OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (Full Version)

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JstAnotherSub -> OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 4:33:41 PM)

The fat folks thread got me to thinking. Several people shared great, simple recipes, and while there may not be enough interest for this thread to survive, I figured ya can't get shot for trying.

So...got any quick cheap suggestions for a fat chick who is really wanting to eat more whole foods?




barelynangel -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 4:37:58 PM)

I have to ask this question because you are commenting about being a fat chick --- are you wanting to lose weight and want to do it by going back to basics and those are the types of recipes you want -- or you just want recipes of how to make dishes from scratch or are looking to do it low fat or such?

i have tons and tons of lower carb and low carb recipes and doing so on a budget but those won't help you and could be counter to what you want if  you plan to keep it low fat as they are higher in fat.

angel

angel



gungadin09 -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 5:02:48 PM)

Tuna-white bean salad

toss together in light vinaigrette:
canned tuna- flaked
cooked white beans
chopped celery
sliced radishes if you want
sliced olives
arugula

Garnish w/ a hard boiled egg, quartered

pam



gungadin09 -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 5:48:56 PM)

For cheap?

Cut out meat from your diet. Stick to proteins like beans and tofu. Or find ways to stretch the meat, like soup or stir fry, to make a little meat go a long way. When you do eat meat, choose cheap cuts and make braises or stews, rather than roasts.

Bump up your vegetables. Buy ingredients instead of processed foods. Buy whole carrots instead of peeled carrots, lettuce heads instead of prepared bags of mixed greens.

Use acid, salt, chile, herbs, spices, and garlic/onions to bump up the flavor of bland foods. Use olive oil as a fat. Extra virgin olive oil in particular is very good for you. Use umami ingredients such as mushrooms, soy sauce, parmesan, tomatoes.

pam



gungadin09 -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 5:50:54 PM)

Oh, and drink tea. Pu-erh is especially good for weight loss, as is oolong, i think. Green tea has the most antioxidants.

pam



sunshinemiss -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 5:53:24 PM)

There are often produce places / groups / coops that sell produce in bulk and in season.  They are usually much less expensive than stores.  And it's nice to give cash directly to the farmers.  There was a place in Philly where you went in and said I want X, Y, and Z and ended up with a huge box of veggies for ten bucks (Produce Junction I think it was called).  My friends and I would share because I couldn't eat 3 heads of cauliflower or 6 green peppers before they went bad.

Before discovering Produce Junction (?), I always found that produce was really expensive.



Iamsemisweet -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 5:56:51 PM)

Eating whole foods also involves more cooking the you are probably used to if you eat a lot of processed food. Plan on a cooking day one day a week, make a few different things, and freeze some.



frazzle -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 6:05:44 PM)

OK I'm in the UK, but real meat is cheaper than rubbsh, if you can cook.

My average food bill is $2 per person per main meal. Over a month that lets me eat beef, lamb, chicken, duck. Fresh food is a lot cheaper than proccessed crap



barelynangel -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 6:07:41 PM)

Farmers Market -- sometimes if you google farmer's Markets near zipcode or city.  That's how i found out there is one in a place not 4 miles from me on Saturday Mornings.  I checked your profile and this is what i found on Google:

http://www.pickyourown.org/GAfarmersmarkets.htm  -- it's broken down by county.

BUT, be careful buying fresh produce also -- if you don't use it and it ends up going bad -- you have wasted money.  IF you are this type of person (i am) frozen veggies may be the best way to go and many times you can get good sale deals to stock up.   I would stay away from high starch frozen veggies -- way to easy to overeat if you aren't diligent about measuring.

Also, frozen chicken breasts.  I mean you can get 12 chicken breasts usually for 10 bucks and that's 6 days worth of meat with 2 breasts a day or 12 if you only use it for dinner or lunch.  If you know people who costco and sam club memberships you can get a lot of meats for cheaper.  Also, check with your butcher on which days are the best to come in and get fresh meat that they reduce. 

Just a preference as low-fat products usually have where the fat is replaced by sugar so i recommend if you buy cheese you don't buy low fat.  Get the bricks of cheese and cut them up or slice them.

One of the BEST and cheapest whole food are eggs. 

Like i said earlier, i have info on low carbing  - which many times is a lot of whole foods) on a budget so if you want that kind of stuff, let me know.

Here are a couple to start with abut just remember if there are recipes they probably will not be low fat.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbliving/a/lowcarbbudget.htm

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art16210.asp

http://www.lowcarbohydrate.net/httblog/archives/000046.html

Good luck.

angel



MasterG2kTR -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 6:15:17 PM)

Short of specific recipes, home made soups stews and casseroles are your best bet for "cheap" meals

I can make a variety of the above for roughly $1 - $3 per meal and none of them are made from any pre-packaged meal kit



NuevaVida -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 6:19:01 PM)

Buy bulk when you can.  Oats in bulk are cheap, and make a healthy oatmeal breakfast, especially if you slice a banana in it. It'll tie you over pretty well, too.

Brown rice or a wild rice blend - cheap and stretches out over time.

If you have the patience, dried whole beans.  I don't have the patience to cook whole beans so I typically get them canned. 

Buy pasta from the bulk bins, too, if they have whole wheat pasta.  I personally don't do a lot of pasta but it's a nice treat once in awhile.  I'll put a smidgeon of olive oil in a saute' pan, then any veggie of choice (broccoli, red bell peppers, zucchini) and always garlic & red onion.  Boil the pasta, strain, add to the olive oil/veggie blend - heaven. Add some cooked chicken breast for protien.

Check for your grocery store's sales.  My store is always having some sort of two for one - on fruit, meat, pretty much anything.  So buy the two-fers and stock up a bit and you won't have to shop for awhile.

Produce galore - if money is tight, WalMart or Winco or Food 4 Less (or any warehouse type grocery store) is going to have it a lot cheaper than your neighborhood supermarket.  Buy what's on sale.  Google recipes. Those warehouse stores have good prices on bread, too.  I buy whole wheat sandwich thins.  They carry a sandwich but they're small and super thin, so you're not getting a bunch of bread calories.

In a pinch, I buy those big frozen bags of chicken tenders.  They go a long way.  Two tenders (they're small) in a stir fry is perfect.  Or saute' them with onion & peppers, chili powder & cumin, and wrap 'em in a tortilla for a fajita.

Careful with red meats - I've found the cheaper the meat, the higher it is in fat.  So I'll buy the more expensive steaks for a rare treat (and I always trim the fat off).  I do more poultry and fish as a result.  Never buy high fat ground beef, even though it's cheap as hell.  That shit will go straight to your arteries and add fat cells.

Eggs.  Seriously.  You can get a dozen eggs cheap.  A hard boiled egg is a great snack.  Scrambled eggs with a tad of cheese, or toss in veggies if you've got 'em, is a great high protein meal.  Egg salad sandwiches are good, too (I use best foods lowfat mayo - tastes closest to the real thing). 

Broccoli slaw - you can buy it pre bagged (it's not dressed, don't let the name fool you).  Add whatever you want to it - peanuts, radishes, green onion - toss it with Newman's Own Lowfat Sesame Ginger Dressing and you have an amazing and fibrous salad.  Toss in cooked chicken breast for added protein.

Hope that's a good start!



NuevaVida -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 6:20:45 PM)

LOL looks like angel & I were on the same wave-length, at the same time, re: frozen chicken tenders and eggs, and warehouse grocers.

Except I buy lowfat everything and am doing really well with weight loss.  Then again, your mileage may vary.  Low carb works for some people really well, it's just not the plan I'm on, currently.



DesFIP -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 6:23:09 PM)

Tofu is not cheap. And it should be avoided by those with hypothyroid problems.

Buy what's on sale. If it has a tag saying marked down because today is the last day it can be sold, buy and freeze it.

Farmer's markets, at the end of the day. Farmers don't want to drag it all back home and will often take less than what's asked for that last head of lettuce, broccoli etc.

Cook from scratch. Buy whole chickens or turkeys and bone them yourself. Use the bones for soup, keep a bag in the freezer, add ends of zucchini, celery, onions, etc to the bag. Some cold winter day, put it on to simmer all day long and at the end of the day, strain it.

With the boneless meat, bread the cutlets and freeze them. You can oven bake quickly when they're thin. Small pieces of meat can be saved in a second freezer bag to add back to the soup.

Bite sized pieces can be tossed in barbecue sauce and baked.



barelynangel -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 6:24:43 PM)

grins, i've done tons of research lol because many of the people i work with many times use budget as a reason they "can't do it" grins and i help them get that they can lol.  I think plain wings are pretty cheap also especially like at costco and sams club you just have to watch the sauces if you are trying to lose weight.

That is why i asked the OP which way she was going because low carb recipes and my recommendations of what to buy will not be low fat but whole fat and so will counter a low-fat type plan.

angel 



NuevaVida -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 6:28:25 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: DesFIP
Buy whole chickens or turkeys and bone them yourself. Use the bones for soup, keep a bag in the freezer, add ends of zucchini, celery, onions, etc to the bag. Some cold winter day, put it on to simmer all day long and at the end of the day, strain it.


Awesome advice.  I'm remembering the first time I tried to cut up a whole chicken (they really are so much cheaper) - it was a stinkin mess LOL!  But I think there are YouTube videos now, on how to do this.  I buy the frozen tenders for convenience.

But yes, you can absolutely use the bones for soup later.  I've never thought of freezing veggie scraps though - I'm going to start doing that. Thanks Des [:)]



NuevaVida -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 6:31:48 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: barelynangel

grins, i've done tons of research lol because many of the people i work with many times use budget as a reason they "can't do it" grins and i help them get that they can lol.  I think plain wings are pretty cheap also especially like at costco and sams club you just have to watch the sauces if you are trying to lose weight.

I get the frozen chicken tenders.  Wings are SO high in fat, they're just best avoided in my book.  Plain cooked wings are usually fried first, and fried foods are almost completely out of my diet.  But I totally agree with you about sauces and dressings, for sure.

quote:


That is why i asked the OP which way she was going because low carb recipes and my recommendations of what to buy will not be low fat but whole fat and so will counter a low-fat type plan.


Agreed. But I don't think it has to be either/or.  I pretty much do a semi-low-carb, and low fat, high fiber, high protein thing.  So I keep carbs AND fat down, as much as I can.



tj444 -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 6:32:21 PM)

Try some of the dollar stores, here there is one called Dollar Tree where i am now and they have a small food section there, they have some premade frozen dinners but also bags of frozen veggies and fruit for a $1.00, I have been into the odd dollar store that carries fresh veggies, bags of salad & fruit too but google and see what the ones near you have.

I like premade frozen 4% fat burgers but a cheap way of getting low fat ground beef for sauces, casseroles, etc is to buy the cheapest ground beef, fry it and drain the fat off. Then boil the ground beef in a pot of boiling water, drain well, that gets rid of even more fat. Then you have cheap but much healtier ground beef. Without the fat, the beef is a little blander tho but its good for you and good for sauces loaded with veggies, onions, garlic, seasonings.

Know what you pay for food products, veggies, fruit so you can spot the stores that have the best prices, check the flyers on the weekends. If you preplan your meals then you can plan your shopping, just zip in, buy whats on your list and get out before you buy other junkie stuff impulsively.

Imo, a small freezer is a great thing to have cuz when something is super cheap on sale or veggies & fruit cheap cuz its in season, you can buy a lot and use it thru the year. Some stores have a section for food near its expiry date & reduced in price, if its something you can eat very soon or freeze then you can save that way too.



LillyBoPeep -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 6:41:56 PM)

my mom would debone chickens; it saved a lot of money.

as others have said, buying whole foods can be pretty cheap -- buy full-sized carrots and chop them up instead of buying "baby" carrots, even; you'll save money there, too. also, if you can buy bulk and either store it or split it with friends (seconding sam's club friends), that's a great way to do it, too.

bags of fruit last me longer than fruit cups that cost more for what you get. i also like to buy dry staples like beans because the last for aeons and they can just sit in the cabinet for whenever you need them.

and seriously, if you have the room for it, you can grow a lot of things with very little investment of time. tomatoes are popular because they don't require much work. squash are handy that way, too. herbs are also easy to grow; i have a gorgeous basil on a table in my back yard that's over a foot tall, and i've basically just ignored it. =p (well, except to fawn over how pretty it is and sniff it... i can't bring myself to use it, cause it's gorgeous).
i have a pretty standard sized back yard for my neighborhood, and i have room for two little plots; one for rows, and the other for hills. you can eat it fresh or freeze it up for later.

beans are a really great, really cheap form of protein. another cheap-but-awesome food is quinoa. it is a totally complete protein with all the amino acids you need, and it cooks up like a cross between rice and cous-cous. it's so good! you can buy it dry in bulk and it has a natural coating that repels pests. =p the last time i bought a couple of pounds, i had it around for MONTHS; a little goes a long way. you can eat it lightly seasoned, throw it in soup, sautee it, you can cook it all sorts of ways.



LanceHughes -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 6:42:47 PM)

Right now - neighbors have TONS of zucchini.  I shred it using a cheese grater and put it in freezer bags.  If you flatten the bags and stack 'em, you can really  get a lot of them in there.

Same for tomatoes - trim off tops and squish into bags.

SECRET use: tomatoes for a pasta sauce and then.... TADA! NO meat - just put in zuc's.  Some Italian Seasoning blend



barelynangel -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/15/2011 6:46:28 PM)

NuevaVida,

For people doing low carb it kinda is either or because the fat is a big part of the whole.  The reason is because outside of lean meats (which i buy also - can't stand fatty meats lol) 1) low fat foods tend to be processed foods, and 2) the fat is replaced with sugar to maintain the flavor.   Two things low carb plans try and get people away from.

The recipes i have would probably make you cringe with the amount of fat utilized in them.    Southbeach utilizes some low fat but there is a lot of southbeach i don't like but many of the people i work with find it fits them better than what i do for myself -- which is fine.  It all can overlap based on knowledge and support and such.   I am an Atkins girl but like that because it brings you down to the very very basics and then starts incorporating types of foods back in so you can see how they effect your body.

Also, in low carb the fat is important part of the diet, although many people think its any kind of fat --- but they really should focus on the good fats.

Many people i know still do low fat grins which means i cringe at what they eat many times and they cringe at what i eat but outside of not trying to tell each other what we need to tweak if we hit a snag, support is support.  I do help them on things that are low carb like veggies and such and substitues for higher carb things.    i don't know enough about low fat to advocate it (because of the sugar substituting for fat) but in the end -- if it works for you, that's the biggest step in the process -- finding what works for you.

angel



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