how to eat heart healthy and stay on a budget?

[curlybop]

You can also use ground turkey in place of ground beef in recipes. I've done this for about 2 years now. We also eat turkey burgers on whole wheat bread. Much healthier than red meat.

 

[aclov]

I know how you feel, because I've been unemployed for a few months now and trying to eat healthy. It does seem like the macaroni & cheese and pototoes, rice are on sale and eating healthy costs more. But I've found that I've been eating alot of chicken breast, I look to see where it's on sale or turkey breast. And I'm not spending money at McDonald's or junk food. I've also bought a bag of the tilapia from Aldi's and it was good. And no more pop, just bottled water. I buy bottled because it's easy for me to grab and go and this way I always have water with me.

Good luck and thanks to all for all the great tips!

 

[kandeebunny]

OK Rice is not bad for you on a heart healthy diet, there is no fat or cholesterol. So you can use that to stretch your meals.

We went through this when my mom had her heart attack, she couldn't work, couldn't get disability from her work, I am 23 going to school and I was the only income we had so trust me I feel your pain.

Be careful how much whole wheat you introduce to your diet at a time. It sent both moms and my digestive systems in to a huge shock, neither of us can now eat gluten.

Tomatos are VERY good for your heart, tomato sauce, fresh tomatos, chilli, anything with them.

In baking do not use olive oil, it comes out weird, use canola oil in place of vegetable oil, much less in the trans fat department and it tastes the same (I swear!!!)

Try to avoid processed foods, shop the outside of your grocery store. Fruits, veggies, lean meats, be careful with the dairy but it does offer a lot of other health benefits.

Mom LOVED the snack wells devil's food cookies (you can pick these up at wal-mart for a fraction of the supermarket price)

Red meat is not BAD just needs to be lean, you need the iron.

Oatmeal bread is amazing in taste, and really good for the heart since it is oatmeal it helps with the heart.

Do oatmeal or cheerio's for breakfast.

If you want recipes I can see what I have left. PM me =)

 

[disneysteve]

You can also use ground turkey in place of ground beef in recipes.

When doing this, be sure to check the labels. Some ground turkey has just as much fat as beef. What you want is the extra lean, 1% fat, ground turkey breast. It does cost more, but since it has very little fat, it doesn't shrivel up to nothing when you cook it so it goes farther than an equal weight of the fattier stuff.

Best advice is to give up meat as much as possible. Vegetarian diets are naturally low in fat and calories, high in fiber and loaded with nutrients. Check your library and the internet for vegetarian cookbooks and recipes.

 

[ducklite]

I make my own pizza. High in carbs, but a lot better for you than Domino's.

I make the dough in my bread machine, can't remember the exact recipe, but it's flour, water, and something.

"Roll out" the dough, brush a few drops of olive oil around the bottom of the pan and cover with flour. I make the sauce myself, it's a tablespoon of olive oil, purred tomatoes (I use POMI brand, but you can make your own in teh food processor) and spices--oregano, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and whatever else you'd like. Cook it on medium for about five minutes, then smooth over the top of pizza. Add some shredded low fat mozzerella and fresh basil. (I bought a plant for $1.99 over a year ago and take the leaves as I need it) It works out to about 300 calories a slice if you slice it into 8 slices. So not lo-cal, but low-fat and has the olive oil for a healthy heart.

Anne

 

[disneysteve]

purred tomatoes (I use POMI brand, but you can make your own in teh food processor)

I doubt that you can make your own cheaper than you can buy it. This week, our local store has big cans of Tuttoroso brand on sale for $.39/can. You can't get one tomato for that price.

 

[Motherofboys]

Eating healthy can be a big challenge when you are on a budget! I love to cook and use the magazine TOH "Light & Tasty" alot. Every recipe has the nutritional content and they are GOOD recipes. PM if you like and I would be happy to send you some extra copies that I have if you would like them (I buy the annual cookbook so I don't need the magazines too, but I can't end my subscription b/c I can't wait until the end of the year for the cookbook to come out b/c I am a big dork ).
These were a few of the changes that were easiest for my family to make (and I have a picky DH and a few picky DS's):
1. Switch to ground turkey or ground chicken (if it's the cheaper, higher fat kind then I rinse it after cooking)
2. Use 1/2 whole wheat flour in place of the white flour when baking (rarely notice a difference)
3. Make sure you are drinking skim or 1/2% milk
4. Keep a pitcher of fresh cold water with a few orange slices in the refrigerator to encourage water consumption
5. Mix juice with brewed herbal or green tea (1/2 tea and 1/2 juice)

Those are a few of things that were pretty painless for us. Good luck!

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Consider starting a garden when the weather allows it.

 

[ducklite]

I doubt that you can make your own cheaper than you can buy it. This week, our local store has big cans of Tuttoroso brand on sale for $.39/can. You can't get one tomato for that price.

You can if you've got a tomato plant in a pot on the porch.

Anne

 

[Motherofboys]

Ducklite, you should add: "and you're lucky enough to live in a sunny, warm place and enjoy vine-ripe tomatoes all year long"! I'm so jealous! I miss my garden so much in the winter, especially the tomatoes. All we get here this time of year is orange-red, mushy objects claiming to be tomatoes

 

[crjack]

Check out the Food Networks website as well for lots of free recipes. There is a Healthy Eating tab up top and it breaks down recipes for you by low cal, low carb, etc. If you have an item you want to use in some recipes you can type in "chicken" for example in the search and you will get a long list of recipes with that item in it. We like certain chefs and tend to go to their recipes because we find them faster and easier. Good luck.

 

[dawnball]

Did your doctor test for diabetes? Undiagnosed diabetes can cause a elevated triglycerides. There are really only 2 things that cause high triglycerides - sugar(really all carbs) and alcohol. Also, triglycerides are really only accurately measured after an 8-12 hour fast because consuming carbs can cause short-term spikes in triglyceride levels.

It's cheap to stop drinking (if you drink to begin with). Cutting out sugar is less cheap. The cheap way to do it is to not eat sweets.

Instead of making cakes with splenda and whole wheat flour, don't make cakes. Eat a piece of fruit for dessert (apples and bananas are usually fairly cheap) or have a small portion of a normal dessert once a week. If fresh fruit isn't in your budget buy the lowest sugar canned fruit you can afford, drain the fruit and rinse it. Honey contains carbs, but you can use a lot less of it than sugar because it tastes sweeter. It's a good bit cheaper than sugar substitutes too.

Instead of trying to find whole wheat bread (100% whole wheat bread is expensive, and "light" 100% whole wheat bread even more so) I use corn tortillas. Toast the tortilla on both sides for better texture.

Brown rice is cheaper per serving than whole wheat pasta. Polenta is usually even cheaper, especially if you use cornmeal. If you eat regular pasta, watch your portion sizes. Couple pasta heavy dishes with an extra vegetable or two. Instead of pasta with tomato sauce and a salad have an italian white bean soup with spinach, pasta with tomato sauce, a side of sauteed zucchini and a salad. You'll eat more vegetable and less pasta.

Legumes are an excellent way to stretch the budget. Starting your meal with a bowl of lentil or black bean soup is filling and cheap. Add black beans or pinto beans to mexican-style meals. Have bean-based chili with a 100% corn (no wheat flour) cornbread. 3-bean salad is a nice summer way to get beans into your diet and can be made with cheap canned beans.

If you're making something high-carb then 20 minutes before the high-carb meal have a handful of walnuts, a small bowl of broth based soup and a glass of water. You'll eat less at the high-carb meal.

Exercise. Particularly exercise after you've eaten something with carbs in it. If you give in and have a piece of chocolate cake, or if dinner was stretched with more pasta than usual - go for a walk.

 

[kaseyC]

Try the following site for some new recipes. http://www.recipezaar.com/

 

[budbeerlady]

Hey O.P. Dont know what state you are in but is there a local 7th day adventist store near by?
I found one really close to my home and it really is a savings for me and healthier. They are quite often vegans so the food items will be soy. But even fresh fruits and veggies are less there for me. But the greatest part was how helpful and knowledgeable they were. I switched to a vegetarian diet from my red meat based life and they answered all my questions about how to cook items.
I buy all my whole wheat pasta and brown rice from them, and my favorite but not the most healthy nacho items there. Using beans, soy cheese, organic corn chips and the fresh veggies only makes it remotely healthier than the usual meat and cheese with chips option I used to make.

The previous summer I joined an organic farm, we bought a share of the harvest for $425. (Food from May to Nov.) It was too much food for us and I could only eat Chard and Kale so many different ways but I also was limited in my thinking about how to prepare them.

Good luck!

 

[vhoffman]

I make my own pizza. High in carbs, but a lot better for you than Domino's.

I make the dough in my bread machine, can't remember the exact recipe, but it's flour, water, and something.

"Roll out" the dough, brush a few drops of olive oil around the bottom of the pan and cover with flour. I make the sauce myself, it's a tablespoon of olive oil, purred tomatoes (I use POMI brand, but you can make your own in teh food processor) and spices--oregano, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and whatever else you'd like. Cook it on medium for about five minutes, then smooth over the top of pizza. Add some shredded low fat mozzerella and fresh basil. (I bought a plant for $1.99 over a year ago and take the leaves as I need it) It works out to about 300 calories a slice if you slice it into 8 slices. So not lo-cal, but low-fat and has the olive oil for a healthy heart.

Anne

Thanks for the pizza recipie! We have a bread machine, have to start using it! Can you make ahead your pizza and freeze it? Seems we order pizza in as a convenience--or now that our finances are reduced I was buying frozen pizza to have on hand as a snack (no more!)

 

[vhoffman]

Thanks, everyone, for all the wonderful suggestions and support!

I'm printing out this thread to study it better. Every suggestion is great!

BTW, I don't drink or smoke, never have. My TG's are probably high due to medications I must take--prednisone. But I am going to follow through with the suggestion that my dr have me tested for diabetes. My fasting blood sugar is usually somewhat above normal.

TG's can also be elevated due to stress. We have certainly been under a lot of it around here with dh's layoff, possible move, just the uncertainty of life right now. But perhaps this is our wake-up call!

The challenge is two fold--eat healthy and maintain a strict budget. Not always easy. Seems the healthy foods are more expensive, things like Smart Balance products, fresh fish, fruit, etc. Also, the staples we fall back on to stretch our budget, like pasta, rice, bread, etc. all can raise TG's. According to what I read, they're not totally forbidden, but in moderation, best served with some protein and small amounts of fat. The idea is to prevent blood surgar spikes. also recommended eating several small meals per day so not to develop hunger and blood sugar drops. Its almost like following a diabetic diet!

Well, like I said in my OP, I threw away the margarine. At the rate we were eating it it was a significant factor in our diet. Now we use Smart balance spread, the lite for eating, the regular for baking, cooking.

One question for pan frying, sauting, etc. I've always read to use non-stick cooking spray, but it never works! I always end up burning the food! Now I use the Smart Balance regular spread--the lite has too much water for pan cooking. Anyone ever have any luck using non-stick spray for pan sauting?

All these ideas but not able to implement any at this point! We live in Central Texas, and we're literally iced in! There's a major winter storm in this area. The front came through early Saturday morning, with thunder showers. Then came the cold front, with more freezing rain. Right now we're literally under a blanket of ice--there's ice cicles hanging off the roof! School was closed yesterday and today, possibly again tomorrow! Its literally impossible to get out for anything! Glad I did a Costco run Friday so we're stocked up (with as much heart-healthy items as I could think of!). Its crazy down here! Yesterday dh managed to get out while the roads were clear (they iced over last night), bought some more milk, etc. He said the shelves at the grocery were half empty--trucks can't get through. One grocery store near here actually closed. We've been fortunate to have power and water--parts of the city lost electricity, water, what misery! So we're just hunkering down, doing whatever--cleaning out closets, whatever. Our cats are really getting antsy to go out--no way! We finally took them one by one outside, holding on to them, just to let them see what the world has turned in to. Kitty no like! They shivered, cried, and wanted back inside! One cat actually growled when we let his paws touch the snow! There's an accumulation of snow mixed with ice on the ground right now. Kittys all safe inside along with the rest of us. The weather should break by this weekend!

Thanks again for all the suggestions and please keep them coming!

 

[vhoffman]

Hey O.P. Dont know what state you are in but is there a local 7th day adventist store near by?
I found one really close to my home and it really is a savings for me and healthier. They are quite often vegans so the food items will be soy. But even fresh fruits and veggies are less there for me. But the greatest part was how helpful and knowledgeable they were. I switched to a vegetarian diet from my red meat based life and they answered all my questions about how to cook items.
I buy all my whole wheat pasta and brown rice from them, and my favorite but not the most healthy nacho items there. Using beans, soy cheese, organic corn chips and the fresh veggies only makes it remotely healthier than the usual meat and cheese with chips option I used to make.

The previous summer I joined an organic farm, we bought a share of the harvest for $425. (Food from May to Nov.) It was too much food for us and I could only eat Chard and Kale so many different ways but I also was limited in my thinking about how to prepare them.

Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll see if there's a 7th day adventist church/store around here. Its a good suggestion. also, there's a lot of ethnic markets around here--oriental, Indian, they might have some good heart healthy ideas. We can't totally change our way of eating, but just a few changes can go a long way. Thanks for the idea!

 

[NY Disney fan]

Our cats are really getting antsy to go out--no way! We finally took them one by one outside, holding on to them, just to let them see what the world has turned in to. Kitty no like! They shivered, cried, and wanted back inside! One cat actually growled when we let his paws touch the snow! There's an accumulation of snow mixed with ice on the ground right now. Kittys all safe inside along with the rest of us.

Aww! Poor babies! Stay safe

 

[Motherofboys]

Wow, we got a big ice storm here too but not that bad! I hope things thaw out for you soon! I've had luck spraying the saute pan with non-stick spray and then adding a drizzle of spray butter (we use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray). That has worked pretty well for me.

 

[vhoffman]

Try the following site for some new recipes. http://www.recipezaar.com/

Checked it out, sound great, thanks!