How to clean up my diet on a budget?

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  • BigBoneSista
    BigBoneSista Posts: 2,389 Member
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    Great Value Frozen Veggies (steamables)
    Tray of Chicken Legs
    Ground Turkey
    Eggs
    Yogurt
    Peanut Butter
    Planter's Healthy mix
    Milk or Milk Substitute
    Arnold's 100% Whole Wheat Bread
    Starkist Lite Low Sodium Tuna
    Kashi Brand Cereal (for breakfast w/milk or as a snack w/o milk)
    Wheat pastas

    All your fresh veggies and fruits such as zuccini, squash, celery, onions, sweet potatoes, oranges, apples, berries, etc
  • madina62
    madina62 Posts: 16 Member
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    I have been buying dark chocolate for a snack and also pumpkin and sunflower seeds. You can get a big bag for cheap and it's a snack that really lasts a long time. I also found a recipe on-line for homemade graham crackers and once you have the ingredients, you can make as many as you want for really cheap. I also make homemade spaghetti sauce which is a huge value. I make a huge pot for only a couple dollars and freeze it and that will last months!
  • WomanofWorth
    WomanofWorth Posts: 395 Member
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    Get rid of the soda from your diet if you drink it. Removing the white foods from your diet will help considerably ie. white flour, refined sugars, etc. Drink water and tea instead of soda. On the weekend, do a little cooking of rice, beans, oatmeal, chicken breasts, brown ground turkey, etc and bag up for quicker prep times. A little prep goes a long way in your healthy eating efforts. :happy:
  • farmgirl88
    farmgirl88 Posts: 91 Member
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    I love Aldi too! I just bought several boxes of whole wheat pastas--and they were only 89c per box! Also, our Aldi has great produce... avocados were on sale for 25c each last week and a bag of baby carrots was just 99c. If you don't have access to an Aldi, you can find lots of good things for cheap at Walmart.

    Here are a few shopping list ideas:
    - Lowfat cottage cheese (lots of protein, low calories)
    - Grape or cherry tomatoes
    - Oatmeal (plain is best for you... add a little honey if you need the sweetness)
    - Spinach
    - Sweet potatoes (very filling)
    - Salmon (they have this in the frozen section... it's usually less than $5/bag and you can get several meals out of it. Easiest way to prep it: thaw one fillet, sprinkle dill, Kosher salt, and lemon pepper on it, and broil for 5-10 mins)
    - Whole grain/whole wheat pastas and bread
    - Whatever fresh fruits and veggies look good to you
    - Dark chocolate (60% and higher is best)
    - Basically, as my dad says... try to eat things as close to how God made it as you can (i.e. a fresh apple is so much better for you than a cup of jarred, sweetened, preservatives-added apple sauce)

    Taco Soup:
    1 can black beans
    1 can light red kidney beans
    1 can dark red kidney beans
    1 can no salt added corn
    2 cans diced, no salt added tomatoes (or sub 1 can of diced for 1 can of Rotel-style tomatoes)
    1 lb of ground (and browned) turkey or beef (optional--it tastes great without and is still loaded with protein)
    1/2 packet of Taco or Fajita Seasoning (or whatever Mexican/Taco-inspired seasonings you like. Tabasco is good, too!)

    You can heat this all up quick in a sauce pan or you can let it simmer in a crockpot for several hours until it's hot.
  • YourFriendBecky
    YourFriendBecky Posts: 229
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    Saving for future reference
  • swisspea
    swisspea Posts: 327 Member
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    I see lots of people posting about Aldi, as far as I know, there is no Aldi in America (definitley not in Canada). this is unfortunate because I LOVE Aldi, the frozen fish and inexpensive produce was amazing while I was living in Switzerland (especially if we bought it all in Germany).

    So, in North America. I shop at the lowest-price grocery store. The produce doesn't all LOOK as good as the expensive stores, but it's still good and does the job! I buy a lot of frozen fruit, this is how I get most of my fruit. A massive bag of frozen berries if $5.00, when $5.00 only gets you a tiny little package of fresh blueberries. I also have found out what veggies are the cheapest, and I tend to stick to those: squashes (my favourite), sweet potatoes, carrots (don't waste your money on baby carrots, last week I got a 3pound bag of fresh carrots for a dollar! I can peel and slice them myself if they only cost a dollar). I buy the generic brand breads and paw attention to sales as well. That being said, don't waste gas or bus fare as well as your time roaming around looking for the right deal, stick to what's close.

    Canned beans and dried lentils are also a big favourite, I usually make a salad for lunch using one of those two as the main ingredient.

    Frozen or canned fish is great as well, just watch the sodium

    :)
  • milaxx
    milaxx Posts: 1,122 Member
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    check your area to see if they have a CSA or Community Supported Agriculture. You can get loads of produce for a very small price. I am single so I get it, parboil (half cook) or roast and freeze into single servings.

    Buy beans. Even canned beans are usually pretty cheap. I toss them in salads, Mash them and they can be added to meatloaf to stretch it.

    There are plenty of ALDI's in America http://www.aldifoods.com/us/html/service/store_locator_ENU_HTML.htm


    Try using different leafy green vegetables in your salad. Iceburg doesn't have lots of nutritional value, but fresh spinach makes a great salad. If you can get chinese cabbage, thinly shred that also makes a great salad.

    Buy plain not instant oatmeal. It's a great breakfast food and can also be used to stretch meatloaf
  • milaxx
    milaxx Posts: 1,122 Member
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    if you have a horrible sweet tooth, learn to make smoothies. You can buy frozen fruit, fresh fruit or even the quick sale fruit. Toss it into a blender. Add a banana and it makes a great breakfast. I've read that when you crave sweets it's your body's way of trying to get the nutrients found in fruit so if you get enough fruit it helps kill that sweet craving.
  • katerinab
    katerinab Posts: 107
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    I see lots of people posting about Aldi, as far as I know, there is no Aldi in America (definitley not in Canada). this is unfortunate because I LOVE Aldi, the frozen fish and inexpensive produce was amazing while I was living in Switzerland (especially if we bought it all in Germany).

    Aldi is all over the US. It wasn't til about 10-12 years ago that they got one near me, but we've steadily been getting more since.
  • gracienkaidens_momma
    gracienkaidens_momma Posts: 379 Member
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    Thank you guys for all of your wonderful grocery list and recipe ideas! I will definitely be using some of them when I go grocery shopping later today. And no, there's no Aldi where I live in West Virginia. I wish there was though because it sounds like a very low-cost and healthy place to grocery shop!
  • healthyjen342
    healthyjen342 Posts: 1,435 Member
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    VERY VERY good post! I am going to post something...but I have to think of my list..I am going to keep this topic in my back pocket!
  • immskris
    immskris Posts: 18
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    I found this recipe that the kids love

    Veggie tacos

    2 cans kidney beans (undrained)
    1 bottle b-b-q sauce
    1 packet chili seasoning

    Mix it all in the slow cooker until hot and serve over corn chips, etc with toppings of your choice.

    they also love this:

    B-B-Q Chicken

    1 can diet cola
    1 C catchup
    4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

    Mix soda and catshup and pour over chicken in pan. Cook until it boils, then reduce heat and cover until it becomes thick.
  • daybyday
    daybyday Posts: 537 Member
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    bump
  • gracienkaidens_momma
    gracienkaidens_momma Posts: 379 Member
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    Kristi- Thanks for the awesome recipes! I never thought of putting diet cola in my chicken! lol Gonna try it!
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
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    Two things I can think of.

    1) Forget the big name supermarkets for fruit and veg. They may say they're cheep but compared to your local market they really aren't.

    2) Plan everything and buy only what you need.
  • virginiagomes
    virginiagomes Posts: 110 Member
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    Bookmarked
  • gracienkaidens_momma
    gracienkaidens_momma Posts: 379 Member
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    Where I live, there's only Wal-mart, Martin's and Food Lion to buy food. There's a Save-A-Lot but I hate shopping there. There's no selection and it's totally inundated with junk food!
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
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    the best advice is that when you go food shopping ...stick to the perimeter of the store. buy whole grain pasta..it costs the same! and buy dark chocolate. it will satisfy your sweet tooth faster than milk chocolate. packing your lunch will help you stay away from the fast food...and remember...it takes your body 21 days for something to become a habit or to withdraw from something...like sugar or caffeine. once you start eating whole foods instead of processed you will not want to go back!
    I think they are onto that strategy, my grocery store has totally changed the layout and now the pop and cookies are the perimeter, they moved their bread to the interior. oh well...

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