In a rut at the grocery store. HELP!

suorkaterina
suorkaterina Posts: 19 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Every time I go to the grocery store, I get what I know. Basically the same three meals I know my husband and I will both eat(he's picky) and the same foods that I know how to budget for. Always the same three cheap recipes. The rest is sandwhiches for him and bagels and cream cheese for me(along with a slew of snacks as I'm a grazer). I have a teeny tiny budget and very little time to meal plan. And when I do try, I get overwhelmed and spend WAY too much time trying to figure it all out.

I need help. I know this bad habit/rut is holding me back. Tell me, how did you turn your grocery list around? How did you keep costs low?

Replies

  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    I go on Pinterest, pick out some super awesome meals, make a list and away I go. I'm lucky though, my family eats anything. I'm the one that has food allergies.
  • suorkaterina
    suorkaterina Posts: 19 Member
    I have restrictions too. I have Celiac but my husband will eat g-free pasta. But he won't eat anything other than pork and beef! All high fat and high salt meats. It's expensive to buy twice the meats. Chicken for me, pork for him. Steak for him, salmon for me.
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    Yeah, my rule is "you eat what I cook, or you can live on granola bars" but I spend my money on food.
  • SoreTodayStrongTomorrow222
    SoreTodayStrongTomorrow222 Posts: 252 Member
    Yeah, my rule is "you eat what I cook, or you can live on granola bars" but I spend my money on food.

    Yep me too - I spend my money on food instead of say, a new lipstick or another blouse.... always on food. What I look like on the outside depends on what I feed the inside so... I figure its a good investment. And I would tell your husband to get over it - if my bf doesnt like what I am making - he is free to make his own dinner and plan his own meals.
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    Sorry I don't know what your restrictions are, but lean beef and pork are good - have you tried bison? bison burger is very lean and tasty and packs a good amount of protein.

    Otherwise I would say that trying some new things would be good for both of you. Buy one item to try in a small amount and see if it's something you can incorporate.

    I bought some wild rice linguini egg noodles - they are gluten free and were a tasty alternative to regular pasta.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    I have restrictions too. I have Celiac but my husband will eat g-free pasta. But he won't eat anything other than pork and beef! All high fat and high salt meats. It's expensive to buy twice the meats. Chicken for me, pork for him. Steak for him, salmon for me.

    beef and pork can be very lean meats.

    if he's picky, time to get unpicky. i was a very picky eater, and little by little i started to try (and like) new things.

    i love these cookbooks. the first my mother bought me when i moved out. they're not overly complicated dishes, and very simple recipes.
    http://www.amazon.com/Best-Slow-Easy-Recipes-Flavor-Packed/dp/1933615249#

    i bought this one about six months ago, because it has a section for one-skillet recipes, and so far all the dishes have been great. i especially love the pasta-in-the-skillet ones.
    http://www.amazon.com/The-Best-Skillet-Recipes-Classic/dp/1933615419
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
    What about moving to less meat for you? Beans and quinoa and that kind of thing can be very cheap, still full of protein, and have less saturated fat too. I cook meat for my boyfriend every night (he's very athletic and needs a ton of protein and calories and the easiest way to do that for him is with lots of leanish meats) but I only join him once or twice a week and eat vegetarian the rest of the time. I have a couple eggs or some legumes whenever possible. It's not a ton more cooking and it's healthy and inexpensive.

    I buy a ton of frozen fish fillets too, stuff like sole, salmon, tilapia, whatever is cheap. The Asian grocery stores where I live usually have great prices on frozen fish.
  • Krikit34
    Krikit34 Posts: 125 Member
    I suggest getting different meat. If only your DH is eating the beef or pork, you wouldn't buy as much, or freeze half of it for the following week.

    An easy one that can be used for multiple meals - put chicken breasts in crock pot with a jar of salsa. Once cooked have one of the chicken breasts with some veggies for a meal. Shred the rest. Put it in soft tacos for one meal. Roll in corn tortillas and put on enchiladas sauce for another meal. Use the chicken on a salad or in a casserole. Even use it in a sandwich. Add some bbq sauce to some for some "pulled chicken" sandwich.

    You can do the same with a pork roast. You can cook and freeze it in smaller portions. Make a batch of chicken for you and beef or pork for DH, and just use different meats to make the tacos, enchilada, etc. for each of you.
  • kristendeyell
    kristendeyell Posts: 80 Member
    http://www.budgetbytes.com/
    www.skinnytaste.com

    I use a lot of recipes from the above two websites. I modify the recipes from Budget Bytes because they aren't all healthy recipes. I also buy a big bag of frozen fish fillets for me. My husband is VERY picky, and sometimes I end up making two meals. I weigh all of my food so I end up making coleslaw twice. His full fat version and my low cal/weighed version lol It ends up being a bit more time consuming, but it's worth it in the end.
  • anyamb
    anyamb Posts: 52 Member
    http://www.budgetbytes.com/
    www.skinnytaste.com

    I use a lot of recipes from the above two websites. I modify the recipes from Budget Bytes because they aren't all healthy recipes. I also buy a big bag of frozen fish fillets for me. My husband is VERY picky, and sometimes I end up making two meals. I weigh all of my food so I end up making coleslaw twice. His full fat version and my low cal/weighed version lol It ends up being a bit more time consuming, but it's worth it in the end.

    Yes! The recipes on Budget Bytes are amazing! I typically increase the amount of veg. she calls for and slightly decrease the amount of pasta or rice (if called for).
  • PandaCustard
    PandaCustard Posts: 204 Member
    Invest in a crockpot. They're relatively cheap and it's super easy to make a ton of different recipes. There are tons of resources across the Internet for crockpot foods. All you really have to do is throw some ingredients in and let it cook for a few hours.
  • scottkjar
    scottkjar Posts: 346 Member
    Go to a different grocery store. Each store has its own layout and logic, so a different store will have things in a different place. That requires you to move more slowly through the store, look at all the aisles, and consider what is there. You will see things in a different store that you usually got past in your regular store. That might give you some new ideas because you have to see and think about more things instead of just going where you normally go.
  • Jeanne130LBS
    Jeanne130LBS Posts: 50 Member
    went to skinnytastes.com and all I saw was "ask for info on this domain" Are they gone? :sad:
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
    skinnytaste.com, with no s. :)

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