Hard to eat healthy and cheap :(

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-10-2003
Hard to eat healthy and cheap :(
9
Thu, 09-04-2008 - 9:26am

Well


Bex -

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-26-1999
Thu, 09-04-2008 - 9:58am

Check out the Frugal Kitchen message board. If you can figure out how to go through the archives, check out some of Elaine's old posts and the grocery exile.

Can you cook lentils? That's one very cheap and healthy source of protein. I'm no expert, but living cheap doesn't have to mean kd and ramen ;)

I think you should consider some fresh produce; just look for what is on sale. Even if you just have one apple, or a plum or something per day. Otherwise, if you are used to lots of fresh fruit, you're going to be miserable and feel really deprived. That's my experience anyway.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-22-2007
Thu, 09-04-2008 - 10:34am

It is hard to eat cheap and healthy but it is doable.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-10-2003
Thu, 09-04-2008 - 10:54am

Oh my goodness Michele, no need to apologize!!! I appreciate ALL the help I can get. I guess my problem is two-fold. I don't have the money or the time, lol. Between work, walking the dog, sports, volunteering, book club, cooking classes and some attempt at a social life, my dinners are usually 20 minute masterpeices, lol. Now hopefully that will change now that fall is coming (not as much to do) so I will have a chance to plan better.


For now I will try and empty out my freezer (which still has a ton of fish, chicken and meat) and try to plan a little better. I will buy some fresh fruit (bananas are my favourtie) to add to my canned/ frozen veggies. I am just going to limit the fresh veggies for a bit.


Bex -

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-12-2004
Thu, 09-04-2008 - 1:53pm

Hi, Bex. Well, we are watching what we eat and yes we were spending tons of money on food and then having it go to waste. l) I did purchase those green bags you see advertized online to keep produce fresher. It cuts down on the methane gas and fast ripening, and it has helped. 2) Fruits and veggies in season. Since the peaches and watermelon are not as plentiful, we switched to plums, grapes, etc. Am trying to stay away from packaged stuff and shop the perimeter of the store. They now have whole-grain bread in very small loaves so I buy that, and I try to stretch meals more with filling soups, beans, oatmeal (for meatloaf). 3) Cooking for Two. This has been great, as my DM got me this subscription, and I can now figure out how to downsize favourite recipes. This feature is also on some of the other cooking websites, such as allrecipes.com, etc.


Broccoli Salad (from allrecipes)


iVillage Member
Registered: 07-10-2003
Thu, 09-04-2008 - 8:01pm

If you have crockpot, make stew in that. then if its just food for you, freeze some of the cooked stew for quick meals later.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-30-2008
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 7:09pm

Don't know if you have anything comparable in Canda but we have Aldi's and Save A

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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-16-2007
Tue, 10-21-2008 - 8:16am

Those are some good ideas. You're right. It's hard to eat healthy and be frugal, which makes no common sense whatsoever.


Salad I usually buy the store mix salad, and it's only like $1-$2 for a whole container of spring salad.


Ramen noodles - try this: don't put in the mix packet (that is where all the sodium comes from) - instead, when you're cooking the noodles, stir in an egg. This makes a much tastier and healthier soup.


Yogurt Can you go to Costco and stock up on yogurt? I used to do that but got out of the habit.


Bread I'm also still eating bread that I bought awhile ago by keeping it in the fridge. Of course, I have to toast it to avoid

Avatar for mahopac
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-24-1997
Tue, 10-21-2008 - 11:53am

Two words for you: BEANS and PREPARATION.

BEANS: You need protein, not just filler, and beans are the best cheap way to get healthy protein.

PREPARATION: If you plan at the start of the week and put the effort in on the weekend to get yourself ready, you will have healthy cheap food all week.

This is what I did when I needed to eat very frugally:

I used to make a big batch of lentil soup or a big batch of chili for myself on a Sunday and eat it all week. I'd get the smallest piece of cheddar cheese I could find and shave off a bit over the bowl after I'd microwaved a dinner-size portion. I'd have it with a salad and roll (buy them cheap and stick them in the freezer).

For lunch I'd have a PB&J sandwich, carrot sticks (prepared on the weekend and stuck into a jar full of water to stay fresh), and a piece of whatever fruit was in season (right now it's apples and pears).

For breakfast I'd make oatmeal - NOT the individual packets, they're mostly sugar. Buy a container of store brand oatmeal, heat it up with milk, add brown sugar (wrap tightly and stick it in the fridge, it will last a long time that way), cinnamon, nutmeg, and raisins. Oatmeal and one scrambled egg are very low in calories and VERY filling.

For an afternoon snack, I'd have muffins I baked on the weekend - again from scratch.

Do this every day and I guarantee you will not gain weight, you will be eating very healthfully (low fat, sodium, plenty of veggies), and CHEAP.

Kelly

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-05-2006
Tue, 10-21-2008 - 12:10pm

There's a website I just found. It's www.frugalabundance.com . This woman used to run a website called the Hillbilly Housewife where she had a menu to feed a family of 4-6 for a week for just 45 dollars. I tried out her 70 dollar menu this week and it's pretty neat, but not healthy at all. So I found out that she founded another website that specifically deals with eating healthy, cheaply. She has a big family and she does this because a few of her kids are autistic and she switched to a gluten free, Cassein free diet. I'm sure she has a lot of great ideas on buying healthy food on the cheap. Oh and my advice to you is Crock pot cooking and beans that way you can make a healthy meal that would take hours in the oven, but you can do it while you are working. Set it and forget it! Oh and coupons and watching the sales. I feed a family of 5 on 50 dollars a week sometimes. It takes time to cut the coupons and browse through the fliers but it is worth it. Sometimes you can get coupons for frozen fruit and then wait for them to go on sale 2 for 4 dollars and whip yourself up some healthy shakes.


Abbie