Need to cut food budget

[BlsdMama]

DON'T BUY CEREAL. (That'll save you a ton.) Even the cereals like Kashi, etc., the extrusion process isn't all that healthy for you. Better to make a granola. Try "Megan's Granola" on all recipes.

 

And AllRecipes is FABULOUS for finding soup recipes.

 

On our menu we usually do a hm pizza night (Jay's Pizza Crust on AR w/ 1/2 whole wheat), a mexican night, a salmon night, etc. My favorite night is "Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks" - it fills us up but is so nice and lightweight. Try Jamie's Minestrone on AllRecipes. Fabulous! (Yes, I'm an all recipes addict, but it's the one thing that has made from an "okay" cook to a really good one, lol!)

[Mama Lynx]

I cut my food budget by learning how to use coupons correctly. I went from spending $600-$700 month to feed my family of 5 to spending $250 a month. It would be less but I buy alot of fresh fruits and veggies. Even storebrand/generics are expensive to me now. I shudder to think what my bill would be like now if I hadn't changed my ways.

 

So how did you do it? I've never used coupons much ... have never worked out a good system for doing so.

[TraceyS/FL]

Supper - Your family, like every other American family, probably makes WAY too much meat. You only need a couple ounces. IMO, we also eat WAY too much fruit, but I'll come back to that. Plan on meals that do not center around meat. Meals are a part of the meal, not the main attraction. Lots and lots of veggies in season. Check your local farmer's market for the best of the best.

 

I have to laugh - this would NEVER fly at my house. My DH, eats 1 meal a day mostly these days (i refuse to count his candy bar and soda breakfast as a meal), and if that meal didn't have meat he'd freak. He seriously needs the protein - so i can't cut it if I try.

 

on the weekends if i get him to eat lunch - i can cut back on dinner.... and i never had leftovers because he's eating it 2 meals worth at dinner (for the record, he's a 30" waist and works hard labor all day - how he can not eat lunch i dunno).

 

But in my fantasy life my kids & DH will eat like you suggest :D

[Mama Lynx]

Okay, here's what we're doing:

 

I've made a dinner menu plan, but I need to work on breakfast and lunch. We're planning:

one meat night,

one soup night,

one casserole night (usu. made with the leftover meat),

one fish night,

one pasta night,

one homemade pizza night,

and one leftover night.

 

The idea is that the meat night will give us leftovers for the casserole, and possibly the soup, too, if we want. The meat will be whatever's on sale, or whatever's in the freezer from previous sales.

 

The kids do usually have cold cereal for breakfast, so I'll work at getting them off that. Only two of them like oatmeal, but we can make pancakes, eggs, muffins.

 

Lunch ... they love to eat tortillas and cheese, but I don't like them eating that every day. They don't like beans. Have to think about lunch.

 

And snacks. I guess we will have to plan snacks. They do love popcorn.

 

They do like yogurt, and I do have a yogurt maker ... but I haven't yet managed to make yogurt in a way that they will like it. I love it plain, but they do not. Any tips on making yummy, fruit-sweetened yogurt?

 

My kids don't eat much vegetables, and the probably to eat too much fruit. Frankly, I'm lazy, and have never wanted to do the work of getting them to eat more vegetables. Still, generally they'll eat carrots and broccoli, at least, and some salad. It is also possible that we can make smoothies with veggies in them for snacks ... I used to make my kids smoothies every day, but it became a pain, and I stopped.

 

I will still have to manage to buy some of my special items, like rice milk. It is even possible that going back to eating much wheat/dairy will make me ill again, but I'll work with that if it happens.

 

If you are on a tight budget, how do you handle bulk items? What if the cost of the bulk item is a significant chunk of your budget that week?

 

Like Amy and Doran, we're used to good food ... high quality, gourmet, eating for pleasure. I used to say we'd never skimp on the food, but now it's not really a choice.

 

Does baking bread really provide a savings over storebought, if you do not grind your own grains? I can buy flour in bulk ...

[Julie in CA]

If there's a Craigslist in your area, or if there's a small-town newspaper with inexpensive classified ads, post an ad:

"Growing family looking for unpicked fruit. We will pick your tree for you if you don't mind sharing just a bit of the harvest with us." (or something like that).

Then, make sure you learn how to properly preserve (either by canning or freezing) what you've picked.

If no one responds to your ad, the next place to try would be a local senior center or local churches. Definitely make it clear that you will pick fruit for the owner of the tree, in return for just a fraction of the harvest, and that it will be to feed your own family, not to sell. Leave a half-size hand-printed flyer at each place you visit, so that they have your number, but realize you're not a slick professional looking to take advantage of them. There is wasted fruit on trees in every town, you just have to find it. Once you've "cultivated" a few sources, keep their names/numbers on your calendar in the right season, so that next year in June you call the person with an apricot tree, next year in July you call the person with a peach tree, etc. It sounds like a bit of work in the beginning, and it is, but has financial benefits that will start immediately and last many years.

As a happy side effect, you can often meet some REALLY nice folks this way!

[Jayne J]

Does baking bread really provide a savings over storebought, if you do not grind your own grains? I can buy flour in bulk ...

 

 

Just my 2cents but....yup. Especially if you usually buy good quality whole wheat/grain type breads. Around here (NW PA) a loaf of 12 grain or whole wheat type bread runs about 2.50-3.50 a loaf. I can make 2 loaves of whole wheat honey bread for about 2.50, so that's about half price. My loaves are just a bit smaller than store bought, but i can slice them thinner and get the same number of sandwiches out of a loaf. Also, if I were willing to use sugar instead of honey, I could cut the numbers down even more--about 2.00 per 2 loaves. The key is buying the ingredients in bulk,(and finding the right recipe--some use greater amounts of expensive ingredients etc.) . You can also add things like sunflower seeds, ground flax seed, poppy seed, other flours and grains etc if you can find them inexpensively for a multi-grain bread, but that pushes the price up, so do the math to decide if it's really a savings--oatmeal is usually a good cheap addition to boost nutrition.

Back when bread was .79 a loaf, it didn't work, but now...

[Alice]

I know you are here in Northern Virginia (or moving here soon, right?). Have you tried the Korean or Asian grocery stores in this area? The produce is cheap, cheap, cheap. It's amazing how much of a savings it is. I don't know exactly where you are...the biggest, nicest one I know of is Super H Mart in Fairfax. http://www.hmart.com/ourstore/ourstore_main.asp#va. But there are others around...If you want to PM or e-mail me and tell me where you are I might be able to give you a recommendation of something closer to you. My dh is Chinese and loves these stores.

[laughing lioness]

I didn't have time to read all of the posts so don't know if this has been suggested or not. We cut out liqued milk. We could easily go through a gal a day and at $4 a gal it can be a huge chunck of our food budget. We have been using powdered milk from Sams and /or powdered soy milk from the health food store.

Also, garden- I know it's been suggested but even just one crop- we have a bumper crop of lettuce this year-it's saving us $5 a week x 9 wks (conservative) = $45. We also grow herbs- VERY easy to succeed at- thyme, basil (think Pesto = ), parsley, etc. And anyone can grow tomatoes- my goal this year is a years worth of spag sauce and protection from Somanella -lol

[Jenny in Florida]

I"m always surprised to hear this. Now, i've never been to BJ's - keep saying i'm going to pop in when i'm "in town" and never get there.

 

But the money i save at Costco for meat, cheese, butter and 100% juice alone pays for the membership (not to mention TP & paper towels, i LOVE the kirkland paper towels - we still have some left and i bought them 4 months ago!).

 

Well, that's probably why I don't do as well at these places: We don't eat meat, cheese (well, my husband eats a bit) or butter, and I don't use paper towels.

 

Now, I agree that I could save the cost of the membership by buying at BJ's only the few items on which I do save money: orange juice, bananas, frozen strawberries . . . That's all I can think of at the moment. However, it's just not practical to buy only those things there and then still do the bulk of my shopping elsewhere. It's out of the way, a direction I don't usually go, with a parking lot that is difficult to get into and out of in traffic. And, as others have mentioned, the more times one goes to the store in a week or a month, the more items one tends to buy that might otherwise not get bought.

 

So, for me, "saving" the cost of membership is only the beginning of the discussion.

[ereks mom]

I shop at Save-A-Lot for everything but meat, which I buy on sale at Kroger or Ingle's.

 

I cook "meat-stretcher meals": casseroles, soups, or stews made with 1 lb. of meat or less plus vegetables and either rice, beans, or pasta, and I often serve homemade rolls, biscuits, or cornbread.

 

Meat

I buy meat only when it's on sale; my policy is to spend under $2 per lb. for meat. I buy frozen fish, hot dogs (made from chicken), ground beef, turkey ham, turkey smoked sausage, canned salmon, tuna, chicken, and sometimes pork loin, turkey breast, or beef roast when it's on sale in my price range. I guess my "splurge" would be the 1-lb. package of thin-sliced sandwich meat ($3). Dh & ER are hunters, so we usually have at least a little bit of venison in the freezer.

 

Fruits & Vegetables

I buy fresh cabbage, carrots, celery, bell peppers, onions, potatoes, apples, and bananas. I buy canned tomatoes, beans and green peas, and peaches and/or pears (packed in juice, not syrup). I buy frozen green beans, broccoli, and lima beans. Each summer my FIL has a garden and we get summer produce for our freezer, such as peas/beans, corn, squash, okra.

 

Dairy/Eggs/Juice

I buy cheese, margarine, milk ($4 per gallon here), sour cream, and eggs. I sometimes buy orange juice or apple juice when it's on sale.

 

Other

I buy peanut butter, jelly, sugar, flour, coffee, oatmeal, grits (a Southern staple :)), rice, pasta, store brand/generic cold cereal (only when it's $2 per box or less), bread or buns, and condiments (catsup, mustard, BBQ sauce, mayonnaise, pickles), graham crackers, saltines or snack crackers, tortilla chips, and tortillas. If there's enough money, I occasionally buy a few "extras" if they're on sale or CHEAP, such as Wal-Mart’s 98¢ cookie assortment.

 

Of course, I don't buy all of these things in one shopping trip; I buy some here and there so that I can stay within my budget, which varies from $25-$50 per week, depending on dh's income. It takes planning and some extra work because most of what I cook is from scratch. I would like to add more fresh fruits, but in general, I think we eat a pretty healthy diet. I plan for a protein, a starch, and at least one fruit or vegetable for each meal.

[Mama Lynx]

If you were to list the items on the shelves of your fridge and pantry right now (unless you're down to next to nothing here at the end of the month), including brand names, that might help a few of us or maybe you figure out where you might find savings from among your food choices. For example (and this one will not apply, I'm sure), for awhile I was buying Terra Chips for my oldest because she was limiting wheat/gluten products and those seemed like a tasty alternative to corn chips. I didn't really recognize, until some frequency of buying those dang things, that they cost almost $5/bag! Same for a six pack of Mike's. The stuff is fun, but Ye Gods it's pricey! That's what I meant about paying closer attention. I'm not bad at noticing the prices of some things, but if it's someone's favorite, I'm more apt to buy it without thinking so hard about what it costs, you know?

 

So, would you feel too exposed to post a list? I could do the same. I'm sure I'd find numerous products that "ought to go". Or, perhaps some of us could brainstorm other areas that merit a revamp instead of food. I'm really very curious about all this because when you live pretty frugally already, but still want to figure out how/where to trim costs, it's awfully difficult.

 

I would not feel too exposed ... but I'm not sure how representative it would be right now. We're moving next Monday :D So I've been eating down our pantry, and getting rid of things.

 

Let's see ... in my pantry are ... tortilla chips, Tostitos brand, but their natural brand. I'm sure that's pricier than we should be spending. So good, though :) Popcorn for the air popper. Cereal (oh, you don't want to know. I've been buying organic cereal for the kids.) Oats - rolled and steel cut. Grits. Puffed amaranth cereal (mine, but I don't have to buy it again).

 

Rice noodles - easy and gluten-free, though low on nutrition. Brown rice.

 

Quinoa and whole wheat noodles of various kinds. Lentils and split peas.

 

Baking goods - cocoa, sugar, honey, agave nectar, baking chocolate, flours (all high-quality, mostly organic, wheat and non/wheat). Two bags of cornmeal, for some reason. Brown sugar. Maple syrup. Shortening, cornstarch, baking powder (non-aluminum), raisins, kosher salt, all kinds of spices

 

Balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, coconut oil, olive oil, safflower oil, molasses

 

Dinty Moore Beef Stew, some Amy's soups, potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, Vidalia onions, dried figs, garlic, sunflower seeds, fruit-sweetened jelly, dates, canned salmon, canned tuna, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, olives, whole wheat bread (with no high fructose corn syrup), canned tomatoes, canned green beans, canned peaches (favorite child snack), canned artichoke hearts, canned pizza sauce.

 

Red Fire bars :)

 

Everything is high quality, with no hfcs, and few if any artificial additives.

 

In the fridge are lettuce/bag salads, carrots, cucumber, zucchini, celery, cheese, milk (usu. Organic Valley), rice milk, yogurt (Stonyfield Farms), pepperoni, peanut butter (peanuts only), Sunbutter, butter, eggs, lemons, lunchmeat, soy sauce, salad dressings, condiments ... often I have leaf spinach in there for salads ... cream cheese ... tortillas, salsa, avocadoes, lime juice

 

In the freezer are frozen berries, frozen veggies, turkey burgers, meats, flour when I buy in bulk

 

On the counter are apples, bananas, and a spaghetti squash :) And, alas, a jug of cheap wine.

 

No juices or soda. We drink water, tea, and we make lemonade. In the winter I buy hot cocoa mix for the kids.

 

What's there now is already partially a result of cutting back and buying differently.

[GVD22]

So how did you do it? I've never used coupons much ... have never worked out a good system for doing so.

 

I sent you a PM.

[EndsWell]

I am finding this a fascinating thread. I just mapped Aldi's and see that there are 2 within 20 miles of me. I am going to check it out. Thank you for all the great ideas here.

[Spy Car]

Apologies in advance Mama Lynx, because I glean you have a problem with some beans, but perhaps the best way most people can both improve the quality of their family members health AND cut costs at the same time is to make whole-grains (especially brown-rice), some form of beans, and fresh vegetables the backbone of our diets. And add to that fruits, nuts, soups, and perhaps fish, fowl and small amounts of meat.

 

It's the "processed" foods that tend to break the budget and to undermine health. It's possible to have a "win/win" by eating "better" and less expensively. Cutting coupons, or shopping at Sam's to buy unhealthy "processed" less expensively only solves one part of the food equation. As we strive to feed our children's' minds...so should we be mindful of nourishing their growing bodies.

 

If the tone above sounds "preachy" I beg forbearance.

 

Standing down from my soap-box.

 

Bill (who will sign-off saying a "crock-pot" can be your friend) :001_smile:

[H.S. Burrow]

1.) Started making our own bread...including the grinding of wheat berries into flour....put 1 cup in your blender and visit the board for a few minutes and presto....you have flour!

 

2.) I purchase most everything at Wal-Mart (don't have a Costco or other type store near). I have just this month started dividing my purchases into 2 separate transactions. One is for FOOD ONLY and the other is for ANYTHING that cannot be eaten. This has helped us to *see* where our money is going....those darn codes on the receipt can be difficult to decypher!

 

3.) I purchase the meat on sale at two of our local, smaller grocery stores and make up several meals each week and put them in the freezer. For instance last week whole, boneless pork loin was on sale for $1.77 a pound. I purchased one and divided it into 7 different meals and froze them. Each week, I purchase one of whatever meat is on sale. The only thing that I will pay more than $2 per pound for is fish.

 

4.) I ordered a menu (complete with shopping list!) from www.savingdinner.com and have also subscribed to one of their weekly menus for 1 year. I have saved all of these and adapted the ones that are our favorites to "freezer meals" so that I can make up several at a time when meat is on sale.

 

5.) I only buy cereal when it is on sale.

 

6.) I made a "Mom's Diner" menu with several of our family's favorite meals and snacks. The kids choose items off the menu for the coming week...including breakfast. I keep a container with breakfast tortilla mix (scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, sausage) and oatmeal (cooked in the crockpot once a week) in the fridge and my dh makes his own breakfast tortilla or oatmeal each morning.

 

These have really helped us with our spending on groceries. Last week I spent $137 on food and put 13 meals in the freezer.

[magistramom]

I found it inspiring to read classic books with the idea of food storage and cooking in mind. I'm surprised at what I've learned! Some call these fluff classics, but... I've enjoyed them for gleaning teeny bits about cooking and food storage: Little Women, Little Men, Oliver Twist, Little Britches, Lonesome Gods, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, My Name is Asher Lev, The Chosen, and hey, even the Little House series, American Girl series, and so on. You can expand your culinary awareness by reading books set in other countries as well (think China, India, middle ages, etc.). As I read, I've come to understand so much about food (and parenting, and herbal medicines too). I've learned about early kitchens and meal prep, canning, smoking/drying/curing, holiday meals, haying and harvest festival fixings - even how to pack a lunch pail for that one room school kids went to for part of the year:) These books have reiterated to me that even today, it is wise to have a full pantry (and storage beyond) of the basics: salt, flour, sugar, brown sugar, rice, baking powder and soda, beans, jams, corn and maple syrups, pectin, condensed milk, honey, chocolate, vanilla, spices, oils and shortenings.

 

Modern conveniences to store include: pasta, soup bases, bouillion cubes (sp?), canned soups, dressings, seasoned packets (taco, etc.), BBQ sauce, ketchup, Lipton onion packets, mustard, pickles, and exotics that you like for special meals (coconut milk, enchilada sauces, giardiniera, pie filings, - whatever).

 

Now, on to other thoughts...

Short order cooking can work if you modify the definition... 1) You don't cook, 2) All you do, is help your kids learn to assemble various items (cooking will follow). All you need to do is choose and prepare ONE item (lettuce, eggs, pasta, rice, bread, etc.) and then lay out a variety of items. For example: Say you choose lettuce. This means you will have salad as a main course for dinner. Now what you need to do is pull out out all the fixings imaginable: from dried cranberries, roasted sweet potato chips, canned oranges, pickles, cauliflower, carrots, cheese, even marinara and sloppy joe sauces. Read here...lots of leftovers... With all the fixings out, everyone can assemble what they like. You can stretch a chicken breast, ground hamburger or small steak with these salad dinners too by shredding it and pulling out different fixings (taco salad, steak and potato salad, pasta/lettuce/veggie salad, chicken/orange/sesame salad). Having a buffet for a few weeks is an easy way to clear out your refrigerator and pantry to start anew. It is also a great technique to help ween kids off of heat-n-eat meals and snacks. They begin to get in touch with their pallets and possibly, their inner creative "chefness".

 

It is an adjustment to buy the "right" bulk foods. We quit our Costco membership, partly because we are only a family of four, and do not need to buy in bulk, but mostly, because we were purchasing convenience/heat up foods high in salt and fat. We realize we are a rare breed. If this is too drastic, you could try to find someone with a membership that is willing to "club" with you (one membership, 4 families chip in). This is where you get 3-4 families together: one family is in charge of coupons and is the grocery list contact person; another person does the bulk shopping with the membership; then another person divides everything up and packages it for the other families; and a final family delivers the goods.

 

We switched to co-op buying and frequenting local veggie stands and the lesser desired rancho markets (we live in the SW where we can get tons of super fresh seasonal and non-seasonal veggies year round right out of the fields and off trucks). We also are a part of a co-op that rents out trucks that bring "down" peaches, pears, tomatoes, apples, and berries in the fall from UT and WA. These are only available in bulk - and are super ripe, meaning as soon as the truck arrives I put my canning pot on to boil. Canning in bulk is a huge PITA but the results are delicious. Try to find someone in your area to walk you through the process to help you build your confidence that everything is being done "right".

 

Try to recycle everything. Potato and root vegetable peelings are great when soaked in salt water, roasted and then dipped into homemade dips (or pepper jams/jellies). Making homemade stocks are in vogue now with all the press in cooking magazines and on cooking shows. Peelings and bones are great for the stock base (just make sure to skim the surface scum VERY often! for clarity). These stocks can be canned as well.

 

My kids love croutons, so I had them begin making homemade croutons (I make them from the ends of bread - just dry them up and saute them with oil and herbs du jour). They show up in their diets now as snack food alone or with popcorn mixed with the dregs of other snacks. I use the croutons as toppings for crock pot meals, salad toppers, and when mashed, bread crumbs.

 

I found that a lot of our fast food and heat-n-eat meals were due to not being prepared. Try preparing meal bases in advance (look on once a month cooking sites). For this, you can: make and freeze dough (e.g. small tortilla rounds that can be thawed and heat pressed; cookie doughs, bread doughs); have a bake day and freeze all the goodies; brown up 5+ lbs of hamburger and package them for the freezer; cook two chickens instead of one - prepare one for freezer meals...of course investment in a good freezer is key here...

 

Good luck! You still have a HUGE budget to work with. Enjoy making gradual healthy changes!

[Jen in PA]

We spend between $300 and $350 each month to feed a family of four, although the kids are pretty young. I refuse to skimp on produce, so I can sympathize on that one, but maybe some of what we do may be useful.

 

1. Homemade bread/muffins/cookies/oat bars. This saves us so much money and I like having control over the ingredients. I don't touch HFCS, so I find making my own stuff to be a sanity saver.

 

2. Homemade pizza with local mozzarella cheese. Yummy and so inexpensive, plus I can even sneak leftovers on as a topping.

 

3. I do let my kids have cold cereal, so long as it's store brand cornflakes or oat rings, which I can get for a buck a box. They eat them either as-is or with fruit or cinnamon sprinkled on top. I like to make up big pots of oatmeal a few times a week which makes for a quick hot breakfast if we microwave individual portions. Other weekday mornings we tend to have toast or muffins.

 

4. For weekend breakfasts we usually have eggs/quiche one morning and pancakes the other. I always make enough pancakes to reheat for at least one other morning during the week. This week I put chocolate chips in the pancakes, which made me pretty popular around here:001_smile:

 

5. We are dairy addicts, but I have really had to limit the variety in this area to stretch our budget. I buy ALDI plain nonfat yogurt and stir in fruit, nuts, honey, etc. If your kids like it really sweet, try stirring jam in instead. I love cottage cheese, but rarely buy it now that it has gotten so expensive. I can get local cheddar cheese for $3 a pound, so we eat lots of cheddar and less of the other varieties unless I hit a great sale.

 

6. I do make beans/lentils/split peas a few times a week. Lentils are nice tossed on salads this time of year, and I love almost any soup made with legumes. I add curry to a lot of things, as well as various hot sauces, so I always think of our bean meals as being pretty flavorful. I also use tofu much more than I used to, especially crumbled into things that I once used meat in, like stir fries and pasta sauces.

 

7. As for produce, I buy only what is on sale, plus lettuce. I can get red leaf lettuce pretty cheap, so I buy plenty of it each week, then build salads with whatever is a good deal (and I can't wait for my garden to start helping out a bit here!). We have salad every night, and dress it simply with olive oil, red wine vinegar, and sea salt, so I never spend money on dressings. I stock up on whatever fruit is in season, and freeze what we can't use right away. I actually love it when the store is selling super-ripe bananas for a dime a pound -- I peel and freeze them, then throw them into smoothies. My dd will not eat watermelon, but loves watermelon slushies, which are nothing more than frozen chunks of watermelon whirred around in the blender.

 

8. I buy the meat that is on sale, and that is what we eat. I would rather eat a little bit of good meat than a lot of meat that I don't trust or enjoy. I feel like we get quite a bit of protein from nuts, beans, and dairy products, so I don't worry too much about meat, although DH likes it for dinner every night. I have learned to use canned salmon where I would have used fresh in the past, and the kids now eat tuna in place of cold cuts.

 

9. I keep the pantry stocked with rice, pasta, and potatoes, and aim for at least half of our starches to be whole grains. I would personally prefer to up that percentage, but DH was raised on white bread and white rice, and I find that he is much happier when I don't push this one too far.

 

10. I am very careful about snack foods. They add so much to the grocery bill and disappear so quickly! Aside from treats I bake myself, we usually have dollar store pretzels, ALDI peanuts, and an assortment of dried fruit on hand. I keep veggies cut up and the kids like spreading peanut butter or cream cheese on them.

 

I hope something here is useful. I really think I'll be trimming even further the way the economy is headed.

[Mama Lynx]

Apologies in advance Mama Lynx, because I glean you have a problem with some beans, but perhaps the best way most people can both improve the quality of their family members health AND cut costs at the same time is to make whole-grains (especially brown-rice), some form of beans, and fresh vegetables the backbone of our diets. And add to that fruits, nuts, soups, and perhaps fish, fowl and small amounts of meat.

 

It's the "processed" foods that tend to break the budget and to undermine health. It's possible to have a "win/win" by eating "better" and less expensively. Cutting coupons, or shopping at Sam's to buy unhealthy "processed" less expensively only solves one part of the food equation. As we strive to feed our children's' minds...so should we be mindful of nourishing their growing bodies.

 

If the tone above sounds "preachy" I beg forbearance.

 

Standing down from my soap-box.

 

Bill (who will sign-off saying a "crock-pot" can be your friend) :001_smile:

 

No problem, Bill. I don't take any offense to your tone.

 

I do take into account that most of you don't "know" me. We really do eat very, very little crappy processed food. Honest. We eat whole grains (except for my weakness for rice noodles), and I'm very well-read about nutrition. It's also true that my dh and kids, though they don't eat the processed junk because it's not generally in the home, still much prefer meat over vegetables, and that part of our diet is still an uphill battle.

 

Right - I can't eat most beans ... and nuts are right out. I'm also not supposed to have eggs or dairy, and spent the last year never touching the stuff ... which meant that our meat consumption increased as it was almost the only kind of easy protein I could get. I think I can go back to eating some beans (lentils, chickpeas ... but no black beans, kidneys or pintos), and some eggs, and I've been back on dairy and wheat for a month or so without ill effect. When I can eat more of those things, I can see how it will be easier to back off the meat again. Yeast is also out, so while I can make bread for the kids (or get the kids to make bread!!), I won't be having any of that myself.

 

But I absolutely agree with you.

[Spy Car]

No problem, Bill. I don't take any offense to your tone.

 

I do take into account that most of you don't "know" me. We really do eat very, very little crappy processed food. Honest. We eat whole grains (except for my weakness for rice noodles), and I'm very well-read about nutrition. It's also true that my dh and kids, though they don't eat the processed junk because it's not generally in the home, still much prefer meat over vegetables, and that part of our diet is still an uphill battle.

 

Right - I can't eat most beans ... and nuts are right out. I'm also not supposed to have eggs or dairy, and spent the last year never touching the stuff ... which meant that our meat consumption increased as it was almost the only kind of easy protein I could get. I think I can go back to eating some beans (lentils, chickpeas ... but no black beans, kidneys or pintos), and some eggs, and I've been back on dairy and wheat for a month or so without ill effect. When I can eat more of those things, I can see how it will be easier to back off the meat again. Yeast is also out, so while I can make bread for the kids (or get the kids to make bread!!), I won't be having any of that myself.

 

But I absolutely agree with you.

 

Stephanie (Mama Lynx), I actually have the advantage of "knowing you" a little better than you might realize, as I joined TDJ several years ago, and while I seldom post there (feeling a man with an infant child didn't always have much to add) , I have had the extreme pleasure of reading many *many* of of your posts over the years (to my great benefit).

 

I'd have been shocked to learn you were living on processed foods. So I was "spouting off" in a general sence (as I'm quite guilty of doing when the subject of food and nutrition comes up).

 

I just know when we are doing our best (and we slip up), there is a whole-grain at the center of virtually every meal, beans made daily, and lot's a lot's of veggies, And then other things round the diet out. And I feel that we are eating delicious and healthful food, and still rather economically.

 

Best of luck working items back into your diet and finding things you (and your family) can eat!

 

Bill

[Mamagistra]

We really do eat very, very little crappy processed food. Honest. We eat whole grains (except for my weakness for rice noodles), and I'm very well-read about nutrition.

 

The sad truth is this: if you did start eating a bunch of cr@p, you could probably cut your food bill by half or more. :glare: That's crazy, isn't it?

 

I like your idea of having a weekly menu based on certain types of food. I am trying to get to that place myself, but I'm still too scatterbrained to make it happen.

 

I have found that by spending a few extra minutes flipping through my recipes, I've been able to better choose good meals with common items. That's probably just a basic skill for most people, but I'm only now cultivating it. :tongue_smilie: IOW if I'm purchasing fresh mint, I 'm trying to have a plan that uses it all up.

 

As another example, one versatile-but-cr@ppy item I happen to buy is partially-cooked tortillas. Those babies stand in for pita, naan, wraps...even just tortillas! :lol: Last night, they held falafel; tonight they'll hold fish tacos; by the end of the week, they'll be breakfast burritos.

 

I'm still watching this space for ideas... :D