I want to eat healthy but I have a very low income. Guidence if you can, please. :)

kristydi

Since you said you have a crock pot and eat beans you can get dried beans cheaper than canned and they're very easy to make in a crock pot. Here are recipes for a couple of varieties. I usually make a batch and freeze it in can sized portions.

Charro Beans
http://whatsgoodintheneighborhood.com/2010/08/01/crockpot-charro-beans-popular-request/

Refried Beans I use this basic recipe for black beans too and may or may not mash the pintos before eating.
http://penniesandpancakes.blogspot.com/2012/09/crockpot-refried-beans-019-per-cup.html

Of course you can use the same method and change up the spices to make whatever type of beans you want.

Also look around your grocery store's produce department. Mine has a discount shelf tucked into a corner with small, misshapen, and slightly old produce for cheaper. Lately I've been finding red and yellow peppers 3 for the usual price of 1 and zucchini and squash cheap too.

crisb2

Here's a couple comparisons:



http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=what_20_will_buy_at_the_drivethru_and_at_the_supermarket

missiontofitness

crisb2 wrote: »

Here's a couple comparisons:



http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=what_20_will_buy_at_the_drivethru_and_at_the_supermarket

I get what this infograph is trying to say, but it is very misleading. I have never seen some of those prices at Walmart, let alone any discount/low cost grocery stores. Especially when it comes to the meat.

It is possible to incorporate foods considered healthy into ones diet. 100% agree! But a lot of these can still be pretty expensive. Wish food costs were that low! Especially for the chicken per pound.

EricMurano

crisb2: Take the chicken out of that and you're right. That amount of chicken, here in Australia, will cost $20 alone.

You can switch this breakfast and lunch:

Breakfast: quick oats with milk and brown sugar. 750g of quick oats is 75c from coles, milk and sugar is cheap too. You'll get way less that $2.50 per breakfast.

Lunch: for me it's six eggs (4 whites, 2 whole) with bread. The eggs are cheap if you go for the chicken-hating cage eggs. If you have a conscience then skip this.

Dinner: Steamed vegetables. Shop for the cheap, seasonal veggies. Sometimes Broccoli is cheap sometimes zucchini is cheap. Just get what's cheap.

That leaves what ever meat you can get for dinner. Again, just go for what's on special. I know basa fillets are really cheap. Avoid non breast chicken meat.

hozik

This free e book has cheap and healthy recipes. https://8e81c55f4ebf03323905b57bf395473796067508.googledrive.com/host/0B2A2SnkA9YgxaHdzbEhGSmJOZDg/good-and-cheap.pdf

ljashley1952

I make a big pot of vegetable soup and I can eat for several days. Whenever I cook something I'm always thinking of how I can stretch it to make extra for lunch the next day. I try not to waste anything. If you can shop in bulk for things like bags of rice, dried beans, lentils...it will give you a high-protein, but low fat meal. I don't eat a lot of rice, but some will go a long ways.

dbmata

rede383 wrote: »

Hi!

Much like the title says, I'm on a notoriously low income yet I still want to try to eat healthy.
Usually, I live off pasta, tinned goods and rice.
The most I can spend a month on food is $70/$17.50 a week. So one meal a day has to equate to approximately $2.50.
I will be starting to try to grow my own food soon, Just waiting for the Australian heat wave to come and go as we've almost finished Spring here.

Any help would be very welcome! I'm kinda new here. ^_^

Much love,
Rede.

Congrats, meat and vegetables are the cheapest things at a market.

Eat those.

Eating premade, tinned stuff is a poor choice, and an expensive one.

crisb2

It's not a grocery list. It's an example. For the price of 1 large pizza, I can make a couple of healthy meals if I go to the supermarket and make sensible choices. For example, buying the whole chicken, bone-in... will probably be a lot cheaper than buying the boneless chicken breasts. Lighten up people.

GoneGirl50

"One of the greatest groundswells in global food trends – food foraging - is moving more into the mainstream as individuals are seeking connection with their food sources and chefs are taking up the cause of integrating more wild foods into the way we eat. Keen home cooks and culinary tourists can now sign up for seasonal tours – some city-based, some in the country – where experienced guides show where to find food growing wild and how to identify plants that are both safe and delicious to eat." - See more at: http://restaurant.australia.com/en/explore/National/Experiences/foraging-australian-style.html#sthash.6ZYg9XYP.dpuf

llUndecidedll

crisb2 wrote: »

Here's a couple comparisons:



http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=what_20_will_buy_at_the_drivethru_and_at_the_supermarket

I understand what you're saying, but as someoen who shops at Wal-mart and buys Great Value products regularly, I have to call BS. For example, a gallon of milk is twice the price listed. The exact brand of chicken breasts listed is $9.31 not $1.96. I don't know how far these prices go back, but they are clearly outdated.

penny0919

I had to LOL at the price of chicken breast...that would be under $1 a lb. Even a whole chicken, bones and all is usually more than that per lb where I live. And a LB of 96% lean ground beef is never under $4 a lb around here any more!

yoovie

Add in some tortillas, you can use these with refried beans, or with eggs or with peanut butter for a snack.

Get some chicken boullion and you can make chicken broth, add a scrambled egg and you have egg drop soup.

Mix veggies and leftover rice and seasoning in a pan and make refried rice/stir fry. Bags of frozen veggies are a godsend and you can add in round steak which is about $4 for a week's worth of small steaks

Also get something like bisquick, that lets you use it for multiple things throughout the month. You can make broccoli loaf and bake in some broccoli, onions, seasoning and cherry tomatoes, or make shepherds pie, or healthy

ksolksol

penny0919 wrote: »

I had to LOL at the price of chicken breast...that would be under $1 a lb. Even a whole chicken, bones and all is usually more than that per lb where I live. And a LB of 96% lean ground beef is never under $4 a lb around here any more!

We get whole chickens for sale 99 cents a pound here, and when they go on sale I buy as many as they let me and do total chicken carnage in my kitchen -- cut 'em up, package them, turn the backs into broth. BUT that's something that requires freezer space, enough disposable income to load up and knowledge of how to cut up a chicken. Not everyone has that. Leg quarters go on sale 99 cents here pretty often as well. But for chicken breast... I do agree that the prices for that, not to mention a few other things, are decidedly off in this infographic.

Still, I think the point that groceries are better than fast food nutrition-per-dollar-wise is a valid one.

And an aside -- chicken breasts roast much more nicely if you leave them whole instead of splitting them.

yoovie

(also growing your veggies is pretty darn amazing)

dbmata

llUndecidedll wrote: »

crisb2 wrote: »

Here's a couple comparisons:



http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=what_20_will_buy_at_the_drivethru_and_at_the_supermarket

I understand what you're saying, but as someoen who shops at Wal-mart and buys Great Value products regularly, I have to call BS. For example, a gallon of milk is twice the price listed. The exact brand of chicken breasts listed is $9.31 not $1.96. I don't know how far these prices go back, but they are clearly outdated.

Where I live, we have some fairly high food prices. You can buy chicken breasts for sub $1 a pound, and a gallon of milk is $3.

lmr0528

crisb2 wrote: »

Here's a couple comparisons:



http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=what_20_will_buy_at_the_drivethru_and_at_the_supermarket

I don't know where you live but here in NY, I've never seen chicken or beef that low.

missiontofitness

dbmata wrote: »

llUndecidedll wrote: »

crisb2 wrote: »

Here's a couple comparisons:



http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=what_20_will_buy_at_the_drivethru_and_at_the_supermarket

I understand what you're saying, but as someoen who shops at Wal-mart and buys Great Value products regularly, I have to call BS. For example, a gallon of milk is twice the price listed. The exact brand of chicken breasts listed is $9.31 not $1.96. I don't know how far these prices go back, but they are clearly outdated.

Where I live, we have some fairly high food prices. You can buy chicken breasts for sub $1 a pound, and a gallon of milk is $3.

I wish chicken was that low where I was I'm lucky to get it on sale for $1.99/lb if I buy in bulk!

dbmata

oh go hit the MB over in Union Square somerville.

Unless things have changed, chicken is still stupid cheap there. (I used to live a block from that one.)

enterdanger

If fresh produce is expensive, try frozen. Some veggies lose their health benefits in the can (exceptions are beans and tomatoes which are great canned). This also helps avoid throwing stuff away. If you have any stores that sell from bulk bins, also try those. Stores where you can opt to get a certain amount of rice, quinoa, bulger, whatever grain you like. This way you aren't paying for packaging or more than you need. Farm markets are also great.

yoovie

llUndecidedll wrote: »

crisb2 wrote: »

Here's a couple comparisons:



http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=what_20_will_buy_at_the_drivethru_and_at_the_supermarket

I understand what you're saying, but as someoen who shops at Wal-mart and buys Great Value products regularly, I have to call BS. For example, a gallon of milk is twice the price listed. The exact brand of chicken breasts listed is $9.31 not $1.96. I don't know how far these prices go back, but they are clearly outdated.

what kind of chicken is $9.31/lb?

is it from Jurassic farms?