In Case You're Wondering

My Mother always said when she was raising her family that as soon as anyone found out she had 12 children the next question they would ask was how she fed them all. (Unfortunately y Mom was not the best cook- but that has little to do with this posting.) I have to agree with her that it is pretty much the number one thing people ask me about now that I have ten "Gosh what do all you eat?" And then they always seem to follow that logic up with the guess that we subsist on pasta. Go figure. In fact my kids would barely touch pasta for the first ten years we were married until I insisted they try it and get used to it occasionally. Unlike my Mom, I actually enjoy cooking. I have also taught my oldest boys to cook. Andrew hates it but can make handle all forms of breakfast quite well plus a few other handy dishes to get by, Peter and John Paul are great in the kitchen and make dinner often, and Matthew is coming along beautifully too and has fun cooking.

So tonight I figured I would interrupt my normal posts to bring you my weekly grocery list just in case you are still wondering what a family of a dozen people puts in their mouths 7 days a week. The list leaves out meat which I buy half a cow at a time and put in my freezer along with about 20 roaster chickens and pork when it is on sale. It does change a bit according to the season, but this is an accurate view.

Weekly List
2 bunches of bananas
1 bag of apples
1 bag oranges
3 heads of lettuce ( romaine generally)
1 bag carrots
1 bag onions
1 bag potatoes ( 10 pounds)
1 wedge of cheddar cheese
2 wedges mozzarella cheese
1 bag of shredded cheese
3 frozen pizza
1 bag chicken nuggets
20 bean and cheese/beef and bean burritos
2 packages frozen french fries
1 hummus
1 container fresh mushrooms
3 tomatoes
6 boxes of cereal
1 container of oatmeal
1 package of pop-tarts
1 cucumber
4 bags of potatoes chips
1 bag of pretzels
2 boxes shells and cheese
7 containers of fruit juice ( apple, grape, orange)
5 lbs pasta
3 jars pasta sauce ( red)
1 bag mini marshmallows
1 jar peanut butter
4 cans veggies ( corn, peas, carrots)
1 dish soap
1 bag pecans ( nuts)
2 pounds butter
2 dozen eggs
8 gallons of milk
1 package cream cheese
one bag of bagels
2 packages frozen sausages
3 cans vienna sausages
5 gallons ice cream
2 rolls paper towels
1 4 pack of toilet tissue
4 boxes of cookies
2 boxes brownie mix
blueberry muffins
4 loaves white bread
1 pack hot dog buns
1 pack hot dogs
3 boxes of crackers ( all kinds)
1 box animal crackers
3 cans of soup
32 ounces of vanilla yogurt
1 pineapple
2 boxes quick bread
1 English muffins
1 box of garbage bags
1 aluminum foil
1 zip lock freezer bags
1 pancake syrup
1 pancake mix
1 cooking spray
3 bags broccoli ( frozen)
1 bag green beans ( frozen)
1 container ham
1 container turkey
1 ketchup

Obviously this doesn't cover all the items in my pantry but it is an accurate portrayal of our weekly food purchases.We fill up 2 carts. Fred makes one breakfast on weekends, the other days its cereal or oatmeal, though the older boys make pancakes for the little ones once or twice a week. Lunch is always sandwiches  or cheese and crackers . We do all love to eat chips.  I cook chicken  twice a week ( one roaster the other meal  breasts or tenders) We go through about 6 pounds of ground beef a week ( meatballs/shepherds pie), one small ham, one night of leftovers and generally Fridays are meatless. I make bread fresh twice a week for dinner ( but I am avoiding it while I am dieting...sorry kiddos!) I like salad and make a big one most nights, otherwise the kids will eat broccoli, corn carrots, and peas. Thomas is almost completely vegan but we're trying to get him to eat a bit better and it seems to finally be working. My weekly grocery bill for feeding all 12 of us............. 215.00 ( that is an average but it is really close as I only bring the money I can spend with me to keep me from zoning out!)

Its not really glamorous, but its what we eat. Hope that lays all those concerns to rest!