Polly Esther wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> Our niece is helping their neighbors by caring for 6 year-old twin
> boys, a 7 year-old and a 9 after school. Their mother is terminally
> ill and their dad picks the children up after work and a hospital
> visit. One of niece's challenges, she mentioned, was trying to get
> those bottomless pits filled and happy without wrecking her tight
> budget. It seems that there aren't many cooks here with small
> children but thought it was worth a try to see if there were any
> suggestions that would comfort and fill the little folks. I don't
> think nutrition is an issue for now; just survival. Polly

Smile, it's not so very hard but the key is to not fill them so they
don't eat dinner at home.

Hot-sweet chicken sauce dip and steamed carrots (they may like the raw
too). Pop-open refrigerated biscuits spread with butter and peanut
butter or jam (or both). A fast soda bread with a white gravy and a
bit of cheese or cheap sausage crumbled in the gravy (sausage optional,
standard slice of processed cheese cut to 1/4 per biscuit). Buttered
rice from a ricemaker (may add some canned tomato soup as a topper if
wanted).

Portion control so they don't 'fill up' but these are all cheap eats to
make.

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