Easy, Cheap, Fast? help!

SillaWinchester
SillaWinchester Posts: 363 Member
edited November 11 in Food and Nutrition
Hello friends :)

Long story short, I'm BROKE. My family is way less than supportive of me wanting to lose weight and be healthier. My kitchen right now has ice cream, chips, soda, and all kinds of fatty sugary things.

So I need help!

Can you guys tell me CHEAP yet healthy things I can buy?

So far I've heard of lean gourmets which are $1 each, but anything else? Like ingredients or anything really?

Also, I rarely eat breakfast because I'm not a morning person. But this just makes me hungry in throughout the day which makes me eat more.

Can you guys tell me FAST and EASY yet healthy things I can buy or make for breakfast?

So far all I have tried is Yoplait 100 cal yogurt with 1/2 cup Kellogg's - Special K-Low Fat Granola-Touch of Honey 190 cal. Delicious and fast, but I need more ideas!

Thank you all so much, in advance!

Replies

  • suzzann666
    suzzann666 Posts: 334 Member
    eggs are cheap, and delish. hard boil a bunch and keep them in the fridge.
    if you like yogurt, it is cheaper, not to mention healthier if you buy it plain, nonfat, in a large tub. you can sweeten it yourself with a spoon of jam, and save yourself the wasted cals on sugar (and other weird stuff.)
    beans-black are my favorite
  • Eggs are relatively cheap and great for breakfast. If you don't have time to cook in the morning, hard boil a dozen at the beginning of the week and have 1-2 ready to grab out of the fridge.

    Fruit is another great option for breakfast.

    Oatmeal is very healthy and will keep you feeling full for a while. The instant packets remote expensive but convenient and fast.

    Protein shakes are great for on-the-go breakfasts but not so great for a tight pocket book.

    Good luck. Stick with it, and find some people who will support you. I'm sure your family will come around eventually.
  • pamelad77
    pamelad77 Posts: 292 Member
    Any veg stew, something you can bulk out with pulses like lentils. Make a huge pot and freeze it into separate containers. Give you dinners for ages!
  • JenaePavlak
    JenaePavlak Posts: 350 Member
    I can't buy Ice cream, Chips and pop when I'm broke!! Eggs (especially in bulk!) are super cheap! Frozen Veggies $1.50 a bag at Cub.,. (and they wont go bad if you don't eat them in a couple of days )Make up two meals.. $5.99 bag of Chicken.. make up 5-6 meals... Stop thinking about pre-packaged food! You're spending much more! Also good Chic noodle soup goes on sale a lot for a $1 a can as well.. There is plenty out there.. you are much better at making a bulk dinner and having left overs...
  • w2bab
    w2bab Posts: 353 Member
    oatmeal, soup, cream of wheat. You can get all of them at Dollar Tree, or probably any other dollar store. They are also cheap at Walmart. Low in calories, easy to fix. Dollar Tree has 3 packs of instant cream of wheat in different flavors, and each serving gives you 50% of your daily iron for 130 calories.
  • Ayeeemeh
    Ayeeemeh Posts: 8 Member
    yeah I'm not sure where you live but the 99cent stores in my area are really awesome and have A TON of fresh produce.
  • SpitfireStacey
    SpitfireStacey Posts: 158 Member
    Frozen sweet peas (I add salt and vinegar), just microwave with a little water, I eat 1 cup as a snack
    Any frozen veggies really...



    Ditto Eggs/plain non fat yoghurt/breakfast bars

    I don't usually like breakfast but I crush a hard boiled egg, heat it in the micro for about 10seconds, then put it on two slices of buttered toast. YUMMY.
  • I can't buy Ice cream, Chips and pop when I'm broke!! Eggs (especially in bulk!) are super cheap! Frozen Veggies $1.50 a bag at Cub.,. (and they wont go bad if you don't eat them in a couple of days )Make up two meals.. $5.99 bag of Chicken.. make up 5-6 meals... Stop thinking about pre-packaged food! You're spending much more! Also good Chic noodle soup goes on sale a lot for a $1 a can as well.. There is plenty out there.. you are much better at making a bulk dinner and having left overs...

    Exactly what I was thinking. Fast - make on sunday for the week or something
    Chicken, rice, beans, potatoes, oats etc
  • zeeeb
    zeeeb Posts: 805 Member
    i do the boiled eggs too. often i'll have a diet shake and a cold hard-boiled egg for breaky. it keeps me full til lunch. if you can't afford a protein shake powder (they are expensive) just a yoghurt and a boiled egg would be cheaper.

    rice cakes, i eat them alot, they are dirt cheap, quick and can be eaten on the run.

    i buy big tubs of greek yoghurt and add honey to flavour.

    fruit and veg juice (if you have a juicer), buy whatever is cheap at the vegie shop, apple, carrot, cucumber and a bit of lemon in delish and healthy and filling.
  • Kalynx
    Kalynx Posts: 707 Member
    yes eggs are cheap and lots you can prepare ahead of time for on the go breakfasts, like preparing your own egg mcmuffins for the week on the weekend and store in freezer to microwave, hard boiled eggs, an egg bake in muffin tins and store in freezer, etc.

    look for bulk fruit on sale, like apples and oranges.

    find what you like on sale for cheaper meats, like a rump roast or whole chicken and slow cook for a ton of tender meat you can use through the week for sandwiches and other things.

    the more natural foods you can afford to eat the better you will do...try not to load up on cheap processed foods full of sodium and man made, unpronouncable ingredients.
  • femmi1120
    femmi1120 Posts: 473 Member
    My absolute favorite pancake recipe takes like 10 minutes to make if you have the ingredients premeasured

    - 2 egg whites/ 1/4 cup egg whites
    - 1/2 banana
    - 1/4 cup instant oatmeal
    - protein powder (optional)

    This makes one serving of about 150 cals not including the protein powder.
    You can also have fun and experiment by adding cinnamon, peanut butter, vanilla, etc

    If you look at the egg beaters site (http://www.eggbeaters.com/recipes) they have tons of microwaveable mug recipes which look really easy and low cal

    Greek yogurt with berries and honey is another favorite of mine. Or even regular cheerios with berries and skim milk.
  • There are the frozen veggie bags that have pasta, veggies and even sometimes chicken in them. There is often coupons for them or they go on sale. That's when I stock up. I often share with my toddler and eat these when I get home from work. Low cal and low fat. Watch your portions on some of them.

    I'm big on yogurt and granola bars for breakfast so sorry I dont have any new ideas. Now I do eat what ever cereals I want on the weekend. I just make sure I only give myself one serving of it and that's it. I dont just stick with the healthy ones and Im still losing weight.

    A new thing I've started doing is I'm making a big batch of chicken and rice with tons of veggies in it homemade. I've used the handy recipe function on here and it's just over 200 calories for 2 whopping cups of yummy soup.

    Another thing I've done is buy the veggie of the week on sale in produce and I cut it up and put it over pasta. Usually I'll add chicken too. I buy the dark meats of chicken because they are cheaper. They may not be as lean as a breast but it's better than McDonalds. :) Ms. Dash is a great seasoning to spice up this meal because I dont use a sauce. Or some red pepper flakes.

    I do eat other stuff that may not be as good for me like frozen salsbury steaks but I only have one and give myself tons of salad or veggies and I'll eat the salad or veggies first and sometimes dont even finish my salsbury steak.

    I think there's a way to mix the not so great stuff and the great stuff for you and that way it helps your pocket book as well.

    Hang in there and keep at it!
  • tiffanylb88
    tiffanylb88 Posts: 38 Member
    Eggs are super great. Get a cylinder of quick cooking oatmeal and add fruit, splenda, or cinnamon. Super cheap. Canned beans. Canned tuna. Rice cakes. Fresh veggies. Add me if you ever need someone to chat with :-)
  • jarrettd
    jarrettd Posts: 872 Member
    Don't overlook beans! Good source of complex carbs, fiber, and protein, and super cheap. Pinto or great northern with lean ham. Black beans in soups or stew or in mexican wraps with lean ground beef and picante. There's actually tons of tasty, healthy recipes for them. Give them a chance! If you use the soak overnight method, they don't actually take long to cook. Canned will do in a pinch, but more expensive and the sodium is a bit much.

    Chicken breasts. Find them on sale, broil them, and freeze them in individual serving sizes. You can precook and package white or brown rice the same way. Add a bag of frozen veggies, and you have an awesome, cheap meal.

    Troll the produce aisle for deals on fruits and veggies. If you plan to use them or freeze them within a day or two, marked-down deals are the way to go!

    Potatoes are cheap and filling, just be careful with your toppings. I personally LOVE baked sweet potatoes with just a little butter and salt.
  • SillaWinchester
    SillaWinchester Posts: 363 Member
    You guys are so great!!!

    I'm definitely going to eat some eggs, the cooking them all on sunday idea is great!!

    I love the chicken and rice idea, but probably for a dinner - I LOVE chicken and rice, definitely a favorite!

    With my oatmeal, because I hate the taste, I mix in a tbsp of peanut butter and put it on a piece of toast - is that moderately ok?

    With the yogurt, it's alright if I choose the flavored Yoplait or is that just bad for weight-loss? I'm not really a fan of plain, but the honey idea sounds pretty good!

    To the comment that said you can't buy chips and stuff when you're broke lol - I know! My mom found this place where they sell bags of chips and pop for .50c each, therefore she buys a lot there, mainly for my brother.

    To the bean suggestion, I absolutely LOVE mexican food. So maybe a tortilla with beans and some spicy sauce would be moderately healthy? (I heard spicy foods speed up your metabolism?)

    Does anyone know, which is healthier?: Corn or flower tortillas?

    When it comes to cereal, the other day I tried JUST 1 cup of corn flakes, half a cup of 2% milk, and a tbsp of peanut butter. I think that's pretty good too.

    I never buy real sugar, I use splenda or other sugar substitutes. Is that good at all or does that even make a difference?

    Thank you guys so much!

    I'm definitely taking notes! Lol
  • rebeccazeno
    rebeccazeno Posts: 8 Member
    I just started making Omelets for breakfast. I'm not a breakfast person either but since I started eating them, I'm not hungry for a few hours. I've been using 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites, about a tablespoon of chopped onions and bell peppers (I have them already chopped so it's really quick) and some salt and pepper. Makes a good sized omelet and is under 130 calories. Just make sure you don't use a lot of egg yolks. That's were the calories go up pretty fast. You can top it with salsa or hot sauce and still keep the calories low..:-)
  • ic20blue
    ic20blue Posts: 19 Member
    this site has dozens of workouts like JM 30DS P90X Insanity, Carmen Electra, yoga, bodyrock! Check them out its all completely free! http://tanandtoned.tumblr.com/post/9283879799/workout-links-omg-o
  • Try buying your yogurt in bulk instead of the individual serving sizes. Then just use a measuring cup to take your portion. Works out to be MUCH cheaper. I sprinkle a little bit of grape nuts on top of mine to give it some texture and get some fiber in the process.

    Also, cereal works out to be pretty cheap per serving. My favorite right now is Kashi Go-Lean Crunch.
  • DellG85
    DellG85 Posts: 79 Member
    Most important thing to own when you are healthy eating is a set of digital food scales. Low sugar cereal is always your best bet, but make sure you weigh it. Fat free natural greek yoghurt with a teaspoon of honey in is a lovely low cal, cheap brekkie. Make sure you have a LOT of veg. It's dirt cheap from a market or greengrocers and you can bulk every meal up with them. Jacket potatoes are brilliant and you can have just about anything in them. Rather than buying frozen chips (fries), peal and chop a couple of potatoes, whack them on a plate, microwave them for 5 mins, spray them evenly with some Fry Light spray and bung them in the oven until they are a golden coulour and crispy. Bloody lovely and ALOT lower cals than frozen chips. Eggs are a great option, switching from full fat milk and butter to semi-skimmed milk and "light" butter. Eating well needn't be expensive, it's largely a matter of opting for lower fat versions of what you already use, which will be the same price as the things you currently buy. Oh, and rather than ice cream, opt for frozen yoghurt! <uch lower calorie content and in my opinion, a lot more flavoursome xxx
  • SillaWinchester
    SillaWinchester Posts: 363 Member
    this site has dozens of workouts like JM 30DS P90X Insanity, Carmen Electra, yoga, bodyrock! Check them out its all completely free! http://tanandtoned.tumblr.com/post/9283879799/workout-links-omg-o

    That is so amazing!!! I posted that to my blog so I won't forget it!! Thanks! :)
  • DellG85
    DellG85 Posts: 79 Member
    Sorry for the typo's!!! x
  • Kalynx
    Kalynx Posts: 707 Member

    Does anyone know, which is healthier?: Corn or flower tortillas?

    I chose to get corn..they are 30-50 mg of sodium for one, while flour ones can be 300mg+ per tortilla!!

    You can cut one into 8ths and bake for fresh, homemade nachos or
    brush melted butter (or whatever you chose) and sprinkle cinnamon with sweetner and bake for a bit, let cool and top with berries for a healthy sweet treat or
    use for wraps the old boring way. :)
  • neti_call
    neti_call Posts: 81 Member


    With my oatmeal, because I hate the taste, I mix in a tbsp of peanut butter and put it on a piece of toast - is that moderately ok?

    Does anyone know, which is healthier?: Corn or flower tortillas?

    When it comes to cereal, the other day I tried JUST 1 cup of corn flakes, half a cup of 2% milk, and a tbsp of peanut butter. I think that's pretty good too.
    Careful with peanut butter. Calories can creep up on you. Try the oatmeal and cereal with fruit instead. Bananas are cheap and yummy in corn flakes. Frozen berries are inexpensive in the spring.

    Corn tortillas are MUCH healthier than flour, but don't overdo either.
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