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Old March 25th, 2015 #1
varg
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 9,741
Default Eat Cheap and Healthy

https://www.reddit.com/r/EatCheapAndHealthy/

Been reading this lately. Might be useful for people trying to live a frugal lifestyle, while not having to eat unhealthy junk.
 
Old March 25th, 2015 #2
varg
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 9,741
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~$26 (€20.21, £15.92) grocery list, meal plan, and recipes for when times are tough. Feeds up to a family of four for one week.
Quote:
This list assumes that you have basic staples like seasonings, baking powder/soda and oil/butter/shortening at home already. Hopfeully you have a couple of onions and garlic cloves, too. If not, adding them to your shopping list won't increase the price too much. Prices come from either what I have seen myself or from this Aldi price list.[1]
  • 1 lb bag rice(white or brown) $1 at Dollar Tree
  • 1 lb dried beans $1 at Dollar Tree
  • 1 lb lentils $1 at Aldi or Walmart
  • 1 5lb bag flour $1.59 at Aldi, $1.79 at Walmart
  • 2 dozen Eggs $1 each at Dollar Tree
  • 5 lb. Potatoes $2 or less at most stores
  • 4 large bags frozen veggies (green beans, peas & carrots, broccoli, spinach, etc.) $1 each at Aldi, Dollar Tree, or grocery store
  • 2 bags frozen berries (blueberries, strawberries, etc.) $1 each at Dollar Tree
  • 1 lb Bananas $.59/lb at grocery store
    Oats $1 at Aldi or Walmart
  • 5 lbs. chicken leg quarters $.49/lb or less at most stores
  • 1 jar peanut butter $1 at Dollar Tree
    half gallon milk $1.99 at Aldi (or 2 quarts of shelf stable milk for $1 each at Dollar Tree)
  • 4 lbs. sugar $1.59 at Aldi
  • 2 1lb. frozen chubs of ground turkey $1 each at Aldi or Save A Lot
  • 1 29oz can tomato sauce $1 or less at most stores
If you have an extra $5, you can afford a few little luxuries like tea bags, cheese, and some extra fresh fruits or veggies.

Prep day:

Mix your sourdough starter a few days before so that you can have fresh baked sourdough bread throughout the week. Recipe and pics here[2] . (Don't get thrown by the "Einkorn flour"...regular flour is just fine.)
Cook the bag of the beans so that they're ready to use. Instructions here[3] . (You can do this with any type of beans)
Peel and slice the bananas about 1/2 inch thick. Put the slices in one layer on a cookie sheet and freeze for an hour. Put in a zip top bag and keep in the freezer to be used in smoothies later.
Remove the skin from the chicken leg quarters and throw them in a large pot, cover with water. Bring to a boil, put the lid on, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours. When the 2 hours is up, strain the broth into a container to save for when you make the chicken & dumplings. Pick all of the meat off the bones and put into zip top bags. You now have several cups of cooked chicken ready to eat as-is or it can be thrown in a recipe.

Breakfasts:
  • Peanut butter banana smoothies[4]
  • oatmeal[5] with berries
  • Sourdough french toast[6]
  • Fried potatoes[7] and eggs
  • Homemade blueberry muffins[8] with an omelet [9]
  • Pancakes[10] with bananas and peanut butter
  • Scrambled eggs [11] with hash browns
Lunches & Dinners(add the frozen veggies or eat them on the side):
  • Turkey shepherd's pie[12] (use green beans in place of corn)
  • Taco style lentils and brown rice[13]
  • Creamed chicken and rice[14]
  • Baked chicken with scalloped potatoes[15]
  • Chicken red beans and rice[16]
  • Chicken and dumplings[17] (don't worry about the "3 lbs. chicken", just use your broth and 2 cups cooked chicken from prep day)
  • Turkey chili[18] and biscuits[19] (Use sour milk[20] instead of buttermilk)
  • Chicken fried rice[21]
  • Chicken pot pie[22]
Snacks/Desserts
  • Remaining fruit
  • Sourdugh bread with peanut butter
  • Sugar cookies[23]
  • Rice pudding[24]
  • Oat brittle[25]
For even more ideas, there is a great blog post about getting healthy groceries from Dollar Tree for just $25/week here[26] .

So there you have it. Before anyone gets up in arms about the amount of carbs/fat/sugar/etc...I am not suggesting this as a regular daily way of eating. This is meant for someone who is temporarily low on funds and needs to feed their family something better than ramen. I personally was there just a few years ago. Food banks, food stamps, the whole shebang. It's embarrassing and humiliating, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. My hope is that someone will be able to benefit from this post and make the most of what little they have.

Edit: Thanks SO MUCH to whomever gave me the gold!

Edit 2: Since it's come up several times, I'd just like to clarify a few things:

The purpose of the currency conversion was not to suggest that someone in another country could get the same amount of food for that price, rather it was so that someone in another country would understand what I paid for the groceries.
The food prices in your area may not be exactly the same as what I've listed above. Regardless, the items that I chose are typically the least expensive items in every store, so it should still be relatively inexpensive.
If you are on a special diet (eg. Vegan, low carb, food allergies) then obviously you would have to make some adjustments. This meal plan is based on a family of four who have no special dietary needs other than needing to eat a fairly balanced diet.

THANK YOU for all of the support and feedback. I'm so glad you guys found this to be useful and I hope it saves you money on your monthly grocery bill!

Probably better to read it at the site since they have links.
https://www.reddit.com/r/EatCheapAnd...n_and_recipes/
 
Old March 25th, 2015 #3
Breanna
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I simplify my life by having two basic meal plans. I follow one when money is tight and I am trying to be more frugal, and another when want to eat more normally and want to eat more meat.

Our breakfasts are always the same regardless:

Wednesday-Friday:
- homemade bread (recipe below) with butter and cheese, toasted in a toaster oven
- milk
- fruit
- my husband will also have a spoon of peanut butter, also in his milk he has honey, raw eggs, and 1/2 tbsp vanilla

Saturday-Tuesday:
- homemade cereal with milk (recipe here: http://vnnforum.com/showthread.php?p=1752082)
- again also my husband has a spoon of peanut butter

I make the cereal on Friday and Sunday nights. I make the bread on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Here is how I make my bread using a breadmachine, which takes less than 10 minutes, and my 3 year old daughter can do much of it on her own:

Whole wheat breadmaker loaf:
- Add water to pan (1 cup in summer/humid weather or 1 1/4 cup in winter/dry weather)
- Add 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 cup cooking or blackstrap molasses, and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Stir.
- Add 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour.
- Add 1/4 cup milk powder
- Add 2 1/2 tsp yeast.
- Choose whole wheat setting with medium crust for 2 pound loaf. It takes 3 hours 40 minutes. When it's done I take it out, let it cool, and then slice it into 5 pieces.

I try to make lunches that are easy to put together and very quick. We will have a bunch of snacky things like leftovers from last night's supper (if there are any) and things like fruit, cheese, canned or frozen vegetables, raw carrots, homemade protein bars (recipe here http://vnnforum.com/showthread.php?p=1807659) and milk. I can pack powdered milk in my husband's lunch and he can add water to it at work when he wants to drink it. I make protein bars on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Sometimes we will have canned tuna and you can add some celery and green onion to it. Or canned chickpeas rinsed with some celery and green onion. I make the same bread above for my husband's sandwiches, making lunch loaves on Sunday and Wednesday mornings and slicing those into 6 slices each. The sandwiches are so simple just leftover meat from the previous night's supper, or if there is none I will make a tuna sandwich, with some slices of cheese, fresh vegetables if there are any, sometimes I will use leftover baby food with some salt and herbs as a sandwich spread lol. It sounds silly but it doesn't taste bad and is likely better for you than commercial sandwich spreads full of sugar and preservatives. It is supposed to be for babies but really it is just pureed vegetables and meat lol.

For suppers, every night is a different theme and within each 'theme' I have different options of recipes that I can pick. This makes planning much easier than back before I had children and had lots of free time to cook whatever I wished.

Here is my more frugal supper meal plan:

Monday (Bean Night):
Slow cooker bean soup with canned tomatoes, garlic, salt, basil, and dried kidney beans (soaked the night before) with bread
OR
Bean salad (celery, carrots, fresh tomatoes, green onions, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, olive oil, and mixed beans) with bread
OR
Minestrone (I will type up recipe later if you want)
OR
Pasta and chickpea soup
OR
Broth with lentils, brown rice, cracked eggs, onions, and carrots

Here is how I make my broth:
- Put chicken or turkey bones in pot.
- Add a little bit of thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper
- Add some celery, carrots, and onion
- Add 1 tbsp vinegar
- Cover with cold water
- Boil, partially cover, and simmer for at least 4 hours
- Strain out bones but add back the veggies

Or crockpot broth:
- put bones in crockpot
- add 1 tbsp vinegar, salt, pepper, 1 tsp thyme, and water
- add celery, carrots, onion, and garlic
- cook on high for ~6 hours
- strain out the bones but add back the veggies

Tuesday (Beef Night):
Homemade burgers with onions and roasted potatoes or wedges or fries
OR
Braised beef cubes with onions and rice with lemon and herbs
OR
Steaks, rice in broth, and boiled carrots
OR
Roast beef made in slow cooker with potatoes, onions, and carrots
OR
Hutspot met Stooflap (which is like a Dutch dish with beef shoulder and mashed up potatoes carrots onions and parsnips)
OR
Spezzatini with peas and potatoes
OR
Cottage Pie
OR
Sloppy Joes with bread and roasted onions
OR
Pork chops with soffrito and rice in broth

Wednesday (Pasta):
Lasagna
OR
Macaroni and cheese
OR
Spaghetti and meatballs
OR
Pasta with sauce (vegetable, meat, fish, bean, lentil, or chickpea sauce)
Homemade sauce takes a long time to make but I will make a bunch and save most of it in the freezer for convenient future use.

Thursday (Fish):
Usually tuna salad, homemade fries, and beets or turnips (kind of a weird combination but it is my daughter's favourite meal lol).

Friday (Lentils):
Lentil salad with bread
OR
Lentil soup with bread
OR
Lentil and rice casserole

Saturday ("Breakfast" Supper):
Sweet potatoes and/or whole wheat waffles or pancakes with eggs and/or sausages
I have two favourite egg recipes, one fried with peppers, onions, and tomatoes; the other with peppers, onions, and zucchini

Sunday (Chicken):
Chicken (or turkey) soup
OR
Chicken dinner made in the crockpot
OR
Roasted chicken dinner in the oven
OR
Chicken cacciatore/hunter's chicken (in crockpot or braised on the stovetop)


Here is my more healthy supper plan that is more expensive but with more meat:

Monday: Vegetarian (legumes or pasta)
Tuesday: Beef (roast or steak)
Wednesday: Pork (chops, sausage, or braised chunks of pork roast)
Thursday: Chicken (parts)
Friday: Beef (ground or cubes)
Saturday: Eggs
Sunday: Chicken (whole)

To save money with this more meat-based diet plan I only use very cheap vegetables, no salads, only carrots and onions. For the side I will usually make broth with rice in it, sometimes something else.

A very convenient thing to do is to have 2 slow cookers, one with meat and vegetables, the other with broth. Then you can do all your food prep in the morning and when everything is crazy in the evening time you don't have to do anything. One thing you have to do if you want to make cooking more convenient is get a mezzaluna. Once I got once I wondered why I waited so long to get one and I have NEVER gone back to using a knife ever since!!

Hope that gave you some ideas. It is a big balancing act to try to prepare meals that healthy and cheap, while also trying to save time and be efficient. If you want any of my recipes tell me and I will type it up.
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