*Feed your family high quality, nutritional food challenge*

[patsal]

So just to see what I was really spending and what we are eating--and I can tell you compared to two years ago we are eating much more from the perimeter of the store--fruits, veggies, breads, fish, meat, etc. and less from the shelved aisles, I made my list to include all the ingredients I'd need for the week for solid nutricious meals. For a family of four kids 12 and 15, it worked out to be about $3.78 per person per day. Now we are talking about nutricious three course meals for dinner with plenty of veggies and fruits. Breakfast and lunch are also nutricious and often in the summer lunch will use dinner leftovers.
Today:
Grilled skinless, boneless chicken breast
green salads with cucumber, pepper and tomato
steamed zucchini
steamed corn on the cob
watermelon

Wednesday
Whole wheat pasta with bolognase sauce
seasoned cauliflower
salads with tomato red onion and black olives
garlic bread
sponge cake with strawberries and it whipped topping

Thursday
Hamburgers
Whole wheat buns
potato wedges baked with parm cheese
lettuce/tomato/onion and cheese if anyone wants that on the burgers
steamed broccoli
strawberries with a dollop of lite whipped cream

Friday
6oz. salmon steaks
seasoned cauliflower
green salads with tomatoes and cucumber
baked potatoes
apple slices

Saturday
Chicken parm
baked whole wheat ziti
garlic bread
green salads with tomoto and onion
steamed zucchini
frozen yogurt

pretty much dinners are like this every night
breakfast is usually a helthy cereal skim milk or yogurt and fruit
lunch often consists of left overs untilthe school year begins and the kids pack out lunches
packed lunches consist of
sandwich on whole wheat bread (low sodium/97% fat free cold cuts or PB&J)
low fat pudding cup/apple sauce cup/or fruit cup
carrot sticks/celery sticks
one junk food item like granola bar or fruit snacks
one Roaring Water juice pouch or bottle of water

 

[jax677]

I will first say that if you want to make the fruit leather you need to purchase a dehydrator. Trust me it will be worth it. With very little time you will say big time on you budget.

You need a blender for this part

Fruit Leather

You will want to peel some of the fruits. The blueberries go in as is.

Dump any blend of fruit into a blender (I usually go 3/4 the way up)
Then add some liquid, I use yogurt. About 1/4 cup

Then whip.

Now, if you use blueberries you need to put it thru a strainer to get out the skin. Or seeds from other berries.

Now I cover 1 tray with plastic wrap and let it go a bit over the side. Pour the liquid on the prepared tray. I usually go 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch deep.
It usually takes 24 hours to dehydrate. Then I cut them in pie shapes and roll with the wrap still on.

Trust me it gets really easy and quick. They taste so good.

*The reason I strain is the skins will end up being messy when dehydrated and the texture is smoother.

Once you try this, try dehydrating other fruits. Oh, my is it great. And again, no hassle.

 

[Juliah]

jax677,

Here's the recipe for Mexican Stew:

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1" cubes
14 1/2 oz canned tomatoes with green chilies
1/2 c sliced onion
1 t chili powder
1 envelope (1 1/4 oz) taco seasoning mix (I use Archer Farms from Target because it doesn't have dyes or preservatives, etc.)
15 oz canned black soybeans (I haven't found these so I use black beans)
1/2 c sour cream, optional

Put the beef, tomatoes, onion, and chili powder in your slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 8-9 hours.

Stir in the taco seasoning and soybeans. Re-cover the slow cooker, turn it to high, and let it cook for another 20 minutes. Place a dollop of sour cream on each serving.

6-8 servings, each with 399 calories, 18g fat, 46g protein, 12g carbohydrate, 5g dietary fiber, 7g usable carbs

From 200 Low-carb Slow Cooker Recipes: Healthy Dinners That Are Ready When You Are by Dana Carpender

 

[jax677]

Breakfast:
watermelon
yogurt w/low fat granola
slice of blueberry/strawberry bread

Lunch:
Corn
watermelon
beets
whole wheat toast w/ peanut butter

Dinner:
Chinese food (I am meeting some friends and we are getting facials and chowing down on chinese).

As you can see I am addicted to watermelon

 

[MELSMICE]

I will first say that if you want to make the fruit leather you need to purchase a dehydrator.

Where would you get a dehydrator & what is it, exactly?

Is fruit leather like a fruit roll up?

 

[Marie17]

This thread DOES need to be moved over to another board OR at least change the title. I CAN feed my family high quality nutritional food whenever I want - the other thread was to see how you can feed for your family for a certain amount.

I see this as some sort of self-rightous thread in the first place - but that's my simple opinion. I did look at the $10 board a couple times but to be honest they had so many people deciding "they" didn't like what others were eating and how much "they" were spending that I didn't go back to it. I personally was flabergasted at the negativity that some needed to interject. And I am sure that some will see this as a negativity post on this thread. The thread was closed.

Personally - I think if you are eating daily - that's a good thing.

I don't really care what everyone eats as long as no one makes me eat liver or tofu or hogshead cheese!

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

I too was wondering what fruit leather was!

 

[tink38]

jax677,

Here's the recipe for Mexican Stew:

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1" cubes
14 1/2 oz canned tomatoes with green chilies
1/2 c sliced onion
1 t chili powder
1 envelope (1 1/4 oz) taco seasoning mix (I use Archer Farms from Target because it doesn't have dyes or preservatives, etc.)
15 oz canned black soybeans (I haven't found these so I use black beans)
1/2 c sour cream, optional

Put the beef, tomatoes, onion, and chili powder in your slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 8-9 hours.

Stir in the taco seasoning and soybeans. Re-cover the slow cooker, turn it to high, and let it cook for another 20 minutes. Place a dollop of sour cream on each serving.

6-8 servings, each with 399 calories, 18g fat, 46g protein, 12g carbohydrate, 5g dietary fiber, 7g usable carbs

From 200 Low-carb Slow Cooker Recipes: Healthy Dinners That Are Ready When You Are by Dana Carpender

This looks really good. I didn't see a sodium count. Can you post it, please?

 

[tink38]

Hi, DMM! Long time no type. I thought it was like a fruit rollup, only healthier?

To those of you who have nothing positive to say, you don't have to read this thread.

 

[Juliah]

This looks really good. I didn't see a sodium count. Can you post it, please?

Sorry, it doesn't list a sodium count.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Hi, DMM! Long time no type. I thought it was like a fruit rollup, only healthier?

Hey you!

How is this a bad thread? I am really enjoying it and don't think it was created to thumb noses at anyone. And how is anyone here eating cardboard?? Weird....



ooo a healthier fruit roll up would be cool!

Where would you get a dehydrator & what is it, exactly?

I have seen them at Kitchen stores like Bed, Bath and Beyond, Linens and things etc.

 

[TheBeadPirate]

Wow, that really hurts. I looked at the other thread when it first started and saw that the foods didn't fit in my family's diet. I never posted anything negative about what people said they eat; I just didn't post on that thread and didn't continue to read it because it didn't apply to my situation, which includes two family members on a low-carb diet and another who has a rare metabolic disorder which requires special attention to her diet. I've posted here because the other posts on this thread have inspired me to improve on what I'm feeding my family and I wanted to try to help others in the same way they have helped me; it was not to thumb my nose at anyone. I hope this thread will not be closed because it has been a big help to me and has had lots of positive information.

I have to agree. I too looked at the other thread but never posted. I'm also on the what's for dinner thread on the CB. I like this one because I can get nutritional listing info now that we've started Alli, I haven't found that anywhere else yet. I'm not thumbing my nose at anyone, I just like the bonus info I get here. Trying to add some variety to my low fat diet.

Now that said:

It looks like the only sodium you'll really have to watch in the Mexican stew is the taco mix. But you could probably add more chili powder and maybe a *little pinch* of garlic salt to sub for that to lower the sodium some more. And see if you can find no-salt added tomatoes.

And on the dehydrator- look one up on ebay. That's where I sold mine years ago cause I never used it. Now I wished I had it back. Even if you don't get one there you can see what's out there to choose from.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Breakfast:
Mix of berries, Mickey Shape waffles, Milk

Snack:
Cheese Cubes and Crackers

Lunch:
Turkey Breast & Avacado Sandwiches with sprouts

Snack:
Pico De Gallo (homemade)

alright let's see I'm at a loss for dinner tonite, but thinking about Steak Fajitas, pinto beans & Mexican rice.

Watermelon and Mango for Dessert.

 

[bavaria]

It's Lentil Tuesday!

I'll be going to my favourite takeaway for some form of curried lentils, rice, chickpeas, and some form of curried veg. (and it runs at half price after 5pm, so that counts as budget friendly)

The owner of this place has written a healthy heart Indian cookbook series; I own several and it is great low fat Indian food.

As to the other comments, how is this thread more off topic than the other 'OT' threads here that I see every day?

It is still about eating on a budget - just not a set number. One person may have a budget of $10/family, another $10/person, another $50/person. We all have a budget, we may just have differing amounts.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I didn't say every poster on this thread had posted negative comments on the $10 thread, but those that did are the reason it got locked. A nutrition thread should be on the CB anyway, regardless of why it was started. It has nothing to do with budgets.

 

[tink38]

The same could be said for those who were posting on the $10 thread, but they choose to post, which caused that thread, IMO, to be unfairly locked.

Okaaay. So because they did it you can, too, right? I'm sorry. I fail to see your rationalization.

 

[tink38]

DMM - do you watch Food Network? Alton Brown did a show last week where he made his own food dehydrator with a box fan. It was pretty cool.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Okaaay. So because they did it you can, too, right? I'm sorry. I fail to see your rationalization.

What have I said that's negative? All I've said is that this thread was just started because of the $10 thread, and that regardless of that, it belongs on the CB. Both of those statements are true, read the OP. The OP cleary states she doesn't want this being a "budget" thread.

 

[JennyMominRI]

. A nutrition thread should be on the CB anyway, regardless of why it was started. It has nothing to do with budgets.

If we are trying to eat healthier, without breaking the bank,how is that not a budget topic?

 

[tink38]

I agree with you on the budget issue. I didn't read that part in your post.