GROCERY SHOPPING: Need help with cheap, healthy food!

amberj728

Hello, everyone!

So I don't like grocery shopping because I'm an impulse shopper.. I also don't know what to cook most of the time so I don't know what to buy.. I'm also on a very low budget..

What do you guys buy when you go to the grocery store for food? What meals do you cook that you like? I need some help here

neanderthin

Pineapples were a dollar each today.....I was excited.

jewel22887

A great way to shop cheap and cook easy is to use a crock pot.

amberj728

A great way to shop cheap and cook easy is to use a crock pot.

We have a mini one in our apartment. Have any favorite recipes you like to put in them?

lynn_glenmont

cheap, healthy food:

generic/store brand/on sale grains and cereals (especially whole grains) (e.g., oats, rice, pasta)

generic/store brand/on sale dried beans

generic/store brand/on sale frozen veggies

fresh produce in season, on sale

eggs

bulk packages of lean meat and poultry on sale (not deli meat -- meat as it comes off the carcass) -- if it's more than you'll need for a meal, divide into meal sized amounts for your family or individual amounts if you don't all eat together, and freeze (I wrap them in wax paper to separate the portions and put them all in the same freezer bag, labeled and dated. If you eat cereal that comes in waxed paper bags inside the cereal box, you can rinse those off and reuse them for separating the meat servings in the freezer bag

canned tuna or salmon on sale

peanut butter on sale (athough mine is never really cheap, as I only like the kind that is made from just peanuts and salt, especially Smucker's Natural, but I stock up when it goes sale; about once a year I'll find it $2.50 for a 1 lb jar)

plain yogurt in large containers (when buying Greek yogurt I stay away from the kind thickened with additives, rather than thickened by straining) (if you find that your yogurt or sour cream tends to grow unwelcome cultures before you use them up, cut a piece of wax paper to fit the surface of the yogurt -- it will stay fresh longer.)

milk or plant-based "milk" of your choice -- not exactly cheap, but healthy, and when you work out the price per serving, it's pretty reasonable

In general, if you want to save money, don't pay for convenience. Buy whole foods and cook from scratch.
I mostly just cook for myself, which gives me freedom to do whatever I want. I generally just start with some perishable ingredient and decide what I'm in the mood to do with it. Tonight I wanted to use up a carton of egg whites that had been open for a while, so I used up all that was left (just over 3/4 cup) with a teaspoon of heavy cream that I'm also looking to use up, after needing only half a container for a recipe. I scrambled the egg whites with the cream, salt, and pepper in a little olive oil and butter, and added some canned asparagus and grated parmesan. Very yummy, and lots of protein.

During the week I like quick things -- stir fries, pastas with veggies, savory oatmeal with steamed veggies and maybe a poached egg, big salads with hearty add-ins like chick peas, or reheated leftovers from soups, stews, and casseroles I made on the weekend. If I'm not starving when I get home, I might stick a winter squash in the oven to bake; it doesn't take any attention or work, but you have to be willing to wait to eat. Or I might stick the squash in the oven and let it cook while I make that night's dinner, and plan to reheat the squash the next night. If you plan to have some of your frozen meat for dinner, move it from the freezer to the refrigerator the evening before.

33Freya

Bags of dry beans are super cheap and make a LOT of food. The lowest calorie choice I use is black beans. You can stretch lean ground beef over several meals too. Onions, cabbage, celery, carrots, Yams and winter squash are usually cheap and good options. Otherwise buy in bulk when you can and watch sales.

Good luck!!

Cracken99

Are you on Pinterest at all? I have found so many great healthy recipes on there. I think soups are the cheapest thing to make. You can also freeze soup and have great meals ready. I like turkey chili which is about $10.00 to make (Ground Turkey $6.00, Zunchini $1.00, Onion $.69, Garlic, can chopped tomatoes $2.00, black beans $1.00) This also freezes well. I always just buy whatever meat is on sale then look for recipes using that meat. I buy my Brown Rice in bulk at Whole Foods (I can get as little or as much as I need for the week) and Quinoa at Costco (BIG bag is $11.00 -I Think?).

I don't know if you have a farmers market close but I find their prices are much less than the grocery store.

livingleanlivingclean

I have a meal plan before I go to the shops. we eat pretty much the same thing every day too.

both of these things help with shopping and sticking to a budget - we can buy in bulk, and we buy just what is on the shopping list! we have less wastage by eating similar things all week as we don't need to buy small amounts of ingredients specific to one meal.

aquarabbit

I learned a lot from the show 10 Dollar Dinners. She has a lot of great tips in her book too.

Oh! And buying in season and having a great selection of recipes sites where I can look things up by that ingredient/season (foodwishes, skinnytaste, gluten free girl and the chef, a girl defloured for gluten free me!) are a great way to save some money.

ClassicGirl79

Check the bulk bins for grains like quinoa, which have a ton of protein and are super versatile! Those bins are often so much cheaper than the stuff in boxes on the shelves - but do the math to make sure, because sometimes they're not! I also agree with the poster who mentioned canned tuna - that's a great one.

You might also look in stores you wouldn't usually think of. I'm not suggesting the dollar store (most of what you'll find there is processed carbs stuff, and not great for the diet), but for example, here in the Seattle area we have a local drug store (Bartell's) that often has crazy good sales on food staples like canned tuna, beans, tomatoes, etc. Their prices during those sales beat the grocery store prices by a mile, so we look out for them and stock up when they're on!

padams2359

I am probably not the person to ask. I am a back filler with a very large pantry, not a forward shopper. I also live in a pretty rural area with limited access to large grocery stores. I don't hunt, or fish, and no longer play golf as frequently, so cooking is my hobby. Buy what you can at wholesale stores, farmer's market, and Trader Joe's has good prices, you just need to read the labels.

ClassicGirl79

(Sorry for the double post!)

ClassicGirl79

A great way to shop cheap and cook easy is to use a crock pot.

We have a mini one in our apartment. Have any favorite recipes you like to put in them?

We made this tonight (stove top, not crock pot, but you could totally adapt it) and it was AWESOME! Definitely a keeper, and very budget friendly! Tons of leftovers, too.

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2014/01/black-eyed-pea-chili-with-quinoa-and-corn.html

MissBabyJane

Fruits, frozen or fresh vegetables, oat meal, all kinds of beans - lentils etc. Musli bars, meat

snappled

cheap, healthy food:

generic/store brand/on sale grains and cereals (especially whole grains) (e.g., oats, rice, pasta)

generic/store brand/on sale dried beans

generic/store brand/on sale frozen veggies

fresh produce in season, on sale

eggs

bulk packages of lean meat and poultry on sale (not deli meat -- meat as it comes off the carcass) -- if it's more than you'll need for a meal, divide into meal sized amounts for your family or individual amounts if you don't all eat together, and freeze (I wrap them in wax paper to separate the portions and put them all in the same freezer bag, labeled and dated. If you eat cereal that comes in waxed paper bags inside the cereal box, you can rinse those off and reuse them for separating the meat servings in the freezer bag

canned tuna or salmon on sale

peanut butter on sale (athough mine is never really cheap, as I only like the kind that is made from just peanuts and salt, especially Smucker's Natural, but I stock up when it goes sale; about once a year I'll find it $2.50 for a 1 lb jar)

plain yogurt in large containers (when buying Greek yogurt I stay away from the kind thickened with additives, rather than thickened by straining) (if you find that your yogurt or sour cream tends to grow unwelcome cultures before you use them up, cut a piece of wax paper to fit the surface of the yogurt -- it will stay fresh longer.)

milk or plant-based "milk" of your choice -- not exactly cheap, but healthy, and when you work out the price per serving, it's pretty reasonable

In general, if you want to save money, don't pay for convenience. Buy whole foods and cook from scratch.
I mostly just cook for myself, which gives me freedom to do whatever I want. I generally just start with some perishable ingredient and decide what I'm in the mood to do with it. Tonight I wanted to use up a carton of egg whites that had been open for a while, so I used up all that was left (just over 3/4 cup) with a teaspoon of heavy cream that I'm also looking to use up, after needing only half a container for a recipe. I scrambled the egg whites with the cream, salt, and pepper in a little olive oil and butter, and added some canned asparagus and grated parmesan. Very yummy, and lots of protein.

During the week I like quick things -- stir fries, pastas with veggies, savory oatmeal with steamed veggies and maybe a poached egg, big salads with hearty add-ins like chick peas, or reheated leftovers from soups, stews, and casseroles I made on the weekend. If I'm not starving when I get home, I might stick a winter squash in the oven to bake; it doesn't take any attention or work, but you have to be willing to wait to eat. Or I might stick the squash in the oven and let it cook while I make that night's dinner, and plan to reheat the squash the next night. If you plan to have some of your frozen meat for dinner, move it from the freezer to the refrigerator the evening before.

oatmeal with steamed veggies

??? What do you mean?

sarahslim100

rice, and veggie sirfry (eggs, tofu-from asian supermarket, whats in season egg broccoli corn carrot capsicum peas) - 1tsp soy sauce 1 tsp fish and 1/2 lime.

Leanmeup53

Hello there hun, new here but using for maintenance, so here's my 2 cents on all of this.

You are like me concerned keeping to budget, whilst enjoying clean healthy foods and knowing what to get to cook what:-)
I can help, I can't eat fats oils so none of that on your list..
Add me and I can do you my recipes:-)

Firstly I did apricot chicken (feeds 4)with rice green beans tonight
Buy:
Tin of apricot nectar
Maggi - apricot chicken sachet
Chicken-300g
Tin of kidney beans
Basmati rice cooked

Tuna mornay
Spiral pasta
Cheese
Tin black and gold (they all arent from Aus so buy cheapest)tuna (springwater)
Peas and corn frozen 2 cups
Milk
Garlic granules
Chicken stock

SezxyStef

I am not on a budget per say but was raised on one...(7 kids)

At this time of the year my mom always bought the "winter veggies"...turnip, parsnip, squash, potatoes.

Always bought who cut up chicken, tins of tuna and salmon even crab is pretty cheap.

Frozen fruit and veggies can be pretty cheap.

I often buy frozen veggies over fresh as they do have more nutrients, as do the frozen veggies.

As well if you want to eat "healthy" there are ways with not so healthy options. Like ground beef if you are can only afford regular or med ground and using it in tacos boil it to get rid of the fat. Cut the fat off of the other meats before cooking it. Peel the skin off chicken.

there are many ways.

lauren3101

People have already given you some good ideas on things to buy, so some non-food tips:

The freezer is your friend and can save you a fortune in the long run. I actually cut my food bill by a third when I bought a chest freezer. If you haven't got one, it's worth the initial cost of one.

Plan meals for the week and a shopping list before you go, or shop online if you can. Knowing exactly what you want will save you money.

If you are at work all day, pre-make your lunches and avoid buying them out. Make extra for dinner and freeze the extra in individual portion sizes, then you can 'grab and go'.

valerie4030

Try buying frozen vegetables when they are on sale. (Frozen veggies are a fine alternative to fresh) I look for $.99 sales in the store circulars. I cut my shopping bill by half!, just by buying what is on sale in the circulars...meats, fresh fruits and veggies, condiments, eggs, bacon, etc. If you have an Aldi's store near you, they have eggs, bacon and cheeses cheaper than the big supermarkets (best price for butter, too). Farmer's markets are very popular and can be very reasonable, if you want a larger quantity. Keep in mind you won't find just a lb of any item there, but you will find a bag of say, mushrooms, for $2. I am a personal chef and have had some cost conscious customers. If you'd like some ideas for recipes, let me know what foods you enjoy and I'll email you some ideas....you'd be surprise how little you can spend for a great meal! Good luck!

gypsyone96

Buy chicken breast, tilapia, frozen veggies, sweet potatoes, etc... and buy a lot when they are on sale