What do you fill your older kids up on?

[MilkRunningOutAgain]

Once again I've just run out of food for a meal , spent more than I meant to and am hungry too! How do you fill up older kids ? My DS has just eaten 2 pittas stuffed with cheese, tuna, salad onion and tomato purée. DD had 1 1/2 , DH had 2 and I ended up with left overs. Just a couple of years ago I'd have had 2 pittas left over to use for a weekday lunch and would have used just half the cheese. Now a pack of 6 pittas, most of a block of cheese, a tin of tuna, most of a tube of Tom purée and a bunch of salad onions isn't enough.

I need a better paid job to keep the dcs full. It's a nightmare. What do you fill older kids up on?

As snacks mine eat pizzas,pot noodles,chicken wings,cereal,toasties, and at meal times it's adults sized portions

Pitta pizzas - Basics pittas, red pesto, Basics mozeralla

Crumpets

Pancakes are cheap to make. I usually keep some blueberries in the freezer for them too.

Toast

Cornflakes

Porridge
Nuts
Avocado
Chicken
Cheese
Homemade smoothies (milk, yogurt, banana, cashew butter)

What are you calling older kids? If rugby-playing teenagers, which our boys were a few years ago, bread and cheese or bread and jam as snacks to fill up on during the day, after about 6 Weetabix for breakfast and loads of salads for lunch, with plenty of everything (particularly spuds and greens for supper). Both very active (training 4 times a week, and two matches). Not an ounce of fat on either of them. Beans on toast not bad either.

I am no nutritionist, but it seems to me that you want to keep off the fatty sweet things as much as possible, and give plenty of fibre and greens.

As long as they're eating a healthy diet at mealtimes I don't have a problem with letting mine eat as much wholemeal toast and butter as they want for snacks. It's cheap to provide, relatively healthy and easy to cook from frozen if you run out of fresh. Just make sure they're eating enough protein, calcium, vitamins, fibre etc at mealtimes, if you let them eat meat sandwiches, bananas etc for snacks it's going to get expensive very quickly.

6 weetabix!!

thanks everyone! I think I need to get them, particularly DS, to eat more card, toast, sandwiches , potatoes etc. we already do masses of weetabix or porridge for breakfast. And I simply need to buy more food and stop pretending the kids are still ks1.

Go to aldi and stock up! Protein rather than just carbs will fill them up longer

Yes, MrsPremise, 6 Weetabix with yoghurt and stewed fruit, although sometimes it is only 3, with added muesli.

Dd currently has a thing for pasta cupshotz from Aldi. They tide her over when she comes home from school until tea time.
A good breakfast helps too so she's having a big bowl of muesli with Greek yoghurt and honey and then a bit of fruit. It's not unusual for her to have a bowl of weetabix for supper either. Lots of lean protein and veg as well.

mine eat a lot of cereal....

OP. Yes if you feed them card that will definitely keep your bills down.

Ideas for quick, protein rich snacks please? All I can think of off the top of my head are hard boiled eggs or cubes of cheese!

Remus - avocado on rye bread or just cut in half and spoon out. Greek total yogurt, cheese, eggs as you said, slices of chicken/ other meats, handful of nuts/ seeds.

porridge is filling, cheap and slow release. MIght be a better option in the mornings.

My two are still young (7 and 9) but I'm already noticing the difference in what they eat. DS1 is tiny and skinny but still tucks away double what I eat. We've started doing "proper" breakfasts even during the week, boiled eggs, bacon or sausage sandwiches, pancakes. It seems to be helping.

Avocado - love the stuff but barbarian 16 year old won't eat it.
She likes smoothies though, so I'll make her some lassi with Greek yoghurt.

Quinoa and bulgur wheat cooked with water and mixed with loads of chopped fruit. Particular favourites in our house are strawberries, grapes, apple, pear and blueberries. Super filling and super healthy - it's the usual breakfast in our house. Pretty good value for money too and really easy and quick to make.

Remus - what about a smoothie with it in? Avocado, banana, cashew butter, Greek yogurt and milk.

Thanks Art but I have tasted avocado smoothie before and it's not for me. DD2 would be horrified by it, I'm afraid.

I like the idea of putting a bit of cashew butter in a smoothie though.

I wish I could feed them card littleredsquirrel, I have lots going for free in my recycling bin, but it was meant to be carbohydrate. I have stocked up on cereals and got a pack of fruit scones too. And increased portions of potato and pasta, etc. And run out of money, but that's another problem.