Budget diet for Insanity

wholesomejoe

Following the food plan exactly is really expensive. Is there any way to adjust this so I can do it on a poor man's budget?

What are some cheap foods I can get in large quantities that will last a while that will allow me to reach my fitness goals?

LazSommer

chicken and rice

kommodevaran

These foods can be bought cheaply and will provide you with a wide range of nutrition:
Rice, beans, oatmeal, pasta, oil, milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, tuna, pork, chicken, eggs, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, canned tomatoes, frozen vegetables, frozen berries, apples, bananas, oranges, nuts.

Cook for yourself, log in your food diary to make sure you get a good balance of nutrients. Variety is important, the more variety the better. Look out for good deals on any (real) food.

wholesomejoe

the variety is the problem for me. Also, with my busy schedule (I work in film) I don't sometimes have time to cook full blown meals.

kommodevaran

How is variety a problem? Cooking doesn't have to take more time than takeout/readymeals. You find time if it's important to you.

coachsaralee

wholesomejoe wrote: »

the variety is the problem for me. Also, with my busy schedule (I work in film) I don't sometimes have time to cook full blown meals.

A good meal replacement shake can make life a lot easier and fill in nutritional gaps. Food prep can help. I can prepare meals for 5-6 days on Sunday and just grab and go. It just takes me an hour.

TR0berts

BeachBody food plans typically suck, I've found. I tried P90X a while back, and the meal plan didn't actually match up with the Calorie/macro targets they suggested for each phase. In addition, I was constantly eating and feeling sick because of it.

Just use your MFP goal(s) - or get some from iifym.com or scoobysworkshop.com - and eat whatever gets you to it/them.

cwolfman13

You don't have to follow some prescribed meal plan to have success.

tryett

Every meal I make takes 30 minutes or less and we have some pretty incredible meals. You could also make extra and eat it for more than 1 meal (I had leftover Thai Cashew Chicken for lunch today from lasts nights dinner). I also some times prepare chicken breast ahead of time for salads during the week. It really takes no time at all. While you are cooking one meal you could hard boil some eggs for snacks or egg salad.

tryett

Slow cookers (although I don't have one but am looking into them now) also can come in real handy and save time.

kshama2001

Using spices and seasonings from different ethnicities or random things in my frig, I'm sure I know dozens of different ways to make chicken. Here's the simplest. Takes 30 minutes:

• Start rice
• Start grill
• Marinate chicken. Salad dressing works great for this. I am currently using (non creamy) Caesar.
• Cook chicken
• Cook veg

If you want quick meals, check out Rachel Ray's 30-Minute Meals.
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/satisfying-fall-recipes/
http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/30-minute-meals.html

If you want to limit ingredients, look for recipes or books by Mark Bittman such as The Minimalist Cooks at Home: Recipes That Give You More Flavor from Fewer Ingredients in Less Time

Both author's cookbooks are available from my library system so perhaps yours as well.

Vegplotter

Eating well and cheaply means eating fresh and in season. Not too much meat, but cheaper fish, pulses and eggs.
It means taking some time, energy and planning. But it's worth it to be healthy. If you are short of time try these:
Omelette and salad
Stir fry
Grilled chicken and vegetables
Baked potatoes, beans and salad
Fish and rice
Beans and rice (cook up a load and keep in the fridge)
Tub of soup augmented with cooked vegetables
Open wholemeal sandwich - one piece of bread, plus double quantities of filling.
Get to know a vegetable gardener and offer to help in return for some veg.
Good luck.

blackaheep4288

I spend maybe 5-10 minutes a day on cooking dinner for my wife and I. We both work and we utilize the crockpot for our evening dinner nearly every night. We had ribs on Mon, Pasta on Tue, Chilli will be tonight, tomorrow I plan to cook a whole in chicken, and Friday we will have pot roast.

dragon_girl26

For me, it's easiest to take one day of the week to do my food prep. I made oatmeal, yogurt, or cereal for breakfast with fruit and nyrs, lunch us usually a salad, or something like chicken with rice and vegetables, and dinner is whatever sounds good from my Skinny taste cookbook. This week it's butternut squash lasagna rolls. A few hours of prep on Sunday and, boom, done for the week. A good low calorie meal plan, no fancy containers, and budget friendly.
I like the crockpot, too..just throw the stuff in before you leave for work, and dinner is ready when you get home. I do oatmeal in the crockpot, too.
I've seen some of those meal plans..too much wasted food and time for me. Doesn't work well with my lifestyle. Just plan ahead with a few simple meals.

baleighbee

An easy cheap meal for me would be quinoa with black beans and salsa. It will give you some protein and a little spicy in your day without breaking the bank! If you have more time to add some veggies or avocado then that would be an added bonus too. Another cheap easy meal for me is prepping bean burritos so just get a good whole wheat tortilla (I personally look for high protein and fiber tortillas), any type of beans, and then add items that compliment it such as lettuce, tomatoes, veggies, avocado, etc.