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Jinger Duggar has plenty to say in her new memoir, 'The Hope We Hold.' She gives fans an inside look into what it was like growing up as a Duggar. And she also mentioned how much she hates tater tot casserole, a Duggar speciality. Here's what she wrote.
Published on May 1, 2021
3 min readThe Duggar family’s known for their various recipes over the years, and Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar haven’t been shy about sharing their tips and tricks for saving a buck or two at the grocery store. Now, Jinger Duggar’s coming forward with no insights thanks to her memoir. And she noted she actually can’t stand the infamous tater tot casserole she was fed as a kid.
What do the Duggars eat? Their tater tot casserole recipe is infamous
With 19 mouths to feed, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar had to get creative when it came to meal-making. The Duggar family often remarked about how they’d all help out when it came to cooking. And they often resorted to creating meals using canned food or bulk items to save a few bucks.
“Our goal for our monthly food budget is $3,000,” Michelle once explained via TLC. “It used to be more like $2,000, but we’ve noticed the costs of groceries have gone up.” Every day, the family went through five pounds of turkey bacon, 36 eggs, six loaves of bread, a gallon of ice cream, and pound after pound of potatoes.
Tater tot casserole, which contains tater tots, ground turkey, and canned soup, was a favorite for the Duggars. So was chickennetti, which involved chicken, broth, spaghetti, and Velveeta cheese. Barbecue tuna and “pizza” that involved sauce and cheese on bread were also often served.
Jinger Duggar admitted she hates the Duggar family recipe
Fans sometimes slam the Duggars for continuing to eat the meals they grew up with. But Jinger’s finally coming clean regarding her true feelings about tater tot casserole. In her new memoir, The Hope We Hold, Jinger discussed the infamous casserole that Duggar family fans came to know and love — and she quickly grew sick of it.
In The Hope We Hold, Jinger explained how Jim Bob and Michelle would welcome fans to their home. “Family after family wrote to us and sent us e-mails asking if they could visit,” Jinger wrote, according to Reddit. “It wasn’t that I minded giving up my bed to sleep on a couch or eating with strangers. … My complaint was the dinner I knew we’d be served. Inevitably, when Mom checked with a visitor to find out what they liked to eat, they would say, ‘We aren’t picky, but we’d love some of that tater tot casserole.'”
Jinger then noted she “grew to the point of feeling sick looking at the concoction of tater tots, ground turkey, and cream of mushroom soup.”
Jessa Duggar mentioned Jinger Duggar dealt with an eating disorder on Instagram
It seems Jinger dealt with more food issues than just the tater tot casserole, too. Recently, she and Jessa went on Instagram Live together, and Jessa mentioned Jinger dealt with an eating disorder.
“You opening up about your journey with eating disorder, I know that’s something that mom struggled with as well,” Jessa told Jinger, according to a video captured by Reddit. “I’ve known so many people who have had that struggle. It’s great to just be open and share that struggle and that journey and how God brought you through that. … I knew that it was something you had struggled with in your teen years and such, but there was just so much more depth and how the Lord brought you through.”
Despite the past troubles with tater tot casserole and her eating disorder, Jinger’s getting it all out in the open now with The Hope We Hold. We’re glad to learn more about the Duggar family than ever before.
How to get help: In the U.S. call the National Eating Disorders Association helpline at 1-800-931-2237.
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