help with eating the right foods........

One thing that would help the food budget is packing your lunch instead of eating out for lunch. There are some insulated lunch bags that work well. I have one from Thirtyone that keeps cool stuff cool until lunch. That way you can pack a sandwich, some fruit or veggies, and a thermos with water. For dinners I'm not sure what you guys like, but I find that paying attention to what a serving is and eating only that helps.

It's hard to tell without being able to see yoru food diary, so if you can make it public we can help. You really want to look into eliminating/reducing processed foods. If it comes in a bag or box, it is loaded with sodium which will prevent weightloss. Next, do you exercise? If so, what do you do and for how long. Next, we need to make sure you are eating enough. If you are cleaning all day and exercising you are more than likely considered moderately active to very active and there is a good chance you are not eating enough. so lets start there and then we can build.

bump

I know exactly where you're coming from! It has taken along time to get a system in place for this, but I finally think I got a handle on family dinners & cooking & food planning for the week. It also takes time to get a grip on learning how & where to shop in order to get the best bang for your buck. The first thing I do is take inventory of what I have in the house. I usually try to use up what might parrish in the fridge, what's been in the freezer awhile, etc. I make a list of what I have & if nothing comes to mind on what to cook, I go to allrecipes.com & enter in the food items I have & walla - a ton of recipes pop up for me to choose from & I can print them out already in 3x5 recipe card form. I'll try to pick the recipes that have mostly ingredients I already have on hand, limiting my shopping list. Once I get a few meals in mind, I sit down & think about the upcoming week & write down what meals I plan to cook on what evening. If there is a planned event one evening, I'll plan on a crock pot meal that night & prepare it the night before. Having everything written down for the week is a big help because I can plan ahead, preparing things in advance, sometimes I food prep on Sundays for the whole week, weather its cooking entire meals, chopping veggies, or just taking something out of the freezer, it's always nice to get ahead. Once I have my food plan down, I write a grocery list. I do alot of my shopping at Aldis & get most of my produce at a local farmers market, I save alot of $, but don't shop at just one place go to 3 or 4, shop around, you'll develop a system on what you get at different stores. Sounds like a pain, I know, but it's worth it. As for your work day - STOP GOING TO RESTARAUNTS. Go buy yourself a luchbox & pack yourself some healthy snacks & a good lunch. Buy yourself some healthy foods for your lunches & pack them the night before. Beleive me, it makes things so much easier. It took me along time to get it down, but it has really been working & makes my life easier when I have a plan.

I recommend keeping your lunches simple. Try steaming or water sauteeing (you can google this method) a bunch of veggies, add some fresh lemon juice and some protein like tuna fish. beans (rinse from can), nutritional yeast, or leftover meat or fish from night before. You can also add some whole grains such as brown rice or quinoa.

oatmeal, along with some hard boiled egg whites would be a good, filling breakfast as well, to keep you from needing to snack too often during the day.

keep snacks simple. a piece of fruit or some carrots, celery or bell pepper slices and 6 nuts (almonds, walnuts, etc.) which are about 1/4 oz serving or one low sodium/low fat string cheese.

you will want to eat some protein with each meal, as that will make you fee full longer.

good luck!

My food budget is small and i know i could check the internet for recipes but cant really afford a completely seperate shopping list for just me.

This comment caught my eye. You don't need to buy separate food for yourself. Find some recipes on the message board or other websites that are healthier and lower in calories and make the meal for your entire family. There are lots of great recipes out there that taste great that the whole family will enjoy. You will be happy because you're eating better and your family will probably have no clue that's it's healthier, but will still enjoy it!

Find the best, and most convenient substitutes for you. Maybe "Eat This, Not That"....a book that shows how to substitute food items. Or just search online for healthier low-cal substitutions.

I've always had this same problem (with 5 kids). Trying to be economical and still offer things kids like..... but some changes are easy.... like broiling instead of frying. Use turkey instead of hamburger. Sugar-free jello desserts. Tuna wraps. Soups, salads, salsa, smoothies....etc. And don't finish the kids' plates!!!