ebe b
I have $20 to spend on food a week. Anyone have any suggestions on healthy foods to make and buy. Here's some that I do have:
ramen noodles, canned soups, pb&j, sandwiches. Anyone else have ideas on what I can eat that would be cheap and healthy?
Answer
Oh man - I feel your pain! Once I had only $7 for an entire week of groceries - and I made it! :-)
Things you might consider:
- Buy out of the bulk bins as much as possible. The price can be a lot less and you can buy only what you need that way.
- RICE can save your budget! I have always found rice to be cheaper when purchased in bulk as a Mexican grocery store. Some ideas is to add rice to the canned soup you have on hand. It will add a ton of flavor and make an interesting alternative meal. Very filling, too.
- Consider shopping at a discount grocery store that you may not have thought of before. I always used to shop the big grocery stores like Safeway and Kroger because they have a great selection. But in comparing them to places like Food4Less and independent grocery stores - i could not believe how over priced those chain stores are!
- For protein, try looking for a pack of cheap hot dogs on sale. Dice them into the soup or casseroles made with rice. One pack will last the whole week.
- While dry beans in bulk are the cheapest, canned beans can also be relatively cheap and a fast way to make beans and rice for dinner. Consider buying a few spices in bulk to flavor the beans and rice.
- Find a loaf of cheap bread, most of the stores have a house-brand that is quite cheap. That one loaf can last the week - for toast and sandwiches or for the hot dogs.
- Do you have any soy sauce on hand? If so - use left over rice to make fried rice out of. An egg is a nice addition to fried rice, or use some diced hot dog.
- The most expensive part will probably be produce. I find great deals at the Asian grocery store for fresh produce. Buy stuff you are familiar with - now is not the time to experiment. Buy some bulk carrots, celery and whatever else is on sale. Pick up a few cheap potatoes - they are filling. I would not go for salad this week - as those ingredients are often expensive per pound and very perishable and they don't' fill you up much.
- Do yo have flour, baking powder, egg and milk on hand? Great! You have pancakes then! Pancakes are incredibly cheap when made from scratch.
Some other things to consider: don't buy anything to drink! Drink water only and use any milk you have for recipes on items such as pancakes or biscuits. And don't buy bottled water!!!! Tap water is the cheap way to go for a lean week. Carry a water bottle with you when out of the house. Even empty - there is always a place to fill it up at.
Stay away from anything that is already cooked and ready to eat - like the deli counter. None of it is as healthy as what you can make and it is all overpriced compared to making it yourself.
To be honest, this can be fun - it can be a challenge. The suggestions I made are really only for someone doing this short term. If this is your long term grocery budget - you might consider looking up where to get food boxes from charities in your area. Once you find a place that gives out food boxes - ask them where else you can go, they often have a list of all the area food resources that you might qualify for.
Best of luck!
Oh man - I feel your pain! Once I had only $7 for an entire week of groceries - and I made it! :-)
Things you might consider:
- Buy out of the bulk bins as much as possible. The price can be a lot less and you can buy only what you need that way.
- RICE can save your budget! I have always found rice to be cheaper when purchased in bulk as a Mexican grocery store. Some ideas is to add rice to the canned soup you have on hand. It will add a ton of flavor and make an interesting alternative meal. Very filling, too.
- Consider shopping at a discount grocery store that you may not have thought of before. I always used to shop the big grocery stores like Safeway and Kroger because they have a great selection. But in comparing them to places like Food4Less and independent grocery stores - i could not believe how over priced those chain stores are!
- For protein, try looking for a pack of cheap hot dogs on sale. Dice them into the soup or casseroles made with rice. One pack will last the whole week.
- While dry beans in bulk are the cheapest, canned beans can also be relatively cheap and a fast way to make beans and rice for dinner. Consider buying a few spices in bulk to flavor the beans and rice.
- Find a loaf of cheap bread, most of the stores have a house-brand that is quite cheap. That one loaf can last the week - for toast and sandwiches or for the hot dogs.
- Do you have any soy sauce on hand? If so - use left over rice to make fried rice out of. An egg is a nice addition to fried rice, or use some diced hot dog.
- The most expensive part will probably be produce. I find great deals at the Asian grocery store for fresh produce. Buy stuff you are familiar with - now is not the time to experiment. Buy some bulk carrots, celery and whatever else is on sale. Pick up a few cheap potatoes - they are filling. I would not go for salad this week - as those ingredients are often expensive per pound and very perishable and they don't' fill you up much.
- Do yo have flour, baking powder, egg and milk on hand? Great! You have pancakes then! Pancakes are incredibly cheap when made from scratch.
Some other things to consider: don't buy anything to drink! Drink water only and use any milk you have for recipes on items such as pancakes or biscuits. And don't buy bottled water!!!! Tap water is the cheap way to go for a lean week. Carry a water bottle with you when out of the house. Even empty - there is always a place to fill it up at.
Stay away from anything that is already cooked and ready to eat - like the deli counter. None of it is as healthy as what you can make and it is all overpriced compared to making it yourself.
To be honest, this can be fun - it can be a challenge. The suggestions I made are really only for someone doing this short term. If this is your long term grocery budget - you might consider looking up where to get food boxes from charities in your area. Once you find a place that gives out food boxes - ask them where else you can go, they often have a list of all the area food resources that you might qualify for.
Best of luck!
Single man: How to cook nutritious meals?
Fiasco
I'm 25, male, single, live alone. I don't know how to cook, but I have some common sense.
Here's what I'd like to find: A cook book that focuses on cooking simple, nutritious, well-balanced meals but without any emphasis on dieting and losing weight. I want to start working out and want to hopefully GAIN weight. I'd like something that has a variety of recipes, simple instructions, a list of ingredients that a young single guy will understand (perhaps even "grocery lists"), doesn't have to taste good but needs to be nutritious, but no emphasis on weight-loss.
Is there anything out there like that?
I REALLY don't want to fall into a bad routine of eating fast food, eating expensive food at restaurants, or eating high-sodium frozen junk. I have to learn how to cook fresh food!
I guess I'm just frustrated that it isn't easy to heat nutritious. You can't just go out and buy nutritious food at a restaurant. So if I want to make it myself, well that isn't easy either.
I'm not trying to make any gourmet stuff. I don't care if it's nasty. I just want to know what to get at the grocery store, how much to get, a recipe, how long to cook it, and I want it to be well-balanced and nutritious. That's it. Is that possible?
Answer
I have a dozen good cookbooks and none are them are as good as this website, you just type an ingredient or catagorie on the search bar and get recipes.
Edit: This is so easy even my kids make it, You need 1lb ground beef, 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce, (we like prego) 1pound bag of pasta. Brown the ground beef,drain fat, set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain pasta add beef and sauce. We like shredded cheese on top.
You know you do not have to cook to eat healthy you can buy sandwich fixins, or healthy canned soups.
I have a dozen good cookbooks and none are them are as good as this website, you just type an ingredient or catagorie on the search bar and get recipes.
Edit: This is so easy even my kids make it, You need 1lb ground beef, 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce, (we like prego) 1pound bag of pasta. Brown the ground beef,drain fat, set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain pasta add beef and sauce. We like shredded cheese on top.
You know you do not have to cook to eat healthy you can buy sandwich fixins, or healthy canned soups.
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