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shanni
PeaNut
PeaNut 184,384
January 2005
Posts: 491
Layouts: 0
 |  Posted: 1/21/2013 11:09:04 AM
I'm in charge of our Blue and Gold Banquet this year. We are planning on about 125 people, 3/4 of them will be children. I'm thinking of either doing pulled pork sandwiches or pulled chicken sandwiches, depending on which meat I can find cheaper. How many pounds of meat would I need to feed that many people? I am SO bad at calculating meat! How much would you plan on?
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voltagain
OklaPhoma
PeaNut 18,334
July 2001
Posts: 35,144
Layouts: 15
Loc: State of cultural confusion. Yeehaw and Aloha have collided!
 | Posted: 1/21/2013 11:16:13 AM
I'd plan on 1/4 pound per person. Perhaps a bit more if you are doing it self serve. |
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Kerri W
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 7,171
October 2000
Posts: 7,936
Layouts: 0
Loc: Kentucky
 | Posted: 1/21/2013 11:27:47 AM
How old are the kids?
I've always heard rule of thumb is 1/2 pound per person. For younger kids I'd think your idea of 1/4 pound would be ok. Upper elementary or teens I would go with more per person. | |
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gavinsmom
AncestralPea
PeaNut 9,019
January 2001
Posts: 4,577
Layouts: 22
Loc: michigan
| Posted: 1/21/2013 11:36:18 AM
I agree with Kerri. 1/2 pound for teenagers and adults. Elementary kids you might be able to get away with 1/4 pound... |
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CMHS
BucketHead
PeaNut 407,137
January 2009
Posts: 991
Layouts: 0
Loc: New Jersey
 | Posted: 1/21/2013 11:37:35 AM
I was thinking 1/4 pound per person as well. Our B&G is potluck. |
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BudgetMama
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 138,670
March 2004
Posts: 2,163
Layouts: 2
Loc: Oregon
 | Posted: 1/21/2013 11:40:35 AM
the pork will be far cheaper than boneless chicken. (though I favor the chicken)
i wouldn't recommend doing anything "sandwich" unless you mean pulled pork with rolls that they assemble into a sandwich at their seat. Otherwise, the line moves too slow.
Figure on .25-.5 lbs of meat per person depending on age and type of meat (some pork is very fatty so you'll need to buy more to accommodate for that)
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VivMarina
PeaFixture
PeaNut 242,276
January 2006
Posts: 3,013
Layouts: 0
Loc: SF Bay Area
 | Posted: 1/21/2013 11:43:04 AM
We also do themed potlucks at B&G having a certain amount of people bringing various dishes (each for a minimum amount of servings). That's quite the undertaking! | |
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MikeWozowski
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 174,400
October 2004
Posts: 7,466
Layouts: 20
| Posted: 1/21/2013 12:11:31 PM
something that would be easy serve and might help control portions would be kabobs.
we do our kabobs with meat only (chicken).
idk if that would be doable logistically, but, if so, then maybe that is an idea you could use.
you can get boneless chicken for $2 or less per pound. | |
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shanni
PeaNut
PeaNut 184,384
January 2005
Posts: 491
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 1/21/2013 12:20:01 PM
Thanks so much! That gives me a great starting point. I am thinking that we will have a couple of our leaders there assembling the sandwiches to make sure that the line goes faster. I'm also planning on only providing the main dish and having the rest be potluck. We have such a tiny budget to work with, we have to cut back everywhere we can!
I just got a flyer from our grocery store that they are having an early bird sale this Saturday. Chicken is going to be 31.80 for a 20 pound box, making it $1.59 a pound for frozen boneless, skinless breasts. So if I buy 2 boxes of it, that should be good, right? That would be 40 pounds of chicken, giving us about 1/3 pound per person.
I'm so bad at this!!  Thanks for the help! Any other tips you can give me would be great! This is my first Blue and Gold (I only have girls!) so I don't even really know what to expect!! | |
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SMG in AZ
Je suis desole
PeaNut 38,879
May 2002
Posts: 5,609
Layouts: 36
Loc: Phoenix area
| Posted: 1/21/2013 12:27:46 PM
Also, invite more vegetarians.  |
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BudgetMama
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 138,670
March 2004
Posts: 2,163
Layouts: 2
Loc: Oregon
| Posted: 1/21/2013 12:52:02 PM
If you're really trying to fit into a tight budget, I might suggest doing a few soups or stews.
(I shop for a group that feeds 300 weekly, so I have a good idea what things cost!)
Some of our least expensive meal are:
chicken tortilla soup
white bean chicken chili
Jambalaya
chicken stew w/ biscuits
potato sausage chowder
beef barley soup
chicken noodle soup
penne pasta w/ Italian sausage in a tomato cream sauce
Beef Stew can be economical if you can get the beef for a good price. Costco beef is best and we've found the quality at our least expensive grocery store - Winco - to be awful and wasteful.
All of those could be made a day or two ahead of time and reheated in crock pots fairly easily.
beef chili runs a bit more expensive than the above suggestions. hard to believe. Partially because it requires more meat per serving. Ie: the White Bean Chicken Chili takes 15lbs of chicken, but he chili requires 30lbs of beef. kwim?
you can buy buttermilk biscuit or cornbread mix fairly inexpensively as a side. (dress it up with chilis, rosemary, cheese, parsley or parmesan)
green salad is expensive and too much prep.
there is a store in my area called "Cash N Carry" that is a restaurant supply store, but open to the public. Use google maps to see whats in your area. Also see if Restaurant Depot has locations in your area.
throw away tin pans are easy to get at a restaurant supply store, but expensive. I would guess $60 for about 20 large pans. This is probably a cost area where you'll need to beg, borrow and steal crock pots or baking sheets or pans where ever you can instead of buying disposable.
If I were in charge, I would do soups, rolls, and ask people to bring desserts potluck or do ice cream cups.
You could try asking a local Panera if they would donate their day old to you for the event. They are very charitable if you're willing to take what they have.
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shanni
PeaNut
PeaNut 184,384
January 2005
Posts: 491
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 1/21/2013 2:05:46 PM
Great suggestions, BudgetMama! Thank you! I'll look into some of those options as well. | |
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BudgetMama
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 138,670
March 2004
Posts: 2,163
Layouts: 2
Loc: Oregon
| Posted: 1/21/2013 3:17:13 PM
sorry, I didn't see your comment about the chicken sale - I would buy one box and make 2 recipes using 10 lbs each. 40 lbs of chicken might bust your budget.
To give you an example
the chicken tortilla soup or white bean chicken soup take about 15-20 lbs of chicken for 250 servings.
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Nicole in TX
The Peas did what we do and went insane over it
PeaNut 16,696
June 2001
Posts: 18,171
Layouts: 65
Loc: Not so obvious
| Posted: 1/21/2013 4:04:12 PM
Would kids eat pulled pork or chicken. As a kid, I would not have but maybe I was a weird kid.
How about sloppy joes? |
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BudgetMama
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 138,670
March 2004
Posts: 2,163
Layouts: 2
Loc: Oregon
| Posted: 1/30/2013 10:41:58 PM
I would love an update. How are you in the planning stages of all this?? | |
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mytwoandras
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 204,991
May 2005
Posts: 2,904
Layouts: 95
Loc: New Jersey
| Posted: 1/30/2013 11:59:13 PM
Most of our scout activities that have a large crowd and require a meal are not meat meals. Usually they are sandwiches (cut up hoagies) or lasagna, ziti, etc. Italian meals. |
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