I’m a mum-of-11 & get up at 5am to make food for my brood – I get through 30 eggs a day & enough bacon to fill an oven
GETTING your kids fed before school can be an operation – so spare a thought for Alicia Dougherty, a mum-of-11 from the US.
The busy mum showed how she gets up at the crack of dawn to start preparing breakfast at 5am.
And it certainly doesn’t come cheap feeding all those mouths.
Posting online under the username Dougherty Dozen, Alicia showed how she uses a tray of 30 eggs to make scrambled eggs for her family each morning.
She then loads up multiple trays with packs of bacon, which fill her oven.
To go with this, she puts in a few loaves of bread to feed her bumper brood.
Alicia also has to prepare the kids’ lunches before school, and could be seen adding items to their named lunchboxes.
Many people hailed her as a “super mum” for her morning efforts.
One wrote: “goodwork mama.”
Another added: “Earlyyyy.”
A third commented: “bro thats a whole party worth of food.”
Bumper bills
Alicia, who is based in New York and has 6.7 million followers on TikTok, previously shared a clip showing off her weekly food shop, leaving many totally stunned.
She stocked up on all things from eggs and cheese, to bagels and muffins – and of course, made sure to get a trolley full of fruit, vegetables and meat.
The busy mum explained: “In cart one I got us matching family outfits in light blue, some cleaning products, protein bars, applesauce pouches, cereal stock up, honey buns, muffin bites, can’t forget the coffee, bread, bagels, buns, Hawaiian rolls, and a few toiletries.”
Alicia then left this trolley at the front of the shop and moved on to trolley number two.
She added: “I got some boxed and jarred items, plus stuff to try feastable s’mores this week, then I got chips and dips for Taco Tuesday, some baking ingredients and I left that card up front.”
When it came to the third trolley, Alicia continued: “Cart three I headed over to the produce section for the veggies, bananas, fruits, watermelon, potatoes, and then over to the meat section for ground beef, pork chops, chicken, ham, hot dogs, and deli meat.”
And for the fourth and final trolley, the busy mum explained: “In cart four I got the bacon, 10 dozen eggs, butter, yoghurt, milks, caramel macchiato creamer, 19 pounds of cheese, six frozen pizzas, meatballs for meatball subs, and a bunch of really good looking desserts.”
In total, Alicia’s weekly shop cost her a jaw-dropping $1280.36 [£984.64] – yes, you heard that correctly.
Bumper family
Both Alicia and Josh are special education teachers, but Alicia works part time and helps run the household.
Josh and Alicia Dougherty struggled with infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss for nine years and so decided to adopt from foster care.
Their first child Alex moved in in 2010 and they adopted him in 2011 when he was five years old.
Just six days after adopting Alex, the couple found out they were pregnant with Zoe, who was born in 2012.
Next the family adopted James, who formally joined the foursome when he was six years old back in 2013.
It was only two weeks later that they found out they were once again pregnant with Dash.
Next up, they were asked to take in twins Jason and Jordan.
This was only supposed to be a temporary foster care placement for five days in 2015, but three years later the family adopted them.
The couple then had two more biological children Bodi-Blaze, who was born in 2016 and Harlee-Quintin, born in 2018.
Just after Harlee-Quintin was born they found out about siblings Patrick and Brie who were in a residential treatment facility and needed an adoptive family.
They took in the brother and sister to avoid them being separated.
Finally they opened their home to Deshaun and Nivea, who Alicia explained were the children of a friend and they would be staying as long as they needed.
Tips for feeding your family for less
PREPARING tasty meals for a family doesn’t have to be expensive.
Clinical Nutritionist, Suzie Sawyer from Feel Alive UK, has shared how you can cut costs and feed a family of four for just £20 a week.
She advised: “It’s always best to plan meals for the week ahead, whether you’re on a budget, cooking for a hungry family or just looking after yourself.
“However, it’s essential if you’re feeding a family of four on a budget of £20 per week – that’s just £2.85 per day! While it might take a little more planning, it can definitely be achieved.”
LOOK FOR ‘UGLY’ FRUIT AND VEG: Suzie says Morrisons is a great place to start.
She says: “The supermarket chain, Morrisons, in particular have launched a range of ugly fruit and vegetables and also ‘wonky’ fruit.
“We have all come to expect perfect specimens in the supermarket, therefore the less attractive ones get left on the shelf.
“However, they are still packed with essential nutrients and are considerably cheaper in price.”
BUY SUPERMARKET BUDGET BRANDS: A simple yet effective way to feed a family of four on a budget, advises Suzie, is to buy supermarkets’ own budget brands.
She says: “Buy supermarket budget brands – they will generally contain the same levels of nutrients, although they may not taste quite as good.
“However, that could often be down to more sugar, salt or artificial flavours so they might even end up being healthier!”
BATCH COOK: Nutritionist Susie says shoppers should cook in bulk if they’re trying to feed a family of four on a budget.
“Cooking in bulk is a great way of saving money,” explains Suzie.
“For example, a lentil spaghetti bolognaise can be batch cooked and frozen. Many dishes, especially curries, actually taste better after freezing.”
CLEVER SHOPPING: Suzie says there can be a vast difference in price in differing supermarkets – but Morrisons is famous for its low prices.
She says: “There can be a vast difference in price between the big chains so do price match.
“Plus, it’s worth remembering that small corner shops are always going to be much more expensive.
“And there will always be a price benefit from buying in bulk with larger quantities.”
BUY DRIED VERSIONS RATHER THAN TINNED: The nutritionist says buying dried versions of items like beans and lentils – rather than tined – are great family food staples that come within a £20 budget.
Plus – Morrisons have a great range available in all their stores.
Suzie says: “Buy dried versions rather than tinned – I’m talking beans and lentils, which are great sources of protein.
“Buy them in bulk and soak them before using as per their instructions on the pack. Plus, you’ll not be eating salt and sugar generally added to canned food.”
BUY FRUIT AND VEGETABLES LOOSE: Suzie also recommends shoppers feeding a family of four for £20 a week by their fruit and vegetables loose.
She says: “It’s a great idea to check the per kilogram price on foods so you can buy the cheapest but these will generally be lower on loose fruits and veggies, rather than those pre-packaged.
“Plus, you don’t need to buy fruits and vegetables ready chopped (they’ll have lost nutrients in any case), cheese ready-grated or other produce pre-prepared.”
The clinical nutritionist also added that it’s important to note that it’s not easy to get all the nutrients the body needs on a daily basis, (bearing in mind there are 45), particularly on a tight budget.