Healthy food on a tight budget

[Owlie]

I'm going to be living off student loans for the foreseeable future. Therefore--super-tight budget, in a small and rather backward town (it makes Cincinnati look almost forward-thinking by comparison!). I'm going to be cutting my meat consumption a little bit and forcing myself to eat eggs and beans. But I'd like tasty things too. Anything else? This should not be so difficult, but it's so much cheaper to buy crap!

[nscrbug]

Rice, quinoa, oatmeal (yes I've eaten oatmeal for dinner ), PB...these are all foods that are relatively inexpensive, yet can be stretched to last a while.

[indysteel]

I actually find the processed crap to be pretty expensive. Thinks veggies, lentils, beans, and grains, with meat being a treat or "side dish. Plan your meals and grocery visits in advance, preferably a week or two at a time. Buy dry goods in bulk. Plan your meals around grocery sales (esp. on meat) and coupons. Freeze leftovers and/or get some lunches out of them. Don't throw fresh food away; use it creatively before it goes bad.

[jessmarimba]

It's taken awhile, but I've started to figure out when things will be marked down at my grocery store, so the few times I eat meat I can buy it at a pretty decent price (I am a meat snob too - no hormones, etc. so I can't afford it at full price!) Then I just cook right away and adapt my meal plan for the week or freeze it til I can figure out what I want to do with it.

Lunches are still sort of random and based on whatever I'm craving (lots of soup lately, oddly enough), but breakfast is yogurt, frozen fruit, and a little of the Kroger "Natural" cereal (some kind of granola) and dinner is usually salad or pasta (kroger has frozen ravioli & tortellini that is cheap and very good).

I don't get very creative. I'm usually so hungry by the time I get to eat dinner that I don't want anything that takes more than 10 minutes to prepare. I stock up on frozen fruits and veggies when they're cheap and have gotten pretty creative with crock pot recipes in the winter. Just a little bit of meat and whatever veggies I have on-hand. I have a tiny $6 crock pot and it works well for 3-4 meals for me.

[surgtech1956]

I agree, oatmeal(I too have eaten oatmeal for dinner), PB(grilled PB&J sandwich, yumm), lentils and dried peas to make soup, fruit - whatever is on sale(and in season), eggs, love the frozen pasta too(ravioli and tortellini), pierogies. Most of the grocery stores around us sells the roasted whole chickens, we'll buy one of these, cut it up and put in baggies = to add to salads, make tacos, etc.... I hate processed food and think its more $$$.

[azfiddle]

If you have access to tortillas, I ate of lot of corn tortilla quesadillas with lots of veggies and salsa during my student days.

Eggs are relatively cheap for protein...and a whole chicken is a much better buy than pieces. It's cheaper by the pound, you can get several meals plus a carcass for soup out of it.

And buy produce that is in season.

[ultraviolet]

I'm not big on the carby stuff, but I'm sure you can get lots of recommendations on that front from others. As far as meat goes, always make it a point to check out the clearance/markdown meat whenever you're at the grocery store. Buy any "good deals" you find, take them home, repackage them as single servings if needed, and freeze them.

Sometimes I find nothing, sometimes I bring home several lbs. of meat at a deep discount. A few weeks back I found five packages of pre-marinated chicken breasts for 99 cents a piece. I bought all five. One package is enough for one dinner and 2-3 lunch salads over the following few days. Not a bad yield for 99 cents. At various other times, I've found whole organic/free-range chickens at 50-70% off. That's another multi-meal affair...I eat the thighs and legs for dinner after roasting, pull the meat off of the breasts for salads, use the carcass for stock to make soup or to flavor other foods.

It takes some looking, but it is totally possible to eat well on a budget. This has actually become sort of a game to me over the years. It started as a necessity just out of college, but now seeing how little I can spend on groceries while still eating a whole foods diet is almost a form of entertainment.

[shootingstar]

Interesting discussion...because how we cope depends on what we know or accustomed to in terms of food preparation.

Just how "backward" is this town, Owlie in terms of food choices? Usually there is at least 1 local ingredient which the locals are tired of because it's in great abundance and therefore cheap during peak season.

For instance in a quiet rural town of 2,000 people just 2 years ago I found butternut squash for $1.00 for a huge squash that I would have to pay $4.00 in a big city. It's because it's a squash growing region in Ontario. I stir fry my squash cubes which naturally carmelizes it and brings out its sweet flavour. No need for sugar nor honey at all!

Or another town of 1,000 where I found apple butter for $1.00 per jar....because it's a apple butter producing area.

Rice, pasta, oatmeal, occasionally a tin of salmon can be stretched with Dijon mustard for sandwiches for 2-3 days, veggies of course.

HOney for sweetening. Though I never buy it for myself (I don't buy honey or sugar for home. I just eat desserts outside of home).

With flour, water, an egg or 2 and fresh/dry herbs: can make spaetzle or with yeast (without egg) focaccia with tomato, onion, garlic, herbs and maybe (not necessary) cheese. If you have time... or need a break from studying..

A tasty pasta dish can be made from linguine sauteed with tin of smoked mussels or tinned clam, tomatoes, onions and garlic. Herbs if available or dried. Yummy.

With rice being cooked, break an egg and cover rice pot with lid. Egg will be cooked in less than 10 min. How's that for speed?

Don' forget couscous....too.

[margo49]

Lentil stews with varied grains - barley, wheat, rice. And seasonal veges. Make your own bread - will pm you an easy no-knead recipe. Home-made granola. Pancakes. Yoghurt you can also make at home and it goes by itself - low-maintenance bacteria! Smoothies.
What are you studying, by the way?