Eat Well For Less

˚ answered prayer, thank you  

Posted on 16/09/2009. Last edited on 19/11/2015.

*Eat Well For Less*-I know I sound like an ad for a grocery store.

I recently had heard from someone who said the reason why she didn’t eat well is her money was very tight and she didn’t know how to cook (well).

So this thread is for her and others.

Please post your easy, healthy, thrifty recipes here.

And then this person and all of us who want a tip, can use the info and if needed join us at the grocery page to remember what we’re going to buy next

Thanks Laurie…need all the help I can get. Good thing you didn’t mention the fire. :)

First of all, people can make all sorts of excuses for not eating well… lack of time, lack of money, etc…

We eat very well on a small budget – and we eat mostly organic. We just choose to eat differently. First of all, beans are an inexpensive protein. Meat is expensive. You can still eat it, but just make it 1/3 of the plate instead of the main attraction.

Soups and stews with the fresh vegetables in season stretch a long way. You can add more vegetables or broth to stretch it. In fact, stretching meals is a lost tradition.

Gardening… yes, a lost art!! My bonding-time with my dad is canning/freezing fruits and vegetables from his garden/orchard. Some of my fondest memories are the deep philosophical discussions as we pitted cherries.

I was raised in an Amish background. Do you know what makes eating well easy? COMMUNITY!! In our life, women getting together and cooking a LOT of food together and (gasp) SHARING!!! Imagine getting together with your friends and cooking a week of meals on a Sunday afternoon. One can bring the tomatoes and zucchini from their garden. Another could be in charge of baking the bread. and so on and so on… It really is a pity that we isolate ourselves so much because working together relieves the burden of many.

˚ answered prayer, thank you  

Posted on 16/09/2009. Last edited on 17/09/2009.

In response to Lady_D’s post:
In response to meditatingmama’s post:
Great ideas MM!

pinto beans, brown rice ->complete protein.
corn tortillas with the beans and rice would be good too.
You don’t have to be able to cook->just boil water(:

And you can find both organic very inexpensive.

I looked at this post and started laughing. I mentioned the fire myself. :)
That was funny.

Love pinto beans……grew up on them. My mom used to add clintro to a pot of beans she’d cook and every time I have charro beans with Mexican food I think of her.

In response to meditatingmama’s post:
STRETCHING FOOD – ITS SO EASY!

Example: If you were to buy a whole leg of lamb.

Roast it for the family on Sunday.

Trim of the left overs and split into two halves.

One half can be made into a shepherds pie: simply add chopped carrots, onion, peas and anything else you have lying around (swede or turnip’s good). Cook it up with stock (which you can buy quite cheaply from the butcher. Top with mash potato and into the oven.

The other half can be finely shredded, and stirfried with lots of asian veg, soy sauce, garlic and ginger (finely chopped) and served with noodles or rice.

3 meals out of one large leg. The bulking out with seasonal veg makes it go a long way. Bought in stocks and sauces make adding flavour so easy without being a genius in the kitchen!!

I’ll be back with more!!! :O)

Yes, Anoushka!!! And if you buy your lamb from a local butcher or local farmer, it is probably healthier (hopefully less antibiotics, hormones, too). My husband is a lamb lover, so you will have to share recipes!!

In response to anoushka_f’s post:
I cooked a some pork shoulder in the slow cooker last Saturday, it cooked for hours and just melted off the bone, was lovely. Next day, pork & salad rolls for lunch, for dinner salad starring roasted pumpkin & capsicum, and hubby had some more cold pork on the side. Next night ‘enough of the pork’ he says, but I made a simple tomato based pasta dish with the last of it.

Slow cooking cheaper cuts of meat is the way to go. I know, beans are so much cheaper but the man likes his meat.

Considering if I gave up buying meat would I be able to use the guineau pigs for food, it makes sense, they breed like rabbits, just eat the grass and don’t take up much space. People do it, not just Peruvians. Yes I know they’re cute, but so are cows and lambs and I eat those! Has anyone tasted guinea pig?

In response to laurie- worksout-daily&w/everything she’s got~ ~‘s post:

One of my favorite receipes are taquitos made from a can of tuna. When we were children and it was Lent my mama use to make this great dish. She would get a can of tuna and cut up onions add a little black pepper and a pinch of salt mix it into the tuna.

Then she would fry tortillas not a hard shell but soft. She would put the tuna in the tortillas and would roll them up. Put a toothpick to hold them together and would fill up a cake pan with them. Once whe was done she would make fresh salsa. Then would pour it over the top of the taquitos and place them in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. When they came out she would spread Guacamole (mashed avocados) over them and a salad on the side. mmm good! I think I’ll make some tomorrow.

Hugs,
Mary

In response to godscreation post:

Mmmmmm that sounds good. Easy to make and inexpensive. Better than a plain ‘ol tuna sandwich…just bread, mayo, tuna and cheese.

When I was a kid I used to mix mashed pinto beans and tuna together. That was good too. Haven’t had that in years. Have to google how to cook pinto beans then get some. Oooh and a little clintro too.

Buy larger quantities of things that are fresh – especially meat, and split them up into portion (or two portion) sizes and place in freezer bags and freeze. I do this with Chicken (buy whole, and portion up) – you can do this with all meats.

I also do this with anything thats cheaper to buy lots of at a particular time – say Runner beans when in season - Slice them up as you would for cooking and freeze handy portion sizes – they retain the nutrients better than keeping a whole load of them in your veg draw for days and days and inevitably not using them.

Fresh berries or any fruit that doesnt stay in season very long in your part of the world – buy in season and freeze portion packs – great for smoothies. And the nutrients are retained better than if you were eating it fresh a few days later.

Ginger and Garlic: Ever felt so sad to get rid of the last few cloves of fresh garlic or the end bit of a root ginger? When you buy them, mince them up and keep in a jar with a little veg oil and they keep for months!
Same with Chillis – as above, but if you love chillis as a condiment on any food, add a little vinegar, salt and pepper too and you have a wonderful chilli dressing!

Big tip for being money conscious whilst shopping – always write a list and meal plan. I only vaguely meal plan (e.g make sure I have a few carb staples, a few proteins and fruit and veg – the major food groups and then I can be creative throughout the month). Since doing this I have cut my food bill down to half its original size AND theres no waste!

In response to Lady_D’s post:

Sounds really good Lady D! To make your own pinto beans use 2 cups pinto beans or more you can experiment. That way you can freeze some for later. Clean your beans and take out all rocks soak them for about an hour and discard the water then re-rinse. Start to boil the water about 5 cups. I like to use onions and garlic. Get one medium size onion and pick it a few times with a knife. Get one clove garlic mash it a little and add both to the boiling water.

Once your beans are cleaned and soaked add them to the boiling water and add sea salt to your taste. Let it cook for about 2 hours. Get a large spoon and mash one bean to check for tenderness when it mashes easily it is ready. Anytime you want to add more water make sure you boil it first before adding. I like to simmer them for more then 2 hours and when there is not too much water left the broth becomes thick then I scoop out the whole onion and discard it. It is a wonderful replacement for refried beans and you can add a little table cream and warm up some corn tortillas or flour whatever is your choice. Then shredd some cheese and you are in heaven! Don’t forget the Avocados! When there are a lot of beans left I put them in plastic bags and freeze them then you have them instantly!

Enjoy,
Mary

Another terrific thread!

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