HELP menu for feeding teen boys after practice

How about a big slow cooker batch of not to spicy, but just right chili?



I'm always amazed at how some kids really dig into that. Vegetarian chili is good too, and cuts down on fat, but a pound of low fat beef is easy to throw in, with canned red beans (Del Monte, or Hanover, or what ever is on sale), crushed canned tomatoes and some soft spices. Just triple the recipe and cook it the last two hours before they come, with some cinnamon so your kitchen smells festive. They make paper bowls now too, which they never used too.



Or kids love that 5 layer dip, you know the one with I think ground beef, then layered bean, then tomato, then is it guacamole,then sour cream (low fat) and topped with chedder cheese. Down side it that your floors can take a beating, but with white corn chips it's really good.



In my house, BBQ chicken wings are always in with the kids! Luckily, the wings are still not that expensive, and a good BBQ sauce basted on while cooking in the even is pretty easy, and again creates a great smell and appetite.



Pushing the veggies, small tomatoes, small carrots, sliced green peppers, small mushrooms, and broccoli heads are usually eaten. Boy do I wish veggies were more appetizing! A veggie roast in a 13x9 which carmalizes is great, but does bake down a lot.



Sliced up apples this time of year,with a touch of lemon or a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar also tends to do well.



Good luck. At least your trying not to do fast food which is commendable. Gosh, this is making me hungry!

Tender

The wonderful thing about teenaged boys, particularly ones who've been at a practice, is that they're hungry, and likely to eat anything!

I think all the ideas here are good, but I personally wouldn't do chicken because you'll be left with all those bones to clean-up. 

This is right up my alley!  I feed big batches of skiers and runners...Can you say HUNGRY???  Here is one of my easiest low-cost menus.  It feeds about 30 hungry kids...

I use my big electric turkey roaster to make home-made mac-and-cheese:

Boil 5 pounds of macaroni until just done, don't over cook, and drain.

In the turkey roaster melt:

One stick of butter

1 quart of milk

2 lbs of Velveeta

1 cup parmesan cheese

4 cups grated cheddar or Colby cheese.

Season salt to taste, about a tablespoon

Add macaroni and stir until mixed. It will look a little runny, but I usually have to keep it warm for a couple of hours and it soaks up the extra juice.  I take a pint or so of extra milk to add if it gets too dry while I have it heating on low.

I make my big oval crock pot of chili.  In a pinch, buy the big cans of Hormel at Costco.

The kids will make big bowls of Chili-mac (the mac and cheese topped with chili)

I make about 4 dozen corn bread muffins, but any type of bread or rolls will work.

I also have:

4 bags of Fritos corn chips

I large jar dill pickles

A couple of pounds baby carrots

4 dozen cookies or brownies

Sloppy Joes are also a good choice.  The one thing I would suggest is that you have a platter and as the kids are coming through the line, try and keep making sandwiches and piling them on the platter as opposed to having the kids make their own.  It is faster and neater to have them just grab one you have premade.  I always plan on 2 or 3 for each kid.

If you can get cheep apples where you live, slice apples, toss them in a big bowl with a few cups of water with a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice added to it (keeps them from getting brown)  then drain them and serve them with a bowl of the pre-made caramel dip.  The kids LOVE that.

Good luck....you almost can't go wrong if you keep it simple and make LOTS!  LOL

Deb C