poor and fat.... help

I understand that eating right is hard especially if you are cooking for a large crew who could care less! I think for the time being you should look at portion control and pay close attention to the nutrition facts on what you do eat! Make small changes that all of your family can eat and enjoy like using ground turkey cutting out pork and beef, eating frozen vegetables instead of fresh, go on the internet and google cooking healthy on a budget if you find cook books or reading material rent them at the local library! Eating healthy is expensive but I do not think that it is impossible to do it on a budget!

Good Luck

Kraft foods site has healthy living budget recipes.
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/healthy-living/healthyliving.aspx

i buy generic oatmeal, eggs, milk, frozen broccoli, apples, bananas, green beans, cheese, generic lunch meat, cheese, 45 calorie sara lee multi grain bread, peanut butter, thomas 100 calorie english muffins, carrots, grapes, chicken - large pack and cut it myself and bag and freeze it in portion sizes, lettus, dressing, string cheese, im sure there is more. All are relativly inexpensive compared to some diet foods, plus they are whole foods and better for you. I am trying to stay away from "diet foods" and granola bars and packaged foods like that.

i buy oatmeal and brown rice from the bulk bins...it's cheap and filling! The days I have oatmeal for breakfast I'm not hungry again until late afternoon!

There are websites that have ideas for frugal cooking. NO packaged food. Plan ahead. Buy the best cuts of meat in the largest packages. Is there a food pantry in your area? You can get some staples there. Don't feel ashamed. Just do the best you can.

I second Trader Joes! They have great fruit for a fraction of the price of Whole Foods and some times i actually find it better! Their cheeses are actually very inexpensive, too! Trader Joe's also has some great frozen fish (they have a salmon filet with filling that rocks for 2.99 and it's a VERY heathy sized portion).

I find that I grocery store at multiple stores to get what I need. I will buy the things that are reliable and cheapest at Trader Joe's and Shaws (i won't drink tap water, but stock up on 2.5 gallon water jugs. Cheaper at Shaws). Then I save the "fancy" stuff for Whole Foods ...i.e. "treating" myself to some nice fresh, wild Salmon, etc. that is more expensive, but is very healthy. Whole Foods has their 365 brand that is fairly inexpensive and on sale quite a lot. I tend to stock up on things when they are on sale.

Like dieting and weight loss, it takes more planning, but it works! I don't eat any processed foods, etc. and really the "100 calorie" snack packs that are popular are a waste of money & calories! I but the snack sized baggies from Walmart and make my own 100 calorie snacks after I go grocery shopping by washing and dividing up all of my fruit, etc. Here are more 100 calorie snack ideas:

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/best-100-calorie-snacks

Making things from scratch is often much less expensive. In addition, making things with similar ingredients helps. There are a number of website with low budget healthy meal plans. Ill compile the few I have saved and repost them. I agree with the oatmeal I buy the big container and add my own raisins and sweeten with honey. My kids love it!

Also wanted to add I LOVE TJ's! I buy 90% of my food there!

http://www.frugalmom.net/blog/category/in-the-kitchen/frugal-recipes/
http://www.frugalmom.net/frugal_menus.htm

http://www.betterbudgeting.com/frugalrecipelist.htm


http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2009/03/nourishing-frugal-healthy-meals.html


There was a great site where you entered the fruit or veggie and it generated a meal less than $5 to make. I couldn't find it though

I have a very low weekly budget.

Breakfast: Eggs, yogurt, bananas, cereal

Lunch: Tuna, cheese and crackers, peanut butter, frozen fruit

Snack: popcorn (cheap, makes a ton, and is quite healthy),

Dinner: Chicken breast (buy in bulk), pork chops, veggies (especially broccoli, squash) baked ziti (using whole grain pasta, chunky pasta sauce, and a sprinkle of cheese)

Dessert: Frozen fruit (VERY CHEAP!) w/ a dab of whip cream

These are the meals I prepare on a weekly basis and my budget is VERY LOWWWW! I've also puree'd veggies and hidden them in different meals. My boyfriend and sister's kids NEVER even knew.

First of All avoid SOME brand name products... Most grocery stores( can't name) actually have the price broken down to price per ounce/ or whatever measurement.. LOOOOKK at that, it will open your eyes.. Most people get caught up in BRAND loyalty, but most situations require you to ditch the pretty label of happiness and buy according to your nutritional goals.

If your stuck on convenience for BREAKFAST - a simple egg muffin

You can buy this at most of your local retail stores (CHEAP), its a microwavable egg cooker (in the cooking ware isles) its AMAZing! .
Add egg, scramble or not to scramble, whites or whole, add a little Ms.Dash, even onion, pimentos and in 1 minute and you have a egg in your muffin. (just add the Turkey bacon and fixings) good alternative for a quick breakfast , important meal to get you through the day. Less calories than your average breakfast sandwich, plus if you have a family its more cost effective. 'if you add all the additionals like gas money and quality of time..(would you rather huff gasoline fumes in a drive thru or spend 10 minutes of quality time making someones day, especially yours!

bump

This will help too!

Almost Hamburger Helper in a Jar

2 cups nonfat dry milk
1 cup corn starch
1/4 cup beef bouillon powder
2 tablespoons onion flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Mix the ingredients together and store in an airtight jar.
Attach the following recipes to the jar:

Chili Mac:
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 c water
1/2 c macaroni noodles (uncooked)
2 cans chopped tomatoes
1 T chili powder
1/2 cup mix
Combine all and simmer 20 minutes or until macaroni is cooked.

Stroganoff:
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
2 c water
1/2 c mix
2 c uncooked egg noodles
1/2 cup sour cream
Combine all except sour cream. Simmer 20 minutes or until noodles
are tender. Stir in sour cream and serve.

Potato Beef Casserole:
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
3/4 c water
6 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 c frozen mixed veggies
1/2 cup mix
Combine all and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 30
minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cover and cook until excess
water is evaporated.

Quick Lasagna:
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1/2 cup mix
1 onion, chopped
2 cup water
16 oz tomato sauce
3 cup lasagna noodles, uncooked, broken in bits
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Combine all except mozzarella in large skillet. Bring to a boil, let
simmer for 15 minutes or until noodles are cooked. Top with
mozzarella. Turn off heat and let cheese melt.

all recipes serve 4

Quinoa isn't too expensive and a little goes a long way because it's very filling. This grain is very versatile you can use it instead of oatmeal, any grain, or rice and couscous. You can add this to meatloaf, soups, mix with beans or vegi's, make it into a cereal, or even a pudding.
http://www.nutricity.com/n/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=3764&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=froogle

The best money saver? Measuring your food. I'm always amazed how a small bag of shredded cheese can last a week and a half, when before, the HUGE bag lasted less than a week!! Measuring out the food and eating proper portions is a HUGE money saver!

+1. I have started to plan the size of the meal for only what is needed rather than cooking lots of food in case people are extra hungry. No excess calories eaten and no left overs that will probably be thrown away. Deciding on how much to eat and measuring it out before cooking the meal is a big winner in this household. Also with healthy eating we have stopped buying all the nutritionally worthless junk like soda, chips, etc., and cut way back on ice cream. Those things are not really that cheap so not only were they empty calories, they were wallet emptiers as well.