Food budget thoughts

[ZehnJahren]

I usually make big batches of food to store in the fridge for lunches all week. I usually cook two nights during the week and then just for fun on the weekends. I love to cook!

My go-to meal is my favorite one - grilled chicken and broccoli. I grill two or three pieces on a George Foreman grill (takes about 12 minutes) and split the breasts in two (4 oz a piece) for my meals (usually I get 3-4 meals out of two chicken breasts, but if you eat more then you make more). Then I pop 2 cups of broccoli in a tupperware and I have lunch (I buy and make broccoli in bulk).

I also buy sirloin steaks and slice them thin, then saute them up - that's usually two meals, but again if you eat more you buy more and you cook more. When I cook leftovers at night, I throw the sirloin in a pan with some broccoli and soy sauce and saute it up - and sometimes I add rice too.

Beef stew is great and makes several days worth of meals - you could omit potatoes and add different veggies than I do. I just made a batch in the crockpot on Saturday and will be eating the soup through Wednesday. It's so good I don't mind eating it every day at all!

I also make batches of carrots roasted in olive oil (chop carrots, toss with olive oil and your choice of seasoning, put in a foil packet in the oven for 30 minutes and add fresh shredded parmesan cheese), or baked sweet potato rounds. I also make several turkey burgers and eat them over several days (I don't add anything to them, just form them out of the package, and they're delicious!) I just make things in big batches and then eat them over several days or freeze them.

And of course, I'm crazy about eggs and hard boil several of them to eat as snacks over the course of a few days! If you do everything at once, it doesn't take as much time. You can be grilling chicken, steaming broccoli, and hard boiling eggs at the same time with no problem.

I determined at one point, I was spending about $4 per meal but eating all whole foods. It can be inexpensive and healthy. Good luck to you!

 

[bethifoody]

Crockpot meals are good, as is bulk cooking. But if you're not inclined to do that, how about making 1 small change? Skip 1 meal out/week & take the $$ you would have spent on that & put it in your savings account/jar/envelope/whatever. Even if it's just a $5 cup of coffee in the morning? That would add up pretty quickly.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Crockpot meals are good, as is bulk cooking. But if you're not inclined to do that, how about making 1 small change? Skip 1 meal out/week & take the $$ you would have spent on that & put it in your savings account/jar/envelope/whatever. Even if it's just a $5 cup of coffee in the morning? That would add up pretty quickly.

Whenever I cook, crockpot is my go to as it's not active cooking!!! Looking up some good paleo crockpot meals (and trying to make smaller batches) would probably work well for me.

I buy everything on cc, but pulling out cash and putting the difference between a home cooked meal and an out to eat meal may be good motivation!!!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

You might also look for cheaper ways to eat out.

Example, I never buy a drink if its just me. I get my food to go and drink something that I brought from home and keep in the fridge at work.

Coworker often buys a pizza from Little Ceasar's and takes 3 days to eat it. Cost, $5.42 with tax.

Value menus and coupons are also helpful.

So, don't JUST think in terms of eating in; you can also alter HOW you eat out for additional savings.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

You might also look for cheaper ways to eat out. Example, I never buy a drink if its just me. I get my food to go and drink something that I brought from home and keep in the fridge at work. Coworker often buys a pizza from Little Ceasar's and takes 3 days to eat it. Cost, $5.42 with tax. Value menus and coupons are also helpful. So, don't JUST think in terms of eating in; you can also alter HOW you eat out for additional savings.

Thanks! This is great. I only drink water, tea, and coffee (the latter two from work (free) or home only) so unless I'm out socially and order a cocktail I almost never buy a drink. I have a panera rewards card so occasionally I'll get a free salad or $2 off. I wish chipotle had rewards lol. I do look for value menus but they usually include something I don't eat (bread, chips, cookies, etc.) so usually it's just a single menu item.

Do you know where how to get coupons for (non burger/fry or pizza) type fast food? I feel like there's always coupons for less healthy food available

 

[Egdisney]

Not real familiar with primal eating, but do you drink smoothies? This would be a good lunch option and it is another way to use greens before they go bad. If you freeze them ahead you can grab them and they will be ready to go at lunch. Aldi is beginning to carry organic items. Last time I was there they had 3lbs of organic apples for 3.99, organic bananas for .54lb and organic greens(spinach or spring mix) for 2.49 for the standard size package you find at grocery stores.

 

[msmama]

I didn't read everything but maybe invest in a George Foreman grill or the equivalent. Nothing easier than tossing on a chicken breast. Also pampered chef makes a really cool container for steaming in the microwave.

Maybe if you make cooking less like cooking it would help. I personally am terrible at oven baking meats so have had to come up with other ways to cook.

 

[KalamityJane]

Have you seen the small crockpots meant for work? That might be an option, throw a chicken breast or beef in with some seasonings and you have a quick lunch or dinner. Pinterest has tons of paleo crockpot recipes!

 

[KalamityJane]

http://www.crock-pot.com/specialty/for-lunch/SCCPLC200-G-NP.html

 

[susanv]

Tupperware has some produce keepers that really extend the fridge life of produce. Even cut up lettuce lasts longer that way.

I saw a post a while back from a mom who made her leftovers sound like the specialty of the day by printing them all on a restaurant style menu for her family to choose from. I know that wouldn't work the same way as it is just for yourself, however what if you froze your leftovers in individual servings and then set up a system of logging them that felt like ordering from a restaurant, or perhaps like the frozen food section of your favourite supermarket tv dinners. Just a thought, it might not make them feel like leftovers.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I didn't read everything but maybe invest in a George Foreman grill or the equivalent. Nothing easier than tossing on a chicken breast. Also pampered chef makes a really cool container for steaming in the microwave. Maybe if you make cooking less like cooking it would help. I personally am terrible at oven baking meats so have had to come up with other ways to cook.

Can you cook fish in these? To be honest, raw poultry skeeves me out so I usually only cook cow or fish (usually salmon or mahi) at home. Does the foreman take out all the fat? (This is actually something I don't want).

 

[KalamityJane]

Yes, you can cook fish in a foreman, it works like a grill basically.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Yes, you can cook fish in a foreman, it works like a grill basically.

Awesome, thanks!

 

[tina.tina]

Since the first time I got pregnant raw poultry makes me sick, too. (My sister has the same problem.)

We eat a lot of chicken so I bake it in batches and freeze it. I try not to look at it too closely and just open the freezer pack and dump it all in a baking dish. I bake it until the juices in the pan are clear and then I cook it a little longer. I usually cut into one of the middle pieces to see if it's done. (It doesn't bother me because it looks cooked by then but I really need a meat thermometer!)

I do the same thing in the summer with our outdoor grill- just dump a pack on there and cook it all at once.

After it's cooked, I'll put in in the freezer either shredded, cubed, or whole depending on my plans.

As an alternative, as a PP suggested, rotisserie chicken is really good and cheap. You could buy a couple and freeze the extras.

 

[ptlohmysoul]

OP here, thanks for all the suggestions some of them may definitely work for me. I wanted to clarify a few things

My office has a keurig and snacks available for employees at no cost. So bringing my own breakfast/coffee would actually cost me more. I usually have a coffee and a yogurt or a string cheese with a handful of almonds (I've never been a big breakfast eater and my tummy can't handle eggs in the am).

For those of you wondering about the health side of things. I eat Primal (a form of paleo diet) so I don't eat grains or potatoes and I try not to eat processed foods. So I don't eat typical fast food and frequent local places that use whole and responsibly sourced foods, organic when possible. (Not saying this is healthy for everybody but for me and my body it is)

I will admit that I have a problem finding the energy (or the will) to cook after work. I do make some meat and veggies at home some nights. I think I need to mentally get past not liking leftovers as that's important to cooking for one.

Because of the way I eat, soups and anything shelf stable is out. I have gone and bought stuff to make salads for lunch but by the time I put everything in there it equals about what I pay per day and I usually lose one day to rotted lettuce if I buy the bigger better value size (it goes faster than I can eat it). Small containers of organic greens are 4.49 which is already half of a to-go salad cost. Any advice here???

To the pp that asked why not shop at Walmart or Winn-Dixie: I do not shop at Walmart full-stop for personal reasons. Winn-Dixie has a very sad and dirty produce section (at least mine does) and that is what I primarily buy when I shop. I probably would go to Winn-Dixie if I bought anything from the middle aisles of the store.

I hope I don't come off as snippy (i have a tendency to do that). Some of the ideas are great, I just wanted to clarify as some don't work for me. Maybe I need a thread to ask about good paleo freezer meals lol.

I guess part of the lack of motivation for change is that as much as I want a pot of fun money. I just buy and travel as I want already. Maybe I need to make myself depend on that pot of money somehow...anyway thanks! And keep the thoughts coming!

Sounds to me like you are eating primarily healthy. Perhaps a stronger motivation for eating at home would be to eat healthier, rather than saving money being the motivation. Have you looked at the salad dressings at Panera? Not healthy. (but I too love Panera and Chipotle as they are the healthier places to eat out). Take the time when you are young to learn to cook something new. Do you cook beef stock or chicken stock often? Do you know how? (Freeze what you don't use within 3 days.) Once you can do that, you can make great homemade soups that are REALLY good for you. Try a new recipe once a week. Maybe use the extra food that you can't eat to give to a friend or someone sick or in need (or someone who has little children). I hate to cook too, but it is important to properly nourish our bodies. You can roast a whole organic chicken, eat what you want immediately, use the bones to make stock, freeze the meat until you decide to make chicken soup. Or make a couple of steaks at once, eat one, use the bones for making stock, freeze the meat and stock until you want to make vegetable beef soup. Make homemade alfredo with fresh garlic, much better than Olive Garden , and poor over freshly cooked veggies like steamed broccoli. Learn how to make homemade dressings for salad and cut up your own romaine fresh so that it lasts longer (maybe a whole week). You can also precut other veggies for salad.

 

[southlakejr]

Have you read Well Fed? If not, you need to. While her recipes are fantastic, the real benefit is her prep ideas for Paleo cooking to make a week seem a lot more manageable.

For DH and I, we normally prep for about an hour or so on Sundays, and it makes all the difference during the week. (Considering it isn't unusual for my drive home to take over an hour and a half, I'm not exactly in the mood to cook when I get home!)

Our week usually consists of boiling some peeled sweet potatoes, making some hard boiled eggs, making a batch of mayo, pre cooking two proteins (usually chicken breasts and steak or ground beef) slicing green onions, mushrooms, some peppers, and a veggie or two.

From that, I can assemble a huge variety of meals. Honey Mustard chicken, beef lettuce cups, bbq chicken , beef tacos, etc. The sweet potatoes can be turned into potato salad, tossed with some olive oil to roast, mashed, etc.

I also like to keep some easy things on hand like sausages or burger patties for when I'm feeling lazy. And the crockpot is a lifesaver. One of our favorites is to throw a pork roast into the crockpot with a can of green enchilada sauce. Cooks all day, tasty, and easy. We'll serve that up with some zucchini cooked in a pan with olive oil, lime juice, onion, and cilantro.

For veggies, have a dish that DH jokingly refers to as my "people chow". Take a bag of broccoli slaw, mix with thinly sliced red onions and apples. This will keep in the fridge for almost a week. When I'm ready to eat it, I top with a vinaigrette of apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, and a little bit of honey. I bring this to go with my lunch several days a week. I mix it up between that and frozen peas reheated with a little olive oil, balsamic, and S&P. For fresh veggies, I prefer brussel sprouts and broccoli, as they keep best. I don't care to eat a lot of salad, so we don't do too much of that. Stop buying the mixed greens- those things wilt waaaay too quickly. Spinach and romaine last the longest. Also, if you haven't ever roasted broccoli.... man are you missing out. That stuff is amazing! Since I usually buy bags of precut broccoli, it takes almost zero effort on my part.

Lastly, my favorite trick is a counter top appliance called a sous vide supreme. They're pricey (200-300 or so) but it has been worth every penny for us. Basically, it's a fancy water bath that can cook foods to a very precise temperature, without needing any attention from me. A great thing for someone who doesn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, especially since timing doesn't have to be exact. Also good for someone who doesn't like cooking poultry- vacuum seal some chicken in a bag, toss is it in the bath, and pull it out when it's done. It's been great for us because it's simple, and pretty tasty. I don't normally like chicken because it's dry- but this produces chicken breasts that are tender enough to pull apart with your fingers. Also transforms really cheap beef cuts into something that tastes five star. My personal favorite are short ribs that we'll cook for 2-3 days. Come home, serve it up with some pre prepped potatoes, and it feels like a gourmet meal that took under fifteen minutes of my time.

Sorry I wrote a novel!

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Have you read Well Fed? If not, you need to. While her recipes are fantastic, the real benefit is her prep ideas for Paleo cooking to make a week seem a lot more manageable. For DH and I, we normally prep for about an hour or so on Sundays, and it makes all the difference during the week. (Considering it isn't unusual for my drive home to take over an hour and a half, I'm not exactly in the mood to cook when I get home!) Our week usually consists of boiling some peeled sweet potatoes, making some hard boiled eggs, making a batch of mayo, pre cooking two proteins (usually chicken breasts and steak or ground beef) slicing green onions, mushrooms, some peppers, and a veggie or two. From that, I can assemble a huge variety of meals. Honey Mustard chicken, beef lettuce cups, bbq chicken , beef tacos, etc. The sweet potatoes can be turned into potato salad, tossed with some olive oil to roast, mashed, etc. I also like to keep some easy things on hand like sausages or burger patties for when I'm feeling lazy. And the crockpot is a lifesaver. One of our favorites is to throw a pork roast into the crockpot with a can of green enchilada sauce. Cooks all day, tasty, and easy. We'll serve that up with some zucchini cooked in a pan with olive oil, lime juice, onion, and cilantro. For veggies, have a dish that DH jokingly refers to as my "people chow". Take a bag of broccoli slaw, mix with thinly sliced red onions and apples. This will keep in the fridge for almost a week. When I'm ready to eat it, I top with a vinaigrette of apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, and a little bit of honey. I bring this to go with my lunch several days a week. I mix it up between that and frozen peas reheated with a little olive oil, balsamic, and S&P. For fresh veggies, I prefer brussel sprouts and broccoli, as they keep best. I don't care to eat a lot of salad, so we don't do too much of that. Stop buying the mixed greens- those things wilt waaaay too quickly. Spinach and romaine last the longest. Also, if you haven't ever roasted broccoli.... man are you missing out. That stuff is amazing! Since I usually buy bags of precut broccoli, it takes almost zero effort on my part. Lastly, my favorite trick is a counter top appliance called a sous vide supreme. They're pricey (200-300 or so) but it has been worth every penny for us. Basically, it's a fancy water bath that can cook foods to a very precise temperature, without needing any attention from me. A great thing for someone who doesn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, especially since timing doesn't have to be exact. Also good for someone who doesn't like cooking poultry- vacuum seal some chicken in a bag, toss is it in the bath, and pull it out when it's done. It's been great for us because it's simple, and pretty tasty. I don't normally like chicken because it's dry- but this produces chicken breasts that are tender enough to pull apart with your fingers. Also transforms really cheap beef cuts into something that tastes five star. My personal favorite are short ribs that we'll cook for 2-3 days. Come home, serve it up with some pre prepped potatoes, and it feels like a gourmet meal that took under fifteen minutes of my time. Sorry I wrote a novel!

I haven't read Well Fed, I mostly use Mark's Daily Apple (website) for primal resources but will definitely check out that book if I can.

Lots of people have mentioned that those buckets o' greens wilt fast. I should look into romaine instead. I love cooked spinach but the raw stuff makes me choke. Something about the texture, I literally can't eat it.

I use my own dressings (mostly olive oil and balsamic. Occasionally ranch.) but haven't been able to make my own mayo...it always turns out a little funny. I found a store bought with no sugar and limited ingredients. I figure for the little bit I eat of it the soybean oil won't hurt me.

I love your idea of pork chops in slow cooker with green enchilada sauce. I've never looked for it before. Is ready made stuff primal (or paleo, I'm not entirely sure of the differences other than primal allows for cream and fermented dairy) friendly?

When I do cook it usually includes roasted broccoli or great beans!

I so wish I liked eggs!! They seem so easy and versatile!

I will check out the sous vide machine. Maybe that's my answer to chicken. I've never cared for chicken I make at home (grill, crock pot, oven) but it sounds easy!

 

[hsmamato2]

you don't sound snippy, just explaining yourself.... I still think soups and premade meals could work for you...since it's just you, you know what you like to eat...for example, a homemade soup that fits your dietary needs- then split it up into small containers,and freeze. Then just bring for lunch or heat for dinner as needed. this concept works for any kind of food- it's the thought behind it... prepare extra all at once,and freeze,or dehydrate,etc. This works for all types of foods....there are also LOT of grain free options for wraps,etc that are great (chickpea flour?) I don't know exactly what you do and don't eat, but those can be purchased,or even made at home (my family loves them) my point is if you have enough 'easy to heat and eat' food set ahead of time, then you will find it easier to not go out and spend IMHO.... and that can be any type of food that you like.... I encourage you to try...google recipes that appeal to you that you can put away....

 

[MrsPete]

Your post makes me think of a website I've read occasionally: The Big Red Kitchen /Mason Jar Meals. The woman who "runs" the blog makes healthy meals and packages them in individual mason jars so they're "ready to go" at a moment's notice. She even talks about how to pack salads so that they stay good a long time.

I think you should re-evaluate soup. I love to make up a big pot of soup, which can be a very healthy choice, depending upon what you put into it, and freeze most of it in one-serving sizes (lay ziplock bags flat 'til they're frozen, and they take up little space in the freezer AND thaw in a flash). I sometimes store these at work so I have something ready to go any day. Thing is, soup can be FREE. Yes, really: You put a large ziplock into your freezer, and every time you have just a couple bites of broccoli, beans, beef, whatever left over, you add it to that bag. When the bag's full, cook it up together (I always add a can of diced tomatoes) and you have soup from those last-bits that wouldn't have been worth saving individually. You can home-can soup, but that's a bit complicated for a reluctant cook.

That brings me to another point: Since cooking isn't something that comes natural to you, force it upon yourself just once a week. For example, pack 5 lunches (plus snacks or whatever else) to take to work, and transport it all on Monday. If you know that you have a salad waiting for you, you won't be tempted to go out to lunch. Or perhaps bring 3 lunches and assume you'll pick two days of the week to go out to lunch with friends.

Look into batch cooking. Prepare a bunch of something healthy and freeze most of it in single-serving packages. Someone mentioned pork chops in the crock pot. Make up a bunch of these, have one for dinner, and pack the others away for instant dinners (or lunches) later. Even with a small freezer, this is possible. Create some sort of system to keep up with what's in your freezer so it's used in a timely manner.

Finally, don't try to do EVERYTHING at once. You didn't fall into your current habits in a day, so don't expect to develop habits that'll please you more in a day. If you try to do everything out of your comfort zone RIGHT NOW, you'll burn out and quit. Instead, pick ONE thing to do this month, and work on that one thing 'til it's easy for you. Then add another good habit next month.

 

[southlakejr]

I haven't read Well Fed, I mostly use Mark's Daily Apple (website) for primal resources but will definitely check out that book if I can.

Lots of people have mentioned that those buckets o' greens wilt fast. I should look into romaine instead. I love cooked spinach but the raw stuff makes me choke. Something about the texture, I literally can't eat it.

I use my own dressings (mostly olive oil and balsamic. Occasionally ranch.) but haven't been able to make my own mayo...it always turns out a little funny. I found a store bought with no sugar and limited ingredients. I figure for the little bit I eat of it the soybean oil won't hurt me.

I love your idea of pork chops in slow cooker with green enchilada sauce. I've never looked for it before. Is ready made stuff primal (or paleo, I'm not entirely sure of the differences other than primal allows for cream and fermented dairy) friendly?

When I do cook it usually includes roasted broccoli or great beans!

I so wish I liked eggs!! They seem so easy and versatile!

I will check out the sous vide machine. Maybe that's my answer to chicken. I've never cared for chicken I make at home (grill, crock pot, oven) but it sounds easy!

MDA is a fantastic resource. For recipes, I love Nom Nom Paleo and PaleOMG. I'm not fully paleo, since I do like me some dairy, but I find that their recipes inspire me to want to cook more because they look delicious!

And we must be spinach opposites- the minute you cook it I will make toddler yucky face and refuse to eat it. But I do like it raw.

I mainly make my own mayo because I prefer the taste over store bought. I add a little honey and salt to mine, and always use an immersion blender (only way I can get it to work)

Some enchilada sauces are funky, but a lot of them are just chiles, spices, etc. Those are the ones I stick to. I try not to worry about a little bit of soy here or there, but I do try to avoid sugar and flours or starches. I'm not incredibly strict with my home cooking, because I know that I do much worse when I eat out, but I do try to be reasonable. If you don't find an enchilada sauce you like, you can also use a jar of green salsa.

I originally bought the sous vide on a whim- it looked fun and interesting. But it has really changed cooking for me. I generally don't like chicken, much at all. I will never order it, and rarely cook it. It always seems dry, which I can't stand. But, sous vide makes it super moist, very easy, and it brings out the natural chicken taste, especially when I get the organic free range stuff. I went from never eating chicken at all to eating it several times a week- and it's easssssyyyyyyy.

Overall, try to ease yourself into it. DH and I struggle with eating out a lot- and we don't eat out nearly as healthy as we do at home so it's a big problem for us. I try to set reasonable goals of cooking a certain # of times a week, and mixing it up between meals that are super easy, and meals that are super tasty. When I get into a rut, usually I search for recipes that make me WANT to cook, something that looks even better than my beloved burrito bowl. Pinterest is amazing for that. Even if you can cut your eating out in half, that's huge progress!