Comments on: Healthy Foods on the Cheap

By: smallnotebook

smallnotebook — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 05:21:27 +0000

Ashley, I know since you’re living in the dorm that you don’t have room to store a lot of food or buy in bulk. One idea is smoothies. I have a Cuisinart stick blender that I use to make them, and it doesn’t take up as much room as a regular blender and it is much easier to clean. You could blend up a banana and milk or yogurt, and add whatever seasonal fruit you could find that week with some protein powder for a quick lunch.

Making popcorn on the stove instead of the microwave is cheap and good for you. Eggs can be used a variety of ways.

It’s hard to look in magazines, because they rely on the flair of using recipes with a lot of ingredients. Here is a website where you type in the food you have on hand, and it pulls up recipes: Supercook.com.

By: smallnotebook

smallnotebook — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 05:20:22 +0000

You know, sardines are something that I didn’t grow up eating, but I keep hearing about them, so I think it’s time for me to try them.

Wow, Angie, you’re really on the ball!

Okgonow, those are really great points. I am all about making homemade bread, because I have to make it gluten-free, and it’s crazy expensive to buy it. I didn’t know that about tomatoes, but I’m glad to hear it!

Thanks for the link, Gina.

By: Gina

Gina — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:32:51 +0000

A good option for fresh fruits and veggies are pick-your-own farms. you can go to http://www.pickyourown.org to find info about the farms in your area. You can get pretty good deals, stock up, and then freeze them!

By: okgonow

okgonow — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:43:06 +0000

I like this list!

Some things I would change: Try skipping buying the bread, and making it instead. Maybe some would think it’s not work the effort, but at $5.00 a loaf for the decent quality stuff up here, it really is.

Same goes for tomato sauce: Did you know canned tomatoes retain nearly all of their un-preserved nutrients, and some research suggests cooking may even make them BETTER? I love making my own tomato sauce–it’s fast, easy, extra tasty and cheap–and enjoy the diversity of having the canned tomatoes for other things, too.

I would also probably skip string cheese in favor of a bulk block of cheddar or colby jack. It fulfills the same function as a niche dairy, but is a lot more versatile, and cheaper, and has a lot less packaging.

I think I’d also have to add some kind of wheat cracker (triscuits?) or something crunchy as my quick snack go-to. (Often in conjunction with cheese or fish.)

By: Ashley

Ashley — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:33:09 +0000

Wow, I JUST made a post on my own blog about trying to shop for healthy things on a small budget. I’m a college student trying to slim down, with a $20-$30/week budget, living in a dorm with limited supplies and refrigerator space (aka no food processor, no blender, very basic stuff).

This is a great place to start(thanks!), but what do you do next? How do you turn those things into great meals–do you have some throwback recipes, or is there somewhere online you go for meal ideas?

By: Angie

Angie — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:26:04 +0000

I’m late as well. One of the things I do to help with costs is make a list from sale ads each week. I write down the costs, compare, and then since I work for a major retail store with a grocery section, I have them ad match to save gas running from store to store. I also keep a section in my notebook of regular priced things I’ve bought with their prices so I can compare. I recently bought gallons of milk for almost $1 less and, like everything else that’s cheaper, I froze it. I bought enough that it was on sale again when we ran out. By doing this, buying reduced meats and AngelFoodMinistries, we have enough food that we’re not buying any for the month of August. Beans twice a week help as well. We spend less than $250/month for a family of 3 and anyone who happens by at supper.

By: carmie

carmie — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:16:01 +0000

Chiming in late to suggest canned sardines as a cheap, safer alternative to tuna. Because they’re so far down the food chain, PCBs/heavy metals aren’t as much of a concern, and they are high in omega-3 fats. I get the kind canned in water and find the taste similar to tuna, maybe a little less fishy. That would make sense, since tuna eat sardines I mash them up and eat them with a little mustard & pickle relish on WW bread.

Sometimes I find cans for a dime apiece at the dollar store.

By: smallnotebook

smallnotebook — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:04:36 +0000

I love all the advice y’all are sharing!

By: Missy @ It's Almost Naptime

Missy @ It's Almost Naptime — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:19:32 +0000

PS - Like you, I freeze meat. I freeze almost everything I find on sale, including bread & milk & cheese. Organic milk does not freeze very well but the regular kind does.

By: Missy @ It's Almost Naptime

Missy @ It's Almost Naptime — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:16:13 +0000

Great list. Sadly, I have to say skip the tuna, especially the chunk lite kind, ie, the good stuff. Tuna is so laden with PCBs that little ones and pregnant women shouldn’t go near it.

Believe me, this breaks my heart. I love tuna salad.

Another alternative is canned chicken, which costs about the same and chicken is a safe meat.