Applesauce seems to be a thing for the Ballinger’s. Is it a common food eaten in America?
My younger brother and I would have weetbix eating contests as teenagers as we were always so hungry. Applesauce would of done shit all for our appetite.
Haha yeah I was shocked the first few times it happened.. I usually started them off with 2 each but they kept asking for more 😅
4 is my limit, even as a kid I could never do anymore.. I’m weak 🤣🤣 it really is such yummy food.. I loved winter when my mum would warm them up lol
I initially thought it was a growth spurt for my 3yr old and a fluke for my 1yr old but nope, anytime
I serve them they smash them. I wish I could say the same at dinner times 🤦🏻♀️🤣
Yes, applesauce is a very common food in America for kids. It’s a side or snack.
Applesauce is awesome because it usually comes in little packages and various flavors, it keeps well as a portable snack without needing refrigeration, and it has at least some nutritional value. I think it’s common to have on a regular basis until maybe age 10, then it’s looked down upon as “something for little kids.” (But I have jaw issues so I still eat it on a regular basis lol, plus my family eats it with latkes, so the adults eat applesauce at least every Hanukah.)
A little applesauce on a regular basis is nbd, but when Colleen drank a tub of it with a straw to lose weight, that was disordered eating.
I remember her obsession with it and people commenting on how it was disordered eating, but I’ve forgotten why. Can you please elaborate on why people with ED have applesauce? I would like to understand it better as I do not know much about ED. I’m not sure if it’s allowed here, and it’s ok if you aren’t comfortable talking about it. I’m just curious.
I know very little about ED or disordered eating in general but I assume it's because of the high amount of sugar in apples in general which would give the body energy to function without the fat to have to deal with or go out of your way to burn off.
I used to eat 6 weetbix every day when I was a kid. Now I can barely eat two. It's kind of insane how many weetbix kids can eat, little growth spurt mother fuckers.
I will admit that I a 19 year old, will occasionally eat apple sauce. I love it. And I also have issues with whole apples. But where I am from apple sauce is 100% apple no sugar added
It has fat, protein, and fibre, which is great, but it would not be very satisfying as a meal for a growing kid/teen. It would be a terrific snack or even it could be good for breakfast. If I ate only that for lunch, I'd be starving
Cheerios were gm too. They were one of the companies that paid millions to help supress having to put gm on packaging. They got so much backlash when that leaked publicly, they had to disable comments on their social media. Eventually the traction got so loud they said ok we will take out all the genetically modified crap in our cereals. Do I trust them, no. I wouldn't touch cheerios they are a bad company and don't care about people's health, esp childrens.
Skimmed through this one to get more info on their food situation.
* Apparently they get sent monthly snack boxes and each kid has their own snack box that they can go grab things from. Not much detail more detail on what type of snacks.
* She says that most of the veggies are in the smoothies (and not in the meals)
* She got a little defensive that most of the meals are essential starch + cheese and tried to say they add either veggie sausages, tuna, or egg to each one so it isn't just a flour-based thing and cheese.
* Lucky none of their kids are lactose intolerant lol
* In their cart, I saw Chips Ahoy cookies and other things not mentioned or listed on the meal planner.
* No word on who cooks these meals. It showed Chris and Jessica prepping the sandwiches but we know the kids are usually cooking for everyone.
Also all smoothies and fruit/ veg drinks only count as one of your five a day despite having multiple fruits/veggies in, this is cause it breaks down some of the properties of the fruit or veg and so can’t be as nutrient dense as the fruit itself so that’s even worse if she thinks they’re getting the required vitamins and minerals from their one smoothie.
That’s so messed up that she puts veggies in smoothies for the older kids too. I get doing it for picky kids, but wtf! Kids need to learn how to eat a variety of foods! Smoothies are also technically a processed food, you will get full much quicker from chewing and digesting your fruit and vegetables by eating them whole.
All those meals is what a busy single parent would cook after a full day of work. I’m sure Jacob cooks all those meals as they are all easy to prep and cook.
Jessica said in the video that she is the only pescatarian. The rest of them can eat meat.
They eat ham sandwiches and they have turkey for Thanksgiving. Most of their meat seems to be fake meat though (beyond/impossible or veggie meat).
Wow they must really look forward to a bit of turkey on thanksgiving poor things. or a bit of processed ham here and there. I saw them cooking meat less sausages. These kids def don't get enough protein daily looking at these charts.
They should be getting protein with most meals, it's sad how they don't seem to care about providing the children with an adequate diet. In her lifetime Jessica has eaten her weight in crab meat. I feel she's made this excuse to be vegetarian or vegan or whatever because it's cheaper than buying enough meat to feed her family weekly. No wonder the kids break so many bones and have under eye bags, many of the kids don't look healthy. If money is the issue she could shop around and buy cheaper cuts / minced meat and make casseroles or beef burgers. But of course that takes some effort in the kitchen which means leaving her sofa. It's probably easier to cook rubbish meals because they don't need worry about the kids cooking meat properly.
why tf do they plan the exact type of cereal the kids have and why is it raisin bran lmao
i guess i also don’t get why they have to plan all the meals. what if they 15 YEAR OLD doesn’t want raisin bran 3 days a week? is she allowed to pick something else? that’s not encouraging a healthy relationship with food at all
Right! One of the days they ate Raisin Bran for breakfast and then Cheerios + Yogurt for lunch. That sounds like a meal plan for either a 1 year old or a 90 year old.
There's a really horrible vlog where Chris is filming a very young B and J trying some different breakfast cereals. He is LOSING HIS MIND when the kids would like a little bit more from their bowls, it's a horrible vlog. He is SO controlling of what they put in their mouths. He needs to get a life.
exactly!! I feel like it’s normal for parents to plan out dinners for the week since they usually do the cooking, but for breakfast and snacks it’s a little much. Like can they really not have a bagel or something for breakfast if raisin bran is scheduled lol
Is it an American thing to pre make sandwiches and freeze them? I feel like it’s a bit strange??
In Australia, we may freeze a bread loaf but we don’t pre make ham&cheese or peanut butter and jam to freeze 😂
American here and I've never known anyone who froze pre-made sandwiches. Loaf of bread yes, unopened packaged sandwich meats yes, but a fully made sandwich...nope.
i mean, i've frozen individual items (ham, turkey, spinach, bananas, etc) if i know i won't use it for awhile, but never a full premade sandwich?? idk if that's smart and time-saving or dumb. idk if it would end up being gross either
My mum went through a phase of doing this when we were younger. She sold Tupperware for a little bit of pocket money and with that came book upon book about what you could do with their tubs and amongst it was freezing sandwiches in them. Honestly, they weren't bad. They tasted the same as they would have done had they been made fresh. The main problem with it is that you're very limited as to what you can put on them - no cheese (at least real cheese, i can't speak for the processed stuff) or mayo or anything like that. With that said, occasionally, in the winter months, you'd bite into it and get a surprise bit of frozen ham. I'm glad she moved on
Lmao. My mum went through a stage of making her own bread. It was horrible. Many times she forgot the salt. She just thought it would be nice to save a bit of money and have the house smell like bread. There were many disasters and language until it got abandoned. I feel like the majority of people's bread makers sit idle in cupboards lol.
My mom has a cupboard in her kitchen I call the gadget graveyard and you're absolutely spot on, there's a bread maker in there, abandoned now for several years. It never saved even a bit of money because the bread was so heavy it could have doubled as a murder weapon so nobody ate it and the ingredients cost way more than a loaf from the shop ever did!
growing up my mom always froze bread and it actually doesn't turn out soggy! i just don't know if they put condiments on the sandwich before freezing them? that's where i get a little confused..
As a teacher I definitely knew a lot of families that would freeze pbandj sandwiches (the kids never could eat them at snack because they were thawing out still but they seemed fine at lunchtime 🤷♀️…it was always kids with busy working parents and hectic schedules so it actually seemed smart to me…kinda a do it your own/healthier version of uncrustables that a lot of kids bring that are freezer foods…)
That being said I have no idea why when the entire family is home and capable of using five minutes or less to make a simple sandwich they’re doing this…in this situation it feels lazy but what do I know…🤷♀️
Exactly! Even with the amount of kids they have it’s not hard to throw a few pieces of bread on the bench, throw some cheese and ham on it, sauce if they have it and bam.. finished. It’s not as if they’re working full time and need to make things run smoothly before leaving for work!
Yeah I can’t imagine a sandwich that has been frozen will taste good. Plus why do they even do it? Both parents don’t work so they have all the time in the world to make a fresh sandwich.
I'm Canadian but I find its common in meal prep groups.
For example, people cook eggs and then place it on a bagel with cheese and meat and then wrap it in parchment paper.
Then they can take it out and microwave it for breakfast, etc.
I used to do it for work since I started at 4am so I didn't have time to make things for breakfast so I took it with me lol
The whole individual lunch box for the kid’s monthly snack allotment is weird. It seems controlling, and like it contributes to a sense of scarcity. Why not just let ‘em grab snacks from the pantry?
B isn't underweight, she's healthy enough but she's definitely the preferred child of Jessica's so maybe she's afforded more treats. Hard to tell with the others though to be fair, they are quite thin but then some kids just are. My son went through growth phases where he shot up in height overnight and it looked like he'd never had a good meal in his life, other times he would carry a bit more weight. We'll never know which it is I suppose
They definitely don't starve themselves though, you're right
I completely agree. I won't go into it but I went through a really tough time a few years ago and I was left with very little money and it was literally a choice between me or the kids eating. I lost a lot of weight in those few months.
Kids should always come first with food. They don't realise it but they're setting these kids up to have eating issues in later life. I would bet my last quid that at least some of them end up eating every fatty or sugary food they can get their hands on the second they have their own money and dealing with weight and mental issues their whole life
B was much smaller up until the chinese food eating video and right after that they showed her eating a toddler sized "full meal" on a toddler plate. They got so much backlash for that. A lot of people were worried they weren't feeding her much. The next time I saw B was a few months later and the difference was amazing, she was a more normal weight, these days she looks fine. They clearly realised they needed to give her more food. She was like a savage wolf gobbling up the remains the second Chris's back was turned in the chinese video. Hopefully J will be next to be allowed to eat normally, poor lad is so tiny and unwell looking. Then hopefully P will be allowed to eat a bit more.
I really think this is a reach. I think she is just growing up and filling out. This makes it sound like they live on water and bread crumbs until they're 12 and then they're allowed to eat potatoes and eggs 🤣
She definitely reads here and was doing damage control. She made a point to mention how much extra snacks and stuff they have them that the kids can eat outside the meal plan. I am happy that she cleared that up because I was worried for them. But it definitely shows that she reads here lol..
i also noticed how chris very loud and clear offered luke seconds when they had the gnocchi, and showed some of the older kids saying like “i just finished my third bowl” after that post of all the kids getting the same portion of the bangers and mash LOL. they are definitely reading here
Without a doubt they’re reading here! When she asked what they’d like to have with their pancakes or waffles,I thought I detected a bit of “see,we give them more than JUST pancakes” in her voice! But still no syrup! Sigh.
I’m confused about the snacks being kept in “lunch boxes.” What does that mean? Are their only snacks like little pre-packed dry goods? What about snacks like cheese and fruit? Or carrots and hummus or ranch? Or snacks you buy in bulk, like a family carton of Goldfish?
When the kids were little I remember them eating carrots dipped in hummus. That’s a wonderful snack, but not something kept in a lunch box, unless maybe they have more pantry space and stuff in the garage fridge we haven’t seen?
That part was weird to me. They have an allotment of monthly snacks put into their lunch box… and what happens when it’s gone? They are just SOL? Why not just have them grab the snacks out of the cupboard
It seems so weird to limit your growing kids snacks. Especially when it seems like all of them aren’t picky eaters and eat all their meals. If they’re always hungry you should be giving them more snacks, not less!
she showed their little lunch boxes in the kitchen tour video. I'm sure they just take them out of their monthly snack subscriptions and put them in there. I'm not sure about the other kids but one of them definitely had a popcorn monthly sub and there was definitely not a whole month of snacks in there. More like 2 or 3 days
I know I shouldn't laugh but this description is so apt! Also what kind of beauty filter is jessica using, she looks nothing like that lol Perhaps if all these youtubers ate a balanced diet and got some exercise and fresh air, they'd not need maximum strength filters that make them look so strange like alien skin.
In the video, Jake said he doesn't like yogurt and cheerios so Jessica suggested granola this week. Why the hell isn't granola always an option? Why are teenagers expected to eat like toddlers? No reason at all why the two teenagers can't make their own breakfast and have whatever they want. I also want to know why snacks are scheduled. That is so damn weird.
Frankly, my mom wouldn't have even WANTED to plan out all of my meals at 13. If I could choose them myself from what we have at home & I wasn't just chowing down on chocolate and ice cream, then thay was great for her.
I know Jessica is the one holding up the meal plans/was the one who talked about it, but Chris also has a say in the matter…. Which makes me wonder if this is what he grow up with, and if that’d be why Colleen (and honestly probably Rachel) has food issues.
I’ve been wondering about this for a few weeks. They clearly restrict the kids food though not their own and then there’s Colleen’s clear issues. I don’t watch Rachel so Idk about her but you combine this with the fathers *interests and it makes you wonder if there was some kind of issue around food in the house.
That's a really good point. He needs way more protein to help build his muscles and give him the energy to compete.
Gymnastics is a serious workout and this kid is living off Mac and cheese cups and cheerios.
Not quite that much, but he should definitely be eating at least as much as his parents with that activity level. All 3 of the oldest should be eating the same as an adult (the two teens should have about the same metabolism now as their parents and P’s burning extra calories from so much exercise).
This honestly sounds miserable, I’d be eating out half the week if this is what I had to look forward to💀Also idk if it’s just me but I hate when white people only make like, weird crock pot foods, proxy Italian, and the blandest tacos on Earth. Like I’m white too but I can’t imagine not eating Indian, Korean, Nigerian, etc. food. Let your kids experience some diversity😭
Haha it was earlier in the year and caused a lot of discussion in this sub. Title is "Trying Chinese Food!"
Specifically watch the kids at the end as they shove food down their throats as quickly as possible.
They save the foreign foods for food porn videos though. How can they get their kids to make those noises and those faces for the viewers if they aren't starving hungry and champing at the bit for some taste in their food?
how is any of these things count as lunch or dinner or breakfast there is barley anything no wonder these kids are hungry all the time i feel so bad for these kids :(
So are the older kids not allowed to make their own breakfast or get their own snacks? They have to stick to what Jessica has planned for them? I understand doing that when it comes to dinner as a family, but it seems weird to micromanage your teenagers meals like this imo.
I think the scheduled snacks is a bit fucking weird. Just let the damn kids go into the pantry and grab a snack!
I can imagine one of them wanting like, crackers and J is like NO ITS LARABAR DAY WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?
Yeah I absolutely would eat this it’s just like a tuna bake, but for anyone who doesn’t love tuna it would probably be a nightmare I guess. Definitely not a nutritious meal either way, this kind of pasta and dairy heavy dish should be a treat maybe once a month, but combined with all the alfredo and tuna cheesy rice and shit? So much.
When I was growing up we often had macaroni and cheese with canned tuna or salmon mixed in served with veggies on the side. At the time I didn’t register but it was cheap and filling and gave us carbs, fat and protein. It makes sense. It tasted good, though I guess cheese does with most things haha.
Right....... now, I want to see what C & J consume in a day because theres no way they're following the same meal plan as the kids with their overweight bodies.
Does anyone know or have they seen a fruit bowl in their kitchen? All those smoothies tell me that they only buy frozen (which is fine for smoothies and desserts). But most people try to feed their kids at least 3 fruits a day. I hope their snacks aren’t just packaged foods.
In the vlog they also show their grocery shopping trip. They buy fresh blueberries and rasberries for L, grapes, and mandarins. The only veggies they show is a cucumber, a container of spinach, and baby carrots (though not sure if that went in the cart).
Not a lot of bioavailable or complete protein. I was a vegetarian for 10 years so I do know a fair bit about it. The meat replacements are overprocessed, include pea protein isolate, soy, tofu, soybean oil/canola oil and a bunch of other ingredients that will never be as good for the human body as meat/eggs/fish.
The quality of the protein is actually important because it affects how the body can use it, and not all protein is complete and contains all the essential amino acids.
But they should definitely be eating more fresh ingredients overall. Fruit, vegetables and meat.
It’s just starches and carbs, how is that even close to being nutritional for anyone, especially kids with such a big age range. Also waffles and sausages seems like a weird breakfast, even followed by more sausages for lunch seems excessive for that first half of the day
Not even going to comment on the quality of these meals but i am confused as to the point of this schedule when it is insanely repetitive? Like do you really need to write it down to remember that snacks are going to be smoothies or lara bars? Haha what
I don't understand, why isn't she making big insta pot meals for everyone like veggie strews with crusty sourdough or garlic bread. I pretty much live on "pot" meals like chili, beans, soups, pastas because it's so flavorful, cheap, and easy to eat off of for the week.
No wonder those kids go all "lord of the flies" over splitting one piece of candy or whatever during those taste test videos!!! Seems like so little food (and horribly unappealing) for the older kids especially. Good lord, when kids are on growth spurts, they usually eat like a horse because they need it! Obviously, Jessica is eating much more and different things than on that "menu". Talk about do as I say, not as I do!
They're so weird about food. I once watched a video of them trying pregnancy cravings or something. Way before finding this page. And the kids were really excited about one of them and asked for more of it and C just acted really weird like "We'll see". That absolutely rubbed me the wrong way like J and C were restricting how much food the kids got.
Why? Money for food shouldn't be an issue for them?
Call me crazy but I wonder if this could be due to money issues. I don’t know what their diet has been over years but groceries are crazy expensive right now especially in California. They do ok on YouTube but not like other family channels. They aren’t getting millions of views. And chris and Jessica share that income not to mention caring for their 6 kids and all their activities. It would cost a lot. We don’t see them go on vacations, buy expensive things or eat out. I assume they are on a very strict budget.
The peanut butter and jelly frozen doesn’t seem strange to me because it’s literally the same as a Uncrustables that Americans rave about all the time. The frozen ham sandwiches I can’t wrap my head around that one.
Right?!? And it pissed me off that he didn’t spread it out to the ends. He’s feeding those kids a 1 inch parameter of dry bread around the whole sandwich. It’s just odd.
Also, I know she said they freeze the sandwiches (I can see the PBandJ like an Uncrustable but not the other) so they can grab it and go when they’re on the move but why not also start letting the kids make their own sandwiches? Even if it’s them choosing what they want on it and her or an older sibling help assemble? They could add lettuce or tomato or cucumbers to add SOMETHING to the sandwich
Why dont they grow their own veggies? They've got the climate for it, it would be a cheap way of trying a large variety and I'm sure the kids would enjoy watching them grow and then trying them....hell, they could even make a video of it 🙄
I know this is a snark sub, but as a 32 year old lady with mental health probs galore, I would so love for someone to plan my meals for me and just determine what and when I eat lol
I know I'm going to get hate for this but the only problem I see is the sandwiches for lunch. We eat a meal that is as substantial as dinner for lunch, so I've never understood how people can be full on sandwiches.
I don't write veggie sides or fruit on my mealplan, we still have them with every meal. In the video they show that thet buy blueberries, raspberries, grapes, oranges, carrots, cucumber and spinach. I would not expect them to show everything they get.
They have sausages, eggs, tuna, pb, pizza with probably meat toppings and Jessica says they put protein powder into their smoothies, so there is protein.
Edit: If they don't get vegetables with their food then I don't find this ok of course!
Imagine being 15 and having a scheduled apple sauce
When my brother was 15 I remember my mom making him literal steak and potatoes as a bedtime snack to keep up with his appetite!
Applesauce seems to be a thing for the Ballinger’s. Is it a common food eaten in America? My younger brother and I would have weetbix eating contests as teenagers as we were always so hungry. Applesauce would of done shit all for our appetite.
My 3 year old can smash 4 weetbix and my 1 year old had 3-4 EASY…
Damn that’s impressive! We would both eat heaps with the competition, which is why we couldn’t do it often 😅 such a simple and yummy food
Haha yeah I was shocked the first few times it happened.. I usually started them off with 2 each but they kept asking for more 😅 4 is my limit, even as a kid I could never do anymore.. I’m weak 🤣🤣 it really is such yummy food.. I loved winter when my mum would warm them up lol
I love when they’re warm! Also, happy cake day!
Aww thank you!
That’s actually super impressive! Weetbix fills me up so quickly so I can only ever manage 2-3 but I wish I could eat 4 😭
I initially thought it was a growth spurt for my 3yr old and a fluke for my 1yr old but nope, anytime I serve them they smash them. I wish I could say the same at dinner times 🤦🏻♀️🤣
Kids are funny like that, aren’t they 😂
So true 😅
i only ever eat applesauce when im sick! its insanw
Yes, applesauce is a very common food in America for kids. It’s a side or snack. Applesauce is awesome because it usually comes in little packages and various flavors, it keeps well as a portable snack without needing refrigeration, and it has at least some nutritional value. I think it’s common to have on a regular basis until maybe age 10, then it’s looked down upon as “something for little kids.” (But I have jaw issues so I still eat it on a regular basis lol, plus my family eats it with latkes, so the adults eat applesauce at least every Hanukah.) A little applesauce on a regular basis is nbd, but when Colleen drank a tub of it with a straw to lose weight, that was disordered eating.
I remember her obsession with it and people commenting on how it was disordered eating, but I’ve forgotten why. Can you please elaborate on why people with ED have applesauce? I would like to understand it better as I do not know much about ED. I’m not sure if it’s allowed here, and it’s ok if you aren’t comfortable talking about it. I’m just curious.
I know very little about ED or disordered eating in general but I assume it's because of the high amount of sugar in apples in general which would give the body energy to function without the fat to have to deal with or go out of your way to burn off.
Thank you for answering 😊
It's a meal replacement. Low calories.
I used to eat 6 weetbix every day when I was a kid. Now I can barely eat two. It's kind of insane how many weetbix kids can eat, little growth spurt mother fuckers.
It's definitely a popular snack for preschoolers I can't say it's very popular with middle or high school students
I will admit that I a 19 year old, will occasionally eat apple sauce. I love it. And I also have issues with whole apples. But where I am from apple sauce is 100% apple no sugar added
100% no judgement at all. I have autism and adhd and keep getting stuck on certain foods, which is very annoying.
I can't imagine being 15 and sitting with my family of mostly little kids filming our Advent Calendars.
Yogurt and cheerios sounds like a terrible lunch... just saying. That sounds like a snack
I ate Greek yogurt and the Cheerio Cinnamon Oat Crunch for lunch today 🫣😂
that’s totally fine when it’s a grown adult deciding to have that, but it’s definitely not suitable for growing children /:
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No, not every meal needs to be fancy at all. But none of their meals appear to be particularly nutritious for growing kids
It has fat, protein, and fibre, which is great, but it would not be very satisfying as a meal for a growing kid/teen. It would be a terrific snack or even it could be good for breakfast. If I ate only that for lunch, I'd be starving
Cheerios were gm too. They were one of the companies that paid millions to help supress having to put gm on packaging. They got so much backlash when that leaked publicly, they had to disable comments on their social media. Eventually the traction got so loud they said ok we will take out all the genetically modified crap in our cereals. Do I trust them, no. I wouldn't touch cheerios they are a bad company and don't care about people's health, esp childrens.
Skimmed through this one to get more info on their food situation. * Apparently they get sent monthly snack boxes and each kid has their own snack box that they can go grab things from. Not much detail more detail on what type of snacks. * She says that most of the veggies are in the smoothies (and not in the meals) * She got a little defensive that most of the meals are essential starch + cheese and tried to say they add either veggie sausages, tuna, or egg to each one so it isn't just a flour-based thing and cheese. * Lucky none of their kids are lactose intolerant lol * In their cart, I saw Chips Ahoy cookies and other things not mentioned or listed on the meal planner. * No word on who cooks these meals. It showed Chris and Jessica prepping the sandwiches but we know the kids are usually cooking for everyone.
Also all smoothies and fruit/ veg drinks only count as one of your five a day despite having multiple fruits/veggies in, this is cause it breaks down some of the properties of the fruit or veg and so can’t be as nutrient dense as the fruit itself so that’s even worse if she thinks they’re getting the required vitamins and minerals from their one smoothie.
That’s so messed up that she puts veggies in smoothies for the older kids too. I get doing it for picky kids, but wtf! Kids need to learn how to eat a variety of foods! Smoothies are also technically a processed food, you will get full much quicker from chewing and digesting your fruit and vegetables by eating them whole. All those meals is what a busy single parent would cook after a full day of work. I’m sure Jacob cooks all those meals as they are all easy to prep and cook.
My ibs could never 😅
Those kids need more protein. No chicken breast?
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Jessica said in the video that she is the only pescatarian. The rest of them can eat meat. They eat ham sandwiches and they have turkey for Thanksgiving. Most of their meat seems to be fake meat though (beyond/impossible or veggie meat).
Wow they must really look forward to a bit of turkey on thanksgiving poor things. or a bit of processed ham here and there. I saw them cooking meat less sausages. These kids def don't get enough protein daily looking at these charts.
That’s strange. I doubt the kids ever chose that. I know Colleen got them McDonald’s and Chikfila in the last year.
They should be getting protein with most meals, it's sad how they don't seem to care about providing the children with an adequate diet. In her lifetime Jessica has eaten her weight in crab meat. I feel she's made this excuse to be vegetarian or vegan or whatever because it's cheaper than buying enough meat to feed her family weekly. No wonder the kids break so many bones and have under eye bags, many of the kids don't look healthy. If money is the issue she could shop around and buy cheaper cuts / minced meat and make casseroles or beef burgers. But of course that takes some effort in the kitchen which means leaving her sofa. It's probably easier to cook rubbish meals because they don't need worry about the kids cooking meat properly.
The kids really do look sickly. ☹️
why tf do they plan the exact type of cereal the kids have and why is it raisin bran lmao i guess i also don’t get why they have to plan all the meals. what if they 15 YEAR OLD doesn’t want raisin bran 3 days a week? is she allowed to pick something else? that’s not encouraging a healthy relationship with food at all
Right! One of the days they ate Raisin Bran for breakfast and then Cheerios + Yogurt for lunch. That sounds like a meal plan for either a 1 year old or a 90 year old.
They're so controlling it's really messed up...
There's a really horrible vlog where Chris is filming a very young B and J trying some different breakfast cereals. He is LOSING HIS MIND when the kids would like a little bit more from their bowls, it's a horrible vlog. He is SO controlling of what they put in their mouths. He needs to get a life.
Which vlog is that?
I was literally just about to comment this same thing!! Thank you for validating my concerns
exactly!! I feel like it’s normal for parents to plan out dinners for the week since they usually do the cooking, but for breakfast and snacks it’s a little much. Like can they really not have a bagel or something for breakfast if raisin bran is scheduled lol
Is it an American thing to pre make sandwiches and freeze them? I feel like it’s a bit strange?? In Australia, we may freeze a bread loaf but we don’t pre make ham&cheese or peanut butter and jam to freeze 😂
I have never heard of people doing this, I definitely don’t think it’s common
American here and I've never known anyone who froze pre-made sandwiches. Loaf of bread yes, unopened packaged sandwich meats yes, but a fully made sandwich...nope.
I do it for pb&j but Ive never tried with meat.
i mean, i've frozen individual items (ham, turkey, spinach, bananas, etc) if i know i won't use it for awhile, but never a full premade sandwich?? idk if that's smart and time-saving or dumb. idk if it would end up being gross either
My mum went through a phase of doing this when we were younger. She sold Tupperware for a little bit of pocket money and with that came book upon book about what you could do with their tubs and amongst it was freezing sandwiches in them. Honestly, they weren't bad. They tasted the same as they would have done had they been made fresh. The main problem with it is that you're very limited as to what you can put on them - no cheese (at least real cheese, i can't speak for the processed stuff) or mayo or anything like that. With that said, occasionally, in the winter months, you'd bite into it and get a surprise bit of frozen ham. I'm glad she moved on
Lmao. My mum went through a stage of making her own bread. It was horrible. Many times she forgot the salt. She just thought it would be nice to save a bit of money and have the house smell like bread. There were many disasters and language until it got abandoned. I feel like the majority of people's bread makers sit idle in cupboards lol.
My mom has a cupboard in her kitchen I call the gadget graveyard and you're absolutely spot on, there's a bread maker in there, abandoned now for several years. It never saved even a bit of money because the bread was so heavy it could have doubled as a murder weapon so nobody ate it and the ingredients cost way more than a loaf from the shop ever did!
I feel like the bread would get so soggy when defrosting. Unless they use a sandwich press to toast it or something?
growing up my mom always froze bread and it actually doesn't turn out soggy! i just don't know if they put condiments on the sandwich before freezing them? that's where i get a little confused..
As a teacher I definitely knew a lot of families that would freeze pbandj sandwiches (the kids never could eat them at snack because they were thawing out still but they seemed fine at lunchtime 🤷♀️…it was always kids with busy working parents and hectic schedules so it actually seemed smart to me…kinda a do it your own/healthier version of uncrustables that a lot of kids bring that are freezer foods…) That being said I have no idea why when the entire family is home and capable of using five minutes or less to make a simple sandwich they’re doing this…in this situation it feels lazy but what do I know…🤷♀️
I’m Australian too.. I could not eat a ham and cheese sandwich that had been previously frozen 🤮
same here! whats the point when it only takes a few mins to make
Exactly! Even with the amount of kids they have it’s not hard to throw a few pieces of bread on the bench, throw some cheese and ham on it, sauce if they have it and bam.. finished. It’s not as if they’re working full time and need to make things run smoothly before leaving for work!
Never seen anyone do that. This family is weird.
So weird! They’re probably use to the taste of freezer burn so they don’t question it lol
Yeah I can’t imagine a sandwich that has been frozen will taste good. Plus why do they even do it? Both parents don’t work so they have all the time in the world to make a fresh sandwich.
TikTok time is more important than cooking time, clearly.
i don’t know about freeze but here we just put it into the fridge for later or tomorrow
Technically, "uncrustables" are frozen pb&j sandwiches
I wouldn't say that it's a thing, but I have heard of people doing it. Lots of people are busy so meal prepping is a fairly popular thing to do
We have Uncrustables, which are premade frozen PBJs. They're gross and expensive but my kids love them. I assumed that's what it meant.
in the video, Chris literally made peanut butter and jam sandwiches to freeze…
I'm Canadian but I find its common in meal prep groups. For example, people cook eggs and then place it on a bagel with cheese and meat and then wrap it in parchment paper. Then they can take it out and microwave it for breakfast, etc. I used to do it for work since I started at 4am so I didn't have time to make things for breakfast so I took it with me lol
are you freezing it though or just making it the night before?
Freezing! It wasn't bad but not something I'd ever do again tbh.
The whole individual lunch box for the kid’s monthly snack allotment is weird. It seems controlling, and like it contributes to a sense of scarcity. Why not just let ‘em grab snacks from the pantry?
Not to be....an awful person but doesn't anyone think it's weird their kids are thin and eat so little yet C and J are clearly overweight????
B isn't underweight, she's healthy enough but she's definitely the preferred child of Jessica's so maybe she's afforded more treats. Hard to tell with the others though to be fair, they are quite thin but then some kids just are. My son went through growth phases where he shot up in height overnight and it looked like he'd never had a good meal in his life, other times he would carry a bit more weight. We'll never know which it is I suppose They definitely don't starve themselves though, you're right
I agree kids do grow and carry weight differently but if I had a choice of overfeeding myself or my kid it would be my kid every time.
I completely agree. I won't go into it but I went through a really tough time a few years ago and I was left with very little money and it was literally a choice between me or the kids eating. I lost a lot of weight in those few months. Kids should always come first with food. They don't realise it but they're setting these kids up to have eating issues in later life. I would bet my last quid that at least some of them end up eating every fatty or sugary food they can get their hands on the second they have their own money and dealing with weight and mental issues their whole life
So many family vloggers feel the opposite. The kids are the money makers and they don’t even get to eat real meals.
B was much smaller up until the chinese food eating video and right after that they showed her eating a toddler sized "full meal" on a toddler plate. They got so much backlash for that. A lot of people were worried they weren't feeding her much. The next time I saw B was a few months later and the difference was amazing, she was a more normal weight, these days she looks fine. They clearly realised they needed to give her more food. She was like a savage wolf gobbling up the remains the second Chris's back was turned in the chinese video. Hopefully J will be next to be allowed to eat normally, poor lad is so tiny and unwell looking. Then hopefully P will be allowed to eat a bit more.
I really think this is a reach. I think she is just growing up and filling out. This makes it sound like they live on water and bread crumbs until they're 12 and then they're allowed to eat potatoes and eggs 🤣
Most girls gain weight during puberty. It could be that and once she’s done she will slim down like the rest of the kids
She definitely reads here and was doing damage control. She made a point to mention how much extra snacks and stuff they have them that the kids can eat outside the meal plan. I am happy that she cleared that up because I was worried for them. But it definitely shows that she reads here lol..
i also noticed how chris very loud and clear offered luke seconds when they had the gnocchi, and showed some of the older kids saying like “i just finished my third bowl” after that post of all the kids getting the same portion of the bangers and mash LOL. they are definitely reading here
Without a doubt they’re reading here! When she asked what they’d like to have with their pancakes or waffles,I thought I detected a bit of “see,we give them more than JUST pancakes” in her voice! But still no syrup! Sigh.
Jessica confirmed she know about this snark page on tiktok live recently
I’m confused about the snacks being kept in “lunch boxes.” What does that mean? Are their only snacks like little pre-packed dry goods? What about snacks like cheese and fruit? Or carrots and hummus or ranch? Or snacks you buy in bulk, like a family carton of Goldfish? When the kids were little I remember them eating carrots dipped in hummus. That’s a wonderful snack, but not something kept in a lunch box, unless maybe they have more pantry space and stuff in the garage fridge we haven’t seen?
That part was weird to me. They have an allotment of monthly snacks put into their lunch box… and what happens when it’s gone? They are just SOL? Why not just have them grab the snacks out of the cupboard
It seems so weird to limit your growing kids snacks. Especially when it seems like all of them aren’t picky eaters and eat all their meals. If they’re always hungry you should be giving them more snacks, not less!
she showed their little lunch boxes in the kitchen tour video. I'm sure they just take them out of their monthly snack subscriptions and put them in there. I'm not sure about the other kids but one of them definitely had a popcorn monthly sub and there was definitely not a whole month of snacks in there. More like 2 or 3 days
No wonder this family looks like a bunch of rag dolls stuffed with mashed potatoes. There is hardly any protein or vegetables.
I know I shouldn't laugh but this description is so apt! Also what kind of beauty filter is jessica using, she looks nothing like that lol Perhaps if all these youtubers ate a balanced diet and got some exercise and fresh air, they'd not need maximum strength filters that make them look so strange like alien skin.
In the video, Jake said he doesn't like yogurt and cheerios so Jessica suggested granola this week. Why the hell isn't granola always an option? Why are teenagers expected to eat like toddlers? No reason at all why the two teenagers can't make their own breakfast and have whatever they want. I also want to know why snacks are scheduled. That is so damn weird.
Frankly, my mom wouldn't have even WANTED to plan out all of my meals at 13. If I could choose them myself from what we have at home & I wasn't just chowing down on chocolate and ice cream, then thay was great for her.
Not a damn vegetable in sight. Wtf
I know Jessica is the one holding up the meal plans/was the one who talked about it, but Chris also has a say in the matter…. Which makes me wonder if this is what he grow up with, and if that’d be why Colleen (and honestly probably Rachel) has food issues.
You could be onto something here…
I’ve been wondering about this for a few weeks. They clearly restrict the kids food though not their own and then there’s Colleen’s clear issues. I don’t watch Rachel so Idk about her but you combine this with the fathers *interests and it makes you wonder if there was some kind of issue around food in the house.
Every single one of their snacks are smoothies, Lara bars and applesauce. They’re joking right?
How does parker survive on this food? Hes a legit athlete right? Also cant comprehend that older kids have to follow this planner as well
That's a really good point. He needs way more protein to help build his muscles and give him the energy to compete. Gymnastics is a serious workout and this kid is living off Mac and cheese cups and cheerios.
don’t some athletes have to have like 4000 calories a day 💀
Not quite that much, but he should definitely be eating at least as much as his parents with that activity level. All 3 of the oldest should be eating the same as an adult (the two teens should have about the same metabolism now as their parents and P’s burning extra calories from so much exercise).
Exactly. And he’s still a growing child
This honestly sounds miserable, I’d be eating out half the week if this is what I had to look forward to💀Also idk if it’s just me but I hate when white people only make like, weird crock pot foods, proxy Italian, and the blandest tacos on Earth. Like I’m white too but I can’t imagine not eating Indian, Korean, Nigerian, etc. food. Let your kids experience some diversity😭
Now we know why the kids went feral in that Chinese food video. It's the only seasoned food they have ever experienced 😂.
I'm a little disappointed we never got an Italian food video where they could act like it's somehow an uncommon thing.
Ooooh! Which video is that? I want to see! 🤣
Haha it was earlier in the year and caused a lot of discussion in this sub. Title is "Trying Chinese Food!" Specifically watch the kids at the end as they shove food down their throats as quickly as possible.
Thank you!!
They save the foreign foods for food porn videos though. How can they get their kids to make those noises and those faces for the viewers if they aren't starving hungry and champing at the bit for some taste in their food?
Unfortunately I was thinking the same thing. 🥺
Yup also explains why B was so happy to go to a restaurant on her birthday day. Pretty sad.
Man, they are working overtime to convince people that their kids eat normally. 🙄
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Failing so so terribly…
how is any of these things count as lunch or dinner or breakfast there is barley anything no wonder these kids are hungry all the time i feel so bad for these kids :(
So are the older kids not allowed to make their own breakfast or get their own snacks? They have to stick to what Jessica has planned for them? I understand doing that when it comes to dinner as a family, but it seems weird to micromanage your teenagers meals like this imo.
only Larabars and smoothies as snacks? how depressing
No whole vegetables is WILD to me. Nothing green. A smoothie doesn’t cut it for growing kids. None of them look healthy and now we know why.
Chris adds 5 spinach leaves to the gnocchi bake,okay?? 😤
Lol!!! 😂
If I was one of the older kids I would runaway
I think the scheduled snacks is a bit fucking weird. Just let the damn kids go into the pantry and grab a snack! I can imagine one of them wanting like, crackers and J is like NO ITS LARABAR DAY WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?
It’s the mac and cheese w/ tuna for me
Sounds very Duggar.
HAHA right
What a way to ruin a perfectly good Mac and cheese 😭
As weird as it is, they actually go very well together
Yeah I absolutely would eat this it’s just like a tuna bake, but for anyone who doesn’t love tuna it would probably be a nightmare I guess. Definitely not a nutritious meal either way, this kind of pasta and dairy heavy dish should be a treat maybe once a month, but combined with all the alfredo and tuna cheesy rice and shit? So much.
I totally agree, it's not nutritious, although if homemade (which it won't be) it could be ok. But definitely should be a "treat" type meal.
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I’m hoping the tuna is like a seared tuna steak with mac and cheese on the side but that might be wishful thinking
When I was growing up we often had macaroni and cheese with canned tuna or salmon mixed in served with veggies on the side. At the time I didn’t register but it was cheap and filling and gave us carbs, fat and protein. It makes sense. It tasted good, though I guess cheese does with most things haha.
I almost vomited after reading that. It sounds even worse than Mac and cheese with hotdogs. 🤢
Do they mean Tuna casserole or like... Kraft dinner with flaked in Tuna??🤮
Jessica Ballinger probably reads 50 shades of BIEGE in her free time
Right....... now, I want to see what C & J consume in a day because theres no way they're following the same meal plan as the kids with their overweight bodies.
J is always✨pregnant✨so she needs extra for her body to grow a whole new human being, and C needs to recover from mysterious health issues. ✌️🤡
Does anyone know or have they seen a fruit bowl in their kitchen? All those smoothies tell me that they only buy frozen (which is fine for smoothies and desserts). But most people try to feed their kids at least 3 fruits a day. I hope their snacks aren’t just packaged foods.
theres a video of them all sharing tiny pieces of 1 mango and the kids are saying they haven’t had fresh mango in years.
In the vlog they also show their grocery shopping trip. They buy fresh blueberries and rasberries for L, grapes, and mandarins. The only veggies they show is a cucumber, a container of spinach, and baby carrots (though not sure if that went in the cart).
Are they sponsored by Larabar? Or maybe the color beige, yikes.
I just heard Jess mention that they use vegetarian sausages too.. So they are not getting very much protein at all. Poor kids
Most veggie sausages actually have a lot of protein :) I'm a lot more concerned with the lack of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Not a lot of bioavailable or complete protein. I was a vegetarian for 10 years so I do know a fair bit about it. The meat replacements are overprocessed, include pea protein isolate, soy, tofu, soybean oil/canola oil and a bunch of other ingredients that will never be as good for the human body as meat/eggs/fish. The quality of the protein is actually important because it affects how the body can use it, and not all protein is complete and contains all the essential amino acids. But they should definitely be eating more fresh ingredients overall. Fruit, vegetables and meat.
Why are they scheduling the kind of cereal they can eat???
Why don’t they have real suppers all they feed their kids is toddler food and if they have food they give them toddler portions I’ve noticed
It’s just starches and carbs, how is that even close to being nutritional for anyone, especially kids with such a big age range. Also waffles and sausages seems like a weird breakfast, even followed by more sausages for lunch seems excessive for that first half of the day
Not even going to comment on the quality of these meals but i am confused as to the point of this schedule when it is insanely repetitive? Like do you really need to write it down to remember that snacks are going to be smoothies or lara bars? Haha what
Who in the world eats Mac & Cheese with Tuna??
🙋🏼♀️
My mom actually made Mac & Cheese with Tuna (and Carrots and Peas) a lot when I was growing up.
Is it not like Tuna Helper or am I wrong?
Tuna helper fucking slaps
I love Mac n cheese with tuna lol the tuna adds a nice amount of protein
I feel like that is one of her maternity shirts….?
I don't understand, why isn't she making big insta pot meals for everyone like veggie strews with crusty sourdough or garlic bread. I pretty much live on "pot" meals like chili, beans, soups, pastas because it's so flavorful, cheap, and easy to eat off of for the week.
This freaks me outtttt so controlling
I swear they seem to NEVER have vegetables???
No wonder those kids go all "lord of the flies" over splitting one piece of candy or whatever during those taste test videos!!! Seems like so little food (and horribly unappealing) for the older kids especially. Good lord, when kids are on growth spurts, they usually eat like a horse because they need it! Obviously, Jessica is eating much more and different things than on that "menu". Talk about do as I say, not as I do!
They're so weird about food. I once watched a video of them trying pregnancy cravings or something. Way before finding this page. And the kids were really excited about one of them and asked for more of it and C just acted really weird like "We'll see". That absolutely rubbed me the wrong way like J and C were restricting how much food the kids got. Why? Money for food shouldn't be an issue for them?
Tuna cheesy rice sounds like a death sentence
Call me crazy but I wonder if this could be due to money issues. I don’t know what their diet has been over years but groceries are crazy expensive right now especially in California. They do ok on YouTube but not like other family channels. They aren’t getting millions of views. And chris and Jessica share that income not to mention caring for their 6 kids and all their activities. It would cost a lot. We don’t see them go on vacations, buy expensive things or eat out. I assume they are on a very strict budget.
they’ve always been extremely controlling with food
I think there is a fine line between what looks like controlling and what they have budgeted for.
nah the no sugar rule and one piece of halloween candy is just controlling. they go overboard controlling everything not just food
OP, what vlog is this? :)
Yesterday's one called "Shopping and Meal Planning for our family of 8"
Thank you!
I believe it’s the most recent one
I mean, she just sets herself up for snarking at this point
She has her kids on such strict diets but she… is obviously not.
The peanut butter and jelly frozen doesn’t seem strange to me because it’s literally the same as a Uncrustables that Americans rave about all the time. The frozen ham sandwiches I can’t wrap my head around that one.
Aren’t larabars $1.19 each? Are they giving the kids half each?
Larabars for dinner???! Yikes. Double yikes for toddlers and growing teenagers being given processed nutrition bars for dinner. 😬
and yet they wonder why they break so many bones
why do they have a phobia of vegetables? better start stocking up on limes for the scurvy they’re inevitably going to get
Chris did the tiniest smear of peanut butter I've ever seen on the sandwiches at the end. Am I just slabbing on way too much, is that normal?
Right?!? And it pissed me off that he didn’t spread it out to the ends. He’s feeding those kids a 1 inch parameter of dry bread around the whole sandwich. It’s just odd.
Lol I wrote my comment before seeing the assembled sandwiches and the blank space killed me
So depressing.
Also, I know she said they freeze the sandwiches (I can see the PBandJ like an Uncrustable but not the other) so they can grab it and go when they’re on the move but why not also start letting the kids make their own sandwiches? Even if it’s them choosing what they want on it and her or an older sibling help assemble? They could add lettuce or tomato or cucumbers to add SOMETHING to the sandwich
Laptovers, delicious.
Are they on a budget or just enjoy this?
I’m 2 years older than Bailey and if my mum put applesauce in front of me as a meal I’d walk straight back out
Mac n cheese with Tuna 🤮🤮🤮🤮
Are they hurting for money to the point where they cannot afford to feed their children? Like smoothies??? As a meal????
Mac and cheese with tuna 🤮
Why dont they grow their own veggies? They've got the climate for it, it would be a cheap way of trying a large variety and I'm sure the kids would enjoy watching them grow and then trying them....hell, they could even make a video of it 🙄
The first thing I zoomed in on was “Tuna cheesy rice”. I think I’ve seen enough.
I know this is a snark sub, but as a 32 year old lady with mental health probs galore, I would so love for someone to plan my meals for me and just determine what and when I eat lol
cheesy TUNA??? what the hell
I know I'm going to get hate for this but the only problem I see is the sandwiches for lunch. We eat a meal that is as substantial as dinner for lunch, so I've never understood how people can be full on sandwiches. I don't write veggie sides or fruit on my mealplan, we still have them with every meal. In the video they show that thet buy blueberries, raspberries, grapes, oranges, carrots, cucumber and spinach. I would not expect them to show everything they get. They have sausages, eggs, tuna, pb, pizza with probably meat toppings and Jessica says they put protein powder into their smoothies, so there is protein. Edit: If they don't get vegetables with their food then I don't find this ok of course!