So*, I read this article, and it strikes me that even when our food budget has been really tight, we manage to eat pretty healthily. The difference, in my mind? Education.
I know how to serve a balanced diet that costs very little per person. I know that frozen veggies and fruits are almost as cheap as canned if you buy them on sale or off-brands, and are much healthier. If we are eating dried beans and rice as our main source of protein, we can afford a few fresh fruits and vegetables. It seems to me that teaching children young how to prepare their own healthy, balanced meals from scratch on a budget could help this problem. We often ate no meat for weeks at a time growing up, and the only vegetables we saw sometimes were frozen. But they were present on the table, and we always had whatever fresh fruits were in season that my mom could buy in bulk. And the ways she prepared it were so tasty and satisfying that even when our food budget is a little more lax, I find that we eat meatless meals at least 3 nights almost every week, often more.
Like I said when I was pregnant with Emma and read an article about eating habits being formed in the first two to three years of life, I'm glad my mom made it a priority for us to eat fruits and veggies and whole grains and healthy, balanced meals. (I actually called her up and thanked her. She said it's the first call she's had from any of us thanking her for being a good mother-- ever! And my sisters are 10 and 13 years older than me! I guess we need to do that more...)
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
I've had times when the budget was really tight and I had to eat cheap. Beans, brown rice, cabbage, squash. Boring, but nutritious. I got whatever produce was cheap. Wilted "reduced for quick sale" veggies made very good soup. Eggs are a lot of protein for the dollar, too, especially if you get smaller eggs.
You know what gets expensive? Spices and seasonings other than salt and pepper. I missed those.
Posted by Jhai (Member # 5633) on :
*came in here hoping for some tips*
I've been trying to eat healthy on my college budget, which can be difficult at times. I can understand why poorer people find it easier to eat badly: if you go to Walmart there are tons of very cheap, very unhealthy foods availible - and they're easier to prepare than healthy foods.
$1 for a pizza sounds great - until you flip over the label and see that it delivers a ton of fat & saturated fat.
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
I'm just curious, how cheap is cheap? On average, how much would you spend per meal for a family of four?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
It depends. For a meal with meat and fresh veggies-- Sunday dinner stuff-- probably $7. For fresh veggies but no meat, $3.50. For meat and frozen veggies, $4.25- $5.50. For meatless and frozen, grown-by-friends, or dirt-cheap veggies, $1.80.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
(I buy my ingredients in bulk on sale and store them. That helps keep costs down, too.)
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
(Jhai, if you need tips, I've got them galore...)
Tante, as for spices, I find really cheap sources and buy them, because that's what keeps beans and rice interesting.
Posted by Jhai (Member # 5633) on :
I would love some tips - keeping in mind that I'm a student with very little time on her hands, and not much room in the fridge or freezer.
Spices rock my world - the right spices can turn any blah dish into something very good. I try to buy all kinds of base spices (not the pre-mixed stuff, which is much more expensive), and then follow my nose to the perfect mixture - if it smells good, then I'll toss it in.
Posted by School4ever (Member # 5575) on :
Do you have a recipe for meatless red beans and rice, the ones I have found on the internet are not very good.
Posted by Jhai (Member # 5633) on :
Meatless recipes would be good - I live with a Hindu and a Muslim - so beef and pork are out. And chicken and seafood get tiring after awhile...
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Okay, first of all: learn what non-meat foods make a complete protein when combined. Second: shop "ethnic" groceries for deals on dry beans and rice as well as often better prices on fresher produce. Watch for sales and take advantage. Try to stock up from the beginning on basic ingredients like flour, sugar, salt, dry milk (which you can sub for fresh in baking to save a lot of money or add to most stovetop dishes to add protein and calcium unnoticeably), soy sauce (adds color and salt to dishes AND contains 1 gr. of protein per Tbsp.), frozen peas and mixed veggies (buy the store brand or FMV, it's not going to kill you and it's much cheaper), lentils, dry beans and rice. Then add whatever you can get cheap that week-- fruits and vegetables in season (especially if you have a farmer's market around; go near the end and things are often reduced to get rid of them), small amounts of meat that are "loss leaders" that week (you can also buy larger packages, cheaper per ounce, and divide into portions and freeze for later use), canned beans and tomatoes or dry pasta (also preferably while they're the "loss leaders"), milk and eggs and tofu when you can get a good deal on them, etc. (Did you know you can also freeze milk?) Stir fries are always fast; lentils take less than half an hour to cook up from dry. So does rice. You can make a quick soup easily, and it will last a couple of meals. Save the ends of carrots, the peels of onions, the tops of leeks or green onions in the freezer, and you can make a big pot of veggie stock to add flavor to your soups without ever spending money on canned stock or broth. Buying in bulk, when doing it for one person, does not mean buying 40 lbs. Rather, it means buying a package that will last you a good few months rather than convenience packages that will be gone in a few days or even one meal. If you're stuck for what to cook wtih the ingredients you were able to get, try recipezaar's search features. Then get creative.
With a little practice, you can be saving a lot of money on convenience foods.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I would check Recipezaar for red beans and rice, too; I don't usually cook them. (My personal favorite is Brazilian black beans. )
Oh, I forgot to add: the crockpot is your friend if you don't have much time. Check yard sales and you may find an incredible deal on one. Or ask if anyone in your family has one that they aren't using any more.
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
Bananas - eat up to 3 a day. I usually eat them before meals to curb my appetite.
Eggs - two a day for the younger folks. Maybe cut it down to one a day if you are a bit older.
Whole wheat bread & Kraft cheese singles - cheese sandwiches aren't sexy, but they give you plenty of carbs, protein, and calcium.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I happened to have chicken broth because it had been on sale. But when I don't have it, I sub my home-made veggie stock. This is cheap and quick, and you can make stuff up like that easily.
Total cost of the meal: $4.86 for 6-8 servings. $3.78 if I had used home-made veggie stock instead of chicken broth.
Posted by Epictetus (Member # 6235) on :
I practically exist on Ramen Noodles, open-faced grilled cheese (made with olive-oil, havarti cheese and tomatos) and occasionally I splurge and buy some bratwursts.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Getting rid of the meat in your diet saves money and your health (plus, if such things matter to you, it saves the lives of a lot of cute friendly animals who are just trying to live like the rest of us ). I'd say that's the number one way to eat cheaply and well. Just be positive to get enough protein.
I agree that eggs are a great cheap protein source, as is milk, particularly nonfat dry milk.
For good nutrition, (it varies from person to person and it's hard to get experts to specify) it seems that at a minimum everyone should get at least this.
1) At least 45g of protein a day from sources which supply all the essential amino acids. These include meat, milk, and eggs. If you're vegan it's much harder not to miss out on some of the essential amino acids, I think. I haven't tried to do that so I don't know anything about it.
2) A multivitamin. You can get this from fruits and vegetables but it's way more expensive that way.
3) At least 10g of fat a day of a good type of fat (canola oil, olive oil). This keeps your gall bladder healthy.
4) Enough calories to maintain a healthy weight.
5) Enough iron and calcium. I get 1000 mg of calcium a day because I don't want osteoporosis. For iron they recommend at least 18 mg a day.
If you exercise a lot or if you're trying to gain in muscle mass then you should be getting more protein than that, perhaps double.
If you don't eat at least 45g of carbohydrate a day then you need more protein, too, because you absorb less when you eat low carb. Double your protein in that case as well. (But since protein is way more expensive than carbs, it's much cheaper to eat some carbs to improve protein absorption. 45g is not much carb.)
Here is a great resource for finding out the nutritional contents of various foods. Spend some time summing up your nutrients for a given day. It's way more important than your financial budget. Every adult should do this from time to time.
[ September 28, 2005, 09:55 AM: Message edited by: Tatiana ]
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
My favorite cheap healthy meal is black beans and rice. Black beans have lots of protein and are so delicious!
Starting with a pound of dried beans I wash them and soak them overnight. Then I chop up an onion and sautee it in olive oil. As the onion is cooking I add salt, pepper, garlic, and cilantro. When the onions are translucent I add the black beans along with the water they've been soaking in. Then I bring it back to a boil and simmer for about 4 hours.
I cover or uncover the pot depending on how much water there is. It cooks well covered on the very lowest setting of my stove. If there's a lot of water I want to cook down, though, I'll uncover them and turn them up a bit. Toward the end you need to stir frequently to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
They taste great over rice. 1/4 of the pot, eaten over rice makes a very hearty meal. Then I can apportion put the other 3 quarters to go in the freezer to eat on days when I don't have 4 hours free for cooking.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I slow-cook my black beans with a clove-studded onion, a little bit of garlic, and some salt. They are sooooo delicious. Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
kq, can you elaborate? How long do you cook them? Is slow-cooking something you do in a pot on the stove, or in a crock pot? Do you soak the beans overnight first? If you soak, do you wash off the soak water or cook them in the same water they've soaked in? How do you make a clove studded onion? Just press whole cloves into a raw onion? How many cloves?
Edit to add another question for kq. "Okay, first of all: learn what non-meat foods make a complete protein when combined" Can you give us several examples of this? I only know milk and eggs are complete. I don't know how to do this with plant protein sources. Is that what you mean?
[ September 28, 2005, 11:53 AM: Message edited by: Tatiana ]
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
>>cute friendly animals who are just trying to live like the rest of us
Okay. . . look, if I see a cow driving alongside me on I-95, I'm going to go all 'Slaughterhouse #5.'
Just sayin.
Posted by MandyM (Member # 8375) on :
Buying spices is cheaper if you do it at a health food store like the one near me (HEB's Central Market) that sells spices by the pound. I can get four times more than what those little bottles in the grocery store have for less money. And my store has great spice mixes or you can make your own. I hate nutmeg but every pumpkin or apple pie blend has it so I can make my own and leave it out!
Also I rarely make my own stock since I never have time but when I do, I freeze it in ice cube trays. That way when I need some, I can just grab a few and throw them in a pot. It keeps forever and it easier than thawing a huge block of broth.
My favortie healthy ingredient is ground turkey. It is a little more expensive initially but since it is not as fatty as ground beef, less of it cooks away and you can use less of it. It tastes great in pasta dishes, tacos, soups, everything I've tried.
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
Pinto beans and cornbread is a staple around our house, although we've recently switched to Anasazi beans (same taste, a little less gassy).
Always keep onions around and a bag of potatoes. They're cheap and the startings for many meals. Eggs are a good bang for the buck.
Also, I'm a firm believer in butter over margarine. Olive oil is still the best and believe it or not, the extra virgin oils aren't always the best for most dishes.
Salt while you are cooking but leave the shaker at the stove. Get a pepper grinder and leave the pre-ground stuff at the store. The flavor is better and I think the price works out better in the end.
Save your soy sauce packs from Chinese take-out. They make good pre-measured packs (for free). One pack is usually enough to flavor any dish.
Pork is usually a good, cheap protein. And nutrition-wise, it can be a bit healthier than beef.
Lastly, try those veggies that you hated as a kid. Many are inexpensive and more appealing to the adult palette. Lima beans, peas, asparagus (which is expensive unless you grow it yourself), and Brussels sprouts are good and good for you.
And frozen Brussel sprouts in the big bags can be mighty cheap, since most folks still see them and go "Yuck!"
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Personally, being poor and eating healthy are two of my least favorite activities.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
quote:And frozen Brussel sprouts in the big bags can be mighty cheap, since most folks still see them and go "Yuck!"
In this case, majority rules.
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
I forgot to add: of all the canned foods out there, the best buy for quality and taste has to be tomatoes.
Most fresh tomatoes you buy have been chosen for durability and then chemically "ripened". They rarely have much flavor. The tomatoes that are canned, however, are allowed to ripen in the field and are grown for flavor rather than the ability to withstand being shipped.
Posted by Diosmel Duda (Member # 2180) on :
My biggest problem is time. If I were a stay-at-home mom, I would have time to cook from scratch more than I do. But right now it's all I can do to spend 30 minutes making dinner and get it on the table before 8:00. And to do that, I buy a lot of canned foods and prepared seasoning packets and stuff. I know that I would be eating healthier if I had the time for it, but I don't.
I wonder if many poor people have this complication to add to their worries.
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
That's very interesting Sopwith. Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
I just bought frozen etamame the other day. They are soybeans I guess. I got them at Costco, so I don't know how truly expensive they are, if you couldn't afford the costco membership. But soaked in saltwater and a tad of balsamic vinegar they are delicious and I know they are a complete protein.
AJ
Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
I am down right unagreeable on an empty stomach, and I resent spending more than a half hour preparing meals and 15 minutes cleaning up. That and I like chicken and I exercise daily.
Spinach, chicken, plums, and pancakes(no syrup) is what I live off of, it's expensive-- ten to fifteen dollars a day-- but I burn a ton of calories and I don't drive, so I feel all right that food is by far my largest expense outside of rent.
Posted by Toretha (Member # 2233) on :
I get enough food to last me two weeks for about 30 dollars. Complete with meat. I get microwavable meats for a family, it'll last me about 5 days, averaging to a dollar a day. Potatoes. Cauliflower. I get the bagged salads because it's cheaper for one person than buying the lettuce and teh carrots and all that seperately and letting more of them go bad. 15 dollars for meat. 3 for potatoes. 1.50 for cauliflower 1.50 for parmesan. 1.50 for bag of salad, and the rest on yogurt. EVery now and then I go a bit over because I ran out of boullion, or flour or butter, but I still eat pretty cheap, averaging out to...2.somethingorother dollars a day. It may get repetitive, but I still enjoy my meals.
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
Toretha, what is microwavable meat? Is there a particular brand I should look for? Where in the supermarket can I find microwavable meat?
I'm very lazy when it comes to cooking meat. Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Black beans and rice is one of our favorite meals around here, too. I've made them homemade and when I've only got 30 minutes I've cheated and used the ones in the Zatarain's box.
I spend a ton on food, unfortunately - I feed 7 people every night, and with my kids as active as they are they eat a lot, and need to eat a lot.
The biggest suggestion I have for keeping costs down is lots of rice and potatoes. They're cheap, and they're filling, and go with just about everything. Naturally, if you're watching carbs too many is a bad thing, but in moderation they're a great thing to have.
I buy off-brand frozen vegetables almost exclusively, especially broccoli. My kids love broccoli, but they only like the florets, so I buy the frozen bags of florets only and serve them steamed with just a little bit of lemon pepper seasoning. I might do better cost-wise if I bought fresh broccoli but I'm so thrilled my kids love a leafy green vegetable so much I'll go along with them and buy the florets they prefer.
Oh, I forgot to add - this is probably not an option for most people stuggling with money because it involves large amounts of money up front plus a huge freezer, but if you can save up enough, buy cows directly from a rancher. We buy one about every 9 months or so from a local rancher, he has it butchered and all the meat quick frozen and then delivers it to us.
It works out to be cheaper than buying all that meat separately at the grocery store plus it's much, much better quality. The person we buy from free ranges his cows, bringing them in to corn feed them for one month just before slaughter to fatten them up, but even with that there is very little fat in the meat. Some people who've had our steaks were actually turned off because there was so little marbling, but the taste is unbelievable and the meat is so much healthier than grocery store meat that is full of hormones and preservatives.
Now if I can only find a source of free range chicken I can afford.
Posted by Jaiden (Member # 2099) on :
In my experience canned tuna can be really cheap. I can buy three tins for fifty cents and I use a tin each meal (for 3 people).
If you want to make your own meat stocks go to a "real" butcher. Frequently they will sell you bones for dirt cheap or give them to you for free. I buy mine at 5 cents a pound.
Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
I was having a lot of tuna for a while, then a buddy told me that all of the mercury would make me go blind, so I stopped. I figured it wouldn't be worth the 20 year wait to see if she was right.
Posted by Paul Goldner (Member # 1910) on :
"Oh, I forgot to add - this is probably not an option for most people stuggling with money because it involves large amounts of money up front plus a huge freezer, but if you can save up enough, buy cows directly from a rancher. We buy one about every 9 months or so from a local rancher, he has it butchered and all the meat quick frozen and then delivers it to us."
Majorly good advice. The one time I was in a position to do this, we got half a cow for 350 dollars, and it was something just a hair over 200 lbs of meat. Or under 2 dollars a pound for beef... which included the fancy steaks.
Posted by Jaiden (Member # 2099) on :
Tuna in cans is younger, smaller and shorter lived then fresh tuna, shark, etc.
Health Canada states to eat -fresh- tuna only once a week, but canned tuna contains limited amounts of mercury and therefore can be eaten more often.
Dumbed down website for CFIA. I know I've read a better document from health Canada on this issue- I'm going to search for it after class.
However, I would not eat tuna every day of the week or anything like that. (The people most at risk are small children and pregnant woman... I would not serve tuna to these groups of people).
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
I have a question. I'm very very anemic. As it is, I already take multivitamins and straight iron pills but sometimes its still not enough.
What healthy, cheap options do I have? The problem I always run into is a) I can't cook and b) I don't like any kind of beans besides green beans.
My suggestions for my fellow poor college students: sandwiches from oatmeal or wheat bread without all the dressing like mayo, omelettes cause you can make them a hundred different ways when you want something hot, soup is great, and tons of fruit like bananas. I also recommend yogurt for the women. I eat the stuff daily.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Spinach, kale, and other dark green leafies are high in iron. Meat is high in iron, and so are some nuts. Many grain products either contain iron or have iron added.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
quote: If I were a stay-at-home mom, I would have time to cook from scratch more than I do. But right now it's all I can do to spend 30 minutes making dinner and get it on the table before 8:00.
My best friend is a single, working mom. She makes a huge stew or soup on the weekend and leaves it unseasoned. One day she may add curry, another, hot sauce..etc. We also do "trades"; she buys a bag of bulk beans, for example, and I make refritos and give her about 1/3. Do you know a SAHM willing to do that with you?
I want to add:
Make your own bread. You can get a bread machine (often freecycle) that will do the work for you or if you have more time do it the old fashioned way. Use lots of oats as they are cheaper tham WW flour. I also use mine to make dough for naan and pitas.
Save your bones, too, for meat stock.
Eat lots of oatmeal. Again, cheapness!
Make EVERYTHING from scratch. (We would need to anyway due to mine and Livvie's sensitivity to preservatives). You can do brown rice SO many ways.
Grow all you can. Even if you live in an apt. try some herbs in a window box. Look into local U-picks.
I just made a huge pot of soup last night- I don't know how to calculate cost per person, but it cost me about $6 in ingredients and I'll get at least 3 meals out of it ( for a family of 5).
Posted by Toretha (Member # 2233) on :
Beren: I like Hormel, but there's several brands. It's usually to be found next to normal meat, in boxes that say things like "Roast Beef au jus" It's not great, but it's not bad either. I'd be happier able to cook, but right now I'm pretty much limited to the microwave. I pour the jus or gravy into my mashed potatoes, so nothing goes to waste.
Romany- dyou have a recipe for naan?
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
Romany - Please, please, please share your recipe for naan with breadmachine-made dough!
I love using my breadmachine to make pizza dough - I think I use it for that more than anything else. Homemade pizza is a lot of fun and tastes a lot better than delivery or frozen. It just requires a little planning (the dough takes me an hour and a half in the bread machine, once it's done it takes me about half an hour before the pizza is done and ready to eat).
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
In bread machine combine:
3 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 3/4 cup yogurt
Turn off after first kneading cycle. Let set 1 1/2-2 hours.
Pat into a large round and cut into about a dozen equal parts ( more or less, depending on your size preference). Preheat a large griddle (preferred) or 2-3 cast iron skillets. Place as many as you can without touching on griddle. When it puffs up, turn. Cook 2-3 minutes to side until brown spots form. They will deflate as they cool.
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
Cool. Thanks Toretha. Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
Shanna: include extra B-12. I had the same problem, until a Red Cross nurse suggested I try this. Within a week, my iron was up 4 points. Now, it's never too low to donate blood, even during or right after a menstrual cycle when my iron was lowest, where before it was seldom high enough.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
Shanna, If you are very very anemic even though you are taking regular ion supplements you need to be checked for Celiac/Sprue (Gluten Intolerance). It is not normal to be anemic, even for women. If you are taking regular ion supplements and are still anemic, something is seriously wrong and you aren't going to change it simply by adding more iron to your diet.
I speak from personal experience here. I went without red blood cells for the first 35 years of my life and now that I have a normal compliment of them, I am able to do things I never thought I could do.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
"The difference, in my mind? Education."
I think there is a huge difference between a tight budget and being poor. There is poverty that no amount of education can fix, in the healthy eating department. There is just no food at all. No house. No job. No family or friends to turn to for help.
Edit: Sorry, I do not mean to be a wet blanket here.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:kq, can you elaborate? How long do you cook them?
All day, if you want. At least several hours over low heat, until beans are soft.
quote:Is slow-cooking something you do in a pot on the stove, or in a crock pot?
Either/or.
quote:Do you soak the beans overnight first?
Yup.
quote:If you soak, do you wash off the soak water or cook them in the same water they've soaked in?
Cooking in the water you soaked in is not as attractive, but preserves more nutrients.
quote:How do you make a clove studded onion? Just press whole cloves into a raw onion? How many cloves?
Peel onion. Press whole cloves in in a pattern of your choosing; about one to every half inch is right. Enough to keep it from falling apart.
quote:Edit to add another question for kq. "Okay, first of all: learn what non-meat foods make a complete protein when combined" Can you give us several examples of this? I only know milk and eggs are complete. I don't know how to do this with plant protein sources. Is that what you mean?
Some common combinations from around the globe are:
legumes and rice legumes and corn legumes and squash legumes and any whole grains (like peanut butter on whole-wheat bread, or peanut sauce on rice noodles) nuts and whole grains (almond butter on whole wheat, cashews in a stir-fry over rice) nuts and oats legumes and nuts
You can also complement incomplete proteins with a small amount of a complete dairy or egg protein.
Linky here gives more information and examples.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Elizabeth, I know that. And I didn't mean this specific woman; I mean I've seen families with the same resources as us or more eat very unhealthily because no one ever taught them how to eat healthily.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
RIght now, this thread is floating directly above the Mormon's eat babies thread which is doing strange things to my brain.
Posted by pfresh85 (Member # 8085) on :
Same for me The Rabbit. For a second, I thought it said "Being poor and eating babies."
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
Or perhaps, "Being poor and eating healthy babies".
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
The unhealthy ones are bad for you. You can get diseases that way. Best to choose only the very healthiest babies you can find.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Oh, I had Mormons Eat Babies next to Baby Gift Suggestions Please, and I thought of the suggestion "nice plump ones make the best gifts".
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Last night at one point "Mormons Eat Babies" was right above "It's easier to take when it's not your kid" which I found hilarious. I tried to find the adjacent thread titles thread but then someone posted and the moment was lost.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
I actually just read the article kq linked. I remember being appalled a couple of years ago when the Sunday School kids were collecting for the food bank. They gave us a list of what the average fanily got in a week- lots of mac&cheese, Jello (Jello? We are giving this crap to people who are already on the edge healthwise?), Hamburger Helper...all that high fat, high sodium stuff.Oh, and that aweful refined boxed baby cereal. One reason the poor are eating crap is that people donate crap to the food banks. I give dried beans, aseptic packed soymilk, WW pasta, and whole grain baby cereal.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I agree, romanylass. I always try to donate dried beans and lentils and rice (which are actually cheaper than some of the stuff people donate!), canned low-sodium vegetables and fruits in fruit juice (not syrup), canned fish, and the like.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
I think that one problem many poor people have with eating health is the lack of time. It is a lot easier to eat a healthy diet on a budget if you have plenty of time to cook. If you are a poor single parent who is working long hours, it can be really hard. I know from experience that when you get home from work late you don't have much time to cook anything. Preprepared meals are often the only easy option.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
The Rabbit, that's just not always true. My mom cooked a lot of things that could be cooked in under 30 minutes, things that could be prepared the night before, things that could be cut up in the morning and thrown on the stove at night, etc. She worked 60 hour weeks and had 4 kids to get to and from school, etc. besides. There are things that can be done to make it possible to cook even if you don't have much time.
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
KQ - it's different for all families. It's great that your mom was able to make it work, but that does not necessarily mean it will work the same way for another family. We all approach health and nutrition differently, and that is okay.
There are many barriers for families in poverty to healthful eating. Quite a few have been pointed out already. Another one of the big ones can be lack of transportation to larger stores that carry more affordable fresh produce, bulk foods, etc. Corner stores - within walking distance - or the transit system (if there is one) to larger stores just don't cut it in some situations.
Time is also a big issue - whether poor or not. Family meal preparation and dining is almost (sadly) a thing of the past. Nutritionists and other health care folks are encouraging a come-back, a re-prioritizing of that time to connect with family members while learning some valuable food preparation and nutrition skills, socialization skills, table etiquette and manners . . .
As a single parent, one of the things I do to improve the nutrition content of "quick-I-am-dead-tired-and-can't-stomache-the-thought-of-cooking-right-now-nights" family meals is to add a fresh fruit or vegetable to each meal. It helps the frozen pizza or Stouffer's out quite a bit. Even something as simple as apple slices and baby carrots.
ummmm - nummy!
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
That is why I said "not always true."
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
I know you said that, KQ. But it seemed to me as though you were using your example as one that diminished the reality for another. And I work in this field with very low-income families, so I am probably hyper-sensitive.
Interestingly, my mother managed all the same things as your mother with five of us. I have no idea how, because I struggle with one.
What I have heard from several parents of two or more children, though, is that as the kids get older, they can be quite helpful - whereas one seems to be much more time-consuming.
*ponders*
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I was just saying that some people do manage it. And if some can, we should try to give those who can't currently all the tools possible to be able to.
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Absolutely, KQ. I agree 100%. Tools are crucial.
But we also start by acknowledging that for these folks, it may very well feel so far beyond them as to be impossible.
We build strengths and skills by starting where the person is at, finding and acknowledging what IS working, what IS okay - not by comparing to other styles or ways of being.
It's been my experience that people are far more willing to learn new possibilities when they do not feel threatened by the "teacher" wanting to show them a different way, technique, information. People feel discounted very easily.
We also can not assume we know what tools the other person needs to be able to meet "our" expectation or definition of healthy eating. They will let us know what they need - maybe not by saying "I need this thing or that thing" but by saying such things as "Eating at the table in my family was really awful - Mom and Dad always fought and I can't stand sitting at the table with my kids now," or "My town has one large grocery store two miles off the bus line. I can only go once each week and I can only carry two bags of food," or "My child is so picky, and refuses to eat almost anything but . . . "
And then we problem solve. Ways to make meals at the table safe and confortable. Ways to find transportation. Ways to work with choosy eaters.
And accept that change takes time, with lots of steps forward and steps backward.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: The Rabbit, that's just not always true. My mom cooked a lot of things that could be cooked in under 30 minutes, things that could be prepared the night before, things that could be cut up in the morning and thrown on the stove at night, etc. She worked 60 hour weeks and had 4 kids to get to and from school, etc. besides. There are things that can be done to make it possible to cook even if you don't have much time.
I didn't say it was impossible, I said it was harder. I stand by that statement.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Good, then, we agree. Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
OK, this inspired to to go add a bunch of fast, cheap, healthy recipes to Dag's site.
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Maybe Dag can make a specific heading - something along the line of "Fast, cheap, healthy recipes" - which I think we need more of - I could certainly use a few more!
Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :
On that note, I made a heap of butternut pumpkin & coriander soup today (frozen for work lunches ).
Takes 2 hours on the weekend, but you can make a pile, cheap as chips (maybe $5 for 5 litres) and yummy yummy yummy.
I'm quite looking forward to lunch tomorrow...
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Shan: Maybe Dag can make a specific heading - something along the line of "Fast, cheap, healthy recipes" - which I think we need more of - I could certainly use a few more!
Seconded! Oh, Dagoneeeee!
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Is there a thread about the cook-once-a-week idea? Or is that a part of Dag's recipe site? I think KQ had a thread on it, or someone did, or it was part of another thread.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
OAMC! Someone else was doing it, I shared some resources. Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
I was talking about this issue today with a friend who has become suddenly poor- and he says the same thing- that the poor are fat (his word) because all he can afford is fattening. So then I go upstairs and see someone putting a huge shrink pack of Kraparoni and Cheeze boxes in the food offering cart. Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
OK, I added it as Fast, Cheap Meals in the Courses group.
Desciption: Recipes for meals that are fast, cheap, and easy. Fast can include things that take a long time to cook but little actual effort by the cook (crock pot meals, slow roast, etc.).
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
Mi esposa, a family doc, attended a meeting on the subject that noted that in a strict calorie-count, it's far cheaper to get calories from oil or sugar than from fruits and vegetables. Or from ramen and mac & cheese, for that matter. Even the frozen and canned varieties of vegetables, sadly. Which is not to say that it's not a worthy goal to eat as healthy as you can on any budget, but I can't exactly hurl blame on a harried mother who's trying to save money for something else deciding it's easier to feed her four year old macaroni and cheese than try to convince them to eat canned spinach.
(Growing up in Alaska, where produce was often expensive, I ate enough canned veggies to last a lifetime. Blech. My wife grew up in a rural area, and I have a hard time convincing her how good frozen veggies are, since I'm comparing them to the canned varieties, and she's comparing them to the ones that have been out of the field for less than two days.)
The cheap and relatively inexpensive food that got me through college: Get rice (preferably enriched), a package of "mexican" or "fiesta style" frozen veggies (generally means broccoli, red pepper, and one or more varieties of beans), soy sauce (I recommend Kikoman), "Mongolian Fire Oil" (widely available in grocery stores) and dried, ground ginger (optional.) Cook 1/2 to 1 cup of rice, according to appetite, and half the package of veggies according to instructions. Combine the two, season with the soy sauce and fire oil to taste, and a dash of ginger. Makes a ton of food for around fifty cents a serving in most areas, with veggies and combined protien from the rice and beans.
Ramen noodles are high in fat, but they can be good when mixed with other things. I recommend throwing out the "spice packet" (it's far more sodium than the flavor it gives is worth) and seasoning them with spices or a little italian dressing.
When I've been concerned about my infant daughter getting enough iron, I tend to fall back on things like instant oatmeal (the packets are iron-fortified, unlike the cannisters in most cases) and breakfast cereal. Certain dark-green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale are also high in iron.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Iceberg lettuce is nutritionally light-green water and a bit of fiber. It may be cheap, but you shouldn't really count it as your something green for the day. If you're looking to fill up with less calories to help lose weight and get your nutrition elsewhere, swell. Dress it with some oil and vinegar and chow down. But don't count on iceberg for anything other than that.
(That wasn't aimed at anyone, just a thought that came to me.
Unwashed fresh spinach, while a pain to clean, can be pretty cheap and is much healthier.)
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Cool! Thanks, Dags!
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I'm a cooking dunce who's trying to eat healthy in college. Right now my diet consists almost entirely of pasta and parmesan cheese, peanust butter and Jam, and bagels with cream cheese.
The one time I tried to be healthy and make lentil soup it ended up costing about $36, which it really wasn't worth. The thing is that I don't know how to just cook up black beans and rice or how to make my own vegetable stock. Would anyone mind giving me some tips?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I will post a recipe for veggie stock on Dag's site. I will also post a recipe for my mom's black beans and how to steam rice. romanylass posted a lovely recipe for black bean soup, too. And I think someone already posted lentils there, but I'll check, and if they haven't, I'll post a basic, adaptable recipe.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Thank you so much! I'm going off to the store now to get some basics.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Yay for you! May I also recommend Recipe*zaar? You can search by ingredient and choose only meals that are simple and cooked in 30 minutes or less, if you so desire, using the sidebar filter options. Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
Most white rices take a water-to-rice ratio of about two to one. The thing to remember is that with most rices you put the rice in the water before bringing it to boil, unlike pastas, where you put it in after boiling. In most cases you want the water to be reduced to a very low simmer with the lid on, which can vary a lot from stove to stove. As long as you don't forget it's cooking, rice is usually pretty forgiving.
Beans: soak overnight (semi-optional), place in water, boil the heck outta 'em. Add bullion during cooking process for flavor if you wish. Test them occasionally to see if they're soft enough for your taste; just be sure to allow at least a couple of hours for most non-lentil legumes. Add more liquid if it gets low. Drain when done.
Now, me, I'd be hard pressed to cook half my recipes if I couldn't saute an onion...
Recipezaar is great, as ketchupqueen says. Just check the reviews first and don't be afraid no adapt. I made a batch of turkish delight from one of their recipes that was tasty but approximately the consistency of rubber tread.
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
Making food from scratch is a great thing, but sometimes it really is easier to throw together a boxed dish. I've found that it's relatively easy to turn those "unhealthy" packaged foods (ie. mac n cheese, ramen, hamburger helper, rice mixes, etc.) into healthier (and still cheap) meals and it's easy for someone who's nervous about their cooking abilities to do. When making boxed pasta mixes I use powdered skim milk (with a larger amount of milk powder than you would use for making a glass of milk) and don't add any butter/margarine. I don't think there's a noticable flavor loss (especially when you add other stuff) and you cut out the majority of the fat. All of those preboxed meals are delicious with the addition of a package of frozen vegetables - peas, or broccoli, or mixed veggies, etc. (or a can of tomatoes, depending on the flavor variety), some extra seasonings, and/or a can of tuna/chicken. Make hamburger helper type meals with lean ground turkey instead of ground beef (it can often be cheaper and better for you) Adding a can of beans (drained and rinsed) to a rice mix is a good way to add protein.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
It's good to see the Britisah schools working on it. I'd love to see more US schools take a hint from the Olympia school district. Seems like such a simple equation- cut out desserts, and you can serve the kids organic produce without spending more money. I'd love to see how their test scores will stack up against neighboring districts that serve the less healthy stuff ( not to mention ADHD drug numbers). Especially given that most lower income kids will be on the free/reduced program, and maybe eat breakfast at school.
My number one hint for making a healthy change, whether money is an issue or not, is BROWN RICE.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
*can't stand brown rice*
*hangs head*
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I like that article, but I'm appalled-- they sell that stuff in ELEMENTARY schools? Ick. In the district I grew up in, they have SOME junk food options available at the high schools, but not many, and not as part of the regular school lunch (of course, about half of the HS students go off-campus for lunch anyway, and maybe a third of the others bring their lunches.) The junior highs and elementary schools have school lunches ONLY, except for a once-a-month Taco Bell day at the elementary schools, where you get a bean and cheese burrito, fruit cup, and drink (the regular drink choices-- 100% apple juice, 100% orange juice, 1% milk, skim milk, or 2% chocolate milk.)
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
The trick with brown rice is to smother it.
It took 5 years to wean my hubby off the white stuff, but I did it, and now he'd much rather eat the brown. (Whether it's the taste, or fear of my wrath if he bought white rice, I don't know).
My kids will eat it plain.
Our SD has terrible lunches and are on contract with Tricor (Pizza Hut/Taco Bell/ KFC). School districts will do it out of financial need- they save lots of money selling cut rate name brand fast food. Branding is getting commom in some schools.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Crap -- I was in the middle of reading that Seattle Times article, romanylass, when I had to change browser windows for work.
When I tried to go back to it, it now says it has been "moved to archive" and wants subscription.
FG
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
Trader Joe's, if you have one around, has a brown jasmine rice that could probably even tempt ketchupqueen. I don't think it's exactly a cheap alternative, though- it's probably around $2 a pound, and generic store-brand rice or bulk bin rice is cheaper.
Posted by Theaca (Member # 8325) on :
How do you mean, smother the brown rice, romany?
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
Make Spanish rice, or make a nice gingery sauce to go with Asian dishes- IMO if you can't see that it's brown, it won't taste as different.
Oh, TJ's also has a Haggai Mai rice that tastes like white, but retains more of the fibre.
FG- the gist of the article is that the Olympia, WA school district stopped serving desserts as part of lunches (they can be bought seperately) and used the savings to start serving organic produce (salad every day), hummus, salmon, pitas...and the kids eat it. It increased lunch sales because the parents who wouldn't let their kids buy the high fat and sodium meals were willing to let them eat school lunches now.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
FG, it did that to me the first time. I shut the browser and clicked again, it let me in. Try again. It seems to do it every other time.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
The thing I don't like about brown rice is the texture. I don't mind the flavor at all-- actually, I enjoy it-- but no matter how sticky I cook it, it's too fiber-y for me.
I have fiber issues. That is why I have to use Citrucel. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
blacwolve, how did the shopping and cooking go?
We went to the store tonight and got 2-3 weeks' worth of groceries for a 25 year old man with a healthy appetite, an 18-month-old who has been known to eat as much in a sitting as the same young man, and a pregnant and nursing woman for $40. We mostly got perishables-- fruits, veggies, yogurt, bread because the freezer had run out-- and even included some luxury items like my favorite potato chips (both for munchies and to make the tuna casserole I'm planning taste better), got a few canned goods, and turkey hot dogs because that's one of the few things Emma is guaranteed to eat right now. I also picked up some chicken thighs on sale; tomorrow I'll take the skins off, wrap them individually in waxed paper, seal them in a freezer bag, and stick them in the freezer for future consumption; chicken thighs are very versatile as well as one of the cheaper kinds of meat you can buy. We didn't need to re-stock our basics this time, so no really large items. By buying what was on sale and off-brands, we came out $10 under our 2-week budget even though we didn't end up getting anything we had coupons for. The store we were at has everyday double coupons, so we would have gotten a lot off some of those things, but either we didn't need them, or it was still cheaper to just buy a store brand or FMV. I need to thank my mother again for teaching me how to shop and cook and balance a diet.
And for dinner tomorrow, I pulled the corned beef roast I got way on sale a month back out of the freezer, picked up some cabbage for a very good price, and will throw them and some potatoes (small red potatoes were cheaper than russets, so I don't even have to peel, just cut in half) and some carrots in the crockpot. That should feed us for two or three days, not to mention make the apartment smell really good all day. It's not as cheap as we sometimes eat, but we've all had a long week, and I think we deserve something special to celebrate the end of it.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I love brown rice.
My favorite way to cook rice is as follows: start with a small amount (about 1-2 T., enough to just coat the rice) of oil, margarine or butter. Add diced onions and/or garlic and the rice. Saute, stirring constantly, until rice is slightly toasted and darkening just a bit. (Be careful, or it will burn.) Add 1/2 c. - 1 c. savory liquid (veggie or chicken broth and any other spices) and stir gently. Allow the rice to absorb some of that liquid (still over high heat and stirring constantly). Then lower heat, add the rest of the cooking liquid (this part is usually just water), and cook at low temp for 30-40 minutes.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
Here's a question, KQ;
Do you think it's better to buy chicken pieces with bone on the premise that it's cheaper overall, or boneless pieces on the premise that it's more meat by weight?
Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :
quote:I need to thank my mother again for teaching me how to shop and cook and balance a diet.
I'm very impressed! We've been trying to do better, but still let a lot of things waste. We spend about $90 for 2 weeks groceries, and we have good purchasing sense. We buy off brands, sale items and use coupons. Somehow, our leftovers generally get eaten as snacks or completely forgotten about and spoil. We get overeager with produce and then too lazy to freeze or prepare it properly and so it spoils.
When we get tired is when its really a problem, though. If I haven't planned the meals for the week, we're most likely to eat poorly or go out to eat.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Yeah, I know how that is, especially when I'm pregnant. I try to have things on hand like canned refried beans and seasoned pinto beans-- more expensive, but worth it when I don't want to cook. Jeff can heat them up and throw them on the table with some salsa, cheese, and heat up some tortillas.
My big thing is to prepare things while you've got momentum, either that night or the next day. De-skin all the chicken. Freeze all the meat. Then scrub hands and cut up all the fruit. (If we cut up melon in this house, it's gone within a week or less-- even the huge honkin' 12-pound watermelon we got a couple of weeks back only lasted two weeks around our watermelon eater.)
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:Do you think it's better to buy chicken pieces with bone on the premise that it's cheaper overall, or boneless pieces on the premise that it's more meat by weight?
It's USUALLY cheapest to buy whole chicken on sale and cut it up yourself. But I'm far too lazy for that, and usually draw the line there. Because I get chicken only when it's on a deep discount, it's usually cheapest to buy bone-in thighs; even taking out the skin and bone weight, the prices I get them at they're darned cheap. Occasionally when there's a loss-leader price on boneless skinless breasts, I get them; sometimes I get a big bag of frozen breast halves at TJs or Costco, they can be pretty cheap. (Costco is also the absolute cheapest place to buy frozen lean ground beef.)
But really, bone-in thighs are my PREFERENCE to cook with, because I slow-cook a lot of my chicken, and it keeps them moister to keep them on the bone.
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
I buy whole chickens almost exclusively, and roast them. Then the leftover dark meat goes into enchiladas or something similar, and the leftover white meat goes on sandwiches and salads for the rest of the week. And then I freeze the carcass and skin to make stock later. Not bad for a single chicken.
--Mel
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
It's too hot here most of the year to roast whole chickens.
I have heard of doing it in your crockpot, but I only do that when I want shredded chicken; I have yet to find a way to do that that leaves it firm, the way I like it.
Posted by Zalmoxis (Member # 2327) on :
quote:When we get tired is when its really a problem, though. If I haven't planned the meals for the week, we're most likely to eat poorly or go out to eat.
::nods head::
I look forward to one day having a shorter commute and thus time to cook.
-------------
Here's my standard seasing mix for pinto beans...
Paprika Chili powder Cayenne pepper Mexican oregano Ground cumin Chopped garlic Pat of butter
After the pinto beans are fully cooked, melt the butter in a small frying pan, toss in the garlic and sautee until soft, toss in the spices and cook for just a few seconds, pour mixture into pot of beans, spoon some of the liquid into the pan so that you get all the spices out.
The result is quite yummy.
With my pinto beans, I soak, pour off, cook, pour off and cook. I find that they're less gas-causing that way.
But the most important thing in that regard is to get fresh dried beans. Go to a health foods store -- don't by the packaged stuff from the supermarket (sorry if this advice has already been given -- I didn't read page 2 of the thread).
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I've heard there's some Mexican herb you can get that you cook beans with and you don't get gas.
I forget what it's called, though.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
I think cumin's the one. I us a lot of it when I make beans.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
No, it's not cumin. It's some leafy herb that there's no equivalent of, that apparently is traditional flavoring in Mexican black beans and lends a smoky, woodsy flavor.
I'll see if I can look it up.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Here it is: epazote. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Ooh! Now I remember where I've heard that name before! I heard of it on the radio and it sounded really familiar.
Salvadorean places sometimes ask whether you want your pupusa with or without epazote. At least, I think that's what it is. If I'm right, I like it. Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: It's too hot here most of the year to roast whole chickens.
Here, too. We received a small rotisserie for our wedding, and that's what I use most of the time. But in cooler locations where you can use an oven most of the year, roasting a whole chicken can be very economical.
--Mel
Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :
quote:My big thing is to prepare things while you've got momentum, either that night or the next day. De-skin all the chicken. Freeze all the meat. Then scrub hands and cut up all the fruit. (If we cut up melon in this house, it's gone within a week or less-- even the huge honkin' 12-pound watermelon we got a couple of weeks back only lasted two weeks around our watermelon eater.)
That's a great way to do it, and we've really thought about cooking several big meals at once and freezing since its not that much harder to cook big once you've started.
Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :
quote: It's USUALLY cheapest to buy whole chicken on sale and cut it up yourself
I've started doing this.
It's pretty cool - for around $5 (less if you get a good two-for one offer) you get two *big* breasts (enough for 2-3 generous meals for 2), thighs, wings, drumsticks, and lots of good stock making stuff (anough for 6 or so litres of stock).
Plus I get to feel all butchery as I wield my cleaver. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Yeah, my mom used to buy two whole chickens when she (very rarely) made fried chicken when we were little.
Nowadays, though, she just buys the pre-cut-up pieces most times. It's just her, so not worth it.
When I start cooking for 5 or 6 people, it will probably become worth it to me to save more money and do it the hard way.
Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :
quote: wrap them individually in waxed paper
Ooh, now this is a clever idea! Means you can take as many or as few out as you like, right?
And do you re-use your freezer bag? *Muses*
Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :
quote: When I start cooking for 5 or 6 people
Planning a sextet of ketchups, huh? Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I just chose that number because 5 was the number my mom was cooking for, or 6 if my grandma came over.
But yes, eventually (EVENTUALLY! Hear that, Heavenly Father?) we want at least 6 or 7 kids.
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
kq, is there any way I could get you to post a list of what groceries you bought and what meals you plan to make with them? It completely boggles my mind that you could buy groceries for 2-3 weeks for $40. If you don't have the time/inclination I understand. We've been trying to cut our grocery bill but we generally spend at least $250 for 2-3 weeks worth of food. We've got 2 kids, and they're older, but I'd be real interested to see if I could glean some ideas from your list. Thanks!
space opera
Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :
*At least* 6 or 7?
Oh my.
You may have to think about expanding to different condiments!
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
SO, I threw out the reciept, but I can give you a general, broad list of what we got.
Fresh veggies: potatoes, carrots, and a big head of cabbage, half of which went in our corned beef and cabbage, and the other half of which will be cut in two to provide side dishes for two dinners.
Fresh fruits: canteloupe (chopped and stored in tupperware in the fridge; it'll be gone within a few days), apples (keep well in the fridge, so just got two weeks' worth, they were REALLY cheap and we all like Galas), bananas (decent price and Ems loves them; I slice and freeze half of them so they don't rot.)
Bread (FMV brand, two loaves, one for the counter, one for the freezer.)
Bulk chicken thighs, which were on sale-- I de-skin them, wrap them, freeze them, and will add them two at a time to a pot of lentils or beans that we'll be eating that night, or will cook them quickly on the stove top or slowly in the crockpot for dinner (to be served with rice and frozen veggies or cabbage; we have a ton of ways to eat chicken thighs.)
Canned veggies to go in egg foo yong.
Store-brand cream of mushroom soup for use in casseroles-- we were out and it was on sale. I use it in tuna casserole and several others that we'll be having in the next few weeks.
Yogurt for Emma.
Tortillas.
Two packages of turkey dogs, on sale, for Emma.
Sprite for my morning sickness (on sale.)
There were a few other things, but I don't remember them all. Oh, and Sour Cream and Cheddar Ruffles for me; will also top the tuna casserole.
We're good on milk at least until next week, and were already well-stocked on fresh onions, fresh garlic, dried beans and rice and lentils, cheese, peanut butter, jelly, canned tomatoes and corn, and frozen veggies-- the staples of our diet that we try never to run out of. So we had very little re-stocking to do.
I don't actually plan specific meals ahead of time, although I know we'll be having tuna casserole this week and beans and/or lentils several times; I just try to keep everything I need for our favorite dishes in stock. We also have salmon (sent to us by my aunt) and ground beef (bought in bulk, divided, and frozen) in the freezer to add to the variety available to us. Because we buy one kind of meat per trip and then break it up into one or two person portions and freeze it, we're guaranteed a variety of meat and meatless meals for the next couple of weeks; we usually try to rotate what we buy and buy what's most on sale, then it goes straight to the freezer. Because I made corned beef in the crockpot yesterday, we'll be eating that for a few days (I could live on the stuff, so I don't mind leftovers until it's gone.)
Almost everything we got was on sale with our Ralphs club card. Many of those items tend to be the advertised "loss leaders", so we stock up on the ones we'll use when they're deeply discounted. Our secret is really to buy in larger quantities when it's cheap and save it for later. We only get the fresh vegetables and fruits that are a good price that week, which tends to lend variety as things go on sale (at least in CA) and also guarantee that we're usually eating fresh, in-season produce at least once a day. We add that to store-brand frozen vegetables, a mainstay of our nutritional equation, and we're pretty well-set on fruits and veggies.
I hope that helped some!
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
That's amazing, kq. We spend $80-$100 per week on groceries, for five people. Not really thrifty. I thrift on other stuff because I want to spend all my money on groceries.
SO-when are you due again?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Mmm, see, I thrift on food so when I very occasionally get some extra money-- like this week with tutoring-- I can feel less guilty about doing things like getting a haircut and seeing a movie. Posted by Miriya (Member # 7822) on :
I'm impressed. Thanks for the info kq, they're good suggestions. Our need for gluten free food for the kids drives our costs up so every small savings helps.
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
romany, I'm due on 10/16.
kq, thanks for posting that. I did get some ideas from your list and I think they'll be helpful. I have to plan meals before I go to the store, though. If I don't we end up wasting a lot of produce, etc. I'm still very impressed by your ability to shop for your family so cheaply!
space opera
Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :
kq what do you do for breakfasts?
Also, I know we spend a bit on prepared lunches although we try to keep the price down to the $1-2 range. We also have a fruit and yogurt with each lunch.
I've really been trying to be more effective at planning and using our food, though, so I've been really appreciative of your ideas, too! Thanks!
Posted by Theaca (Member # 8325) on :
I don't really understand what corned beef is. I tasted a corned beef sandwich once and it was disgusting. I assumed it was something you did to the beef while cooking it?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
IIRC, corned beef is beef that is pickled before it is cooked. The seasonings (other than the salt) can vary, so corned beef from different sources will have very different tastes.
I spend a lot more than kq on groceries, but while I clip coupons, shop loss leaders, etc. just as she does, I cannot do that on everything. Too many things are not kosher in all brands (especially store brands, at least outside the East Coast). And forget about kosher meat -- very rarely are there significant sales, and the prices are two to three times that of non-kosher, I believe.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:kq what do you do for breakfasts?
I have morning sickness. (I've never been a big breakfast eater anyway.) Emma usually eats yogurt and/or fruit and sometimes toast and jam. (Because she's so small, we don't worry about balanced meals for her; rather, we balance her diet over the course of the day or even a couple of days, especially when she's on a kick where she prefers to eat only one or two foods; we allow her to have a certain amount of those foods every day and sneak other things into her diet. She usually eats what we eat for dinner, though.) Jeff sometimes has cereal (usually FMV frosted corn flakes), but often prefers to sleep instead of eating. Sometimes I make pancakes on a weekend, wrap them two or three (depending on size) at a time, wrap them in waxed paper then aluminum foil or a baggie, and date and freeze them. Jeff can take them out when he wants a change and heat them in the microwave.
quote:Also, I know we spend a bit on prepared lunches although we try to keep the price down to the $1-2 range. We also have a fruit and yogurt with each lunch.
We tend to eat either leftovers, beans and tortillas, or sandwiches (from leftover meat, pb and j-- but Emma and I don't eat peanut butter, so that's just Jeff-- or very occasionally egg or tuna salad for a change) with fruit. We try to make peanut butter sandwiches ahead of time, bag or wrap them, and freeze them. If you take it out in the morning, it's ready to eat by lunch-- same concept as those "Uncrustables" Smucker's makes.
quote:I don't really understand what corned beef is. I tasted a corned beef sandwich once and it was disgusting. I assumed it was something you did to the beef while cooking it?
It's a piece of beef brisket that's been cured, mostly with salt and brine, then you rub spices on it and cook it. It's delicious as long as you don't buy pre-packaged corned beef lunchmeat. The name "corned" comes from the same place as the word "corn"-- the same root as "kernel", little round things. The beef is cured and seasoned with peppercorns, caraway seeds, salt kernels, and many other assorted small round things, hence the name.
Rivka, I feel for you. That must be rough.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
As it used to be said (in Yiddish), "It's tough to be a Jew." In the NY area it's better than here, kosher-food-price-wise, at least.
In areas with smaller Jewish communities, it's far worse -- if they can even GET kosher meat. So I won't complain.
Much. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
That's true. At least you're able to get meat you can eat, and once in a while eat out and/or get convenience foods. I suppose it could be much worse.
And I imagine there are many spiritual and personal benefits that far outweigh the nuisances it can cause most of the time. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Yup. Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
I just got around to following the advice in this thread. I made 3 cups dry rice, which works out to about 12 cups cooked, in chicken broth. I only had one of those big cans of chicken broth, and I didn't know how to just use a little of it, so I used the whole thing. Right now I have black beans soaking and I'll cook them tomorrow when I get back from class.
KQ- when you say you slow cook them all day, about how long is that? If I put them on when I get home at 4:30 would they be done by midnight or so?
The rice came out really sticky. Is there any way to make it less sticky? I just cooked it in the chicken broth without oil or anything, would oil help?
Also, how should I store the rice and beans, can I just put it in tupperware or should I do something else to it?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Oil or butter can help reduce stickiness; also, don't stir much, just one stir, and let it steam until it's as dry as you want it. If you stop it steaming before all the liquid is absorbed, it can make it sticky.
As to the beans, hmmm. I bring to a boil and put in the slow-cooker in the morning and cook about 8 to 10 hours, or reduce heat and cook on the back of the stove for at least 5 or 6 over very low heat.
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
Also, stickiness will depend on what type of rice you use. Short or medium grain rice will be stickier than long grain. White rice will be stickier than brown.
Speaking from experience here, if you cook the beans on the stove be sure there is enough water. It's not cool to have dinner cooking away and when you come back it's burnt .
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That must be rough.