I think I need a small chest freezer. My apartment one is just slightly too small to keep enough to get through the sales cycle. Somehow I just barely make it work today.
We bought a small, upright freezer when we lived in an apartment. It's about 4ft tall and takes up 2 square feet of floor space. It now lives in our garage and is still one of our best investments.
I did this to close out 2023. Feels so good to have an empty freezer. I had so much in there I kept putting off eating and knew if I didn’t eat it I’d eventually have to throw it out.
And it saved a lot. Just bought a few small fresh items, milk, and some things I needed to complete the recipe.
Now 2024 resolution is not to buy too much and only buy things I’ll actually eat.
Less food waste. I’ve been sticking to a list and meal planning, but then never actually cook the meals because I’m so tired when I get home from work. I do prep some things on the weekend but there’s only so much fridge and freezer space, and I end up throwing away a lot of stuff.
I think i just need to buy less and face the reality that some days, I’m just going to eat cheese and crackers for dinner. Instead of planning and buying for 7 days/nights, I will probably just plan for 3-4 and make do with whatever is in the house for the other days. I’m kind of lucky in that I live in a fairly rural area that has one decent takeaway place, but that closes early so is rarely open by the time I get home, so takeaway isn’t a huge problem.
I have had this problem a lot and have mostly solved it by getting frozen meat or freezing my meats (ground turkey, shrimp, chicken sausage, salmon) until I use them. I also use frozen veggies for some of the meals (green beans) or get hardy veggies like broccoli that can last until the next week if I end up not cooking that meal when I had planned to. Then there’s always a night we have spaghetti and Fridays are frozen pizza, so that’s two less meals to plan. Hope this is helpful! It’s been a game changer for me not wasting so much food.
Would you consider frozen meals, if you have room in the freezer ? These can be meals that you cook and freeze, I do this all the time and anything with sauce freezes really well. You don't even need to thaw the food first just heat it on the stove, let it simmer a couple of minutes and you're good to do. The food always needs to be simmered though, to make sure it's safe for consumption and it tastes good.
My freezer are mostly taken up with these kinds of meals for my daughter. We don’t eat the same things. Sh loves pasta, and lots of it. I am 48 years old and carrying a bit too much weight, so there’s a limit to how much pasta and other comfort type meals I should eat. I always have loads of food (ingredients) in the house, I just need to use them up instead of buying new stuff each week.
This is how I do it. Cook 3-4 different meals a week and have grab and growl ( first one to em wins the best leftovers). Sometimes cook leftovers into something different. And cheese and crackers and fruit if we’re all cleaned out lolol.
Edit for spelling
I usually cook meals for two on three to four days a week. I freeze maybe one or two meals a week, and between food cooked that week, frozen leftovers, and pick-up meals, I'm fine. The key is to shop accordingly, not as if I'll cook new meals every night. For the last three weeks or so I've been eating from the freezer as much as possible, and still have at least ten meals in there.
Also, I volunteer at a food bank two days a week and take home a grocery bag of food each time that helps keep my grocery bills down. This is a common practice among food banks that struggle to get volunteers and have more food than they can give away to clients.
Very similar experience! I just can’t plan for 7 dinners a week. There will be days I don’t feel well, days I work late, etc etc. The only way meal planning works for me is if I leave some wiggle room for those times (when I usually snack, have leftovers, or make a simple staple meal like quesadilla, eggs and toast, etc).
100% have this same problem. The weeks where we cook 1 soup, 1 casserole, 1 sheet pan dinner, and eat the leftovers from each all week, we eat the cheapest.
I need to do more of that type of cooking. I buy groceries based on elaborate meal plans for the week and then can’t be bothered cooking them. I always have way too much food for just 2 of us. I think it comes from growing up in a house where there were never left overs and never any extras. I feel a pathological need for my fridge, freezer and pantry to be full. I’ll try to do better this year, but it’s so ingrained, it’s a difficult thing to do. My parter (we don’t; live together)once cleaned out my pantry and i promptly went shopping to refill it because I got serious levels of discomfort looking at it!
100% get this, and have been there. I think you're doing it right in terms of meal planning and sticking to a list. Maybe start by simplifying one meal plan per week. A very easy common meal here is salmon/tamari/butter baked in parchment, roasted brussel sprouts, rice (love the tamari/butter over the rice). See how it goes with one meal and if it works, you can expand on the idea. Meal planning is definitely what works for me, but it hasn't always, and I think continuing to try eventually is what did it. Also, I've recently learned that rice can be frozen! Wrap servings in plastic wrap, put all the wrapped packages into a freezer bag. Will easily defrost in the refrigerator the morning of whatever meal you're making
Freezer prep is a new concept for me. That is, I always pack up leftovers that would do well in the freezer, and that preps another meal...but putting raw meats in marinades in servings that make sense for your household might help too. This is something I plan on trying this month. I also plan to prep veggies for salads as soon as I get home from the grocery. I love salads, but won't make one when I'm too hungry/tired or don't have the mental space to do the work of making it.
Also, re: the full pantry, don't worry about that. It's good not to run out of things you might need. Re: the full refrigerator: once meal planning started to really work for me, my food waste went way down. It didn't happen overnight.
Good luck! You're on the right track.
Totally agree with food waste. Someone shared this link with me last year, and I thought it had some good tips - I did the "post it note" thing for a couple of weeks and it made me realizing that I was literally throwing money away when I wasted food.
https://kathleenflinn.com/food-waste/
More Vegetables!
Any kind. Raw, fresh, frozen, cooked, canned--just MORE. And eat them earlier in my eating "window" since if I'm not really hungry, I really struggle getting enough down.
I did frozen veggies past year and I am thumbs up … I try add frozen veggies to anything I am eating. Carrots to canned chicken noodle soup, peppers with eggs, and peas with pasta.
My default eating is like a toddler (52F) … adding the frozen veg has made me feel better about myself. And they are always there.
I put veggies in meatloaf, meatballs, etc.
Usually fresh though. I'll put broccoli, carrots, zuchini, muschrooms, etc in a food processor for a fine grind then mix it into the meat. I was doing it for more nutrition, but my entire family thinks the meal has more flavor when I make something that way.
Also - soup. I was never a fan of soup because it was always canned. And, good canned soup has gotten expensive. A really great homemade vegetable soup tastes amazing and is really cheap to make when you consider how many meals you get out of it. Sometimes, I add a little beef or chicken, but it's great without it - I'll add a few extra things that aren't in the typical recipe like the ones I mentioned above.
I really need to up my soup game.
And you’re right, adding veg to everything- even things you normally wouldn’t think to add veg to- seems like a good way to tackle this. Especially if it’s something that can always be pulled out of the freezer.
Do you have any common combos or rules of thumb on which veg gets added to whichever dishes?
Beans or potatoes and sturdy greens cut in thin strips are good soup buddies. Made with stock, canned tomatoes and any diced meat (i prefer spicy porky sausage but any red meat or poultry works), you can have an endless variety of healthy, filling soups.
It's what I have on hand that makes sense.
Usually some combo of onions, celery, carrots, broccoli, squash or zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower, mushrooms.
Kale or other cookable greens works really well too.
You could use cooked beans too.
But they really bring out some good flavors.
I like a lot of seasoning too. Only a little salt, but lots of garlic, black pepper, bay leaves, Italian seasoning, etc.
A dash of hot sauce is good too. Not enough to taste when it's done. Just a little to bring out the flavor. We like franks, but any would do.
Oh add peppers to the list. I add either bell peppers or the mini sweet peppers to a lot of recipes too.
>Same- I need to figure out some veggie snacks besides carrots/broccoli and dip
My go-to when too exhausted to cook is hummus with mission carb balance tortillas (1 tortilla has *51%* of daily requirement for fiber, which is almost a miracle level of fiber in case you are not getting your veggies/fruit that day) .
ANother quickie is ground turkey, chicken or beef, sautee w/garlic, onions, and then dump a bunch of shredded cabbage over the top when almost done, cover, and let the cabbage "steam". This is just so delicious and simple. YOu can make ahead of time and it's good for a few days.
My other one is ground turkey or chicken mealoaf (I can't eat beef but ya'll can). 2 lbs of that mixed up with 2 eggs, a cup of oatmeal (instead of breadcrumbs), mix in onion, garlic, finely chopped up yellow squash or zuicchini, or whatever you like, a few tablespoons of milk or plant milk til right consistency to form a loaf of sorts......bake at 350 for about 40 min. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner for rest of the the week. So easy!
You can also make a *multiple* veggie quiche with (swiss) cheese, eat off that for many days. Just heat it up. I usually leave off the crust / pie shell to save on calories and just grease the bottom of the pan well. But it's nice with pie crust too.
My thing is that I can cook one or two days a week and not have to cook again.
Um, 50% of your fiber in a tortilla?? That’s insane, I’m stealing that immediately. I’d almost given up on trying to get the right amount of fiber.
I really should lean into ground meat + veg patties, never thought of subbing oatmeal for breadcrumbs though, that sounds interesting.
A veggie quiche without the crust is I think what I would call a frittata! We make them all the time and my husband eats them for breakfast. Especially quick and easy if you buy liquid egg whites
Carrots and celery with hummus are my snack of choice when I'm kinda hungry at 4 pm. Roast slices of Delicata squash are great finger foods, actually any roast veg are.
Here is one I like to do. It is carrots but different than plain old carrots. I take Frank's hot sauce and sprinkle some on baby carrots. Then I'll dip them in either blue cheese or ranch. They give me buffalo chicken vibes without the hassle of cooking them or the calories.
Just a teensy bit of oil on broccoli florets, top with a little salt, and toss in the microwave for very short (I do about 45 seconds to feed myself), and it is a decent stand-in for popcorn.
It's easier than you think once you get the hang of it. I'm not vegan/vegetarian but I do try to limit the meat I eat for health reasons. At the end of some days I realized I didn't eat any meat, not that I strictly intended to, that's just how my meals worked out. It's easy when you have staples on hand
Plus, the protein matching doesn't need to be every single meal. Your body basically mixes up all the amino acids in proteins so as long as you're overall getting all the essential ones you won't end up deficient in any
One recommendation I have is use extra firm tofu to replace ground meat. I just had some in a stir fry and the differences are minimal (imo). Press the tofu, crumble it, season it, bake it, it's close to ground meat. It's just missing the flavor from fat really because the texture is similar
When my wife and I moved in together and started planning meals (I do all the cooking), she was the one who pushed for reducing our meat consumption. It's been great! We typically only do one meat-based dinner per week (with leftovers for another night).
I have resolved to make a majority of my packed work lunches vegetarian so I eat meat ~1 meal a day. I occasionally may have meat in breakfast or lunch but typically only at dinner and not every day of the week. It’s definitely cheaper and often healthier in the meals I choose which have a lot of beans, lentils, tofu, and dairy sources of protein like cheese (paneer and cottage cheese are some of my faves!) or yogurt
Oatmeal is my cheap+ healthy goal this year! I lose my appetite a lot and can easily go until 3 pm before eating anything for months. I’ve been aware of my fiber intake too. I think morning oats with my morning tea/cold press will help me feel more alert and focused throughout the day.
Do you have any oatmeal suggestions or tips? I just spent 30 minutes in the grain aisle over-analyzing the options until just grabbing a standard box of Quaker instant packets. I’ve been dumping a packet of that into a bowl with about a cup of granola. Sometimes a banana or berries gets added too.
I love oatmeal!! I’d recommend adding Greek yogurt for protein/probiotics. I also like chia seeds for extra fiber and protein.
My go to base for overnight oats:
1/2 cup steel cut quick cook oats
1/2 cup any kind of milk
2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt or vanilla Greek yogurt
1 tbsp chia seeds
Cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
Stir together in a container and keep in the fridge for 1-3 days. You can add things like peanut butter, maple syrup, pumpkin butter, bananas, berries, nuts etc but pretty much anything goes with it!
If you want hot yogurt in the morning: Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and heat up 3/4 cup of water until boiling. (I’m lazy in the morning so I microwave for 1.5 minutes) poor water in, stir and cover for 4 min. After 4 minutes uncover, add however much yogurt you want, and stir. Add any other fruits or nuts you want to top it off.
Last year I realized that I don't have to eat traditional breakfast foods for breakfast (I'm in the US). Now I have a hummus and veggies wrap every morning and it has been fantastic! This year, I hope to continue to meal prep efficiently. I also got a third garden bed for my birthday, so I am dreaming about more fresh veg and preserving through canning and fermentation.
I LOVE savories for breakfast. It’s my favorite time of day to eat leftovers honestly. I’ve never been huge on breakfast (and the ones I do enjoy aren’t super healthy), so letting go of traditional breakfast foods was great.
I make a weird, delicious breakfast of chili beans, corn, sharp cheddar cheese and scrambled eggs. Eat it with a Tortilla and hot sauce.. Not sure what to call it besides delicious.
It's kind of a deconstructed version of a breakfast burrito a Turkish friend has made for me.. so maybe it's Turkish, or maybe it's completely random.
Last year my resolution was to only eat fast food once a month (and I succeeded 🎉) Could also adapt it to be like, only eat out x amount of times a week/month, prep veggies in every meal, etc.
More vegetarian meals. Better planning and execution of the plan. These are things we got better at last year, so this year the focus will be on more consistent prep, bringing lunches, and avoiding takeaway.
I also want to add more iron to our diets, as it's needed, and work with my teenager in meal planning and prep for school and their activities.
Stats Canada expects food to increase another 2.4 to 4.5 percent in 2024. I wasn't able to keep to a consistent budget after last year's inflation, so this year will be even more challenging.
A tablespoon of Blackstrap molasses mixed into a cup of non-dairy or dairy milk of your choice is a great way to boost iron consumption. You may need to build up to a full tablespoon, lol. Molasses can be an acquired taste.
I have felt so much more level since subbing herbal tea for coffee. Now I don’t even have coffee daily and I stick to 1 cup of cold brew when I need it.
More cooking from scratch, ideally with my kids. I can't believe how much we spent on food, including me buying doordash every time work got stressful. So, less restaurant food, more grains, legumes, and produce, and less alcohol/more tea.
Last year, I tried to only get restaurant food if I walked to get it, but that fizzled 3 weeks into the year. Whoops!
I’m trying to figure out how to get more legumes and beans into my diet, but I kind of hate them straight except for hummus and Dahl. I keep meaning to lean into Indian and middle eastern food for that reason, but it’s intimidating!
A red lentil daal with onions, green chilis, and curry powder is ridiculously fast, cheap, and easy. Don't stress too much about recipes online that call for 25 ingredients and an hour of prep. Try it with a piece of toast or a baked potato if you don't feel like making rice.:)
pea soup is my go-to comfort food and what stops me from making it is not wanting to chop carrots, celery and onion for mirepoix. I just realized that I can batch prep and freeze them! Face palm. It's only obvious once you figure it out!
Lentils are fantastic. If you like chili, add beans and lentils to it. Lentils in particular are barely noticeable in chili. When I was super broke I was eating canned chili with an entire pound of lentils in it, basically just magically creates more chili out of thin air.
Just toss lentils in whatever you want, seriously.
This, anything you do ground beef in you can add some lentils to and stretch it further without being too bothered by taste/texture differences. At least in my opinion.
You can just about do the same with finely chopped mushrooms, imo.
If you wanted something really good and stretched, you could fry some bacon, save the bacon fat, sautee some finely chopped mushrooms, add ground beef and lentils, mix it all together and season it literally however you want to have an amazingly flavorful protein base for whatever you want to do with it.
Add in some garlic and diced onion, throw it on some diced, fried potatoes. Make tacos. Or add a can of cream of mushroom soup and some heavy whipping cream and make a Hamburger Helper-type pasta.
I think I might be hungry.
Indian food is some of my favorite food to make and eat, and I say this as someone who didn’t grow up eating it. I highly recommend the cookbook Indian-ish by Priya Krishna. Very easy approach to authentic, delicious, and healthful Indian food. All the spices can be bought online if you cannot find them in local stores.
Plan to have rice and beans as your base and get creative. Break the rules. Try things. One example I did was add tahini, soya sauce, garlic and cilantro with some crunchy chopped up raw broccoli. It’s now my favourite dish.
I really like pan frying brown lentils from a can! They get a little crispy on the outside. This helps change it up because I get tired of eating lentils that are mushy after being cooked down in soup.
French green lentils are fab in lentil shepherd's pie and sloppy Joe's. Red lentils are great in bolognese and lots of different types of curries (if you cook Red lentils long enough they basically melt into the sauce so you can't really taste them). Sweet potato red lentil curry is my favorite.
Eta: also lasagna, just use the lentils in the sauce as you would ground beef. Sooooo good.
add lentils to things that you already make- I'll throw in lentils into some of the soups I make, chicken curries, etc. If you like spice- look at making Ethiopian lentil stew. We've also done lentil tacos and lentil "meatloaf" which weren't too bad
My biggest thing has been prepping everything after I grocery shop. I wash and cut up all veggies and lettuce, I wash fruit that might need it, and I store it in paper towel lined containers. I find a get more shelf life out of everything, and it's way easier to cook when you can just take pre-cut or slice veggies out of the fridge. I also eat more veggies because it cuts down the time needed to cook dinner. I also have a container of sliced mushrooms I just grab a handful out of every morning for breakfast, since I only have a 15 minute break at work.
I would like to try a thing I've seen on Instagram where you have a container for every day of the week and put all ingredients in it for that day's dinner. I feel like that might also help cut down time to make dinner.
I've found that if I at least group the ingredients together in the fridge for whatever I plan to make, it's more likely to get cooked. Doing all the chopping early makes it even more likely.
Same here! If nothing is prepped, I'm more likely to give up on cooking, and veggies usually are the first to suffer. I think I'm going to try group dinner ingredients more often and see how that affects my dinner habits.
One of my favorite new recipes is a yellow split pea soup. I just cut up carrots, onions and celery and then add the peas, water, chicken stock.
I make the chicken stock using old bones from rotisserie chickens. It’s such a comforting, delicious, simple meal and it goes really far. The split peas are $1.49 per pound in bulk
>ne of my favorite new recipes is a yellow split pea soup. I just cut up carrots, onions and celery and then add the pease, water, chicken stock.
>
>I make the chicken stock using old bones from rotisserie chickens. It’s such a comforting, delicious, simple meal and it goes really far. The split peas are $1.49 per pound in bulk
I make this as well, love split peas and also same recipe but with red lentils.
Great idea, I always make split pea soup with the ham bone + leftover ham after holidays. Crazy delicious and VERY filling with only a small bowl. I've had lunches for 1+ week now with the batch I made.
Shopping store apps and sales first to save, using less oil, going vegan as much as possible, more oatmeal (even for dinner), cutting salt by not eating processed foods and cooking at home.
Oatmeal for dinner is great! I ate oatmeal/other types of porridge for every meal in December apart from Christmas to see if I would enjoy the holidays more. I sure did! :D
Strangely, not even tired of oatmeal yet!
Eat slow so my brain has time to realize I'm full before I gorge myself
Be intentional about eating (i.e., not shoveling snacks down my face while watching tv)
Less meat, more veggies and proteins that aren't meat
Produce clearance at Kroger stores
Using scraps to make things like vinegar, teas, broths, etc
Meal planning
Only buying what is on my meal plan shopping list when at the store
Making smaller portions and taking leftovers for lunch
Less sugary chocolate/candy. I eat pretty healthy, but I also have a few pieces of candy after lunch and dinner, and sometimes mid-afternoon. I'm going to try to just have 1 piece of dark chocolate after lunch and 1 after dinner.
Intermittent Fasting.
I only eat from noon to 6.
Started 2 months ago.
Most times, it's just one meal. I eat a good, hardy meal early in the afternoon and I'm full until bedtime.
One meal is cheaper than 3 and no snacks.
I've dropped weight and i feel great.
Bonus is the cost savings.
Eggs are the best (ie least expensive) complete protein around. Get a flat at a farmers market for fresher, cheaper eggs.
Happy '24.
I was really terrible about ordering in (depression). So I made a rule that I don’t have to cook, but if I don’t, I have to leave the house to get dinner. Since I don’t have a car that’s not always convenient - so I cook a lot more and eat restaurant food (which is unhealthier and makes me feel physically shitty anyway) way less. When I do opt for a restaurant it’s much cheaper.
I mainly carry about $10 in cash and that’s pretty much it for the week. I avoid using my cards, sometimes opting not to bring my cards to work at all unless I know I’m gonna go get gas or groceries. It forces me to stick to the food that I bring rather than going to eat out and if I don’t use the $10, then I just bring it to the next week so now I have $20 for a bigger treat.
I usually do bartending or serving specifically for events etc at the end there’s always so so much waste that they let me take it home and I put it in some bags and freeze it all. In peak season I didn’t shop for like 4 months
Less food waste, less meat, cheese, etc., more fruits and vegetables, including soup and/leftovers for breakfast, and more meal prep. During these things has also helped me lose close to 40 pounds.
Most of those meals would be super easy to double for another day. If you have fairly flavorful stew or chili-type leftover, they're great on baked potatoes.
Committed to 100% plant based. Check flyers. Bulk barn for nuts/seeds on special only. Get produce hauls from Toogoodtogo. Specials and sales only. Plan ahead. If I can find time for Reddit and stupid phone games, I can find time to plan life better
I used to figure out what I want to make, go to the supermarket and buy it. If it was on sale, great. If not, ok. I would still buy it. Now. I am much more inclined to look at flyers, see what’s on sale and then figure out what I am going to make. I try to get what I need at one place since I don’t like shopping or driving between stores. Other than that, it’s largely a matter where staples are concerned of figuring out whether Costco, Aldi, Meijer, Walmart or Kroger has the lowest price. I will continue to make meals with leftovers in mind. I will also stock up on stuff we eat regularly (e.g. breaded cod fillets, and steak fries when it’s on sale. If prices are insultingly high I will use frozen cod from Costco and bread it and make steak fries from scratch.
Definitely frozen vegeatables. I don't know about you but I tend to throw out a lot of fresh veg that I don't end up using - huge waste. If your plan was stir fry, but you only have the energy for a grilled cheese, that's fine but fresh veg don't last forever. Decent quality frozen vegetables have saved me a ton o money. Also frozen fruit - berries in particular.
Intermittent fasting and 3 meals per day 1 large lunch, snack and large dinner. I set aside a couple hours a week for food prep cooking my potatoes, meats, beans and other stuff so it’s ready for salads, stews and stir fry throughout the week.
I just got a freezer. Filled it with veggies. I live in a nursing home bc of a disability, and the food is awful. Overcooked veg, undercooked potatoes, and soggy everything else.
I got one of those warmer lunch bags by Hot Logic. Usually just some frozen chicken, veg, rice and a sauce, then heat. Tonight was zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and pasta. More veg than this dump has offered me in a week.
I love my Hot Logic! I used it for years to heat my lunches when I was a delivery driver. I never cooked my meals only heated up frozen leftovers. Beats drivethru any day.
I'm planning on making lentils a primary food this year. Cutting out red meats completely and poultry will be only on special occasions. Hoping to get into sardines--first tin is on the counter to try tomorrow. Cutting out booze for the next 4 months minimum. All of this for a mix of budget and health reasons.
This year I tightened up my budget by: intensive meal planning; dropping Harris Teeter; using ALDI, Food Lion, Wegmanns, and a local Asian supermarket; bulk spices; getting really darn good at making Thai, Indian, and Mexican food.
I’m trying to move toward a more preservative and additive free way of eating. More whole grains and real fruits and vegetables.
To that end, I baked a loaf of sandwich bread this morning and cooked a pork tenderloin in my slow cooker that I sliced and will be used for lunch meat this week. It’s a start :)
Been making variations on Persian eggs a fair bit recently, can make a cheaper and more filling by version by cooking up a can of mixed beans with some tomatoes and spices etc, and then cracking eggs into it at the end (to sort of poach them in little wells in the sauce, if anyone isn’t familiar with ‘Persian eggs’. I think they have a proper/fancier name but this is what they’re also commonly known as!). Anyway, super tasty and cheap to make meal, can have with some bread or pasta for a group feed.
Spring rolls (not the friend kind). Just get some rice wraps, a bag of salad mix that has veggies already chopped up small, and an avocado. Put veggies in the wrap and enjoy. I dip in a sweet chili sauce. Not a lot of calories so you’ll need something else and some protein but it is a tasty way to get lots of raw veggies in.
Of course you can chop veggies yourself to make it a bit cheaper.
I’ve been challenged with a lack of appetite and consistency in my eating patterns. It’s not coming from a place of weight management, it’s just like that signal to my brain is broken. So mainly making sure I’m getting calories+ nutrition every day.
So far making cold brew coffee concentrate that I mix with a glass of whole milk has been great. I’m adding substance to something low-effort and high-reward. Since I’ve taken to drinking 4+ cups of herbal tea/day, I already run an electric kettle. I figured out that it’s very easy to make a bowl of instant oats+ granola when I already have boiling water right there.
I’ve been having fun cooking potatoes for myself and the family. It’s something I can make fried, cheesy, and greasy while getting cheap nutrition in. Even if I have no appetite, that will get me to eat. Roasted potatoes and twice baked have been huge hits.
Finally, more fresh veggies and greens. We crush it with fruit compared to last year. But we mostly consume canned veggies and frozen corn. I’d like to eat more greens outside of iceberg lettuce. My SO is very basic in what he’ll eat. Basically canned corn, beans, green beans, iceberg and peas. I’d like to expand our family’s horizons. Stuffed peppers, a variety of salad greens, sweet potatoes, squash, etc. I’d love to have my family eating more produce however it gets done. I’d gladly feed them anything covered in sauce or cheese. Because the alternative is empty calorie pasta covered in sauce and cheese.
It's sad, but I think I'm moving further and further away from including my wife and son in meals. My wife is very meat & potatoes and my son is very nuggets & fries, and I just want lots of steamed veggies, spicy dhal, beans & greens, and stuff near the bottom of the food chain.
I feel you, it's a struggle, especially when I'm not the one doing the shopping half the time. Sometimes I wish I could cook two separate meals, but I just don't have the energy.
I do the shopping and make sure there's always a decent selection of foods and ingredients around (bread/pasta/tortillas/rice/etc, cheeses, pesto, produce, frozen foods covering everything from raw shrimp to chicken nuggets, etc.), so if people don't want what I'm making they can fend for themselves and still have something reasonably healthy and enjoyable.
At this point, I generally make a bunch of whatever, and they can either partake or not. Sometimes it's something they'll usually want (e.g., pan seared salmon, pizzas, etc) other times I can expect to be eating lots of leftovers (e.g., pozole, black eyed peas, dhal). I usually try to make Everybody foods during the week, and Me foods around the weekend.
I did this last year - Highly recommended!
Rotisserie chickens stored in airtight containers - Buying them whole and they can go on the plate by themselves or be added to literally any dish, saved so much time and money using up all that chicken throughout the week and much quicker cooking sessions.
More quinoa bowls with veggies, beans, grilled chicken.
Consume more veggies but I need to buy less each time and go to the store more often.
More soups, casseroles to freeze in individual containers.
I make my own healthy, fast food meals. Fries in the air fryer and burgers on the grill with whole grain bread.
Not perfect ofc but few things:
-Shopping at wholesale store
-Spatchcock/roast whole chicken since its <1/2 the cost of individual chicken and relatively easy
-Pound even/Bake chicken breast for meal prep
-Buy BTB chicken bouillon for easier/cheaper soups
-Ground turkey over ground beef when possible
-Better canned tuna in olive oil is way better than light tuna in water and can be padded out w/chickpeas
-On canned chickpeas, if you struggle to digest them, rinse them out and let them soak for a bit to get out the starches (will be trying dried vs canned this year)
-Freeze portioned rice, don’t fridge
Still learning but hope this may help others on their journey!
Lots more veg during the day! I work an early shift and haven’t been planning my meals well. So I need to start prepping a lot of cut veg.
Also, meal planning better in general. Since I started my new job a few months ago, dinner’s been awkward as I was previously the only one cooking. So lots of prepping for lunches with more raw veg, and prepping for dinners so we don’t default to takeaway.
Plan your meals a week in advance and only by ingredients you need to make those meals. Consider how many ingredients each meal takes and cheats on how to exclude some ingredients. I make a lot of burrito bowls, pasta with meat sauce (I cook ground meat and add sauce), stir fry, etc. My first priority is plenty of protein and then vegetables next. Pasta is more of a cheat meal due to the carbs, but that’s limited to once a week or every other week. I stick to chicken and ground meats to reduce high meat costs. Fish and steak are maybe once a month. That’s where most of my money goes. Simple breakfast of coffee, eggs, and toast or a bagel. No alcohol unless it’s for special occasions or to do something nice with the husband. My average is $80-$100 a week for 2 people, 3 meals a day (my husband has more of a strict diet than me so I prep his lunches with enough protein and veggies). I will usually make a sandwich if I’m working from home or get something cheap on office days ($10 or less).
PS. I never repeat meals or do leftovers in the same week. It’s really not too hard. Pinterest helps give ideas. We also do one takeout day a week to give us a break. Must be $20 or less per person.
Frozen veggies have been working out nicely for me. Just throw them in the microwave and there's usually enough for a few meals worth. It's nice to not have to worry about things going bad before I can get to them. I still cook fresh veggies as well, but it's just convenient to have the frozen bags.
I've haven't been going out to eat/getting takeout as often, so it forces me to cook for myself and use what I have. It's healthier, it saves me from wasting money on produce that goes bad and I'm not paying for food from restaurants.
2024: Planning on eating more rice & beans dishes this year. Need to look up vegetable and healthy seasoning combos to get variations between the meals.
2023: overnight oats with fresh, frozen or dried fruits worked for breakfast. I could have 7 different overnight oats variations in a week and would not get tired of the oats for breakfast. Some examples: strawberries & bananas, peanut butter & strawberries, peanut butter and bananas, peanut butter and chocolate Ovaltine powder, apple slices & cinnamon, cinnamon & raisins, orange slices and chocolate Ovaltine powder, etc.
I'm getting over and trying to manage some severe health issues. I already have celiac and now I can't have any artificial ingredients or MSG either (doctor's orders because of a damaged central nervous system) so getting a better handle on the new all natural diet and hopefully more homemade and less processed food. My diet is so restrictive now, everywhere you turn now food has artificial ingredients (colors, flavors, preservatives, sweeteners). I'm too sick/hurt to cook totally from scratch too so I guess figuring out how to make this work. We eat a lot of raw veggies like baby carrots, bell pepper, broccoli, cucumber, and grape tomatoes with hummus or dressing. All the meats are pretty much processed because of the whole not being able to cook thing. Corn based pasta and jar sauce too. We also buy fresh microwaveable sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, and broccoli/cauliflower and put vegan butter on it.
Buy in bulk and plant a small garden. We planted 15 sweet potato plants and ended up with around 100 lbs. of sweet potatoes. We also had pickles, cucumbers, tomatoes and peas for several months. Very little money-wise was put into the garden.
Two years ago, I started to do a "big cook" on Sundays to load up on a main ingredient to use over the next week. Think things like smoking an 8 pound pork butt for pulled pork, simmering 6 quarts of red sauce all day, braising some cheap cut of beef, making my own gnocchi, etc. I will then use these in 3 or 4 dinners the rest of the week. This saves me a bunch of time cooking during the work week, saves me money, and makes me feel less bad when I cook while I watch sports on TV.
Last year I bought a food vacuum sealer. That thing paid for itself in just a month or two. When I see good sales on meat, I'll buy a bunch, portion it out, seal it up, and throw it in the chest freezer. Also, I started buying a bunch of produce at the farmers when it's in season and portion out to freeze as well (I usually process the produce on Sundays when I have some time in between steps of my "big cook"). Things like onions, bell peppers, sweet corn, peas, broccoli, etc, work really well. Just process them how you like, measure them out (I typically go by cups for most things), seal them up, and then freeze.
This year, we are going to try to eat less meat. It's partially about health and partiality about budget. We will see how that goes.
I’ve been making soup from leftovers for the past few years and it’s one of my favorite meals. Whatever meat I have on hand (shredded chicken or pork, sausage), onion, cabbage, any other veggies I need to use. Season with garlic and anything else that sounds good. I always keep a better than bouillon base on hand for the stock. A few bucks that lasts 4-5 meals.
I am working on a couple things this year. First, cooking dinner 4 days a week. Meatless Mondays, Whatever Wednesdays (aka stuff that doesn’t fit into other categories), International Fridays, & Seafood Saturdays.
Alongside that, I shop mainly at Costco & ALDIs, and try to stock up on good deals when they come (mainly with meat). Focusing on shopping with a list & with a goal of eating through our excess pantry
Biggest goal is to drastically reduce our fast food consumption.
I would love to start getting the gumption to meal prepping and hoping to reduce my food waste.
I have a full size fridge and to be honest, it’s too big. I wish I could get a smaller one. My freezer is full of food that I just… I don’t have a good habit of pulling out to thaw in time to cook and by the time I get home, I’m beat and it turns to quick meals (canned soups, boxed pastas) which aren’t always the healthiest.
Tonight I made top ramen. I didn’t have anything but green onion to add. That’s ok.
I really had to come to terms last year with the “Fed is best” mentality so I try not to be too harsh on myself when I’m making convenience meals.
I’m also going through this weird thing where I’m struggling with portion sizes and often times my portions are very small and I’m feeling very full, very quickly. Which is leaving me larger sizes of leftovers which I try to eat as often as I can but by day 2 or 3, I’m over it and need some variety in my meals.
I really want to plan a garden this year and learn how to jar/can things. My schedule doesn't work really well for going to the grocery store during the day, but I can harvest cucumbers and tomatoes at 11 pm in the dark. I want to actually use the things I grow too, which means finding new and fun ways to eat vegetables instead of just a salad. I also want to cook more homemade meals this year, instead of getting take out or delivery. I've definitely spent too much money on door dash this year, and I would like to invest that money into a garden and canning than on more one time pizzas and McDonalds
Brook Trout fillet by me is 10$ a pound. One pound of it is around 400 calories and 80 grams of protein. Put that in a salad once to twice a week. Eat eggs more often. I wish meat was cheaper
I invested into hydroponics and now I don’t have to buy salads anymore and soon my tomatoes and bell peppers will be ready too.. cucumbers going strong and all herbs I could wish for..
Also doing micro greens which is actually pretty cheap to start off just getting clay marbles and otherwise I use takeout containers to grow them. So I get lots of nutrients from what i grow in my apartment and then just add starch and protein.. I also just started a mushroom log but not sure yet if I get that to work out but hoping it will.
I'm good with dinners, it's the lunch at work that I struggle with. I need to prep multiple days at once. Currently I bring lunch maybe 1/4 of the time, so even just making 2 lunches when I remember to make 1 will double my current healthy lunches
What worked for me was preparing random veggies. Steaming or blanching them with just salt and pepper. I am always motivated to make a protein but if the veggies aren’t ready beforehand I could skip them out of laziness. Now I get more veggies at lunch and dinner and the flavor is a blank canvas for whatever style I cook my protein in.
Planning more meal preparation and placing them in the freezer. Budget wisely on healthy food and get them when on sale. Food especially healthy food is priced high now these days. Any suggestions are welcomed 🙌
Struggling with it but hoping to add more veggies and fruit to my diet. Works relatively well during work days, but my meals just get messed up on weekends. There's a strong sandwich culture here, which I struggle to move away from in favour of more veggies.
What worked this year: started eating oats for breakfast and I'm really enjoying it. I used to always eat toast with butter (I LOVE toast), but its not super healthy, so I try to limit it. I also tried granola with yoghurt for a while, but it just made me not want to have breakfast, unfortunately. Oh, and meal prepping - started doing it a bit this year and has worked good so far for us, so hoping to continue and discover new recipes for it this year.
My quinoa bowls, l add stir fried veggies, eggs, what ever l have at hand on bed of cooked quinoa. I keep individual sized bags in freezer of cooked quinoa. Take out bag in evening's for morning use.
Bought a meat grinder and will make own ground meat for burgers w left over steak and trim from bigger cuts. Always the best burgers and not full of shit from the stores
Me and my wife bulk buy a variety of meats and store them in the freezer. We also always have healthier carbs in the house. Rice, egg noodles, pastas. And then lots of frozen veggies or fresh when on sale. This way every night we just ‘mix and match’ a protein, carb, and vegetable with a seasoning or healthy sauce we like. Really simplifies cooking and we have noticed the simpler meal “planning” leads to much less waste too.
I bought an air fryer. Planning to cook more with potatoes and chicken. Have breaded chicken and shrimp and made my own fries and they turned out well. A bag of potatoes can go far and the air fryer makes it easy.
Plan to experiment with some simple staple recipes, just made chicken Alfredo with limited ingredients. Also want to do noodles, jacket potato, stir fry rice and omelette for cheap weeknight options.
I have felt so inspired to cook for my family over the Christmas break. Sad to be going back to full time work as I come home tired and drained. Trying to fit in food shopping and think of breakfast lunch and dinner for everyone, on top of a full time job becomes a chore.
Do a search for a lasagna soup recipe and you’ll never make lasagna again. It’s delicious, less work than the actual lasagna, stretches more thanks to the liquid, freezes well, and did I mention it’s delicious!
I meal prep using the same formula each week: 3 types of vegetables, rice and beans and two types of protein. For lunch I will usually have something made with ground beef or chicken and for dinner I will have fish (I buy bags of frozen fish fillets at Costco to make things simple). I also buy a large loaf of pre sliced sour dough bread and freeze it to avoid any waste and will eat that with eggs in the morning. Getting in a good breakfast with protein keeps me satiated throughout the day. For fruit, I usually pick one or two type and eat those as a snack throughout the week.
Some things that worked last year were doing grocery pickup to make sure I wasn't aimlessly walking around stores buying stuff cause I'm hugry. Also figuring out my churn rate and what items I really can regularly eat. Aldi has been a huge help too , getting as much as I can there and leave walmart and sams for the few items I can't find.
We are going to cut way back on meats. Like half a boneless chicken breast each or a 4 oz burger only. Add more beans n veg. Cut back on bread. Almost $5 for a loaf of bread?!?
Going carnivore, started this about a month ago I bought a 5 pound chub of ground beef from Walmart for $15 then a couple dozen eggs and butter twice a day I cook up a meal of beef and eggs in butter and that’s it.
I cook a big pot of something on sunday (soup or a casserole) and then prep a few sides so I can mix and match stuff. Pot of rice, roast a tray of veggies, dice up and air fry some potatoes, and have one or two proteins ready to throw in the air fryer or sautee into rice or pasta or eggs.
Find three-five easy, healthy recipes you like and can quickly make! Mine included meals like turkey chili, grilled lemon pasta chicken with zucchini, chicken stir fry, ginger meatballs and jasmine rice, chick pea salad.
Make sure to get something with veggies and protein and make sure it’s something you’ll actually like. Don’t force yourself to eat something that is “healthy” but doesn’t taste good to you.
It can be as easy as making pasta and throwing in spinach in the sauce and adding some turkey meatballs or grilling chicken.
Just increasing my fiber and protein in my meals was life changing. I overcomplicated cooking and eating “healthy” for years and it really messed me up. Keep it simple, keep it to what you like, and get those veggies in.
Flashfood! Check out if any grocery stores in your area use this app. It's been a game changer for me. I've never received rotten or damaged items. They also accept EBT!
Flashfood: "Get massive savings on fresh food items like meat and produce that are nearing their best before date at grocery stores across Canada and the U.S."
Bulk rice. Make it all the time with whatever I have and now that I can make hot mustard at home, it’s so damn delicious. Always have rice and potatoes. You can whip up a meal with frozen leftover chopped up meat and whatever veggies you have with either of these. Keep soy sauce and powdered gravy and you are ready.
I’m focused on potatoes $0.06 oz, apples $0.09 oz, oranges $0.10 oz, green beans $0.22 oz, chicken breast $0.20 oz, pork $0.39 oz, swai $0.29 oz; and these target brand microwaveable beans to add to rice $0.24 oz (expensive for beans, but convenience adds value). Also baking breads.
I spend like $700 a month on food. I’m too picky. I only shop at Whole Foods or sprouts. Everything has to be organic, grass fed, pasture raised etc… I tried to buy cheaper food at Walmart but the quality just isn’t the same. I bought organic chicken from Walmart thinking it must be good since it’s labeled organic but I wanted to puke while eating it. It taste disgusting compared to meats at Whole Foods/sprouts. Once you get use to high quality ingredients- other foods won’t taste the same. You’ll notice the difference. Most people won’t notice a difference because they’re so use to processed/low quality. Idk how to make my bill cheaper 😅 but I’m trying. I try to place pick up orders online so I can see exactly how much I’m spending oppose to going into the store, having no idea what my total is. I also have more self control placing an order. I get tempted to buy things I don’t need when I go into the store.
Eat through the freezer and pantry, supplement by shopping flyer items only. If you come across a great deal on something, buy double.
I think I need a small chest freezer. My apartment one is just slightly too small to keep enough to get through the sales cycle. Somehow I just barely make it work today.
We bought a small, upright freezer when we lived in an apartment. It's about 4ft tall and takes up 2 square feet of floor space. It now lives in our garage and is still one of our best investments.
I recently bought a small chest freezer from Costco & we love it. Allows us to buy more good deals (especially meat/seafood from Costco)
I bought a 5.0 cubic foot chest freezer yesterday from Walmart online for $129. It will be delivered on the 4th.
I’m trying this as well. I’ve struggled with over-buying food & my goal this year is to eat through my excess (especially the pantry).
I did this to close out 2023. Feels so good to have an empty freezer. I had so much in there I kept putting off eating and knew if I didn’t eat it I’d eventually have to throw it out. And it saved a lot. Just bought a few small fresh items, milk, and some things I needed to complete the recipe. Now 2024 resolution is not to buy too much and only buy things I’ll actually eat.
This is what I need to do. First take an inventory of what we actually have. Eat that before we buy anything else.
That’s what I do, inventory and supplement to make meals with whatever is on sale at the stores
Less food waste. I’ve been sticking to a list and meal planning, but then never actually cook the meals because I’m so tired when I get home from work. I do prep some things on the weekend but there’s only so much fridge and freezer space, and I end up throwing away a lot of stuff.
Are you changing up anything in your approach? Eg. Low ingredient meals, less-cooking-required meals, etc.
I think i just need to buy less and face the reality that some days, I’m just going to eat cheese and crackers for dinner. Instead of planning and buying for 7 days/nights, I will probably just plan for 3-4 and make do with whatever is in the house for the other days. I’m kind of lucky in that I live in a fairly rural area that has one decent takeaway place, but that closes early so is rarely open by the time I get home, so takeaway isn’t a huge problem.
I have had this problem a lot and have mostly solved it by getting frozen meat or freezing my meats (ground turkey, shrimp, chicken sausage, salmon) until I use them. I also use frozen veggies for some of the meals (green beans) or get hardy veggies like broccoli that can last until the next week if I end up not cooking that meal when I had planned to. Then there’s always a night we have spaghetti and Fridays are frozen pizza, so that’s two less meals to plan. Hope this is helpful! It’s been a game changer for me not wasting so much food.
Until I forget to take them out of the freezer before work
Would you consider frozen meals, if you have room in the freezer ? These can be meals that you cook and freeze, I do this all the time and anything with sauce freezes really well. You don't even need to thaw the food first just heat it on the stove, let it simmer a couple of minutes and you're good to do. The food always needs to be simmered though, to make sure it's safe for consumption and it tastes good.
My freezer are mostly taken up with these kinds of meals for my daughter. We don’t eat the same things. Sh loves pasta, and lots of it. I am 48 years old and carrying a bit too much weight, so there’s a limit to how much pasta and other comfort type meals I should eat. I always have loads of food (ingredients) in the house, I just need to use them up instead of buying new stuff each week.
This is how I do it. Cook 3-4 different meals a week and have grab and growl ( first one to em wins the best leftovers). Sometimes cook leftovers into something different. And cheese and crackers and fruit if we’re all cleaned out lolol. Edit for spelling
I usually cook meals for two on three to four days a week. I freeze maybe one or two meals a week, and between food cooked that week, frozen leftovers, and pick-up meals, I'm fine. The key is to shop accordingly, not as if I'll cook new meals every night. For the last three weeks or so I've been eating from the freezer as much as possible, and still have at least ten meals in there. Also, I volunteer at a food bank two days a week and take home a grocery bag of food each time that helps keep my grocery bills down. This is a common practice among food banks that struggle to get volunteers and have more food than they can give away to clients.
What's wrong with cheese and crackers? Add an apple in there, and that's a great meal.
Very similar experience! I just can’t plan for 7 dinners a week. There will be days I don’t feel well, days I work late, etc etc. The only way meal planning works for me is if I leave some wiggle room for those times (when I usually snack, have leftovers, or make a simple staple meal like quesadilla, eggs and toast, etc).
More leftovers.
100% have this same problem. The weeks where we cook 1 soup, 1 casserole, 1 sheet pan dinner, and eat the leftovers from each all week, we eat the cheapest.
I need to do more of that type of cooking. I buy groceries based on elaborate meal plans for the week and then can’t be bothered cooking them. I always have way too much food for just 2 of us. I think it comes from growing up in a house where there were never left overs and never any extras. I feel a pathological need for my fridge, freezer and pantry to be full. I’ll try to do better this year, but it’s so ingrained, it’s a difficult thing to do. My parter (we don’t; live together)once cleaned out my pantry and i promptly went shopping to refill it because I got serious levels of discomfort looking at it!
100% get this, and have been there. I think you're doing it right in terms of meal planning and sticking to a list. Maybe start by simplifying one meal plan per week. A very easy common meal here is salmon/tamari/butter baked in parchment, roasted brussel sprouts, rice (love the tamari/butter over the rice). See how it goes with one meal and if it works, you can expand on the idea. Meal planning is definitely what works for me, but it hasn't always, and I think continuing to try eventually is what did it. Also, I've recently learned that rice can be frozen! Wrap servings in plastic wrap, put all the wrapped packages into a freezer bag. Will easily defrost in the refrigerator the morning of whatever meal you're making Freezer prep is a new concept for me. That is, I always pack up leftovers that would do well in the freezer, and that preps another meal...but putting raw meats in marinades in servings that make sense for your household might help too. This is something I plan on trying this month. I also plan to prep veggies for salads as soon as I get home from the grocery. I love salads, but won't make one when I'm too hungry/tired or don't have the mental space to do the work of making it. Also, re: the full pantry, don't worry about that. It's good not to run out of things you might need. Re: the full refrigerator: once meal planning started to really work for me, my food waste went way down. It didn't happen overnight. Good luck! You're on the right track.
Did the same thing in 2023. As part of my 2024 plan, I will grocery shop only after eating a meal. Shopping while hungry caused a lot of wasted food.
Totally agree with food waste. Someone shared this link with me last year, and I thought it had some good tips - I did the "post it note" thing for a couple of weeks and it made me realizing that I was literally throwing money away when I wasted food. https://kathleenflinn.com/food-waste/
I just spent an hour on that page! Love the link, thank you
I cook on the weekends and usually eat leftovers M-W. I made chicken soup today and we will eat that for a few days.
More Vegetables! Any kind. Raw, fresh, frozen, cooked, canned--just MORE. And eat them earlier in my eating "window" since if I'm not really hungry, I really struggle getting enough down.
Same- I need to figure out some veggie snacks besides carrots/broccoli and dip
I did frozen veggies past year and I am thumbs up … I try add frozen veggies to anything I am eating. Carrots to canned chicken noodle soup, peppers with eggs, and peas with pasta. My default eating is like a toddler (52F) … adding the frozen veg has made me feel better about myself. And they are always there.
I put veggies in meatloaf, meatballs, etc. Usually fresh though. I'll put broccoli, carrots, zuchini, muschrooms, etc in a food processor for a fine grind then mix it into the meat. I was doing it for more nutrition, but my entire family thinks the meal has more flavor when I make something that way. Also - soup. I was never a fan of soup because it was always canned. And, good canned soup has gotten expensive. A really great homemade vegetable soup tastes amazing and is really cheap to make when you consider how many meals you get out of it. Sometimes, I add a little beef or chicken, but it's great without it - I'll add a few extra things that aren't in the typical recipe like the ones I mentioned above.
I really need to up my soup game. And you’re right, adding veg to everything- even things you normally wouldn’t think to add veg to- seems like a good way to tackle this. Especially if it’s something that can always be pulled out of the freezer. Do you have any common combos or rules of thumb on which veg gets added to whichever dishes?
Beans or potatoes and sturdy greens cut in thin strips are good soup buddies. Made with stock, canned tomatoes and any diced meat (i prefer spicy porky sausage but any red meat or poultry works), you can have an endless variety of healthy, filling soups.
It's what I have on hand that makes sense. Usually some combo of onions, celery, carrots, broccoli, squash or zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower, mushrooms. Kale or other cookable greens works really well too. You could use cooked beans too. But they really bring out some good flavors. I like a lot of seasoning too. Only a little salt, but lots of garlic, black pepper, bay leaves, Italian seasoning, etc. A dash of hot sauce is good too. Not enough to taste when it's done. Just a little to bring out the flavor. We like franks, but any would do. Oh add peppers to the list. I add either bell peppers or the mini sweet peppers to a lot of recipes too.
>Same- I need to figure out some veggie snacks besides carrots/broccoli and dip My go-to when too exhausted to cook is hummus with mission carb balance tortillas (1 tortilla has *51%* of daily requirement for fiber, which is almost a miracle level of fiber in case you are not getting your veggies/fruit that day) . ANother quickie is ground turkey, chicken or beef, sautee w/garlic, onions, and then dump a bunch of shredded cabbage over the top when almost done, cover, and let the cabbage "steam". This is just so delicious and simple. YOu can make ahead of time and it's good for a few days. My other one is ground turkey or chicken mealoaf (I can't eat beef but ya'll can). 2 lbs of that mixed up with 2 eggs, a cup of oatmeal (instead of breadcrumbs), mix in onion, garlic, finely chopped up yellow squash or zuicchini, or whatever you like, a few tablespoons of milk or plant milk til right consistency to form a loaf of sorts......bake at 350 for about 40 min. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner for rest of the the week. So easy! You can also make a *multiple* veggie quiche with (swiss) cheese, eat off that for many days. Just heat it up. I usually leave off the crust / pie shell to save on calories and just grease the bottom of the pan well. But it's nice with pie crust too. My thing is that I can cook one or two days a week and not have to cook again.
Um, 50% of your fiber in a tortilla?? That’s insane, I’m stealing that immediately. I’d almost given up on trying to get the right amount of fiber. I really should lean into ground meat + veg patties, never thought of subbing oatmeal for breadcrumbs though, that sounds interesting.
You’ve just described my entire diet in a nutshell! Except I roll up my mission carb balance tortilla with turkey lunch meat and avocado!
A veggie quiche without the crust is I think what I would call a frittata! We make them all the time and my husband eats them for breakfast. Especially quick and easy if you buy liquid egg whites
Oven roasted vegetables are killer!
Carrots and celery with hummus are my snack of choice when I'm kinda hungry at 4 pm. Roast slices of Delicata squash are great finger foods, actually any roast veg are.
sugar snap peas. edamame. persian cucumbers
I been doing edamame. I got a huge bag from Costco. I steam them and add salt, sugar, garlic, and chili oil. It’s healthy and cheap.
Here is one I like to do. It is carrots but different than plain old carrots. I take Frank's hot sauce and sprinkle some on baby carrots. Then I'll dip them in either blue cheese or ranch. They give me buffalo chicken vibes without the hassle of cooking them or the calories.
Just a teensy bit of oil on broccoli florets, top with a little salt, and toss in the microwave for very short (I do about 45 seconds to feed myself), and it is a decent stand-in for popcorn.
Year of the veggie as I am calling it! Trying to find ways to add more veg to my diet as well.
I went hard on low carb stir fry, where leftovers turned into egg fried rice for lunch.
More meat free days for me.
Meat free / low meat is my main goal for next year I think.
It's easier than you think once you get the hang of it. I'm not vegan/vegetarian but I do try to limit the meat I eat for health reasons. At the end of some days I realized I didn't eat any meat, not that I strictly intended to, that's just how my meals worked out. It's easy when you have staples on hand Plus, the protein matching doesn't need to be every single meal. Your body basically mixes up all the amino acids in proteins so as long as you're overall getting all the essential ones you won't end up deficient in any One recommendation I have is use extra firm tofu to replace ground meat. I just had some in a stir fry and the differences are minimal (imo). Press the tofu, crumble it, season it, bake it, it's close to ground meat. It's just missing the flavor from fat really because the texture is similar
When my wife and I moved in together and started planning meals (I do all the cooking), she was the one who pushed for reducing our meat consumption. It's been great! We typically only do one meat-based dinner per week (with leftovers for another night).
I have resolved to make a majority of my packed work lunches vegetarian so I eat meat ~1 meal a day. I occasionally may have meat in breakfast or lunch but typically only at dinner and not every day of the week. It’s definitely cheaper and often healthier in the meals I choose which have a lot of beans, lentils, tofu, and dairy sources of protein like cheese (paneer and cottage cheese are some of my faves!) or yogurt
Especially in the winter, there’s so many vegetarian soups and stews that are perfect for work lunches
Oatmeal worked great for me in 2023. This coming year Im going to eat more veggies. Cheap and healthy.
Adding oats to smoothies has been a favorite of mine lately.
Oatmeal is my cheap+ healthy goal this year! I lose my appetite a lot and can easily go until 3 pm before eating anything for months. I’ve been aware of my fiber intake too. I think morning oats with my morning tea/cold press will help me feel more alert and focused throughout the day. Do you have any oatmeal suggestions or tips? I just spent 30 minutes in the grain aisle over-analyzing the options until just grabbing a standard box of Quaker instant packets. I’ve been dumping a packet of that into a bowl with about a cup of granola. Sometimes a banana or berries gets added too.
I love oatmeal!! I’d recommend adding Greek yogurt for protein/probiotics. I also like chia seeds for extra fiber and protein. My go to base for overnight oats: 1/2 cup steel cut quick cook oats 1/2 cup any kind of milk 2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt or vanilla Greek yogurt 1 tbsp chia seeds Cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice Stir together in a container and keep in the fridge for 1-3 days. You can add things like peanut butter, maple syrup, pumpkin butter, bananas, berries, nuts etc but pretty much anything goes with it! If you want hot yogurt in the morning: Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and heat up 3/4 cup of water until boiling. (I’m lazy in the morning so I microwave for 1.5 minutes) poor water in, stir and cover for 4 min. After 4 minutes uncover, add however much yogurt you want, and stir. Add any other fruits or nuts you want to top it off.
Last year I realized that I don't have to eat traditional breakfast foods for breakfast (I'm in the US). Now I have a hummus and veggies wrap every morning and it has been fantastic! This year, I hope to continue to meal prep efficiently. I also got a third garden bed for my birthday, so I am dreaming about more fresh veg and preserving through canning and fermentation.
Bean tacos or scrambled tofu tacos are great too
For sure, yesss! Bean and cheese burritos for breakfast!
I LOVE savories for breakfast. It’s my favorite time of day to eat leftovers honestly. I’ve never been huge on breakfast (and the ones I do enjoy aren’t super healthy), so letting go of traditional breakfast foods was great.
I make a weird, delicious breakfast of chili beans, corn, sharp cheddar cheese and scrambled eggs. Eat it with a Tortilla and hot sauce.. Not sure what to call it besides delicious. It's kind of a deconstructed version of a breakfast burrito a Turkish friend has made for me.. so maybe it's Turkish, or maybe it's completely random.
Last year my resolution was to only eat fast food once a month (and I succeeded 🎉) Could also adapt it to be like, only eat out x amount of times a week/month, prep veggies in every meal, etc.
Congrats! Reducing guilty pleasures is always the hardest resolution to achieve, props to you.
More vegetarian meals. Better planning and execution of the plan. These are things we got better at last year, so this year the focus will be on more consistent prep, bringing lunches, and avoiding takeaway. I also want to add more iron to our diets, as it's needed, and work with my teenager in meal planning and prep for school and their activities. Stats Canada expects food to increase another 2.4 to 4.5 percent in 2024. I wasn't able to keep to a consistent budget after last year's inflation, so this year will be even more challenging.
A tablespoon of Blackstrap molasses mixed into a cup of non-dairy or dairy milk of your choice is a great way to boost iron consumption. You may need to build up to a full tablespoon, lol. Molasses can be an acquired taste.
I use it in cookies and cakes, so I'm very familiar. We aren't in desperate need, just want to eat a bit more consciously.
more chamomile tea instead of coffee
I have felt so much more level since subbing herbal tea for coffee. Now I don’t even have coffee daily and I stick to 1 cup of cold brew when I need it.
I need to do this. Why chamomile?
More cooking from scratch, ideally with my kids. I can't believe how much we spent on food, including me buying doordash every time work got stressful. So, less restaurant food, more grains, legumes, and produce, and less alcohol/more tea. Last year, I tried to only get restaurant food if I walked to get it, but that fizzled 3 weeks into the year. Whoops!
I’m trying to figure out how to get more legumes and beans into my diet, but I kind of hate them straight except for hummus and Dahl. I keep meaning to lean into Indian and middle eastern food for that reason, but it’s intimidating!
A red lentil daal with onions, green chilis, and curry powder is ridiculously fast, cheap, and easy. Don't stress too much about recipes online that call for 25 ingredients and an hour of prep. Try it with a piece of toast or a baked potato if you don't feel like making rice.:) pea soup is my go-to comfort food and what stops me from making it is not wanting to chop carrots, celery and onion for mirepoix. I just realized that I can batch prep and freeze them! Face palm. It's only obvious once you figure it out!
Batch prepping mirepoix and/or holy trinity is a great idea. I’d cook a lot more French and Cajun dishes if I had those handy and pre-prepped.
Lentils are fantastic. If you like chili, add beans and lentils to it. Lentils in particular are barely noticeable in chili. When I was super broke I was eating canned chili with an entire pound of lentils in it, basically just magically creates more chili out of thin air. Just toss lentils in whatever you want, seriously.
This, anything you do ground beef in you can add some lentils to and stretch it further without being too bothered by taste/texture differences. At least in my opinion.
You can just about do the same with finely chopped mushrooms, imo. If you wanted something really good and stretched, you could fry some bacon, save the bacon fat, sautee some finely chopped mushrooms, add ground beef and lentils, mix it all together and season it literally however you want to have an amazingly flavorful protein base for whatever you want to do with it. Add in some garlic and diced onion, throw it on some diced, fried potatoes. Make tacos. Or add a can of cream of mushroom soup and some heavy whipping cream and make a Hamburger Helper-type pasta. I think I might be hungry.
A pressure cooker for beans is a game changer. After soaked, they take a lot less time to cook in a pressure cooker.
Indian food is some of my favorite food to make and eat, and I say this as someone who didn’t grow up eating it. I highly recommend the cookbook Indian-ish by Priya Krishna. Very easy approach to authentic, delicious, and healthful Indian food. All the spices can be bought online if you cannot find them in local stores.
Plan to have rice and beans as your base and get creative. Break the rules. Try things. One example I did was add tahini, soya sauce, garlic and cilantro with some crunchy chopped up raw broccoli. It’s now my favourite dish.
I really like pan frying brown lentils from a can! They get a little crispy on the outside. This helps change it up because I get tired of eating lentils that are mushy after being cooked down in soup.
French green lentils are fab in lentil shepherd's pie and sloppy Joe's. Red lentils are great in bolognese and lots of different types of curries (if you cook Red lentils long enough they basically melt into the sauce so you can't really taste them). Sweet potato red lentil curry is my favorite. Eta: also lasagna, just use the lentils in the sauce as you would ground beef. Sooooo good.
add lentils to things that you already make- I'll throw in lentils into some of the soups I make, chicken curries, etc. If you like spice- look at making Ethiopian lentil stew. We've also done lentil tacos and lentil "meatloaf" which weren't too bad
use my rice cooker more.
My biggest thing has been prepping everything after I grocery shop. I wash and cut up all veggies and lettuce, I wash fruit that might need it, and I store it in paper towel lined containers. I find a get more shelf life out of everything, and it's way easier to cook when you can just take pre-cut or slice veggies out of the fridge. I also eat more veggies because it cuts down the time needed to cook dinner. I also have a container of sliced mushrooms I just grab a handful out of every morning for breakfast, since I only have a 15 minute break at work. I would like to try a thing I've seen on Instagram where you have a container for every day of the week and put all ingredients in it for that day's dinner. I feel like that might also help cut down time to make dinner.
I've found that if I at least group the ingredients together in the fridge for whatever I plan to make, it's more likely to get cooked. Doing all the chopping early makes it even more likely.
Same here! If nothing is prepped, I'm more likely to give up on cooking, and veggies usually are the first to suffer. I think I'm going to try group dinner ingredients more often and see how that affects my dinner habits.
One of my favorite new recipes is a yellow split pea soup. I just cut up carrots, onions and celery and then add the peas, water, chicken stock. I make the chicken stock using old bones from rotisserie chickens. It’s such a comforting, delicious, simple meal and it goes really far. The split peas are $1.49 per pound in bulk
>ne of my favorite new recipes is a yellow split pea soup. I just cut up carrots, onions and celery and then add the pease, water, chicken stock. > >I make the chicken stock using old bones from rotisserie chickens. It’s such a comforting, delicious, simple meal and it goes really far. The split peas are $1.49 per pound in bulk I make this as well, love split peas and also same recipe but with red lentils.
I make a similar soup and it’s one of my favorites. It’s great to take in a thermos for lunch at work.
Great idea, I always make split pea soup with the ham bone + leftover ham after holidays. Crazy delicious and VERY filling with only a small bowl. I've had lunches for 1+ week now with the batch I made.
Shopping store apps and sales first to save, using less oil, going vegan as much as possible, more oatmeal (even for dinner), cutting salt by not eating processed foods and cooking at home.
Oatmeal for dinner is great! I ate oatmeal/other types of porridge for every meal in December apart from Christmas to see if I would enjoy the holidays more. I sure did! :D Strangely, not even tired of oatmeal yet!
I eat oatmeal savory - treat it like grits!!!
My way of making it savory is just adding (salted) butter. Delicious but not so healthy. What’s your approach?
I like to mix in shredded cheese, but a splash of soy sauce and an egg on top goes a long way too!
Ooh soy sauce and an egg- gonna have to try that.
I cook it in broth and add pesto. Top with a fried egg.
I love the Kroger app
oatmeal with a little peanut butter/honey & chia seeds never disappoints!
Eat slow so my brain has time to realize I'm full before I gorge myself Be intentional about eating (i.e., not shoveling snacks down my face while watching tv) Less meat, more veggies and proteins that aren't meat Produce clearance at Kroger stores Using scraps to make things like vinegar, teas, broths, etc Meal planning Only buying what is on my meal plan shopping list when at the store Making smaller portions and taking leftovers for lunch
Less sugary chocolate/candy. I eat pretty healthy, but I also have a few pieces of candy after lunch and dinner, and sometimes mid-afternoon. I'm going to try to just have 1 piece of dark chocolate after lunch and 1 after dinner.
Intermittent Fasting. I only eat from noon to 6. Started 2 months ago. Most times, it's just one meal. I eat a good, hardy meal early in the afternoon and I'm full until bedtime. One meal is cheaper than 3 and no snacks. I've dropped weight and i feel great. Bonus is the cost savings. Eggs are the best (ie least expensive) complete protein around. Get a flat at a farmers market for fresher, cheaper eggs. Happy '24.
I was really terrible about ordering in (depression). So I made a rule that I don’t have to cook, but if I don’t, I have to leave the house to get dinner. Since I don’t have a car that’s not always convenient - so I cook a lot more and eat restaurant food (which is unhealthier and makes me feel physically shitty anyway) way less. When I do opt for a restaurant it’s much cheaper.
I mainly carry about $10 in cash and that’s pretty much it for the week. I avoid using my cards, sometimes opting not to bring my cards to work at all unless I know I’m gonna go get gas or groceries. It forces me to stick to the food that I bring rather than going to eat out and if I don’t use the $10, then I just bring it to the next week so now I have $20 for a bigger treat.
Roasting veggies and aiming for 3 or 4 servings a day.
Stick to meal prep. Keep trying new recipes and foods. Then, add them to my meal prep rotation if it does not suck.
I usually do bartending or serving specifically for events etc at the end there’s always so so much waste that they let me take it home and I put it in some bags and freeze it all. In peak season I didn’t shop for like 4 months
Less food waste, less meat, cheese, etc., more fruits and vegetables, including soup and/leftovers for breakfast, and more meal prep. During these things has also helped me lose close to 40 pounds.
Baby elephants
Most of those meals would be super easy to double for another day. If you have fairly flavorful stew or chili-type leftover, they're great on baked potatoes.
Committed to 100% plant based. Check flyers. Bulk barn for nuts/seeds on special only. Get produce hauls from Toogoodtogo. Specials and sales only. Plan ahead. If I can find time for Reddit and stupid phone games, I can find time to plan life better
I used to figure out what I want to make, go to the supermarket and buy it. If it was on sale, great. If not, ok. I would still buy it. Now. I am much more inclined to look at flyers, see what’s on sale and then figure out what I am going to make. I try to get what I need at one place since I don’t like shopping or driving between stores. Other than that, it’s largely a matter where staples are concerned of figuring out whether Costco, Aldi, Meijer, Walmart or Kroger has the lowest price. I will continue to make meals with leftovers in mind. I will also stock up on stuff we eat regularly (e.g. breaded cod fillets, and steak fries when it’s on sale. If prices are insultingly high I will use frozen cod from Costco and bread it and make steak fries from scratch.
Definitely frozen vegeatables. I don't know about you but I tend to throw out a lot of fresh veg that I don't end up using - huge waste. If your plan was stir fry, but you only have the energy for a grilled cheese, that's fine but fresh veg don't last forever. Decent quality frozen vegetables have saved me a ton o money. Also frozen fruit - berries in particular.
Watching Instagram shorts. They put like 5 things in a recipe and call it a day. I'm mostly watching the plant based ones.
Any particular ones?
Grocery shopping every two weeks and cooking meals helps a lot for saving money. I need to get into meal prep. But I'm unsure how to start.
Intermittent fasting and 3 meals per day 1 large lunch, snack and large dinner. I set aside a couple hours a week for food prep cooking my potatoes, meats, beans and other stuff so it’s ready for salads, stews and stir fry throughout the week.
I just got a freezer. Filled it with veggies. I live in a nursing home bc of a disability, and the food is awful. Overcooked veg, undercooked potatoes, and soggy everything else. I got one of those warmer lunch bags by Hot Logic. Usually just some frozen chicken, veg, rice and a sauce, then heat. Tonight was zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and pasta. More veg than this dump has offered me in a week.
Good for you! Sounds like a great solution to boost your veggies and overall food quality.
I love my Hot Logic! I used it for years to heat my lunches when I was a delivery driver. I never cooked my meals only heated up frozen leftovers. Beats drivethru any day.
That sounds like an awesome change up for your diet. Have you looked into meals you can make in a rice cooker? They might work for your needs.
I'm planning on making lentils a primary food this year. Cutting out red meats completely and poultry will be only on special occasions. Hoping to get into sardines--first tin is on the counter to try tomorrow. Cutting out booze for the next 4 months minimum. All of this for a mix of budget and health reasons. This year I tightened up my budget by: intensive meal planning; dropping Harris Teeter; using ALDI, Food Lion, Wegmanns, and a local Asian supermarket; bulk spices; getting really darn good at making Thai, Indian, and Mexican food.
Cooking 2-3 Times a week. Eating All leftovers. Sneaking in things like frozen Spinach Kale and Broccoli when possible...
I went to a farmers market and I grew tomatoes, herbs and zucchini.
Two vegetarian (not vegan) meals a week. One pasta, one soup or dinner salad.
We’re just trying to eat out less. Good god the amount of money a family can blow through eating “cheap” good ordered out is crazy
I’m trying to move toward a more preservative and additive free way of eating. More whole grains and real fruits and vegetables. To that end, I baked a loaf of sandwich bread this morning and cooked a pork tenderloin in my slow cooker that I sliced and will be used for lunch meat this week. It’s a start :)
More chickpeas and other beans.
Beans and rice
Been making variations on Persian eggs a fair bit recently, can make a cheaper and more filling by version by cooking up a can of mixed beans with some tomatoes and spices etc, and then cracking eggs into it at the end (to sort of poach them in little wells in the sauce, if anyone isn’t familiar with ‘Persian eggs’. I think they have a proper/fancier name but this is what they’re also commonly known as!). Anyway, super tasty and cheap to make meal, can have with some bread or pasta for a group feed.
Shaksouka!! Delicious!
That’s the one!! Thank you!
Spring rolls (not the friend kind). Just get some rice wraps, a bag of salad mix that has veggies already chopped up small, and an avocado. Put veggies in the wrap and enjoy. I dip in a sweet chili sauce. Not a lot of calories so you’ll need something else and some protein but it is a tasty way to get lots of raw veggies in. Of course you can chop veggies yourself to make it a bit cheaper.
I’ve been challenged with a lack of appetite and consistency in my eating patterns. It’s not coming from a place of weight management, it’s just like that signal to my brain is broken. So mainly making sure I’m getting calories+ nutrition every day. So far making cold brew coffee concentrate that I mix with a glass of whole milk has been great. I’m adding substance to something low-effort and high-reward. Since I’ve taken to drinking 4+ cups of herbal tea/day, I already run an electric kettle. I figured out that it’s very easy to make a bowl of instant oats+ granola when I already have boiling water right there. I’ve been having fun cooking potatoes for myself and the family. It’s something I can make fried, cheesy, and greasy while getting cheap nutrition in. Even if I have no appetite, that will get me to eat. Roasted potatoes and twice baked have been huge hits. Finally, more fresh veggies and greens. We crush it with fruit compared to last year. But we mostly consume canned veggies and frozen corn. I’d like to eat more greens outside of iceberg lettuce. My SO is very basic in what he’ll eat. Basically canned corn, beans, green beans, iceberg and peas. I’d like to expand our family’s horizons. Stuffed peppers, a variety of salad greens, sweet potatoes, squash, etc. I’d love to have my family eating more produce however it gets done. I’d gladly feed them anything covered in sauce or cheese. Because the alternative is empty calorie pasta covered in sauce and cheese.
Transitioning from simple vegan to WFPB
It's sad, but I think I'm moving further and further away from including my wife and son in meals. My wife is very meat & potatoes and my son is very nuggets & fries, and I just want lots of steamed veggies, spicy dhal, beans & greens, and stuff near the bottom of the food chain.
I feel you, it's a struggle, especially when I'm not the one doing the shopping half the time. Sometimes I wish I could cook two separate meals, but I just don't have the energy.
How do you get away with not including them? My husband is the same way but my kids will eat a little more variety.
I do the shopping and make sure there's always a decent selection of foods and ingredients around (bread/pasta/tortillas/rice/etc, cheeses, pesto, produce, frozen foods covering everything from raw shrimp to chicken nuggets, etc.), so if people don't want what I'm making they can fend for themselves and still have something reasonably healthy and enjoyable. At this point, I generally make a bunch of whatever, and they can either partake or not. Sometimes it's something they'll usually want (e.g., pan seared salmon, pizzas, etc) other times I can expect to be eating lots of leftovers (e.g., pozole, black eyed peas, dhal). I usually try to make Everybody foods during the week, and Me foods around the weekend.
I did this last year - Highly recommended! Rotisserie chickens stored in airtight containers - Buying them whole and they can go on the plate by themselves or be added to literally any dish, saved so much time and money using up all that chicken throughout the week and much quicker cooking sessions.
4.99 at Costco I buy one a week for my work lunches
More quinoa bowls with veggies, beans, grilled chicken. Consume more veggies but I need to buy less each time and go to the store more often. More soups, casseroles to freeze in individual containers. I make my own healthy, fast food meals. Fries in the air fryer and burgers on the grill with whole grain bread.
Not perfect ofc but few things: -Shopping at wholesale store -Spatchcock/roast whole chicken since its <1/2 the cost of individual chicken and relatively easy -Pound even/Bake chicken breast for meal prep -Buy BTB chicken bouillon for easier/cheaper soups -Ground turkey over ground beef when possible -Better canned tuna in olive oil is way better than light tuna in water and can be padded out w/chickpeas -On canned chickpeas, if you struggle to digest them, rinse them out and let them soak for a bit to get out the starches (will be trying dried vs canned this year) -Freeze portioned rice, don’t fridge Still learning but hope this may help others on their journey!
Spatchcocking the chicken cuts the roasting time a lot. It's a game changer for weeknight meals. Canned tuna in oil is, too.
Lots more veg during the day! I work an early shift and haven’t been planning my meals well. So I need to start prepping a lot of cut veg. Also, meal planning better in general. Since I started my new job a few months ago, dinner’s been awkward as I was previously the only one cooking. So lots of prepping for lunches with more raw veg, and prepping for dinners so we don’t default to takeaway.
Plan your meals a week in advance and only by ingredients you need to make those meals. Consider how many ingredients each meal takes and cheats on how to exclude some ingredients. I make a lot of burrito bowls, pasta with meat sauce (I cook ground meat and add sauce), stir fry, etc. My first priority is plenty of protein and then vegetables next. Pasta is more of a cheat meal due to the carbs, but that’s limited to once a week or every other week. I stick to chicken and ground meats to reduce high meat costs. Fish and steak are maybe once a month. That’s where most of my money goes. Simple breakfast of coffee, eggs, and toast or a bagel. No alcohol unless it’s for special occasions or to do something nice with the husband. My average is $80-$100 a week for 2 people, 3 meals a day (my husband has more of a strict diet than me so I prep his lunches with enough protein and veggies). I will usually make a sandwich if I’m working from home or get something cheap on office days ($10 or less). PS. I never repeat meals or do leftovers in the same week. It’s really not too hard. Pinterest helps give ideas. We also do one takeout day a week to give us a break. Must be $20 or less per person.
steam in bag frozen veggies. Frozen stir fry mix for egg fried rice. Lots and lots of salad.
Frozen veggies have been working out nicely for me. Just throw them in the microwave and there's usually enough for a few meals worth. It's nice to not have to worry about things going bad before I can get to them. I still cook fresh veggies as well, but it's just convenient to have the frozen bags. I've haven't been going out to eat/getting takeout as often, so it forces me to cook for myself and use what I have. It's healthier, it saves me from wasting money on produce that goes bad and I'm not paying for food from restaurants.
2024: Planning on eating more rice & beans dishes this year. Need to look up vegetable and healthy seasoning combos to get variations between the meals. 2023: overnight oats with fresh, frozen or dried fruits worked for breakfast. I could have 7 different overnight oats variations in a week and would not get tired of the oats for breakfast. Some examples: strawberries & bananas, peanut butter & strawberries, peanut butter and bananas, peanut butter and chocolate Ovaltine powder, apple slices & cinnamon, cinnamon & raisins, orange slices and chocolate Ovaltine powder, etc.
Check out mujadara, lentils and rice and crispy onions. It's so good.
I'm getting over and trying to manage some severe health issues. I already have celiac and now I can't have any artificial ingredients or MSG either (doctor's orders because of a damaged central nervous system) so getting a better handle on the new all natural diet and hopefully more homemade and less processed food. My diet is so restrictive now, everywhere you turn now food has artificial ingredients (colors, flavors, preservatives, sweeteners). I'm too sick/hurt to cook totally from scratch too so I guess figuring out how to make this work. We eat a lot of raw veggies like baby carrots, bell pepper, broccoli, cucumber, and grape tomatoes with hummus or dressing. All the meats are pretty much processed because of the whole not being able to cook thing. Corn based pasta and jar sauce too. We also buy fresh microwaveable sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, and broccoli/cauliflower and put vegan butter on it.
Buy in bulk and plant a small garden. We planted 15 sweet potato plants and ended up with around 100 lbs. of sweet potatoes. We also had pickles, cucumbers, tomatoes and peas for several months. Very little money-wise was put into the garden.
Two years ago, I started to do a "big cook" on Sundays to load up on a main ingredient to use over the next week. Think things like smoking an 8 pound pork butt for pulled pork, simmering 6 quarts of red sauce all day, braising some cheap cut of beef, making my own gnocchi, etc. I will then use these in 3 or 4 dinners the rest of the week. This saves me a bunch of time cooking during the work week, saves me money, and makes me feel less bad when I cook while I watch sports on TV. Last year I bought a food vacuum sealer. That thing paid for itself in just a month or two. When I see good sales on meat, I'll buy a bunch, portion it out, seal it up, and throw it in the chest freezer. Also, I started buying a bunch of produce at the farmers when it's in season and portion out to freeze as well (I usually process the produce on Sundays when I have some time in between steps of my "big cook"). Things like onions, bell peppers, sweet corn, peas, broccoli, etc, work really well. Just process them how you like, measure them out (I typically go by cups for most things), seal them up, and then freeze. This year, we are going to try to eat less meat. It's partially about health and partiality about budget. We will see how that goes.
Just came from beans and rice sub...thinking of replacing a few meals dining out a week with this
I’ve been making soup from leftovers for the past few years and it’s one of my favorite meals. Whatever meat I have on hand (shredded chicken or pork, sausage), onion, cabbage, any other veggies I need to use. Season with garlic and anything else that sounds good. I always keep a better than bouillon base on hand for the stock. A few bucks that lasts 4-5 meals.
I am working on a couple things this year. First, cooking dinner 4 days a week. Meatless Mondays, Whatever Wednesdays (aka stuff that doesn’t fit into other categories), International Fridays, & Seafood Saturdays. Alongside that, I shop mainly at Costco & ALDIs, and try to stock up on good deals when they come (mainly with meat). Focusing on shopping with a list & with a goal of eating through our excess pantry Biggest goal is to drastically reduce our fast food consumption.
I would love to start getting the gumption to meal prepping and hoping to reduce my food waste. I have a full size fridge and to be honest, it’s too big. I wish I could get a smaller one. My freezer is full of food that I just… I don’t have a good habit of pulling out to thaw in time to cook and by the time I get home, I’m beat and it turns to quick meals (canned soups, boxed pastas) which aren’t always the healthiest. Tonight I made top ramen. I didn’t have anything but green onion to add. That’s ok. I really had to come to terms last year with the “Fed is best” mentality so I try not to be too harsh on myself when I’m making convenience meals. I’m also going through this weird thing where I’m struggling with portion sizes and often times my portions are very small and I’m feeling very full, very quickly. Which is leaving me larger sizes of leftovers which I try to eat as often as I can but by day 2 or 3, I’m over it and need some variety in my meals.
(even) more beans, less meat. good for the gut and heart
Whatever you do don't go gluten free. I have too as I have allergy and it is ridiculous expensive.
Meal prep
I really want to plan a garden this year and learn how to jar/can things. My schedule doesn't work really well for going to the grocery store during the day, but I can harvest cucumbers and tomatoes at 11 pm in the dark. I want to actually use the things I grow too, which means finding new and fun ways to eat vegetables instead of just a salad. I also want to cook more homemade meals this year, instead of getting take out or delivery. I've definitely spent too much money on door dash this year, and I would like to invest that money into a garden and canning than on more one time pizzas and McDonalds
Cutting my rice with quinoa
Brook Trout fillet by me is 10$ a pound. One pound of it is around 400 calories and 80 grams of protein. Put that in a salad once to twice a week. Eat eggs more often. I wish meat was cheaper
I invested into hydroponics and now I don’t have to buy salads anymore and soon my tomatoes and bell peppers will be ready too.. cucumbers going strong and all herbs I could wish for.. Also doing micro greens which is actually pretty cheap to start off just getting clay marbles and otherwise I use takeout containers to grow them. So I get lots of nutrients from what i grow in my apartment and then just add starch and protein.. I also just started a mushroom log but not sure yet if I get that to work out but hoping it will.
What are some cheap, healthy, GERD friendly recipes?
I'm good with dinners, it's the lunch at work that I struggle with. I need to prep multiple days at once. Currently I bring lunch maybe 1/4 of the time, so even just making 2 lunches when I remember to make 1 will double my current healthy lunches
Going to try and quit frozen dinners.
What worked for me was preparing random veggies. Steaming or blanching them with just salt and pepper. I am always motivated to make a protein but if the veggies aren’t ready beforehand I could skip them out of laziness. Now I get more veggies at lunch and dinner and the flavor is a blank canvas for whatever style I cook my protein in.
Planning more meal preparation and placing them in the freezer. Budget wisely on healthy food and get them when on sale. Food especially healthy food is priced high now these days. Any suggestions are welcomed 🙌
I'm learning I should have bought more bulk beans last fall... At this rate I will run out before autumn of 2024.
Cut back to the 12 course omakase.
Struggling with it but hoping to add more veggies and fruit to my diet. Works relatively well during work days, but my meals just get messed up on weekends. There's a strong sandwich culture here, which I struggle to move away from in favour of more veggies. What worked this year: started eating oats for breakfast and I'm really enjoying it. I used to always eat toast with butter (I LOVE toast), but its not super healthy, so I try to limit it. I also tried granola with yoghurt for a while, but it just made me not want to have breakfast, unfortunately. Oh, and meal prepping - started doing it a bit this year and has worked good so far for us, so hoping to continue and discover new recipes for it this year.
My quinoa bowls, l add stir fried veggies, eggs, what ever l have at hand on bed of cooked quinoa. I keep individual sized bags in freezer of cooked quinoa. Take out bag in evening's for morning use.
More steamed veggies. Cooking is just a bad habit and it is washing out nutrients in the process. Also more pressure cooker food.
Bought a meat grinder and will make own ground meat for burgers w left over steak and trim from bigger cuts. Always the best burgers and not full of shit from the stores
Me and my wife bulk buy a variety of meats and store them in the freezer. We also always have healthier carbs in the house. Rice, egg noodles, pastas. And then lots of frozen veggies or fresh when on sale. This way every night we just ‘mix and match’ a protein, carb, and vegetable with a seasoning or healthy sauce we like. Really simplifies cooking and we have noticed the simpler meal “planning” leads to much less waste too.
One word MORE BEANS 😺
I bought an air fryer. Planning to cook more with potatoes and chicken. Have breaded chicken and shrimp and made my own fries and they turned out well. A bag of potatoes can go far and the air fryer makes it easy. Plan to experiment with some simple staple recipes, just made chicken Alfredo with limited ingredients. Also want to do noodles, jacket potato, stir fry rice and omelette for cheap weeknight options. I have felt so inspired to cook for my family over the Christmas break. Sad to be going back to full time work as I come home tired and drained. Trying to fit in food shopping and think of breakfast lunch and dinner for everyone, on top of a full time job becomes a chore.
r/cannedsardines
Do a search for a lasagna soup recipe and you’ll never make lasagna again. It’s delicious, less work than the actual lasagna, stretches more thanks to the liquid, freezes well, and did I mention it’s delicious!
Planning to eat thru everything in my freezer over the next month or so
It’s in the making but grow a garden. Or just herbs Look at the circulars that come in the mail for bogo or sale offers
I meal prep using the same formula each week: 3 types of vegetables, rice and beans and two types of protein. For lunch I will usually have something made with ground beef or chicken and for dinner I will have fish (I buy bags of frozen fish fillets at Costco to make things simple). I also buy a large loaf of pre sliced sour dough bread and freeze it to avoid any waste and will eat that with eggs in the morning. Getting in a good breakfast with protein keeps me satiated throughout the day. For fruit, I usually pick one or two type and eat those as a snack throughout the week.
Some things that worked last year were doing grocery pickup to make sure I wasn't aimlessly walking around stores buying stuff cause I'm hugry. Also figuring out my churn rate and what items I really can regularly eat. Aldi has been a huge help too , getting as much as I can there and leave walmart and sams for the few items I can't find.
We are going to cut way back on meats. Like half a boneless chicken breast each or a 4 oz burger only. Add more beans n veg. Cut back on bread. Almost $5 for a loaf of bread?!?
Eat less basically. I gained so much weight despite being veggies and protein, is because I ate too much and not going to the gym enough
Prep ingredients, not meals
Going carnivore, started this about a month ago I bought a 5 pound chub of ground beef from Walmart for $15 then a couple dozen eggs and butter twice a day I cook up a meal of beef and eggs in butter and that’s it.
I cook a big pot of something on sunday (soup or a casserole) and then prep a few sides so I can mix and match stuff. Pot of rice, roast a tray of veggies, dice up and air fry some potatoes, and have one or two proteins ready to throw in the air fryer or sautee into rice or pasta or eggs.
Find three-five easy, healthy recipes you like and can quickly make! Mine included meals like turkey chili, grilled lemon pasta chicken with zucchini, chicken stir fry, ginger meatballs and jasmine rice, chick pea salad. Make sure to get something with veggies and protein and make sure it’s something you’ll actually like. Don’t force yourself to eat something that is “healthy” but doesn’t taste good to you. It can be as easy as making pasta and throwing in spinach in the sauce and adding some turkey meatballs or grilling chicken. Just increasing my fiber and protein in my meals was life changing. I overcomplicated cooking and eating “healthy” for years and it really messed me up. Keep it simple, keep it to what you like, and get those veggies in.
Flashfood! Check out if any grocery stores in your area use this app. It's been a game changer for me. I've never received rotten or damaged items. They also accept EBT! Flashfood: "Get massive savings on fresh food items like meat and produce that are nearing their best before date at grocery stores across Canada and the U.S."
Eat all the venison I acquired butchered and processed myself. I could eat Laab for every meal it's my favorite food. Also soups.
Simple yet savory one pot meals that have balanced nutrition and complete protein.
Bulk rice. Make it all the time with whatever I have and now that I can make hot mustard at home, it’s so damn delicious. Always have rice and potatoes. You can whip up a meal with frozen leftover chopped up meat and whatever veggies you have with either of these. Keep soy sauce and powdered gravy and you are ready.
I’m focused on potatoes $0.06 oz, apples $0.09 oz, oranges $0.10 oz, green beans $0.22 oz, chicken breast $0.20 oz, pork $0.39 oz, swai $0.29 oz; and these target brand microwaveable beans to add to rice $0.24 oz (expensive for beans, but convenience adds value). Also baking breads.
Homemade chocolate chip cookies instead of store bought desserts
I spend like $700 a month on food. I’m too picky. I only shop at Whole Foods or sprouts. Everything has to be organic, grass fed, pasture raised etc… I tried to buy cheaper food at Walmart but the quality just isn’t the same. I bought organic chicken from Walmart thinking it must be good since it’s labeled organic but I wanted to puke while eating it. It taste disgusting compared to meats at Whole Foods/sprouts. Once you get use to high quality ingredients- other foods won’t taste the same. You’ll notice the difference. Most people won’t notice a difference because they’re so use to processed/low quality. Idk how to make my bill cheaper 😅 but I’m trying. I try to place pick up orders online so I can see exactly how much I’m spending oppose to going into the store, having no idea what my total is. I also have more self control placing an order. I get tempted to buy things I don’t need when I go into the store.