We all have those nostalgic foods, the ones we associate with the days of our youth, that hold a special place in our memories and will always remind us of childhood. So, redditor u/MinkSableSeven asked, "What did your family eat regularly growing up that you almost never have now?" Here's what they said, along with some responses from members of the BuzzFeed Community and even one of my own!
1."My mom made the best meatloaf ever. I was always SO excited for meatloaf night. She always served meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and a canned side of French-style green beans. Those were the days. We always had a side of veggies with every meal, but it was always out of a can."
2."Taco night with all the fixings, featuring crunchy shells, ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese, lettuce, diced tomato, and jarred salsa."
3."Lots of casseroles made with canned 'cream of ____' soups. As a kid, chicken and rice casserole was the absolute best!"
4."Fried bologna. My dad made a mean fried bologna sandwich with a slice of American cheese on wonder bread with mayo. On special occasions we also got our sandwiches with a fried egg or Lays potato chips added between the layers of bologna."
5."Hamburger Helper was a common one in my house, among other box meals. I bought a box of the cheeseburger version for nostalgia's sake years ago, and it tasted like bland chemicals."
6."Sliced tomato sandwich. We ate them on white butter-crust bread with mayo, salt, and pepper."
7."A bowl of baked beans with sliced hot dogs. I always looked forward to this meal as a kid, but my mom recently admitted that she only made it when she barely had any money for dinner."
8."Fish stick supper. We never had ketchup with our fish sticks, always mayonnaise. Served with a side of Kraft mac 'n' cheese and some canned peas."
9."My mom used to make enchiladas that called for a can of cream of celery soup. I loved them. They are the blandest, whitest enchiladas, but they taste like childhood. They also contained an entire container of sour cream and a pound of cheddar cheese. I'm not sure I could stomach them now."
10."When I was a kid, I ate Cream of Wheat for breakfast nearly every day. I’d add a little butter and brown sugar, and sometimes, I’d add cornflakes on top for a little crunch."
11."Green bean casserole. Green beans covered in cream of mushroom soup and topped with a container of those crispy onions. It was so cheap and yummy and was at every potluck."
12."Chef Boyardee. I purchased some of the ravioli in a can recently. I tried it and was really surprised at how disgusting it was. I remember it fondly from childhood."
13."A can of Campbell's soup was 'pasta sauce' growing up."
14."My Mom took the crushed Ritz cracker-coated roast chicken to the next level. She would crush Cheez-Its instead as a coating! I have made this dish a handful of times as an adult. It's just as good as I remember 😉"
15."Soft-boiled eggs placed in little holders with the tops broken off. We'd eat them with toast cut into skinny strips to dip into the yolks. We always called them Dippin' Eggs."
16."Eggo waffles with melted sharp cheddar cheese. It was such a regular breakfast in my family that I didn't realize it wasn't a common meal until I moved into my first apartment. I told my roommate she was welcome to the Eggos and cheese, and she was confused."
17."Breakfast for dinner. I think we ate this whenever my mom didn't get around to grocery shopping, but my siblings and I were always so excited for a feast of pancakes and eggs for dinner."
18."My dad used to make his beloved 'potato chip chicken,' which was just chicken breasts coated with crushed potato chips. It was freaking delicious."
19."Sliced white bread with butter and a sprinkle of sugar on top. It's a seemingly weird combo that my mom would make for us as a treat. It was actually really good!"
20."My mom made a semi-homemade Hamburger Helper when I was growing up using ground beef, green peppers, onions, and Manwich sauce. She'd make a pot of that with macaroni and we'd eat it topped with cheddar cheese. With a side salad. Always a side salad."
21."For our family, it was savory French toast: garlic paste, salt, and pepper in the batter. Dad would use toothpicks to attach cheddar to the bread and then keep re-dipping the bread in the batter and cooking it until the cheese was fully encased with the bread and the toothpicks could be removed. Glorious."
22."Chicken breasts baked in Italian dressing with Pasta Roni. Mom's go-to."
23."Creamed chipped beef on toast. Even though both my parents worked full-time, I had three brothers, and things got a little tight before payday. Mom often made creamed chipped beef on toast; it was filling and delicious. It takes me back to a simpler, carefree time when I eat it to this day (I buy the frozen microwave portions now)."
24."My Southern mother from Oklahoma used to make us what she calls 'breakfast rice.' She would melt an entire stick of butter into a pot of white rice, then dump in a full cup of sugar with a pinch of salt. To this day, whenever I'm homesick or depressed, I pull out the rice maker and make myself a big bowl of pure buttery, sugary nostalgia."
