What is a usual dinner like on your homestead? Is it like Thanksgiving every day or do you have regular meals, or do you do fast food?

-- Roxanne (hmstdlady@webtv.net), November 04, 2000

Answers

Tonight we had fried chicken breast strips, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans. All cooked from scratch. We try to avoid fast foods, really can't afford to eat out anyway. Cook from scratch most the time, prepared foods from the grocery store are expensive and full of stuff I don't want in our bodies. We garden when were not in a drought, and I can and freeze the bounty, goats for milk and meat, hope to have chickens by next year, and raise our own beef and pork. I normally cook full meals every day but no it's not like Thanksgiving around here, I cook a lot at one time, so we have leftovers to eat on for a day or two. Make bread and baked goods twice a week.

-- Carol in Tx (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), November 04, 2000.

Well, I'm not a full fledged homesteader, but here's my menu. Normally, we have to buy most of our food because we just got into a home last winter and didn't get a garden going this past spring. We eat like most other people, but I try for lots of sale items and I usually cook a big roast, stew, or whatever, that we eat off for several days. For example, a few days ago I made a big pot of beef soup out of leftovers and we just finished it off. Tommarow I will make something like grilled chicken or steak (whatevers in the freezer) but come MOnday I will make another big something to eat on during the week. My hubby works evenings and I am in school most of the day, so we don't have normal sit-down meals very often anyway.

-- elle (hotging@aol.com), November 04, 2000.

Before we got sick, I used to use all the fast cooking conviences. Boxes noodle mixes, quick stirs, etc. Other then saying the organic veggies have more flavor, they don't think I cook as well as I used to, I think especially since it is healthy.

Usual dinner consists of meat, potato, rice or pasta, two veggies and a salad. Today it was fish and chips (got to give them some fun) The other day we had a whole turkey dinner with cranberry sauce. I guess it depends on what I feel like making. We eat out once a week.

PS I have never been able to make bread from scratch. Even in a bread machine. People have tried to help but it is hopeless.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), November 04, 2000.

Since its just me, its what I want, when I want it. Tonight I had granola cereal with fresh milk. Sometimes mac and cheese, vegetable stew, pasta w/homemade sauce I do buy the cheap (.79) frozen mac and cheese and meatless pasta dinners to keep on hand for quickie meals. I also buy TVP to boost up the protein in my meals. I also like Bacos(no meat in bacos!), lettuce and tomato sandwiches on homemade bread with homemade mayo (YA GOTTA MAKE YOUR OWN MAYO! yummy) I've got tomatoes ripening on the vines hanging in the basement and lettuce still out in the garden. I wish I could curb my sweet tooth though!

-- Dianne (yankeeterrier@hotmail.com), November 04, 2000.

We live very busy lives, son will be cheering at the Nationals day after Christmas which means practice, daughter works after school, goats twice a day for me plus the phones during the day, and husband works (It is not true that working for yourself and setting your own hours means you have more time at home with the family!), I do lots of freezing, like this evening made to pecan pies and 2 lasagnas. My best fast food is the new frozen mixed veggies, I add cubed chicken or turkey previously canned, or precooked and then frozen. I am not above using hamburger helper since anyone can make it, and with fresh bread from the bread machine (timed it and it takes me 4 minutes to dump everything in and go) and a salad, makes a nice meal, fast food here also with the great new prepackaged salads, that I will throw in any extra garden goodies. (We have peppers right now that are the size of small trees!) We do the sit down family meals with everyone at least once a month, (takes some juggling) and Holidays are special and hectic and lots of food, which of course gets frozen to start over our hectic lives with more "fast food" :) After Nationals my does start kidding then its lots of crockpot and woodstove beans and slow cooked stews and soups. Of course we do eat McDonalds/Pizza Hut etc, but it isn't close so not often, and I love to eat at Joes Crab Shack, eating out for me is having something that I don't cook, which is seafood. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), November 05, 2000.

Homegrown, homeraised and home-processed! Until we process this batch of chickens and/or get some venison in the freezer, a lot of our meals are meatless (but still delicious and nutritious). We cook several big meals a week and do a lot of different things with the leftovers. This is our busy time of year, so we freeze a lot of our own "convenience dinners". Every day's a holiday and every meal's a feast!

-- Rose Marie Wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), November 05, 2000.

Breakfast is usually bacon from our hogs, eggs from our chickens, home-fries, our potatoes & home made bread, we buy our coffee.

Dinner might be either, our Angus beef, chicken or pork, squash, potatoes, string beans,carrots, cabbage, greens, berries or apple sauce,from our garden.

We buy our coffee, tea, sugar, salt and so on.

-- Hendo (OR) (redgate@echoweb.net), November 05, 2000.

Dinner Sat.----Homemade Beef Stew! Supper---same thing. In fact for the next several days---BEEF STEW! I build it myself-larned frum my pappy-in-law yars ago. He was from Texas [so's lil dumplin]and knew how to build it the "Texas" way. Hit's fit to eat and I just "ain't" found nuthin wrong with't. Anybody want the buildin directions? I'll share it wiff y'all-for the askin! Matt. 24:44

-- hoot gibson (hoot@pcinetwork.com), November 05, 2000.

We have regular meals, make most of everything we eat from scratch. Our 'convenience foods' are homecanned soups & stews, chili (with no beans, make them the day we're having chili), meats, vegs., & fruits. We eat out rarely, prefer homecooked meals. Use the crockpot OFTEN, esp. when busy canning, butchering or when there are those time consuming projects that take me away from the kitchen (I really enjoy cooking & baking)

-- Phyllis (almostafarm@yahoo.com), November 05, 2000.

Several years ago, I heard that the average woman had only 8 regular meals she would choose from, not counting special occasions. I thought that was strange and certainly not true for me at least not now. I love to try new recipes, so you never know what we're going to have.

When I'm too tired, too busy, or don't feel like cooking, Gary gets a sausage egg and cheese sandwich (one of his favorties) or fish sandwich, or something just as easy. I eat garlic pop corn and fruit.

We eat two different ways, and I will cook separately, I can't eat just anything. Gary's willing to try most of my healthy stuff and will even eat tofu, but he likes what he likes and I cook it for him.

Otherwise, down home cookin' or health food cooking. Gary eats chili, I eat Cindy's stew-taste like chili. Lots of soup and bean soup made with chicken innards never pork. Last night Gary had meatloaf and veggies, I ate the veggies. We eat lots of stuff with lots and lots of garlic, onions and for me hot peppers.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), November 05, 2000.

My idea of packaged convience food is cans of beans. Plain beans. I occassionaly use taco seasoning mix but other than that it's pretty much from scratch. This way I have control over how healthy the food is and besides, it just plain tastes better. When we are in town and the boys get real hungry I sometimes buy fast food. And there are times when we order a pizza. It is the only take out food where we live. We eat a lot of sandwiches but I usually fix a roast for the meat. I hate packaged lunch meat. I want the real thng.

-- Cheryl (bramblecottage@hotmail.com), November 05, 2000.

I cook from scratch most of the time, my kids love it when we do have convenience food--don't get me wrong, the 11 year old says he's never leaving home because of the cooking, but I say otherwise. Seriously, I usually cook something that will yield leftovers, like a huge pork roast in the pressure cooker, with lots of broth to then make soup, pot pie, stringy pork barbeque sandwiches plus a pork roast with noodles and vegetables meal. I fed us for an entire week, different every night, but for one $4.50 pork roast, and the dog got the scraps. I canned 11 quarts of soup after the soup meal( made with frozen saved veggies) I made a 4 gallon pot full last Sunday. I have a hard time thinking what to buy for convenience, so once in a while we will get a pizza, but the family likes my homemade better, so I can pizza sauce and keep the basics on hand. I try to take advantage of what's on sale along with what's in the cellar and freezer. I can hanburger and most other meats because they are versatile and quick. Canned chicken becomes quick casseroles, burritos, chicken salad. Hamburger becomes anything! Taking time to can some dry beans helps too--they are cheaper than bought canned beans and help when time is short. I bake often, whole grains, make waffles and pancakes from scratch. Sometimes we have breakfast for supper when time is short.

-- Denyelle Stroup (dedestroup@hotmail.com), November 05, 2000.

Whatever the wife cooks. She is a GREAT cook. I was overweight after 2 years of marriage. If I want something else it is usually time to take her out.

-- Tom ,40 lbs overweight (Calfarm@msn.com), November 05, 2000.

Oh, Dee please don't give up on learning how to make homemade bread, maybe there is someone on this forum who lives near you willing to help you learn how, it's so much fun and rewarding, the smell alone of homemade bread baking is worth it.

-- Carol in Tx (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), November 05, 2000.

I keep a few boxes of mac and cheese around for a treat for the kids, but usually everything is from scratch. Convenience foods are pre planned and made from scratch. I pressure can jars of turkey/chicken soup, premix dry goods like chicken coatings etc that are good on almost all meat for some variety and also good on cut up potatoes. I freeze a few tourtieres and eggrolls from the ground pork. I also have a few pie doughs on ice for a quick desert or a fast quiche. But mostly ordinary things with a little planning for the next night like cooking twice as many potatoes (if I have to peel anyway!)

-- Terri (Terri@tallships.ca), November 06, 2000.

Well I cook from scratch of course :o). We just moved so I don't have all the homestead goodies rolling into the kitchen I'd like but we do buy in bulk and eat very cheaply. If it isn't on sale I don't buy it...if it is prepackaged I don't buy it (except frosted flakes.. I have kids :o). I grind our cornmeal and flour. Things taste sooo much better made with fresh ground flour and meal I make a lot of stuff using it. We have cornbread nearly every evening meal and they gripe if we don't. I save the left over cornbread to make dressing. Actually I save a lot of leftovers. I cook with a thought to useful leftovers. We have beans and cornbread about 2 times a week. Brown rice cooked mixed with cream of chicken soup and whatever else strikes my fancy and put it in a baking dish and set chicken leg quarters on top and bake....alway a favorite and cheap too. Biscuits and gravy stick to your ribs and is cheap cheap. When I have my garden going we eat almost entirely out of the garden with meat served a couple times a week and of course cornbread. I bake bread once or twice a week. Lunch is homemade bread with peanut butter or melted cheese and fruit. We also eat lots of potatoes. Lots of times when the pantry is a bit sparse I'll look at what I have and throw a lot of it in a baking dish and it is always edible and usually wonderful (had a few flops but not many). We eat good filling simple food with as little processing as possible.

-- Amanda S (aseley@townsqr.com), November 06, 2000.