I searched and read a ton of "budget eating" threads..........

[Joanne]

So, please understand I've done my "due diligence" and do not want to insult the hive with yet another "can't you use the search feature" post on budget eating.

 

MY thread on the topic is unique. ;);)

 

My preference would be to do a Whole30 or low carb and finally lose weight. But, that is not possible from a planning or budget or logistical standpoint right now.

 

We, and myself included, need to eat from what we have and as cheaply as possible for the foresable future. My budget has been hit, hard, and I did not anticipate the hit in order to plan. (Yes, an arguement could be made that I should always expect this particular hit :glare:).

 

Here are my particulars:

 

 

1. I don't have time to coupon.
   
2. I don't have time to cook from scratch, although I can plan meals.
   
3. I am currently not the one making meals Monday - Thursday. The kids (all teens) take turns. I am working those nights.
   
4. I eat all my meals M-Th "out". My schedule is rather, um, cumbersome. If it is pertinent, I can post it. Or you can trust me.
   

 

 

At 2 of my jobs, I have access to refrigeration (limited space) and microwaves.

 

The kids are not "picky" but are not exotic, ethnic (unless you count some Mexican food) food eaters. Meat, starch, veggies for them.

 

Oh, and your ideas for adding protein to oatmeal are welcome. I have a lot of packages of instant Quaker that I need to use but carb-based meals are counter productive to me.

 

So, suggestions for shopping? Planning?

[happypamama]

Mix eggs with the oatmeal and make baked oatmeal? And/or mix yogurt with the oatmeal?

 

On a really tight budget, I'd be making a lot of beans (and I really feel for you with the wanting to be low carb and just not having it be financially realistic). Dried, for the absolute cheapest thing -- maybe you can cook up a big batch when you have a few hours at home, and then use them in meals for several days?

[Joanne]

Mix eggs with the oatmeal and make baked oatmeal? And/or mix yogurt with the oatmeal?

 

On a really tight budget, I'd be making a lot of beans (and I really feel for you with the wanting to be low carb and just not having it be financially realistic). Dried, for the absolute cheapest thing -- maybe you can cook up a big batch when you have a few hours at home, and then use them in meals for several days?

 

That brings up a good point that I'd like to hear about in my thread. I'm totally open to beans/rice ideas. I'd prefer brown rice for more nutrition. I could buy the bagged (non instant) kind and cook in batch. But things like beans? At what point is it "worth it" in terms of time to buy bulk? The canned store brand beans can appear fairly cheap (and bean products such as refried, which the boys will eat like ice cream).

 

I already believe/think that making my own spaghetti sauce is not a budget AND life friendly effort. I'd like to discuss other considerations in that regard.

 

I'd especially welcome "salad" options that are healthy, inexpensive, keep and travel well. Might as well ask for the Holy Grail. ;)

 

Oh, and I am personally not a lentil fan.

[LibraryLover]

Can you check your mail flyers for loss leaders while you're in the bathroom? ;) It is nice to know who is selling peanut butter for a dollar off that week. Who is selling cheddar cheese at a loss etc. This week, a local store is selling grass feed ground beef for 4.99/lb (still high), instead of 5.99/lb. I get that is off your budget currently, but there are other meat sales. I noticed store brand deli ham is on sale as well.

 

Mambo Spouts used to send coupons (for organics) in the mail. I don't get those anymore. I don't know if they no longer mail things, or if my sub expired.

 

Some coupons are easy. You search a date and product, and sometimes you'll find a coupon for it. There were some Organic Valley cheese coupons available last week. It only took a couple of minutes to find and print.

 

You're in a jam. I'm sorry. It's so easy & pretty cheap to make up some pasta for dinner after a long day, but that doesn't work for low carbing folks. I've often just eaten the meat sauce with a salad while others in the family have the pasta. Or I skip the sauce and have tuna, avocado, cheese, or a few almonds on my salad, with my own dressing.

 

Avocados are good, although often costly. Eggs, tuna, chicken thighs with skin tend to be more affordable. (Although tuna has skyrocketed.) When you see good sales, try to buy one extra? Although that's difficult on a limited budget.

 

I just noticed you sauce issue. :) Muir Glen has .50 and .60 coupons available this week. Not bad, if your store doubles coupons. I often make very simple sauces from cans of cooked diced or crushed tomatoes. Store brands are often fairly inexpensive. Sauteed onion, garlic, salt pepper, even half a lb of ground meat can make a very nice and quick sauce. If you buy half and half or cream for your coffee, add a swirl of the dairy to the sauce. It gives a nice rich flavor. The more fat in the meat, the tastier the sauce. ;) The fattier meat is also cheaper.

 

I am not saying anything you don't already know, but here is what I tend to eat for lunch:

 

Salads with some protein

Hard boiled eggs

Egg salad in a bowl,with lettuce, or egg salad in lettuce

Munster cheese and turkey roll ups (lettuce leaves are great for rollups)

Raw or sauteed tofu (I love it. The super-firm kind. I love the tang. lol)

Tuna with veggies (in celery or green pepper) or with a salad

A few almonds

Leftover chicken (we raise chickens for eggs and meat)

A couple of tortilla chips crushed on top of black beans, a little shredded chicken, topped with a little salsa and cheese. Microwave a couple of minutes to melt cheese. Top with a little full fat plain yogurt (taste like sour cream, which I like more than actual sour cream). It's not the lowest carb, but it does satisfy. I do this when I am craving toast or a can of Pringles. ;) (Sugar is not my problem, salty, tangy foods are.)

Full fat cottage cheese

Hummus in lettuce (a couple of teaspoons is pretty low carb)

Tablespoon of nut butter with 1/2 apple.

 

I often make soups without starch. A really rich broth (for us, usually chicken broth), crushed tomatoes, kale, chard, carrots, cabbage/whatever, onions, garlic etc is my Italian veggie soup without the pasta. ;) I've also made chicken soup without rice or noodles. :) Veggie stir fry with meat, but no rice or noodles is also low carb. You can make the pasta or rice on the side for the kids, or take your portion out before adding the starch.

Edited October 15, 2012 by LibraryLover

[elegantlion]

I can't do a lot of beans, but we eat a lot of rice. On some evenings that is all I eat. I've tried many toppings, include plain butter, salt and pepper. Pesto on rice isn't bad.

 

For protein to oatmeal you could add in peanut butter.

 

You could also hard boil some eggs and have at the ready.

 

My guys like potato and onions. Cut up some potatoes, slice some white onion, and let cook on the stovetop for about 30-40 minutes.

 

We've been paying more attention to sauces, spices, and condiments, using them with basic ingredients.

 

BBQ chicken wraps is one we do. Cook chicken breasts (I do frozen) cut up and saute in BBQ sauce. Serve in tortilla wraps with a side of rice.

 

When our budget is tight, I try to stick with things I know we like and rotate them.

[elegantlion]

 

I'd especially welcome "salad" options that are healthy, inexpensive, keep and travel well. Might as well ask for the Holy Grail. ;)

 

 

Pasta salad. Cook egg noodles or rotini and add in Italian dressing. Serve chilled.

 

Other salad additives. Mandarin oranges (canned), mushrooms (also canned), dried cranberries. You could even break up tortilla chips for added crunch.

 

If you had something like a bento box you could keep the soggy ingredients separate from the lettuce, it would stay fresher longer.

[Twigs]

Can you children make double or triple batches when they cook and freeze in individual portions for you?

 

Besh wishes :grouphug:

[DawnM]

The Eat Clean Diet (Tosca Reno) calls her way of eating "cooler eating" because she advocates always having a decent cooler with you with clean foods. Cut veggies, boiled eggs, even whole foods pizza if you don't mind eating it cold. Pre-cooked chicken breasts, brown rice, that sort of thing.

 

[MrsBasil]

That brings up a good point that I'd like to hear about in my thread. I'm totally open to beans/rice ideas. I'd prefer brown rice for more nutrition. I could buy the bagged (non instant) kind and cook in batch. But things like beans? At what point is it "worth it" in terms of time to buy bulk? The canned store brand beans can appear fairly cheap (and bean products such as refried, which the boys will eat like ice cream).

 

I already believe/think that making my own spaghetti sauce is not a budget AND life friendly effort. I'd like to discuss other considerations in that regard.

 

I'd especially welcome "salad" options that are healthy, inexpensive, keep and travel well. Might as well ask for the Holy Grail. ;)

 

Oh, and I am personally not a lentil fan.

 

Have you seen these salads in a jar?

 

http://www.thekitchn.com/salad-in-a-jar-make-a-week-of-lunches-173014

 

A friend does them(a real life person) and swears by them.

 

We failed low carb due, but when we did I made the "fast food" salads from a low carb website, but ti wouldn't meet your Whole 30 criteria or tight budget criteria, I don't believe. 1/4-1/2 pound meat per salad, but everything else was cheap enough...

 

They did travel well though. I made them the night before, my husband left for work around 3a and ate them around 1-2. Said they were great.

I have a child to attend to, but if you're curious I can dig up the link later.

[LucyStoner]

Do you have a Costco? Cheap salad fixings can be found there.

 

I find beans cheapest in the 25 pound bags of dry whole beans at Cash and Carry (bulk restaurant supplier). They also have killer cheese deals.

 

What about using a crockpot to make split pea, chicken or turkey soup? Chili?

 

Unless you have free tomatos, it is not all that cost effective to make homemade spaghetti sauce. 20 pounds of tomatoes gets about 4 quarts of sauce and if I am lucky, I get 4 quarts of sauce form that. A big jar of sauce can be bought for $1-3 on sale without coupons and 20 pounds of fresh tomatoes are going to run $17-25 before any of the seasonings and veggies. I do it for fun/taste reasons, not money. But until we have our own tomatoes, I frequently resort to sprucing up a jar of barilla. So don't worry about not doing it from a cost perspective.

[happypamama]

That brings up a good point that I'd like to hear about in my thread. I'm totally open to beans/rice ideas. I'd prefer brown rice for more nutrition. I could buy the bagged (non instant) kind and cook in batch. But things like beans? At what point is it "worth it" in terms of time to buy bulk? The canned store brand beans can appear fairly cheap (and bean products such as refried, which the boys will eat like ice cream).

 

I already believe/think that making my own spaghetti sauce is not a budget AND life friendly effort. I'd like to discuss other considerations in that regard.

 

I'd especially welcome "salad" options that are healthy, inexpensive, keep and travel well. Might as well ask for the Holy Grail. ;)

 

Oh, and I am personally not a lentil fan.

 

I agree with you about the spaghetti sauce. Unless I grow the tomatoes myself, I'm pretty happy with the brand of jarred sauce I buy; it's not got anything weird in it, including HFCS, and it's cheap.

 

One of our grocery stores has bagged salad mixes with "this goes well with X, Y, and Z ingredients, plus Q dressing with the recipe on the back," so I buy those when they're on sale, and I've found some good varieties. We also eat a lot of homemade Caesar salad, and it travels pretty decently.

 

Chickpeas go well in a salad and add some protein.

 

Re: the beans. I guess it's probably a little cheaper if you buy dried ones in bulk. If you're just buying a bag or two at a time, the canned ones probably aren't that much more expensive.

[elfgivas]

:grouphug: it takes me back, way back..... what i did was to spend one half day every two weeks and bulk cook and freeze..... i froze things in serving portions so i could "grab and go". (i was working 80+ hours a week, working on a masters and single parenting....). there was little money, and even less time. you are a survivor, so i know you can do this. :grouphug:

 

ann

[MrsBasil]

I make these tacos style lentils and rice a lot. They are filling and even my husband(very into meat and potatoes) likes them.

 

http://www.food.com/recipe/taco-style-lentils-rice-455319

 

You can eat them as a casserole or use them in place of taco meat. When the budget was really tight the toppings were salsa and sour cream. I had WIC, so I made my salsa but....cheap salsa is tasty! Mine relies on canned tomatoes and a few other ingredients, easy for a teen but they might not thinks so. Sour cream I can get for $1 when it's on sale.

 

You could have tacos one night and reheat it as a casserole at work. It travels well and lentils don't require the long soaking times that other beans do. It's worth it to buy lentils dried, IMO.

[Mergath]

Have you ever made the 15-bean soup that you can buy in most grocery stores? All you need is the bag of beans, a ham steak, a can of diced tomatoes, onions, lemon juice, and maybe one or two other things I'm forgetting. It's pretty forgiving though, and if you use the quick-cooking method, it's ready in a couple hours. It makes a huge pot of soup, too, and is extremely filling. I make it when I want something healthy but not labor intensive. It's the perfect partner for one of the discounted baguettes in the day-old section of the bakery. ;)

[justamouse]

Cook some garbanzo beans with your macaroni sauce, add some hot pepper flakes, and you have a classic poor man's pasta that my family *loves* pasta ceci.

 

I'm another that says Costco, if you can. I can't say enough about how it's given me wiggle room back in my food budget. We were spending so much and it was getting us so little at the local grocery store. Then I decided to just pay for the extra gas (it's a 15 minute drive for me) and go to costco, and wow, the difference is night and day. We're not only eating better than we were--but I have $ left for yarn and stuff (before I was cutting it down to the last dollar on my budget). Esp for your family, it would work.

 

20 pounds of organic carrots for 5 bucks, 6 romaine for 4$, it's amazing.

[Amy in NH]

I assume by eating out you mean taking your dinner with you? If not, plan for an extra serving of food each dinner and bring it with you the next night to work. Have the kids serve it directly into a portable storage container before they serve themselves so that they don't accidentally eat it all. Actually eating out is so very expensive and usually unhealthy.

[LibraryLover]

I know cost is an issue, but this is one list of low carb veggies for salads, stir fry, soup etc

 

 

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/whatveg.htm

[justLisa]

I would suggest along with the recipes and food advice, that you also count your calories. You don't have to do it forever. Just take a day or two, and go to fitday.com and log your food plans for the day. Measure out and make sure you know how much you are eating. If you do it for a day or two you can get a good idea.

 

Do you like canned tuna? I eat a lot of it. It is a good lean and cheap source of protein. I like to take canned tuna, a bit of minced onion, some relish, celery, and mayo and eat it on top of lettuce. Or you can get low carb wraps.

 

Cold rice and bean salads.

 

Black beans and brown rice. You can jazz them up a million different ways.

 

Asian flavors: diced carrot, bell pepper, green onions, bit of grated garlic/ginger, soy sauce ( I use Braggs), juice of a orange or lemon and drizzle of honey, sesame oil.

 

Mexican flavors: can of green chilies, a bit of tomato sauce, cheese.

 

I like Tuscan white bean soup. That is easy and cheap.

 

I could feed myself for next to nothing. It's the rest of them that tend to need the variety and more animal proteins.

 

If you have Costco that is a great place to buy veggies.

 

And rotissiere chicken. You can find them already cooked for pretty cheap. You can stretch a chicken pretty far.

[Joanne]

Just a quick note that I am going to give up Whole30 or Low Carb while my budget is this low, so you can skew your answers to including grains. :)

 

Trying to pull off low carb or Whole 30 given my specifics at this point would be too stressful. That makes me want to eat. ;)

[Joanne]

Do you like canned tuna? I eat a lot of it. It is a good lean and cheap source of protein. I like to take canned tuna, a bit of minced onion, some relish, celery, and mayo and eat it on top of lettuce. Or you can get low carb wraps.

 

.

 

I am not actually going to try to lose weight during this time. If it happens, bonus, but I can't focus on it. We are in survival mode.

 

I do like tuna, and was thinking of getting tuna on sale and making Linda Sue's Tuna Muffins (a popular low carb recipe).

 

Come to think of it, crack slaw would be an inexpensive travel meal for me, too.

[justamouse]

If you have Costco that is a great place to buy veggies.

 

And rotissiere chicken. You can find them already cooked for pretty cheap. You can stretch a chicken pretty far.

 

:iagree:

 

I get three meals for MY family out of 2 rotisserie chickens. (they are 4.99 at Costco). I use the organic froz veggies, and rice to round out the meal.

 

first night we eat it as roast chicken, second night I make what we fondly call chicken slop (of which all the ingredients are bought at Costco) :

 

garlic, onions, mushrooms sauteed, add leftover chicken (keep the carcass) and a little bit of water to make it brothy, add froz veggies. When that is done simmering, I top it with heavy cream, stink cheese, and pour it over pasta. If I have the time and energy, I throw the mix into a casserole dish, top with buttered breadcrumbs and bake.

 

the third night I make pasta fagioli by making a broth with the carcasses, then adding grated carrots, beans, and small pasta.

 

10 for chickens.

6. for organic froz veggies (it's a HUGE bag easily 2-3 meals)

4. for a qt of mushrooms

2. for pasta (they sell pasta in 6 lb bundles, for 6 bucks)

3.5 for qt of heavy cream

1. for beans

4. for a 10 pound bag of blue ribbon rice

5 for 20 pounds of carrots

 

so, roughly 35 dollars for three meals-, and we always eat the leftovers for lunch the next day, so it's technically 33 dollars for 6 meals (and that's feeding 8 of us, though only 7 for lunches-so it'd go further for you).

Edited October 14, 2012 by justamouse

[LibraryLover]

What I noticed on sale at the market this week:

 

Cabbage

Butternut squash

Cheddar cheese

Store brand pasta sauce

Some pastas; I think the store brand was .79/lb, and it's been rare to see any pasta that low

Deli ham

Certain peanut butter (My mother buys large tubs of Teddy brand to distribute at a family food pantry. Which reminds me- have you considered this? My mother says she never asks income questions. Whoever comes in, gets food. My mom has gotten local places to donate basics- bags of apples, canned beans, canned chicken and tuna, eggs etc.; items folks can prepare with minimum fuss and resources.)

 

Other items I see that are not too $ are:

 

Chicken thighs (seems to consistently be the best buy)

Dry or canned store brand beans

Eggs

I don't recall the brand, but boxed flavored rice at $1 each. I would think a bag of dry rice would end up being less costly, per serving, but not as quick.

Edited October 14, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Karen in CO]

Joanne, when I worked 12 hour weekend shifts, I'd often take a sweet potato to microwave for lunch along with making sure the family saved my portion of dinner for my next day's dinner.

 

Something that makes an easy single-person meal that lasts a couple of days is a can of black beans drained and mixed with a can of seasoned, diced tomatoes. Mix them together and microwave - you can always toss in some grated cheese on top. It is good with corn chips.

 

I've been doing a lot of crockpot recipes lately because I have free time for meal prep in the morning, but no time between the end of my workday and dinner. We get the LARGE bags of frozen chicken breast strips at Costco because they are the most versatile. An example of an easy, kid friendly meal is chicken pieces (enough for how ever big the family is), either chopped fresh brocolli or frozen chopped broccoli, two or three cups of chicken broth and parmesan cheese (amount deepends on how strong you want the flavor). It is good served over rice, noodles or potatoes.

 

We also have a weekly taco/burrito night. Taco meat can be cooked in the crockpot too - a pound or two frozen ground beef with a cup of water, a can or two of beans and taco seasoning cooked all day turns out great of somebody can stir it a few times. It also makes great leftovers for lunch.

[nmoira]

.I'd especially welcome "salad" options that are healthy, inexpensive, keep and travel well. Might as well ask for the Holy Grail. ;)

This salad keeps well dressed for at least two days, and IMHO it tastes better on days 2 and 3 than fresh made. Kale holds up well in a bagged lunch.

 

http://www.marthastewart.com/342168/lemony-kale-salad

[Unicorn.]

Do you have access to a microwave at work? You can work around the refrigeration by throwing leftover supper meals into the freezer, pulling them out in the morning, put them in an insulated "lunch box" and it would have the added benefit of keeping your lunch cold. It should defrost by suppertime, w/out any worry of going bad.

 

Dh takes salads to work every day. Iceberg lettuce, baby spinach, 1/2 cucumber, sliced carrots, and he adds nuts (walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds) and sometimes peas (frozen petite peas), and hard boiled eggs. He also grills chicken on the weekends, and then freezes those to pull out when he needs some. He either throws the grilled chicken, or occasionally canned chicken or tuna on his salad.

 

Time savers: On weekend- slice the week's carrots (use food processor if you have one) and store in Rubbermaid containers in fridge. You can do a few days worth of cucumber and other veggies too. Boil a dozen eggs; for salad or as main protein for meal, or snack.

 

I know you are trying to go low carb, but don't give up the healthy carbs- avoid pasta and bread, as they have no nutritional value. Keep the beans and healthy fruits and veggies.

 

Lentils- I'm not big on these either; alone. Adding them to ground meat for chili, hamburgers, sloppy joes, soups, etc. can stretch your protein, and usually you can't tell they are in there!

 

Hummus is easy and cheaper to make than buy. I make a taco flavor that everyone likes- 1 can chickpeas, drained, reserve water. Blend in food processor, add a bit of the water back in to make smooth. You can add a bit of olive oil too, but isn't necessary. Add in taco seasonings (pkg or your own) to taste. Start w/ about 2 tsp. and go from there. Or do the above, and add in a couple of tsps of sesame oil, and some sauteed garlic.

 

Refried beans- make some pinto beans in the crock-pot, and again, run them through the food processor and add seasonings-chili powder, cumin, some garlic and onion, jalapenos, whatever.

 

I buy Eckridge (sp) skinless sausage to make budget friendly, and quick and easy, meals. I make a version of a French cassoulet, w/ sliced and quartered saus., 15 bean soup (throw away the flavor pck, and soak overnight first), carrots (one per person), onion, garlic, and tomato sauce, and then season to your liking.

 

Another great dish to do w/ sausage is caramelized onion, sliced sausage, throw in sliced apples and/or pears, some lemon juice, and a tsp or two of brown sugar. Serve w/ a green vegetable. I adapted it, but original recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-sausages-with-caramelized-onions-and-apples/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

[Mekanamom]

:grouphug: I'm sorry you are going though all this!

 

When we really had to watch the food budget, I found that shopping almost exclusively at Costco and making almost exclusively crock pot meals saved us the most money.

 

The appliances that I relied on the most: an extra freezer (Costco sized items are not small... Although with teens you may go through the items faster than we did with younger kids!); 2 crockpots, a rice maker, and a bread machine.

 

With those things I was able to make food from scratch without putting more time than I had into doing it. And buying bulk ingredients is so much less expensive (and healthier) than buying the finished product, even at Costco. Certainly not suggesting you go out and buy extra stuff when things are so tight; but if you already have them or can find them cheap, they were really life savers for our household.

 

Crock pot cooking especially helped. With two of them you can get a main dish and a side dish or you can double up portions easily so that there are leftovers for lunch the next day. You also don't have to buy the best cuts of meat; pretty much anything is going to be tender after 8 hours on low. ;)

[Jane in NC]

This salad keeps well dressed for at least two days, and IMHO it tastes better on days 2 and 3 than fresh made. Kale holds up well in a bagged lunch.

 

http://www.marthastewart.com/342168/lemony-kale-salad

 

Question for you: I usually saute kale. Does the dressing make it less tough or does one need to use a particular variety of kale?

[nmoira]

Question for you: I usually saute kale. Does the dressing make it less tough or does one need to use a particular variety of kale?

 

I haven't tried it with red or super curly kale, just plain green. I assiduously trim off the sturdier ribs before ripping the kale.

[justLisa]

Also store brand frozen veggies are cheap and quick.

[MrsBasil]

Oops, disregard the taco rice/lentil recipe. I didn't see the part about you not being a lentil fan. Sorry!

[Murphy101]

Black beans are healthier and tastier in our opinion. None of us will eat any other kind.

 

Are you wanting recipes or grocery list or??

 

I do a lot, but every time I've tried sharing it seems to overwhelm.

 

I completely agree about balancing time against money and reality.

 

ETA: Argh!! Why is the board putting those red thumbs on my posts?!

[happypamama]

Also, depending on your area, if you already have a chest freezer and a friend who hunts, you might ask the friend to share some meat with you. Sometimes hunters enjoy hunting and can legally get more deer than their family can actually use, so they might donate it to someone else who can use it.

[Murphy101]

Long grain rice in bulk is cheaper than minute rice and only takes about 20 minutes.

 

Scrap recipes stretch the budget, balance out carbs and are often quick. (jambalya, pot pie, soups, stews..)

 

I don't know what you mean by not cooking from scratch. I don't think I do, but I just can't afforded most boxed foods.

 

Meals that don't need tending are easy cooking even for teens.

Season a chicken and shove in the oven.

Crock pot meals

 

Cold oatmeal is a quick yummy breakfast or lunch on the go.

 

I'm willing share recipes and menus. :)

[airforcefamily]

Not sure if it was mentioned already but crock pot meals are easy to put together when you have time then leave. What about leftovers for lunch? Just put some in a container, put the container the fridge at work, then microwave.

[Susan C.]

Hmmmm, she said low carb..... beans, pasta, rice are not low carb!

 

I am home, but driving like crazy with a sleep deprived college freshman living at home and going to local university. This is very simple and not exciting, but it gets the job done.

 

Make large salads. Either get bagged lettuce BOGO or get fresh and rinse and put in plastic ware for the week. Lunch and dinner are meat and salad. I buy deli chickens a lot, and alternate with hamburger patties made on the stove. Lunch would be leftover meat in the salad (or chicken breasts made for a few days bought on sale). I get cheese on sale to grate in the salads, and buy salad dressings ahead when there is a BOGO deal. My grocery store has a large table right when you come in with BOGO deals, I check it first every time I go. I get $1 jars of peanut butter, and $1 jars of spaghetti sauce, under $1 pasta, a little over $1 brownie mixes. I buy bakery bread, cheaper and tastes better (for sandwiches).

 

I clip coupons, but then end up at the store without them. I might as well throw them all away!

 

Definitely get a cooler and refreezable ice (get 2 for days you forget to put it back in the freezer) for lunch, snacks, bottled waters bought in bulk. You will get the cooler money back in less than a month. If there is a premade salad in the frig, and cold meat, then all you have to do is grab.

[dbmamaz]

didnt read the entire thing, but when i was a starving (vegetarian) student, my core food was brown rice and lentils cooked together. They are a complete protein and very cheap. YOu can probably cook them in a rice cooker. put ANYTHING over them for a complete meal . . . veggies cooked however, spag sauce and cheese, meat and gravy, anything. not low carb, i guess, but very cheap and easy.

 

a bag of dried beans at the supermarket costs about the same as a can, but makes at least 4 cans worth of beans. But while thats a big saving as far as percents, thats like $2 vs $8, so not huge dollar-wise.

[Mergath]

Hmmmm, she said low carb..... beans, pasta, rice are not low carb!

 

She said she's going to forgo the low-carb diet until they have more money.

[Scarlett]

Black beans are healthier and tastier in our opinion. None of us will eat any other kind.

 

Are you wanting recipes or grocery list or??

 

I do a lot, but every time I've tried sharing it seems to overwhelm.

 

I completely agree about balancing time against money and reality.

 

ETA: Argh!! Why is the board putting those red thumbs on my posts?!

 

I wondered what you were 'thumbs downing.' LOL

[cjzimmer1]

I just wanted to comment on the beans. Dried beans in 1 pound bags are 99 cents a pound here at our cheap grocery store. While I buy most of our dried goods in bulk because they are cheaper that way, I have yet to find anywhere where I can get dry beans cheaper than our grocery store so that is one thing I don't buy in bulk. I just buy 5-6 1 bags at a time.

 

Canned beans cost at a minimum of 89 cents a can here. I get 4 cans worth out of each 1 lb dried bag so it's a definite cost savings for us.

 

As far as finding time to cook them. Do you have a crockpot (preferably a large one)? I have a 7 quart one and when I do beans I cook 2 bags at once and freeze the extras for a quick addition to future meals. Would your schedule permit you or a child to turn the crockpot on in the morning and the teens to turn it off when they get home from school? Sometimes mine get a little mushy if they've cooked too long but we don't mind them that way and I think it's easier to mash them then. Otherwise, if someone will be home for 6-7 hours I would take your largest roaster and bake several bags worth at a time. If you could get some made ahead like that you would then have a cheap protein you could pull out whenever you need it.

[Scarlett]

Long grain rice in bulk is cheaper than minute rice and only takes about 20 minutes.

 

Scrap recipes stretch the budget, balance out carbs and are often quick. (jambalya, pot pie, soups, stews..)

 

I don't know what you mean by not cooking from scratch. I don't think I do, but I just can't afforded most boxed foods.

 

Meals that don't need tending are easy cooking even for teens.

Season a chicken and shove in the oven.

Crock pot meals

 

Cold oatmeal is a quick yummy breakfast or lunch on the go.

 

I'm willing share recipes and menus. :)

 

I don't cook from scratch but I also don't really buy boxed foods. I think I am middle of the road.

 

I'd love to see recipes and menus....we are in survival mode too with dh sick and off work for 4 weeks and counting.

[stripe]

At what point is it "worth it" in terms of time to buy bulk? The canned store brand beans can appear fairly cheap (and bean products such as refried, which the boys will eat like ice cream).

 

Supposedly for most beans 1/2 c dried = 1 1/2 c cooked, which is about a can's worth, so 1 lb dried is about the equivalent of 4 cans.

 

I think it depends a bit on how difficult it is to cook them, like your kitchen and storage facility, but they're about a fourth the price when you cook them yourself, not counting time/hassle/fuel/bargains on canned beans. You can sometimes find good sales on canned beans or more economical big cans.

[Audrey]

For beans, they can be super cheap and easy if you have a crockpot. Just soak beans in cold water before you go to bed. Then, before you leave the house, dump the soaking water, dump the beans in the crockpot and cover with enough fresh cold water to cover by 2 inches. Then turn the crockpot on low and let it do its thing. Don't add salt until the last 15-30 minutes of cooking. I salt them, then turn the crockpot off, then make the rest of the meal, then dish up the beans last. They're good and tasty then.

 

For just cooking up a batch to keep on hand, they are best in the fridge, not so hot frozen, IMO. Beans will keep about a week in the fridge. My fave beans for weekly bulk cooking are pintos. If your kids like refrieds, it's easy. Just heat a skillet, add a bit of oil or butter, dump in beans with a bit of the liquid too, and start cooking. Mash beans with the back of a spoon as you stir until they're hot and bubbly, and there you go. Really good, really cheap. Season with whatever you like. Personally, I just eat them like that and mix in some tabasco because I like them spicy.

 

Can you get bacon cheap? Teach the kids to cook up batches in the oven. Heat oven to 400°F, line a cookie sheet with foil. Lay out strips of bacon on the foil. Bake in hot oven for 10-20 minutes depending upon how thick the bacon is and how crispy you like it. It takes about 2 cookie sheets to cook a pound of bacon. Just take the strips off the foil to drain on paper towels, and drain the extra grease into an empty can. Then, lay out more strips of bacon and stick it back in the oven. Repeat as often as necessary. Cooked bacon freezes excellently. You could take some with you for protein in salads, or if you have microwave access, can heat some up.

 

If you like hard-boiled eggs, cook some up when you come home at night, peel and refrigerate. Take with you for snack or salads. They will keep for about 4-5 days in the fridge.

 

ETA: My fave high protein lunch is pinto beans with shredded cheddar on top. Heat that up and add a chopped hard boiled egg.

[Bluegoat]

I'd especially welcome "salad" options that are healthy, inexpensive, keep and travel well. Might as well ask for the Holy Grail. ;)

 

.

 

Last winter I was getting a CSA vegetable box and was getting a lot of root vegetables. I started making salads with them grated, kind of like slaw. I tend to like the ones with a lot of beets, but turnip, carrots, cabbage and radishes all are nice additions. Apple is good too.

 

You can make all kinds of dressings, from Scandinavian types with a little yoghurt and dill to Asian things or whatever.

 

They are pretty cheap and hold up well.

 

Nuts can be added too to some combinations if you want to up the protein.

Edited October 14, 2012 by Bluegoat

[Murphy101]

I don't cook from scratch but I also don't really buy boxed foods. I think I am middle of the road.

 

I'd love to see recipes and menus....we are in survival mode too with dh sick and off work for 4 weeks and counting.

 

Me too. Sometimes the cost of time or actual product just isn't worth the price of cooking entirely from scratch.

 

How low carb rice and beans and pasta is depends on what you are making with it and how big a portion you are having.

 

I find doing the no S thing helps with both budget and diet.

 

Joanne - how cooking able are your teens? That would help me brain storm with you.

 

Hibachi soup is extremely low carb and low calorie. Ãœber easy to make and yummy. Great in a thermos in cold weather too. We have been calling it forever soup bc I just keep a pot going all the time.

 

Jambalaya made with whatever left over meat you have is cheap and under 30 minutes to make a batch for my family. (shrimp can be bought at aldiss or SAMs/Costco one bag woud be enough for mulitple meals for my family bc you only need small amount for each meal. But you CAN skip it entirely to make it extra cheap.)

 

Dicing up and freezing things like onion and such makes cooking go much faster.

 

Also using frozen meat in the crockpot makes things quicker and less waste. (don't you just want to cry when you set meat out to thaw and forget to use it?)

 

Same goes for freezing some cooked ground or diced meat. That greatly cuts down on prep/cooking time.

[justLisa]

Do you have a Trader Joe's?

 

I do not get much there but there are a few pantry staples I cannot find cheaper for the quality anywhere else.

[Mekanamom]

Just a little tip on the crock pot, since it has come up a bunch...

 

If at all possible, use one that has a timer feature. That way, things don't get really overcooked. It will shut off after cooking and switch to keep warm. Very very handy if you need to throw something in there early but you know no one will be there to turn it off until much later.

 

I have not tried this next idea, but it could work... If you already have a crock pot w/out the timer feature, you could probably plug it into an electric appliance timer which could do the same thing for you. Just not quite as convenient as a timer built right in. Or, maybe even better if you have it set to turn ON at a later time so the food is still nice and hot at dinner time.

[celticmom]

Here are two of my favorite cheap recipes. One is for vegetarian hamburger substitute and while it does contain lentils it does not taste lentilly especially if you dump it in spaghetti sauce or add taco seasoning.

 

http://veggieconverter.com/2011/01/whole-food-vegetarian-ground-beef-substitute-recipe.html

 

http://onceamonthmom.com/sweet-potato-black-bean-burgers/

 

The sweet potato black bean burgers are awesome as burrito or enchilada filling. And as a bonus both recipes call for oatmeal.

[ktgrok]

Fairly cheap/easy meals that we do a lot of:

 

Taco Soup: ground beef, browned, with 2 cans of diced tomatoes, 1 large can tomato sauce, 2 cans red beans, 1 small bag frozen corn, enough water to make soupy. Season with a packet of taco seaonsing mix or just use some garlic salt and chili powder to taste. Makes a lot of soup. I serve with cornbread (jiffy mix is cheap and easy) or tortilla chips.

 

Salad with shredded chicken or pork or beef on top...made in the crock pot. Can make it barbecue, taco flavored, etc.

Salad with tuna on top.

 

French toast or pancakes with some eggs.

[The Governess]

Easy salad option: premake tuna, salmon, or egg salad. Serve a scoop or two on top of some lettuce. No dressing needed.

 

Also, my cousin eats sliced hardboiled eggs with pasta sauce on top as a low-carb option. Sounds a bit odd to me but she says it's delicious. :)

 

Oh, and for the oatmeal, I would make it with a pat of butter, cream, slivered almonds, and cinnamon.

[Michelle My Bell]

 

Oh, and your ideas for adding protein to oatmeal are welcome. I have a lot of packages of instant Quaker that I need to use but carb-based meals are counter productive to me.

 

So, suggestions for shopping? Planning?

 

Two tips from me...

 

1. I add inexpensive and healthy turkey bacon to a lot of my high carb breakfasts.
   
2. I eat simply and repeat easy healthy meals often for convience, time saving and money saving.