s/o obesity thread: what are some nutritious, inexpensive meals?

[msjones]

The obesity in the US thread has me thinking about affordable nutrition.

 

What food items or meals do you consider nutritious and also easily affordable?

[Faith]

:bigear:

[LisaKinVA]

My family has recently joined the fresh-milled grains (we don't eat 2/3 grains, but grains are a part of our diet. We do try to focus on protein around here).

 

Red Beans & Brown Rice (you can throw some sausage in there, too).

Eggs...

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce (I stretch our ground beef with lentils, and can make about 16 large servings of spaghetti for $6.00. We make our own pasta from Kamut). Gives us a large meal and lots of lunches.

 

Chili -- Again, we stretch the ground beef with lentils, or use only lentils. I make fresh-milled cornbread with it.

 

Fresh-milled pancakes (with eggs, buttermilk, or yogurt)

 

Yogurt with honey.

 

Casseroles that stretch meats are helpful, too. We eat lots of salads with veggies.

 

I buy fresh & frozen veggies for the most part (get frozen when they go on sale, and match with coupons to stock up). When we move, I'm going to start dehydrating bulk-buys of fruits and veggies I use most (apples, carrots, spinach, onion, banana, oranges, lemons...)

 

I have started mixing bean flour (fresh ground, like our grains) into muffins, biscuits, and other home made breads to make those a "complete protein" and also make them more filling.

[Jennifer in MI]

I have started mixing bean flour (fresh ground, like our grains) into muffins, biscuits, and other home made breads to make those a "complete protein" and also make them more filling.

 

How do you do this? Just take the dried beans and mill them? You'll have to tell me how you mix it in. How much do you use? When I make bread, I use 12 cups of flour (freshly milled). How much of the bean flour would I use?

 

I'm intrigued!

[LisaKinVA]

How do you do this? Just take the dried beans and mill them? You'll have to tell me how you mix it in. How much do you use? When I make bread, I use 12 cups of flour (freshly milled). How much of the bean flour would I use?

 

I'm intrigued!

 

According to Country Beans, you can replace up to 25% of wheat flour with bean flour (white beans). Tonight is the first time I'm using that ratio, we'll see how the biscuits taste tonight. I replaced about 15% last time, and there was no noticeable "taste" difference.

[Jennifer in MI]

According to Country Beans, you can replace up to 25% of wheat flour with bean flour (white beans). Tonight is the first time I'm using that ratio, we'll see how the biscuits taste tonight. I replaced about 15% last time, and there was no noticeable "taste" difference.

 

White beans? Any white bean? So, garbanzos would be fine? Just grind up the dried bean? Sounds easy!

[LisaKinVA]

White beans (I used Navy beans) have a milder flavor, so you shouldn't taste them as much as say, black beans. I've never tried garbanzos, but I don't know why you couldn't!

 

The family loved the biscuits with the 25% bean flour last night. I actually could taste a difference (not huge, they were fine). But yeah, all you do is grind up the dry beans, just like you would a grain! Easy-Peasy.

 

I'm going to go grind up some pinto beans now to make a "refried bean paste" to mix in with my taco meat for dinner now (cooks up quick vs. having to soak and cook!)

[WeeBeaks]

Hard to answer this one because there is such a variety and it is so dependent on what your family likes.

 

In general, for us, meatless is cheaper. And in season fruits and veggies. If you grow anything, then whatever you have growing is cheaper.

 

Here is something I eat weekly in the summer because the ingredients are in season at the same time. We grow all the veggies, but a glance at the supermarket ads show they are all pretty cheap right now:

2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes (or canned)

1 medium to large eggplant, chopped

1/2 to 1 onion chopped

1 large bell pepper, chopped.

 

Saute the above, putting the onion and pepper in first because they take a tad longer. Add some rosemary, basil, oregano or basically whatever you have and like in there, fresh or dried. Add cheese if you eat it and can afford it (sharp cheddar is particularly good IMHO), enough to make it cheesy enough for the kids to love it or just a light sprinkle .... according to budget. ;) Leave it out for an extra healthful meal.

 

Serve it over brown rice or quinoa. I serve fresh fruit (seasonal again) on the side.

 

Other ideas for summer season we have been eating recently:

 

 

• Homemade pizza, light on the cheese, make your own pizza sauce from fresh tomato. Top with veggies from the garden or some inexpensive toppings.
  
• Spaghetti, homemade sauce, again with the tomatoes, and chuck in there whatever you have sitting around spare - a mushroom or two, bell pepper, leftover meat if you have it.
  
• Bean burritos, pinto beans in the crockpot. I do huge batches and then freeze the beans in batches. Add green chilis, cumen, cilantro or other things you like to spice it up a bit. Making your own tortillas is cheap.
  
• Chicken - roasted the first night for a meatier meal, a little bit left for lunch the next day and boil the carcass for soup. Add some veggies and any leftover chicken. We do a variety of add-ins - Matzo balls, noodles, wild rice, various veggies. Three meals from one $3 chicken on sale.
  
• Greens and fruit smoothies for breakfast or lunch. Whatever fruit is in season or frozen. Whatever greens from my garden or seasonal. I add ground flax and spirulina to mine.
  
• Hummus and veggies for lunch. Make your own hummus from dried garbanzo beans.
  
• Fruit, cheese and cracker lunch.
  
• Huge salad for a meal with a tiny bit of meat or nuts if you eat them.
  
• Homemade wheat bread on the side or as a light lunch meal. My kids eat that with peanut butter or sunbutter on top and side of veggies and fruit cut up.
  
• Grilled veggie tacos
  
• Lentil tacos with veggie toppings
  
• Lentil spaghetti
  
• Lentil sloppy joes ... getting the theme there. :lol: Lentil dal ... I could go on and on on those lentils. LOL
  

 

[Jennifer in MI]

White beans (I used Navy beans) have a milder flavor, so you shouldn't taste them as much as say, black beans. I've never tried garbanzos, but I don't know why you couldn't!

 

The family loved the biscuits with the 25% bean flour last night. I actually could taste a difference (not huge, they were fine). But yeah, all you do is grind up the dry beans, just like you would a grain! Easy-Peasy.

 

I'm going to go grind up some pinto beans now to make a "refried bean paste" to mix in with my taco meat for dinner now (cooks up quick vs. having to soak and cook!)

 

Thank you SO much!!! I can't wait to try it!

 

Hard to answer this one because there is such a variety and it is so dependent on what your family likes.

 

In general, for us, meatless is cheaper. And in season fruits and veggies. If you grow anything, then whatever you have growing is cheaper.

 

Here is something I eat weekly in the summer because the ingredients are in season at the same time. We grow all the veggies, but a glance at the supermarket ads show they are all pretty cheap right now:

2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes (or canned)

1 medium to large eggplant, chopped

1/2 to 1 onion chopped

1 large bell pepper, chopped.

 

Saute the above, putting the onion and pepper in first because they take a tad longer. Add some rosemary, basil, oregano or basically whatever you have and like in there, fresh or dried. Add cheese if you eat it and can afford it (sharp cheddar is particularly good IMHO), enough to make it cheesy enough for the kids to love it or just a light sprinkle .... according to budget. ;) Leave it out for an extra healthful meal.

 

Serve it over brown rice or quinoa. I serve fresh fruit (seasonal again) on the side.

 

Other ideas for summer season we have been eating recently:

 

 

• Homemade pizza, light on the cheese, make your own pizza sauce from fresh tomato. Top with veggies from the garden or some inexpensive toppings.

• Spaghetti, homemade sauce, again with the tomatoes, and chuck in there whatever you have sitting around spare - a mushroom or two, bell pepper, leftover meat if you have it.

• Bean burritos, pinto beans in the crockpot. I do huge batches and then freeze the beans in batches. Add green chilis, cumen, cilantro or other things you like to spice it up a bit. Making your own tortillas is cheap.

• Chicken - roasted the first night for a meatier meal, a little bit left for lunch the next day and boil the carcass for soup. Add some veggies and any leftover chicken. We do a variety of add-ins - Matzo balls, noodles, wild rice, various veggies. Three meals from one $3 chicken on sale.

• Greens and fruit smoothies for breakfast or lunch. Whatever fruit is in season or frozen. Whatever greens from my garden or seasonal. I add ground flax and spirulina to mine.

• Hummus and veggies for lunch. Make your own hummus from dried garbanzo beans.

• Fruit, cheese and cracker lunch.

• Huge salad for a meal with a tiny bit of meat or nuts if you eat them.

• Homemade wheat bread on the side or as a light lunch meal. My kids eat that with peanut butter or sunbutter on top and side of veggies and fruit cut up.

• Grilled veggie tacos

• Lentil tacos with veggie toppings

• Lentil spaghetti

• Lentil sloppy joes ... getting the theme there. :lol: Lentil dal ... I could go on and on on those lentils. LOL

 

 

Can you give the lentil recipes? I have a lot of dried lentils and would love to hear the spaghetti and sloppy joes recipes!

[Excelsior! Academy]

Haystacks.

 

These are basically tacos in a bowl over rice. You could do anything you want. We do rice, meat, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, cheese, salsa, and sour cream. It is pretty filling and nutritious.

[WeeBeaks]

Thank you SO much!!! I can't wait to try it!

 

 

 

Can you give the lentil recipes? I have a lot of dried lentils and would love to hear the spaghetti and sloppy joes recipes!

 

I don't usually use a recipe really. Just cook them and add them like you would a meat, or add extra liquid and let them cook in the sauce.

 

So in spaghetti either cook them first and dump them in the sauce or make the sauce runnier with a little water if using jarred sauce and let them simmer a while. Fresh tomatoes as often runnier to begin with so I chop up the tomato and simmer the lentils with it, which thickens the whole thing. Add whatever spices you usually add to spaghetti.

 

Same idea with sloppy joes. Those are especially good in the crockpot. Put all the usual sloppy joe stuff in there (ketchup, BBQ sauce, whatever you typically use) but instead of meat toss in the lentils already cooked or some water and the lentils and simmer.

[LauraGB]

In general, for us, meatless is cheaper. And in season fruits and veggies. If you grow anything, then whatever you have growing is cheaper.

 

:iagree: Beans are fantastic for this. It's fairly easy to replace the meat in a lot of dishes with various beans; sloppy joes are good with red kidney beans, so is chili, and other burger based soups. And when you do use meat, use it more as an accent than a main course. I've tried so hard to eliminate meat from my family's diet, but they end up complaining. If I say, "Hey, there's chicken in there," or call it "Scalloped Potatoes and Ham" it seems to pacify them. Maybe it's psychological?

[NotSoObvious]

What we had tonight...

Tofu, yellow squash, red and green bell peppers, and an onion all sauteed and served over brown rice.

 

We also love beans and rice- black beans, brown rice, a little onion and a cut up tomato mixed all together. Mmmm

 

Pasta with homemade sauce of either canned or fresh tomatoes, garlic, and onions with either meat or a hearty veggie like squash.

 

Before I quit my job to stay home, a regular meal for us was some sort of meat like a chicken breast or pork chop, a side like potatoes, pasta or rice, and two fresh, green veggies. Now we strive for recipes that will stretch our meat without sacrificing quality.

 

I always buy the bulk packages of organic spinach and we have sauteed spinach with a dash of balsamic almost 4 nights a week. We love spinach and broccoli.

 

For breakfast we love steel cut oats with bananas and a bit of milk or whole wheat banana pancakes (the Hillbilly Housewife recipe).

 

 

For what it's worth, I spend less on groceries than I ever did and I buy almost 100% organic and/or local. Now that I have the time, I can plan better meals. When I worked and had extra money, I spent a lot on convenience items- still very healthy, but more pre-made things. I just have the time now to be smarter about my purchases. Money or time, right? :)

Oh, and *for me* it seems like shopping at Whole Foods is MUCH cheaper than a regular grocery store because instead of only one or two organic choices, I have a gazillion and something is always on sale. I still buy staples at Costco like organic sugar, butter, etc. I only sometimes buy organic chicken there, only because we have access to local chicken here. Costco is an hour away now, so I only buy what I can store and I only go about every 6 weeks.

[Pamela H in Texas]

cancerproject.com/recipes

fatfreevegan.com

 

There are some more expensive meals, but most are pretty cheap.

[Liz CA]

Cook large amounts of brown rice and have it in fridge.

Then add sauteed veggies, hard boiled eggs or fish/little meat. A new twist every day. :001_smile:

 

I make salad dressing and mayo so I use different flavors for the rice.

[WiseOwlKnits]

 

Here's a yummy lentil recipe that our family loves. :)

[justamouse]

pasta ceci- ditalini with a marinara and chick peas. I shred a carrot in my sauce for this one, and add in some hot pepper.

 

pasta fagoli- I make broth, (saute some bacon-just for taste) add in navy beans, shredded carrot, orzo and top with stink cheese and serve with garlic bread-we just had this tonight. Change up the beans if you like. It's thickish.

 

pasta and lentils. saute onion, chunked carrot, garlic in olive oil, add in lentils that have been soaked, water to cover, bay leaf, salt and a can of crushed/diced tomato. Simmer till lentils are soft. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve over ditalini or elbows.

 

beans and rice-black beans, with a bit of pepper, onion, maybe some chorizo, a bit of orange peel, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, dash of cumin, oregano. Served over rice, with a friedd egg on top and lots of hot sauce.

 

home made pizza.

 

spaghetti pie (leftover spaghetti with a BIT of sauce,) tossed in a big bowl with a few eggs, cheese and maybe the meatballs. Heat up a skillet and put in spaghetti. Press it down, and turn it down. You're making a something like potato galette, where you fry it on one side, then flip it into a dish, turn the dish over and slide the uncripsed side into the pan to fry. You can eat that cold, too, for a lunch. Side salad and you have a meal.

[LucyStoner]

Spagetti squash with marinara sauce and a little cheese, serve with spinach salad.

Honey baked lentils and potatoes served with rice and roasted veggies

Pancakes with whole grain and flax seed. Topped with peanut butter and fruit these are extra filling.

Teriyaki chicken legs and/or thighs with stir fried veggies and noodles.

Three bean chili served with rice and cheese and sale avocados.

Fish tacos with cooked cabbage filling.

Homemade chicken soup and bread.

Homemade minestrone soup and bread.

Baked beans and vegan collard greens.

WW Penne pasta bake

Black bean and spinach quesadillas served with salsa and maybe a side salad.

Potato pancakes with red cabbage, apples and applesauce.

Grilled veggie fajitas

Veggie curry and brown rice

Baked eggs with lots of veggies

Black bean salsa soup with cheese and sale avocado

 

So many possibilities open up when meat eating families make the commitment to eat a lot of veggies and accept that they don't need meat every night. My husband and I and our sons are not vegetarians but that does not mean that every dinner has to have meat. We eat a lot of fish (cheap because of where we live), some poultry and a bit of pork and red meat. Several times a week though dinner is vegetarian and it is not only less expensive, it is more healthy.

Edited August 20, 2011 by kijipt

[kwickimom]

:bigear: great ideas!

[msjones]

What we had tonight...

Tofu, yellow squash, red and green bell peppers, and an onion all sauteed and served over brown rice.

 

We also love beans and rice- black beans, brown rice, a little onion and a cut up tomato mixed all together. Mmmm

 

Pasta with homemade sauce of either canned or fresh tomatoes, garlic, and onions with either meat or a hearty veggie like squash.

 

Mmm...those all sound great. I'm getting hungry reading this thread.

[msjones]

Cook large amounts of brown rice and have it in fridge.

Then add sauteed veggies, hard boiled eggs or fish/little meat. A new twist every day. :001_smile:

 

 

This sounds perfect for quick, healthy, affordable homeschool-day lunches.