Desperately need Help!

Trista87Marie

Ok. So I haven't been grocery shopping in months. I am completely out of food. (haven't shopped since I moved into my new apt). So I have a $100 budget and need the food to last for at least two weeks. if not three. I'm only shopping for me, but I really need help getting healthy foods within my budget. And with enough variety that I wont get bored and eat crap instead. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!

Pebble321

Make a meal plan first, then a grocery list. This way you know what you have to buy and roughly how much it will cost before you go shopping. And you have an idea or how many meals it will make.

Think about what meals you like and have cooked before that don't use expensive ingredients. Stuff that you can cook that will make a few meals or will keep OK in the freezer are great - chilli, dahl (dried beans and lentils are cheaper than canned and go a long way), brown rice, frozen veggies, whatever fresh fruit or veggies that are in season (ie. cheap) and will last - apples, carrots, spinach, celery, zuccini would be on my list, but it depends where you live and what is in season locally).
Wholegrain bread, natural yoghurt, mueslie would also be on my list. Chicken wings or drumsticks are cheap and you can oven roast them or make them into soup.

Good luck, search for budget recipes on MFP and online and you will get lots more good ideas.

Jeneba

Beans & lentils & rice or quinoa.

srp2011

Frozen veggies and fruits - that way you don't have to worry about them going bad. Check and see what lean meats are on sale, and stock up and freeze (you can do a variety of stir fries with the frozen veggies so you don't get bored). Beans and rice are also cheap and go a long way.

NancyAnne1960

Navy beans and pinto beans make great soups or refried beans. You can also freeze them once made. Cook them with onions, garlic, low sodium beef or chicken broth. Frozen veggies. Variety and they last because they are frozen. Frozen fruit - also last a lot longer than fresh. Plus, being frozen, you won't get tired eating them all right away. Peanut butter, and string cheese.

Just ideas. You can do it!!

kristiedavis1

I agree with the need to make a meal plan first so you can have a very specific grocery list. Decide what you are willing to buy off-brands for and what's a name brand must. (For me that would be cheese - name brand only.) I have a family of 4 but usually cook for 6 every night to include my parents. I buy meat when it's on sale and freeze. Chicken can be done a million different ways. Peanut Butter gives you the opportunity to mix things up. Greek Yogurt is good protein and with store brand options can be farely inexpensive. Frozen fruits and vegetables are also good reasonable choices. Also consider the store brand frozen options that are like the Lean Cuisines. I shop at Walmart for these and the Great Value Lean Pockets and Low Cal/Lower Fat Paninis give my whole family something differnt to choose from. Hope some of these suggestions help.

frugalmomsrock

Yes; a meal plan is best. Sit down with your ads (and coupons if you clip them; you should; they're free money when they're for products you'll buy) and plan it out to a T. I used to have to be extremely meticulous with my planning because my husband and I (and three kids) once had a budget of 100.00 a MONTH for food, diapers, and health and beauty products.

One thing I'm seeing at Meijer is the Kraft deal! Buy 5 products and get 5.00 off instantly. Cheese, peanuts, lunch meat (though high in sodium, so watch that), and salad dressing all look like appealing deals and are possibilities for your meal plan.

Red seedless grapes and peaches are both .88/lb.

Meijer boneless skinless chicken tenders 4# bag is 7.99. That would definitely go into my meal plan. 4# is a lot of meat for one person. Think portions. 4 oz. is a portion. So each pound is 4 servings, so it's theoretically a 16 serving bag of chicken for only 8 bucks.

Hummus is half price, but if you have a food processor, you can probably make it yourself a little cheaper. I experiment and make black bean hummus with different spices, too. I have made "regular" (garbanzo) hummus too, and I never use the tahini. I just do beans and various spices. Sometimes some olive oil. Just open the can of beans, rinse, and then use your processor. Pita chips are easy to make too-get whole wheat pitas, split in half, spray with a little cooking spray and sprinkle with sea salt, basil, garlic powder, or whatever you want really, and bake at 300 until crisp.

Dannon light and fit yogurt is on sale for .50 each. That would go on my list too.

Meijer string cheese is 2.99. Not great, but not absolutely horrible either.

Meijer canned beans are only .69 each-I'd definitely put beans on the list. Good protein, iron, fiber, low fat. All around a good option.

Meijer pasta sauce is 4/5.00. I would try to find a reduced sodium sauce if they have it.

Meijer whole grain pasta is .79! That's awesome-especially when paired with the low priced sauce.


That's the only ad I've checked so far...

frugalmomsrock

OK. Kroger...

They also have a buy 5 and save 5.00 instantly, and Special K, Eggo, and Nutrigrain are all on that list. http://www2.kelloggs.com/Coupon.aspx <<< you can get coupons here if you want.

Frozen veggies are 10/10.00

Tuna is .79

Kroger yogurt is on sale for .40 each-even better than the Light and fit at Meijer if you don't mind generic.

Seedless cucumbers for 1.25 each

Apples for 10# for 10.00

colored peppers 3/5.00

Debkam

Kim is right on!

milaxx

Like everyone has mentioned, make a meal plan. Try to think about how you can get more than one meal out of things. Buying chicken breast can be dinner and leftover made into chicken salad for lunch the next day, a bag of pasta can be spaghetti, a stir fry, soup, etc..... Think about if you are going to 1 market or more than one market. I find I get better deals at the produce market or farmer's market for fruit and veg.
Think also about what staples you need. Onions, garlic oils and ziplocs freezer bags are basic for me. I use them to season most of my meals and being able to freeze large portions keeps me from having food in the fridge going bad,
I also check circulars for sales before going shopping. I spend approximately $100 - $150 on groceries and that includes household items and supplies & food for 2 cats. The only exception is I find I can;t buy fresh fruit and veg for the month. I split that up and buy biweekly instead. That way I don't have stuff going bad.

frugalmomsrock

http://aldi.us/us/html/offers/weekly_ads_ENU_HTML.php?WT.z_src=main


They have some pretty rockin' deals on produce. I shop there 2-3 times a week for fresh produce. They also have a pack of 4 sirloin filets for 6.99 that I like to get. They're good steaks, and aren't horrible on calories.

This week, they have 2# bags of vidalia onions for only .89! 3-packs of green peppers for .99! They carry nice sized bags of frozen fruits and veggies for very reasonable prices too. They have beans for .55 a can.


What I do is make my list for each store I'll be shopping at, get coupons (if I have them) ready, and take a cooler and go to the furthest store first, and make my way back home in a loop. There are some days I end up at four or five stores-it just depends.


Some staple things I'd buy that weren't in the ads: eggs (usually very reasonable at Aldi), fat free milk, whole grain bread, whole wheat tortillas, cheap salsa, brown rice, cottage cheese (also reasonable at Aldi), bagged salad (if I get a sale) or some romaine hearts, whole wheat egg noodles. I'm sure there's more, but I can't think of it at the moment.

Jenscan

Lots of good advice, and I definitely second going to ALDI!! Their food is reasonably priced and for the most part, darn good.

frugalmomsrock

and finally, a couple ideas for using chicken:

*I will often cook chicken by boiling it in water, and then shred it and put into individual baggies to use as needed. For my family of seven, I separate into about 8-10 oz. each bag. For just one, I'd keep in small 2 oz. portions.

quesadillas

2 oz. cooked and shredded chicken
2 TBSP of diced tomatoes (fresh is lower sodium)
1 TBSP chopped onion
1/2 tsp cumin (or to taste)
1/4 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or to taste)
pepper to taste
1 TBSP water
1 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 whole wheat tortilla

put chicken and tomatoes into a small pan. Sprinkle seasoning on and mix. Use water to spread seasoning to coat evenly.

Sprinkle half the cheese on half of the tortilla, drop chicken mixture on top in various places and spread out as much as possible. Top with the rest of the cheese. Fold over and put into a hot skillet until it has little bubbly browned spots. Flip. Cut into three wedges and serve with black or pinto beans. Use sour cream, salsa, and/or taco sauce for dipping.



Chicken wrap

Season chicken with pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder and cook through. Place in center of tortilla. Top with slices of peppers and/or onions (raw or sauteed), 1/2 oz. shredded cheese, a little lowfat mayo (if you like it). Roll, and eat with a small salad or some cottage cheese or yogurt.



Chicken tacos

2 oz. cooked shredded chicken
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
pepper to taste
1 TBSP water

2 whole wheat tortillas
1 cup lettuce of choice
1 oz. shredded cheese
*other toppings of choice: tomatoes, onions, fat free sour cream, salsa, taco sauce, etc.

Place chicken in pan and sprinkle seasonings on. Pour water in to spread seasonings around. Heat to meld flavors. Put half chicken mixture in center of tortillas, top with half the lettuce and half the cheese and other toppings of choice.



Chicken gravy:

2 oz. shredded cooked chicken
2/3 c. water
2 tsp corn starch
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
garlic powder, onion powder to taste
1/2 teaspoon gravy master

Mix water and corn starch. Add spices. Mix over heat until it begins to thicken. Add gravy master. Add in chicken and let heat through. I serve over brown rice or whole wheat egg noodles.