Frugality and portion sizes

[patandchickens]

I was just now in the kitchen, portioning out the big mess o' cabbage rolls I just made (mmmmmm! an obligatory recipe for the beginning of cool cloudy damp fall weather ) and realized I was doing the same thing I always do. Put in a bit extra to make sure nobody goes away hungry, then a little more in case I underestimated, then a bit on top just because you never know, and then there's a little left over so may as well serve that too

This is how I was raised -- my mom STILL feels she has failed her responsibilities as cook and mother if she doesn't put out more food than people need to (or can!) eat, and then of course urge them to finish it because "it's only a little bit left, you may as well finish it". And I just can't seem to shake it.

It is not great for my waistline and it is definitely not great for the food budget, and I just feel like it is wasteful because we end up eating more than we needed to, or sometimes more than we can, uh, comfortably contain Plus it is starting to bother me that Harry, age 4, gets cranky on days when it turns out that what he had on his plate was all there is (not because of overall hunger but just because he really REALLY liked the roast chicken, or whatever).

Please tell me I am not the only one who has a hard time kicking this habit I need like a support group or something. Anyone else in?

Pat, repeating to self "two cabbage rolls is PLENTY for anyone"...

 

[poppycat]

Pat how 'bout a recipe for cabbage rolls in exchange for my portion control tips?










Just Kidding, I don't really have any good ones except that I married the seventh child out of eight who didn't know the definition of leftovers, and thus refused to eat them when they showed up on the table.

We have struggled with this over the years for sure. Now if I have to replace a serving dish (sadly I've been breaking quite a few for some reason) I don't always go for the biggest one there is.

I also stopped harping on my kids and hubby about clean plates. I figure if you overeat the food is just as wasted as if it went into the garbage. Hungry people don't get to eat it.

Also if you finish a meal with fresh fruit for dessert it somehow seems to turn off the urge to eat anymore.

 

[MorelCabin]

Well when I make cabbage rolls I always make much more than we need and freeze the rest. They freeze well.
My mother taught me how to cook like that as well, always WAYYYY more than anyone will eat. My MIL is the complete opposite, the first time I ever went to dinner at her place I thought for sure we were going to have to make diiner again when we got home...amazingly enough we all left full! I couldn't believe it, honestly...my mom always used to make a huge pot of potatoes with every meal, and they are wonderful fried the next morning for breakfast...

Last night I tried to cook like my MIL...you should have seen the looks on everyone's faces when the crockpot was only 1/2 filled...I cooked only 1/2 a roast and 1 potato for each of us, and one carrot for each of us...but I made two loaves of fresh bread because I was so afraid the meal wouldn't be enough for the four of us. It actually was:>)
Gotta try that more often!

 

[Dace]

I always over cook too, but it never fails that the one day I do not, my MIL or an extra kids s over

I do love leftovers though....even if they become my breakfast and lunch for the next 2 days they usually get eaten so I figure it is not wasteful.

 

[punkin]

p&c,

I'm the same way. I am terrified of not having enough. Normally, we are a family of 3. Two to three times a week, my dad eats with us - that makes 4, plus leftovers for him for lunch the next day (he is a widower). Lately, my son's 2 BFs eat with us pretty much every week day. I really like having them here and they are welcome any time. Anyway, that makes 6, plus leftovers (me, DS & DD). I want everyone to leave the table full. If we don't eat it for lunch the next day, I usually freeze it for quickie lunches later on.

Of course, cooking extra for Dad and "the boys" is more expensive, but I enjoy the "table time" we all get. Three generations on pretty much a daily basis around one table is becoming quite a rarity these days.

One thing I do about portion control is to cut large chicken breasts (or other meat servings) in half and serve extra side dishes.
But, I have been known to "sneak out" DDs lunch for the next day before the boys fill up their plates.

 

[enjoy the ride]

Not for serving but I do believe that serving something like soup, cheese or even salad before anything else hits the table will take the edge off the hungries and allow time before the full course is served for the stomach to realize it's not so hungry when the main stuff arrives.
Actually maybe I do have something for storage to offer. Maybe with think frozen to be served later, make more small packages so that you only need to take out what you really want in small multiples.
Or you could try my mother's heartless routine- if you want something else, there are carrots in the fridge-lol.

 

[patandchickens]

Thanks y'all for the suggestions! And support My new mantra:
"cook like MorelCabin's mother-in-law" <vbg>

My Mother's Cabbage Rolls, for poppycat:

3 lbs ground beef
3 c cooked rice (mom uses white, but brown is good too)
2 eggs
1 lg onion, chopped small
herbs (mom uses dried thyme and basil)
3 tsp salt
black pepper
-----> mix all this stuff together well, and set aside

1 1/2 - 2 lg heads cabbage
------> remove leaves one by one til you have 2 dozen;
2 or 3 at a time, put into lg pot of boiling water
for few min til sl. softened but not floppy,remove,
and cut out the largest least-flexible part of rib.

------> place some filling on a leaf, fold and roll it up
(this is where practice or learning from mom
comes in handy) and secure with toothpick.

------->brown in small batches with a tsp or two of
oil in a large frypan, then place in one or two
LARGE stainless-steel or enamel (not
aluminum) pots
2-3 qts tomato sauce, thinned with a little water if not quite enuf
a little brown sugar
a little vinegar
-------->pour over cabbage rolls til they are mostly
submerged, bring to boil on medium heat,
and simmer 1 hour.

Then you get into the whole portion thing when you go to divvy it up for eatin' and freezin' It's better after being frozen, or the next day, than it is right after it's cooked.

Pat

 

[patandchickens]

Maybe with think frozen to be served later, make more small packages so that you only need to take out what you really want in small multiples.

But that is exactly the problem I am having now -- keeping the frozen allotments a sensible size. What I really feel like I ought to be doing (not logically, but you know, from upbringing) is making a small number of LARGE containers of cabbage rolls (or whatever) to make sure that none of those meals is skimpy...

I'm not kidding, I am really uncomfortable going against the way it 'should' be on this, even though I know I oughta

Pat

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

patandchickens, if you are uncomfortable going against the way it should be, then maybe you should just do it the way it should be and freeze large portions?? I am a firm believer in listening to our gut instincts on things.

Thank you for the recipe. I am going to try to make these, soon as I get to the store and buy cabbage!!

 

[miss_thenorth]

First of all, as far as cabbage rolls are concerned, you CAN freeze them on cookie sheets too, then pack in the freezer bags, take out what you need and put tomato sauce on top as you recook them. I have done this--don't know if you can alter your recipe to try this.

Next, i was just over at a new friends house today. this woman is over here from Denmark for a year--her dh is working on the wind turbines here--anyway, she was just finishing up lunch when I got there and I noticed her dishes had roosters on them, so of course I noticed them and commented on them.

This got us to talking about how big the plates were, and its hard to have such large plates, b/c you feel the need to fill them--so i jsut think it was funny that I come home and see this post on portion sizes.

Our family loves leftovers, so not too much to complain about over here, but, as I said with the plate sizes, it IS hard to control yourself where that is concerned. I know my belly suffers expansion issues, and I'm sure it all has to do with portion sizes (cause we eat healthy--we just eat alot)

Interesting spin to link it with frugality, and I thank you for it--it will make me more aware, b/c in my family I am considered the frugal QUEEN.