How To Feed People Who Actually Eat

If I click on one more blog that boasts, "How to Feed Your Family for $30 a Week! (Oh, btw, my husband and I only eat 6 ounces of solid food a day and our ONE CHILD is solely breastfed)," I'm going to scream.  I mean, seriously, y'all.

Our food-loving family!

One of my hearty eaters.

MY husband and I LOVE to eat good, real, rich food!  And we love to feed people.  (I love people who love to eat!)  So we have dinner guests on the regular.  As our kids get bigger they are becoming even more hearty consumers than before.  The giant meals I used to make that would last us three days may now only last two.  So I'm facing a new challenge: how to still feed us to full, while not making a complete meal, from scratch, everyday--and not spending a ton.

Feeding a very cute crowd!

Here's my deal about making things from scratch:  First, it's almost always the cheapest way.  I can make two dozen of Aunt Suzie's amazing crescent rolls for pennies, or I can buy a bag of 8-10 for five bucks.  There is really no comparison in either taste or cost.  Second, it's also the healthiest way.  We eat very little processed food in our Messy kitchen, and it's not because I have strong convictions about eating local, organic, grass-fed, antibiotic-free, etc.  It just makes sense to eat real food made from real ingredients.  It tastes better and there's more of it. :)

One of our first shared meals in our Messy dining room.

Here's my deal about making exceptions:  I know there are times when one cannot make a real meal for the family to eat.  If it's just a crazy day then I'll pull out some frozen pizzas or order in.  If it's a short season, like say, first trimester morning sickness, I'll buy a ton of convenience food--breakfasts and lunches my kids can pull out of the fridge and eat, dinner components my man can throw together when he gets home from work.  If that short season turns into a long season, like say, an entire pregnancy of physical trials, I'll combine all of the above with one or two super easy Crock Pot meals a week.  And no rolls from scratch. :(

All I'm saying is I get that we can't always give it our all in the kitchen, because our all is demanded elsewhere.  But most of us can't drop $300 a week on groceries.

Thinking about this topic has prompted me to share a recipe that I use often.  I pull it out when We. Need. Meat. but I don't have the time or energy to put into a hearty meal.  You can alter the portions to feed a little or a lot.  I made the following portions this weekend and fed our family twice, plus two darling, hearty-eating friends. (Did I mention I love people who love to eat?)  And there's still enough for B.daddy to take some for lunch today.

It seems like an obvious recipe to me, so I apologize if it's old news to you.  But every time I serve it up I get asked how I made such delicious, delectable chicken sandwiches!

Super Easy Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches

4-5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs*
1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce
2 pkgs. sandwich buns

~Squirt a little bit (about 2 Tbsp.) of bbq sauce in the bottom of your Crock Pot.  Put all the chicken on top of that.  Squirt some more sauce on top (about 1 cup.)  Cook on low all day or on high all afternoon.
~After cooking is complete, pull out two forks, a shallow plastic dish, and a 2-quart oven-safe dish.  Take out thighs one at a time and pull apart with forks in the plastic dish, then put the pulled meat in the oven-safe dish. (I use the plastic dish as a go between b/c my spine tingles when the forks scrape across the Corningware a thousand times.)  Do this to all the meat in the Pot, and make sure you get all those lovely tidbits that fell off into the sauce.
~When all the meat is pulled apart, spoon some of the Pot juice over it to keep the moisture level high but not saturated.  Nobody wants soggy buns. You can also add more bbq sauce now, or wait and let everyone decide how much they want on their sandwiches.
~Cover your dish well and keep the meat warm (@ low heat) until supper time.

You're done.
It's that easy.

When I'm not too busy or too tired, I'll make a giant potato salad to go on the side.  Since I am both of those things right now I did frozen fries (though slicing potatoes and roasting them to make fries is cheaper and still very easy) and corn for our sides.  Worked like a charm.

So there you have an extremely easy meal that almost anyone can enjoy, and it's pretty dang cheap.
*Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are always cheaper than breasts, but just as easy and versatile.  Especially for this recipe, I prefer thighs because they produce a far juicier end product.  I stock up when they are on sale.

Disclaimer:
I fully admit that this recipe in no way makes use of a "barbecue" or any type of purist barbecue method.  I am deeply sorry to disappoint you Hallowed Meat Gods, and apologize for misusing the word "barbecue" in the naming of my recipe.