a histamine intolerance?

On topic I'd like to suggest you also take a look at the pureed single serving fruit veggie purees for toddlers. I bought one that was sweet potato, apple and broccoli and it was delicious! No added sugar, just pure vitamins. I think it would also keep you better hydrated too. I found this one in the freezer area of my local Target store.

Thank you all! I will pull up my bootstraps and get meal planning. Question how do you know how much to make per person? My group of 4 construction workers grown men eat and eat and eat. Often I'm hard pressed to make enough for them and I can't seem to make enough veggies ever. The skinniest one eats the most of everything too! The blended and pureed veggies sounds interesting as does the freeze dried food. Then I can have a store of veggies as suggested. :) Thanks again so much.

Compumom, thanks for your concern, but I was talking about having a sore throat (think flu without the virus) and literal scratchiness from the sharp edges of the raw vegetables. Maybe scrapiness would be a better description?

I like to make soups that are packed with vegetables. Makes a good lunch all by itself, and would be good for dinner too.

Oh, a bit more information. Are you working full time and trying to feed 4 grown men?. Not that you need to spell out the situation but very different from the original post. Is this a new situation where you are cooking and they just eat?

Meal planning is necessary. And where you live is necessary to help. Freeze dried is expensive and usually used for dire situations where nothing fresh is available. Or to stretch some meals for variety as in soups to add some kick out of season. Like you are working on Bafin Island without much fresh provisions. (a friend of mine works there 3 months on, three months off). The Arctic misery and has to eat a bit like mess hall slop.

Really not that hard to make bulk roasted veg for an army. Takes an extra 15 minutes of prep. Buy fresh, one of everything, and toss in a bit of olive oil and put in a single layer on a sheet pan, then roast in the oven. Prep another sheet pan full of cubed potato and sweet potato.

You need a Costco! lol.

A month meal plan where you have a rotation of, say, three or 4 roasted chickens, a big pork roast, a turkey, a big beef pot roast, a ham, a big salmon slab, a mixed grill of steak with shrimp and scallops for a treat...on a weekend. Just an example but one big prep meal does stretch into the week for tacos, burritos, casseroles, and zip-locked bagged chopped veg can become a stir-fry or tossed in a salad.

A big bag of frozen peas, limas, corn...can be tossed into any soup, chowder, casserole with pastas

All big meat meals can have a big roast of veg. And a sheet pan of potato/sweet potato and a big mixed grain like lentils/beans on the stove top.

Then additions seasonally like fresh corn, zucchini, asparagus, etc. whatever is seasonally fresh.

One big weekend meal can become three or four mid week meals even veg prepped and bagged not cooked while prepping that big weekend meal. All ready to go come thursday...

Do try and buy fresh...a head of cauliflower, a head of broccoli, (you will only use half of those heads) a red pepper, a bag of carrots, celery, onions, green onions, garlic....a few fresh beets, one of everything fresh and cut up and break up into chunks, ...into a big bowl and toss with a bit of herbs and olive oil and roast in the oven. You will have veg left over for the next roasting. Buy a lot of veg and it will be used up if you are feeding a crowd.

Sooz-

I forgot to add Emergency Essentials to the list: http://beprepared.com/

OK, now I understand the problem. I was confused by the first post.

On the assumption it's a portion calculation problem, I googled and found a site that enables you to calculate portions:

http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/

I did a tial calculation with cabbage and the quantities seemed too small. I'd just make TWICE what the site suggests and see how much of it gets eaten. Keep records for a while. Best thing I think is to use the site as a sort of reference point for finding out how much my particular set actually consumes.

Big eaters have never been an issue in our household. Even when we had a 6'1" teenage son and 5'9" daughter active in sports and high-energy activities, and my husband and I doing strenuous physical activity doing home renovation and daily physical workouts, we only ate slightly more than we do today.

It is my opinion and experience, after teaching nutrition classes for many years, a voracious appetite is more often gluttony and the bad habit of "wolfing" down food than actual hunger, and it's a learned activity. Today, people eat all the time! They eat food they don't even realize they ate (while driving in the car, sitting in front of the TV) not just at meals or when they are actually hungry, because their bodies are seeking nutrition and they only feed it empty calories and "dead" food. We are a nation that is over-fed and under-nourished.

I'm a stickler for serving sizes (according to the USDA standards), and I've followed the old Basic-4 since the 1970's. That's how I determined how much I needed in my home food storage - I calculated the number of servings from each food group according to the number of servings we need per day. The old "Food Pyramid" and the new "My Plate" have entirely too much food for us - especially when it comes to empty carbohydrates. But if you are active and need more calories, try "My Plate" - http://www.choosemyplate.gov/.

This is what my meal planning is based on each day:

Bread & Cereals - 4 servings (we use all whole grains, plus we are gluten-free)

Fruits & Vegetables - 4 (or more) servings

Meat/Alternative - 2 servings

Milk/Dairy - 2 servings

(plus a serving of nuts each day)

Lots of water, and some bone broth or gelatin each day.

What would I do with big eaters? Retrain them. Make sure they drink 2-cups of water before the meal. Often perceived "hunger" is actually dehydration. I would start each meal with a mug of bone broth or soup, then a green salad or hummus and fresh vegetables (something that takes a lot of chewing), followed by a regular meal with regular serving sizes. I would include some of the most filling foods in the meal: baked potato, beans (which I would add to all kinds of things), eggs, Greek yogurt (high in protein), apples, whole grains - including whole grain bread, oatmeal, nuts, high-protein smoothies with high-fiber add-ins like hi-maize resistant starch, banana flour, coconut flour.

-Grainlady

I have veggies 3x per day and fruit at least twice a day. My morning smoothies are a great way of getting my greens in for the day and early morning hydration....frozen fruit, banana, kale, protein powder, chia and flax seeds, coconut oil and water & ice.

The other thing to consider as you age is that your need for calories will go down, but your need for protein does not, so protein will need to be a larger portion of your daily diet than in the past. A lot of older folks cut back on everything including protein and then have issues as a result.

As far as hydration, drink water. I find that when it's hot, I need something more, so I squeeze some fresh lemon or lime juice into plain seltzer and find it most refreshing. If you're having trouble getting it all in, fill a 64 oz soda bottle in the a.m. and keep it in the fridge...see how far you get through it and then make an effort to do better if necessary. I find when I drink adequate water, not only does my skin look a lot better, but my digestive track works better too.

As far as filling people up on veggie servings, make a tossed salad with dinner...with the mixed organic greens you can buy in the store now, it's very quick and easy to do...throw in some cucumber, peppers, radishes, whatever you want... and the raw veggies are very healthy. If you grow parsley, throw in some fresh parsley as it's very good for you, extremely high in Vit C. The raw greens also provide a lot of water as well.

GF has a family of 5 and she regularly cuts up and roasts fresh veggies. Her family eats them chilled as a snack or with lunch and heats them up for dinner. She too says they go too fast.

Wow thank you for all the great advice and links!

As far as liquids go I'm the only one with that problem. Will definitely try the water in the fridge idea. I'll have to label the bottle as mine. ;)

The men have water with every meal and they drink a ton of filtered water from home at work. We freeze large jugs of filtered water and that goes into the electric fridge in the work truck.

I allow only whole grains to go into my guys. They eat very healthily since I took the reins and snacks are healthy too. Heavy lifting and long days and hours makes them very hungry though. Home made chicken and or fish bone broth are eaten in every sauce but not every day. Maybe every 3 days... I don't put sauce on everything.

I've tried to add heavier foods and more nutrients to every bite but they are lean and hungry still. Except DH. He is in transition from the heavy lifting to a more supervisory roll so has requested a less calorie dense diet. That's a work in progress. I wish my family were more like yours GL. But I think their systems are more hyperactive than some too.

Only DH loves cold salads. DS and Nephews not so much. I'm trying but usually have to force myself to eat them. I find if I mix them in with my hot food on my plate and add more spices or sauce I enjoy them.

Will roast veggies to have on hand for snacks. Love that idea. I personally love cauliflower rice stuffed peppers. Yum! Question does roasting decrease the nutritional value of the veggies much?

I have found that using cauliflower/broccoli as the base in every sauce is working well, is not noticeable and has cut back a bit on the hunger problem. I keep threatening to add sardines to the sauce too. To sneak in more protein for myself I will give it a try. :)

Thank you so much again. I will take the advice to heart and try to shift my thinking.

Oh I forgot to mention some of my other favorites, like mashed rutabaga...I used to eat that like breakfast cereal with butter and nutmeg. Also try some tarragon on cooked yellow squash. Also try mixing veggies. I love sauteing up some onions with green and yellow squash and then I add tomatoes with basil and oregano. Sprinkle with parm cheese before serving.. it's delish.

Thanks, Grainlady, for the link to Emergency Essentials!

Smiles

Sooz

Sooz,

Along with the list Grainlady gave you Costco has emergency
foods from their online shopping. If you have a Winco near you they sometimes
have a selection of #10 cans of emergency foods. I bought blueberries and diced
onion there just this week.

Thanks for the additional and helpful info, partst! We don't have a Winco near us, but I'll have to check it out to see what the source of protein is for Costco stuff--and what other items they may have...so as to avoid being in a gassy environment, compliments of DH! lol !

Smiles,

Sooz

I was thinking about this topic yesterday, while making a meat/veggie loaf. I used up a huge amount of veggies and put them into my meatloaf with help from the food processor.

I processed up a squash, a zucchini, a bunch of cremini mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers, celery, onions and garlic. The veg, along with some homemade bread crumbs and a couple eggs quadrupled the volume when added to a block of Kirkland organic ground beef.

I filled up 2 meatloaf pans about 1/2 way, added slivered smoked mozzarella (also not yet used up from last week's farmers market), and topped with remaining meatloaf mix.

I'm not sure I'd serve to company, since it's quite a departure from the usual meatloaf (much, much softer), but DH and I enjoy it very much.

Sounds delish Mimi. Thank you will give that a try. Love meatloaf. :). I have to use chicken since I react to beef but it's organic. :)

Maybe upping protein could help w/ the hunger pangs - it plus fiber & healthier fats keep a person feeling full longer. Heavy carbs can increase hunger pangs, even if there are sufficient calories. A very active adult male can require almost 70 grams of protein daily, depending on their body size.

Here's a handy calculator for nutrient requirements:

http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/fnic/interactiveDRI/

& here's another site from the USDA that I use often for finding out nutrient contents of many common foods:

https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/foodapedia.aspx

& I too use lots of chopped veggies in most dishes I make. For instance, I add 1 medium grated carrot per pound of ground meat when making tacos, along w/ a medium onion, fresh peppers, tomatoes & garlic. The carrot makes it juicier & of course adds fiber & nutrients.

Thank you! I know my skinniest family member does not eat enough protein! He loves his carbs too much. Hence the threat to add the sardines. I carried out that threat 2 nights ago and he didn't even notice it in the chicken broth based sauce for the sweet potatoes. Hurray. :). We use only organic whole grain high fibre bread and pasta here, but he still eats more than everyone else. At my nagging he got checked out and is healthy but has a high metabolism! I'm inclined to say lucky guy.

Everyone else's diet is pretty balanced. No other carb cravers here and they eat their protein and good fats. :)

I added a ton of veggies to the sauce and managed to eat a small portion of everything. I still worry for myself that I'm not eating enough veggies to ward off colds etc. Maybe I should up my vitamins.

What about fresh fruit? We've been feasting on berries, melon, cherries, etc.

I often eat fresh fruit in lieu of veggies - & it's the time of year for it, IMO.