Do you regularly use disposable plates?

[NHdisneylover]

Just curious, but what kind of snack do you suggest?

Off the top of my head:

whole fruit
carrot or celery sticks
granola bars
cherry tomatoes
sandwich (designed to be easily held)

 

[mill4023]

We are a family of 7 and we use them probably 30% of the time. We have a busy schedule. I usually get home around 5:30, then almost every night we have soccer or martial arts or something else going on with the kids. Plus DW works part-time, evenings and weekends.
We try to keep up with dishes, but it's tough. When we bring out the paper plates, it's usually because we are having dinner, there are still dirty dishes from earlier in the day, and the thought of adding more dirty dishes isn't very appealing.

 

[mhsjax]

Off the top of my head:

whole fruit
carrot or celery sticks
granola bars
cherry tomatoes
sandwich (designed to be easily held)

Not trying to be argumentative here really, but, he eats apples, celery not so much, carrots sometimes, granola bars frequently Tomatoes, love them. preferably on a sub sandwich, foot long please.. Sandwiches, ah, but you have to use a paper towel or plate to make them on.

Now teenage boys can require up to 3600 calories a day. Fruit and carrots aren't going to cut it for him.

On a typical day, he eats a huge and I do mean huge as in almost half the box, bowl of cereal for breakfast. Whatever he buys for lunch. He comes home, he has anther huge bowl of cereal, maybe an apple with peanut butter. A plain apple won't fill him up. He goes and does homework, he reappears about 45 minutes late and states. "I hunger" and laughs, and starts eating again, usually left overs. This is all before dinner. He is an eating machine. A piece of fruit and or carrots are fine, as long as you have something to go along with it. He does 3 hours of Tae Kwon Do and controlled combative training 2 times a week. He is 5'9" and only 14 and skinny. I buy him jeans, size 30 and 2 weeks later he grew yet again, and they were falling off of him. Down to 29 he is. And tall. So all of the sudden this has turned into how do you fill up a teenage boy, I don't think you can.

 

[Momvic5]

She IS a smart girl I was just ironing while she folded --we had a nice conversation Now she is back to sewing--a little hard to talk over the sound of the machine so I am back online for a few minutes

Good point about not using a plate I am thinking typical snacks in our house are fruit pieces (no plate ever needed), or sandwiches (DS inhales those way too fast to bother with a plate

Funny, a plate is almost always used when we eat fruit. Most of the kids around here have braces so most pieces of fruit have to be peeled and cut up. I keep a huge bowl of cut fruit in our refrigerator, and it is served up on plates. The only fruit that I can think of that we don't use plates for are bananas(Maybe oranges/tangerines - most of time those are thrown into my bowl of mixed fruit as well). I just finished cutting up a pinapple, honeydew melon, and a few green apples so that my kids will have an easy snack after school. They will eat it on a plate. I also have a watermelon cut into wedges that they will either have to go outside to eat or eat on a plate. With berries or grapes, I wash them and put them on a plate or paper towel. It is interesting to see the different ways that we all do things.

 

[mhsjax]

Funny, a plate is almost always used when we eat fruit. Most of the kids around here have braces so most pieces of fruit have to be peeled and cut up. I keep a huge bowl of cut fruit in our refrigerator, and it is served up on plates. The only fruit that I can think of that we don't use plates for are bananas(Maybe oranges/tangerines - most of time those are thrown into my bowl of mixed fruit as well). I just finished cutting up a pinapple, honeydew melon, and a few green apples so that my kids will have an easy snack after school. They will eat it on a plate. I also have a watermelon cut into wedges that they will either have to go outside to eat or eat on a plate. With berries or grapes, I wash them and put them on a plate or paper towel. It is interesting to see the different ways that we all do things.

Oh I forgot about the braces. Ye my DD has to have her apple cut, her ortho said absolutely no biting into an apple. Now I have to deal with this for my youngest son. He loves whole apples. He won't be happy.

 

[tlbwriter]

Just curious, but what kind of snack do you suggest?

I don't think any of my snacks ever require a plate. What kind of snacks do you have?

 

[clutter]

Not trying to be argumentative here really, but, he eats apples, celery not so much, carrots sometimes, granola bars frequently Tomatoes, love them. preferably on a sub sandwich, foot long please.. Sandwiches, ah, but you have to use a paper towel or plate to make them on.

Now teenage boys can require up to 3600 calories a day. Fruit and carrots aren't going to cut it for him.

On a typical day, he eats a huge and I do mean huge as in almost half the box, bowl of cereal for breakfast. Whatever he buys for lunch. He comes home, he has anther huge bowl of cereal, maybe an apple with peanut butter. A plain apple won't fill him up. He goes and does homework, he reappears about 45 minutes late and states. "I hunger" and laughs, and starts eating again, usually left overs. This is all before dinner. He is an eating machine. A piece of fruit and or carrots are fine, as long as you have something to go along with it. He does 3 hours of Tae Kwon Do and controlled combative training 2 times a week. He is 5'9" and only 14 and skinny. I buy him jeans, size 30 and 2 weeks later he grew yet again, and they were falling off of him. Down to 29 he is. And tall. So all of the sudden this has turned into how do you fill up a teenage boy, I don't think you can.

I hate to say it... or a teenage girl. My dd is almost 14, 5'8" and somewhere around 100 lbs. That child can put food away like no one's business. She generally starts later in the day. A normal sized breakfast and lunch. Then dinner sized leftovers after school, a huge dinner and dessert.

Anyway, on the paper plate issue, I use them mostly for microwaveable stuff (my current dishes are plastic and don't microwave). But we're still in transition. I have a ton of paper left from our kitchen renovation. And I donated our old dishes. Just ordered new, still waiting on it. So we're using the plastic, fun stuff right now.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Not trying to be argumentative here really, but, he eats apples, celery not so much, carrots sometimes, granola bars frequently Tomatoes, love them. preferably on a sub sandwich, foot long please.. Sandwiches, ah, but you have to use a paper towel or plate to make them on.

Now teenage boys can require up to 3600 calories a day. Fruit and carrots aren't going to cut it for him.

On a typical day, he eats a huge and I do mean huge as in almost half the box, bowl of cereal for breakfast. Whatever he buys for lunch. He comes home, he has anther huge bowl of cereal, maybe an apple with peanut butter. A plain apple won't fill him up. He goes and does homework, he reappears about 45 minutes late and states. "I hunger" and laughs, and starts eating again, usually left overs. This is all before dinner. He is an eating machine. A piece of fruit and or carrots are fine, as long as you have something to go along with it. He does 3 hours of Tae Kwon Do and controlled combative training 2 times a week. He is 5'9" and only 14 and skinny. I buy him jeans, size 30 and 2 weeks later he grew yet again, and they were falling off of him. Down to 29 he is. And tall. So all of the sudden this has turned into how do you fill up a teenage boy, I don't think you can.

Nope, you cannot fill a teen boy--I know about that one.

We were talking about this thread over dinner (pathtic, I know) and DS suggests that one can also use the same plate for more than one snack in the same afternoon--unless it is something drippy and messy

Funny, a plate is almost always used when we eat fruit. Most of the kids around here have braces so most pieces of fruit have to be peeled and cut up. I keep a huge bowl of cut fruit in our refrigerator, and it is served up on plates. The only fruit that I can think of that we don't use plates for are bananas(Maybe oranges/tangerines - most of time those are thrown into my bowl of mixed fruit as well). I just finished cutting up a pinapple, honeydew melon, and a few green apples so that my kids will have an easy snack after school. They will eat it on a plate. I also have a watermelon cut into wedges that they will either have to go outside to eat or eat on a plate. With berries or grapes, I wash them and put them on a plate or paper towel. It is interesting to see the different ways that we all do things.

My daughter has braces. She just cuts slices off the apple as she goes
Like mhsjax my son MUCH prefers them whole--he gets braces very soon (at the ortho on Thursday to set the date) and will not be happy about this, and like her I had not thought of this issue

 

[mhsjax]

I don't think any of my snacks ever require a plate. What kind of snacks do you have?

My son eats cereal, sandwiches, left over pizza or just any left overs. Eat eats soup.

DD eats rolled up lunch meat, or a salad. sometimes a cookie or brownie. For her, she has to cut the apply due to her braces. She also like chips and salsa. All of these things require either a bowl plate or at the very least a paper towel.

 

[mhsjax]

Nope, you cannot fill a teen boy--I know about that one.

We were talking about this thread over dinner (pathtic, I know) and DS suggests that one can also use the same plate for more than one snack in the same afternoon--unless it is something drippy and messy

My daughter has braces. She just cuts slices off the apple as she goes
Like mhsjax my son MUCH prefers them whole--he gets braces very soon (at the ortho on Thursday to set the date) and will not be happy about this, and like her I had not thought of this issue

We actually tell people that when they come over to eat, hold onto your plate, because if DS even thinks that you might be finished, he will swoop in for the kill. And yes I do save cups for re use, but my kitchen is so tiny that one little thing out of place just disrupts the entire thing, it really is pathetic.

FWIW, DS just got home and downed his first huge bowl of cereal, I bet he is back within the next 30 minutes saying he his hungry. ALso FWIW, he used a real bowl. lol

DD had a brownie, well half of one. Those braces are killing her, she used a paper towel.

 

[mhsjax]

Nope, you cannot fill a teen boy--I know about that one.

We were talking about this thread over dinner (pathtic, I know) and DS suggests that one can also use the same plate for more than one snack in the same afternoon--unless it is something drippy and messy

My daughter has braces. She just cuts slices off the apple as she goes
Like mhsjax my son MUCH prefers them whole--he gets braces very soon (at the ortho on Thursday to set the date) and will not be happy about this, and like her I had not thought of this issue

I told my DD that when she got her braces off that she could have a celebration dinner, of corn on the cob, popcorn, gum. caramel apples, and anything else that she could think of that she hasn't been allowed to eat for 2 years. She has been a real trooper.

 

[mhsjax]

I hate to say it... or a teenage girl. My dd is almost 14, 5'8" and somewhere around 100 lbs. That child can put food away like no one's business. She generally starts later in the day. A normal sized breakfast and lunch. Then dinner sized leftovers after school, a huge dinner and dessert.

Anyway, on the paper plate issue, I use them mostly for microwaveable stuff (my current dishes are plastic and don't microwave). But we're still in transition. I have a ton of paper left from our kitchen renovation. And I donated our old dishes. Just ordered new, still waiting on it. So we're using the plastic, fun stuff right now.

Wow, don't you hate it. I have to watch everything I put in my mouth and those kids just shovel it in.

My son actually starts tapering off by dinner time. But this had just started.

 

[NHdisneylover]

We actually tell people that when they come over to eat, hold onto your plate, because if DS even thinks that you might be finished, he will swoop in for the kill. And yes I do save cups for re use, but my kitchen is so tiny that one little thing out of place just disrupts the entire thing, it really is pathetic.

FWIW, DS just got home and downed his first huge bowl of cereal, I bet he is back within the next 30 minutes saying he his hungry. ALso FWIW, he used a real bowl. lol

DD had a brownie, well half of one. Those braces are killing her, she used a paper towel.

I live in Europe. Believe me I KNOW what a tiny kitchen is I would give a lot for a full American sized fridge (I can live with the little oven--really we only need the bigger size once for things like Turkey--so we just don't have that here, but the fridge drives me batty).

 

[tlbwriter]

My son eats cereal, sandwiches, left over pizza or just any left overs. Eat eats soup.

Those aren't snacks to the rest of the world, they're small meals! Do you use disposable bowls for the cereal and soup too? I can't remember.

DD eats rolled up lunch meat, or a salad. sometimes a cookie or brownie. For her, she has to cut the apply due to her braces. She also like chips and salsa. All of these things require either a bowl plate or at the very least a paper towel.

See, I wouldn't use a plate for any of those except the salad or the salsa. I'd use a napkin or paper towel, if anything, for the others. So the issue is that you are MORE persnickety than me, if you need a plate for a cookie!

 

[MushyMushy]

I don't think I've met anyone in the last ten years who doesn't recycle!

I'm curious, why wouldn't someone recycle?

Not every town or community supports recycling. Meaning no pickup, and no drop off points. The best you'll get around here are the country folks who burn their trash.

 

[Momvic5]

Nope, you cannot fill a teen boy--I know about that one.

We were talking about this thread over dinner (pathtic, I know) and DS suggests that one can also use the same plate for more than one snack in the same afternoon--unless it is something drippy and messy

My daughter has braces. She just cuts slices off the apple as she goes Like mhsjax my son MUCH prefers them whole--he gets braces very soon (at the ortho on Thursday to set the date) and will not be happy about this, and like her I had not thought of this issue

Yes, my ds15 will cut his apple into slices as he eats it too, but I have also caught him picking at his teeth and braces with the same knife. Apples/pears tend to be our least favorite fruit anyways. If I slice them and throw them into our fruit bowl, they are much more likely to be eaten than if I leave them whole. We prefer messy fruits such as mangos, pineapples, melons, berries - the kind that are often too messy to eat out of your hand. Most of the time, my ds and his friends will just stand over the sink and eat them. They are too lazy or rushed to get a plate, but they all know better than to drip it on my floor.

 

[mhsjax]

Those aren't snacks to the rest of the world, they're small meals! Do you use disposable bowls for the cereal and soup too? I can't remember.



See, I wouldn't use a plate for any of those except the salad or the salsa. I'd use a napkin or paper towel, if anything, for the others. So the issue is that you are MORE persnickety than me, if you need a plate for a cookie!

OH yeah, they are small meals I agree, but for DS they are a light snack. lol

Oh and for a cookie, I am right there with a paper towel ,too. Sometimes DD will grab a paper towel, and sometimes out of habit she grabs a plate, it is 50/50. Also when my DD rolls up lunch meat, she like to dip it in Italian dressing. so she may use a paper plate for the meat and a small bowl for the dressing. As you can see I have a family with strange eating habits.

And no I don't use disposable bowls for cereal or soup. I have, but only because we had a few left. But generally if it is wet, I use the real stuff.

Now as far as needing a plate myself for a cookie, shoot no, that cookie isn't around long enough to require a plate.

 

[SaraJayne]

Funny, a plate is almost always used when we eat fruit. Most of the kids around here have braces so most pieces of fruit have to be peeled and cut up. I keep a huge bowl of cut fruit in our refrigerator, and it is served up on plates. The only fruit that I can think of that we don't use plates for are bananas(Maybe oranges/tangerines - most of time those are thrown into my bowl of mixed fruit as well). I just finished cutting up a pinapple, honeydew melon, and a few green apples so that my kids will have an easy snack after school. They will eat it on a plate. I also have a watermelon cut into wedges that they will either have to go outside to eat or eat on a plate. With berries or grapes, I wash them and put them on a plate or paper towel. It is interesting to see the different ways that we all do things.

When I bring home grapes, I wash them all at once and put them in a bowl in the fridge, so we can all grab as needed. They go much quicker that way, if the "prep" work is done.

 

[Big Cuddly Bear]

I was using them every day for the last few weeks until my new dishwasher was installed. I actually wonder if it isn't "greener" to to use paper plates than use all that water / soap / electricity,

 

[minniemarie]

I was using them every day for the last few weeks until my new dishwasher was installed. I actually wonder if it isn't "greener" to to use paper plates than use all that water / soap / electricity,

Try hand washing as most of the UK is used to doing, yes, we do have dishwashers but they are not seen as an essential part of the kitchen . Have sink.. have detergent.. have hands.....Simple!