Shopping on a budget

Whole wheat pasta, brown rice (you can hide the fact that it is brown), whole chickens (always cheaper than parts), eggs, lean ground beef....

FARMERS MARKET!!!! Fresh veggies at a fraction of the cost!!!!

Do your kids fish? We go fishing once every few weeks and usually get a good amount. We clean it and freeze it so we can use it at a later date.

Sometimes if the kids get involved with catching their food or picking out produce they are much more receptive to trying new things....

I need to go shopping tomorrow but im on a budget and have to not only feed myself but a family of 5 and my boys won't eat most things i like (turkey, soy, veggies, etc) so i was wondering if anyone knew of goods things that will still help me lose weight but i can get my family to enjoy also with out spending much money...

you could always pretend its the same old thing, Or my daughter likes this show and so I pretend the cook on the show came up with the recipe first. My sons are really into anime, and one of the shows the charachter is obsessed with a Ramen shop called Ichiraku Ramen, so I invented my own.

1/4 bag frozen california veggies or any kind your family likes
2 purple onions, cut into sliced so the layers are all intact. gives it the swirly look.
1 pack seasoning
1/2 pack seasoning
3 packages of ramen,
1 lb ground turkey
Take ground turkey and 1 packet of seasoning mix together Make little balls and bake. till they are done, if you want them crispy or just done looking its up to you add the onions, and turkey balls to the water with what ever spices and seasonings you want and the 1/2 pack seasonings.
When water boils for 5 minutes add the ramen, and and veggies.
Boil for 4 minutes
serve in bowls with chopsticks and eat.
My kids adore this and beg for this.

But you could find new ways to add things in. Just have to be creative.
add half brown rice to white rice. Half hamburg to turkey meat and then use less hamburg next time till you dont use any beef anymore. I also am on a budget with 4 kiddies and just me. Creativity is the word.

I second buying a whole chicken, so much cheaper and you can get a few meals out of it. Chicken noodle soup cheap and yummy. I am always on a strict budget when shopping since I became a SAHM, but I make it work by making as much of your foods as you can by scratch. Over a few shopping trips build up a supply of staples, like flour and sugar. In the long run it is so much cheaper to make you own pancakes rather than buy a pancake mix, for example. If you have the time to cook, then stay away from anything processed or already made... like 100 cal. snack packs, they are convenient but expensive and you can make more food at home with the same amount of money.

Also, Frozen veggies are cheaper and last longer.
Tortillas for wraps for you and quesadillas (sp?) for the kids.
HTH

Canned beans! You can mix them with pasta, rice, diced tomatoes for chili, you name it! Fast, easy, cheap and healthy. Just make sure you get the no sodium added ones. Tons of fiber and protien.

I beans! Sadly, so does my husband! :laugh:

I agree....GO BEANS!!! But yes, try to go with the low sodium!!! We've "bean" adding a lot more beans to our diet the past two weeks, which is really good for not only me, but my growing teens as well!!!

Oh, yes, definitely add stuff to your brown rice. I add ginger and cayanne pepper all the time. When cooking one cup of brown rice I add about 1tsp of ginger, and maybe 1/2 tsp of cayanne. Be careful with the pepper. Not everyone lies it. I love it because it adds flavor. Add some frozen broccoli when it's almost done (or any veggie you like) and some beans, and you have a one pot meal! Oh, and I also love the diced tomatoes with jalapenos. I just ate lunch, but I am hungry thinking about it! :ohwell: