Healthy eating on a budget...is it possible?

[Onegin]

Eating healthy on a budget is definitely possible.

I live alone, so obviously the challenges when you have a family involved are greater, but these are a few things I do to try to stay healthy while sticking to my budget:

1. I don’t buy milk, soda, candy, desserts or “junk food” (crisps, etc). It may not seem like it initially, but cutting out these nonessential things really saves on budget. Just drinking water saves a lot of money on juice drinks, sodas, milk etc. I love my tea and coffee but still consider them treats.
2. I try to purchase food with the fewest “ingredients” possible. For instance, a bag of oatmeal is just rolled oats. A box of sugary cereal contains a LOT more ingredients and is probably going to cost a lot more too. A bag of rice is just rice. A pouch of flavoured rice is full of extra ingredients that you can make yourself and more expensive.
3. I don’t really cook with salt. This is more of a general health thing, and a lot of people don’t like that, but that’s just me.
4. Other posters have mentioned it, but buying frozen vegetables in a big bag saves. They last longer and you don’t have to worry about them wilting or turning brown.
5. Again, just a general diet thing but I don’t really eat meat. I eat seafood pretty regularly, but I buy shrimp pre-frozen and I usually buy my fish and freeze it. I love salmon but limit it to every other week or so. I don’t enjoy eating beef and pork and the price of chicken means that I usually limit it to once a month or less. Occasionally I’ll eat sliced meat on a sandwich or toss some shrimp into a curry but that’s about it. I also eat Quorn mince which is a fairly cheap “meat substitute” that tastes good in chili, stir fry, etc.
6. Fruit, fruit, fruit. Don’t be afraid of “seconds” they usually taste just fine and cost half the price of the nice-looking fruit.
7. Where my budget allows it, I buy organic. This is easier because the grocery store has a generic organic brand that is only slightly more expensive than the generic brand and still less than the “name” brand items. The only things I really prefer organic are eggs, meat and dairy products. Local fruit is just as good and usually better than the organic stuff.
8. Garden! Gardening is extremely inexpensive if you plant from seeds. If you’re not a good gardener, why not start with green beans? They’re easy to grow, accomodate to most conditions and you get loads of delicious fresh beans throughout the summer. Another easy choice is cucumbers. If you like beans, lentils are easy to grow and you can dry them yourself for soups and such.
9. Cheese is generally cheaper by the block than the grated kind. Grating it yourself will save you a few pence (or cents) that can add up quickly.
10. The more (or fancier) packaging something has, the more chance it is going to cost more. If you’re not adverse to cooking, buy ingredients and not pre-made meals. Stock up where possible and don’t waste food just because you can’t use it all in one dish. If there’s half a tomato left over, put it in a container and eat it the next day with a salad. If you have 1/4 tin of tuna left over today, eat it on a cracker tomorrow. Never waste food, the more you throw away the more you will think you need to replace it.

 

[puzzleannie]

when fresh produce is in season and plentiful, the frozen is often very cheap, this is true of asparagus & strawberries for instance, two items that can fluctuate in price fairly sharply. So this time of year I buy one fresh bunch which I will use in a day or two, and a couple of bags of frozen, same with strawberries in June. I hate and abominate waste so any more I almost always buy frozen, unless the fresh is locally grown and in season, and I buy only what I will eat in 2 days. I no longer fill the fridge with fresh produce each week since I am not home to cook it most days. Frozen works better for us at this stage of life.

The other thing we have started is less variety. I no longer try to buy 3-4 fruits and 5-8 veggies, and 4-5 types of meat each week. I shop twice a week, and buy say one chicken which I roast in the crock pot, and we eat off it 3-4 days, then make soup stock from the carcass. Then I will get, say a bunch of broccoli and bag of carrots, and eat those until they are gone, and a bag of oranges, and that will be our fruit for the week. The next time, I will get a chuck roast, cabbage head, tomato, an acorn squash, and bag of apples, and eat off these 3-4 days. With hi-fi cereal and yogurt for breakfast, and some cheese or pbj for lunch, we are good to go.

 

[shondrea]

Weeeell, I live on a farm, so I might be cheating. We grow onions, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, watermelon, cantelopes…Every summer our friends who farm corn bring us bags and bags of crisp, sweet, fresh corn on the cob…Fresh, lean beef is dirt cheap. We have pear trees, peach trees, mullberry trees…so, in the summer, I live off of fresh fruit and vegetables…so yeah, it’s possible, but not always fair XD

 

[Viki63]

My kids’ favorite: pizza from scratch:

Mix in a large bowl:
2 and 1/4 tsp yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar or honey
Let sit 5 minutes

Meanwhile combine 2 cups white flour,
1 cup whole wheat flour,
1 tsp salt.
Add to yeast mixture,
plus 2 Tbsp olive oil,
and 2 tsp oregano and/or 1 tsp garlic (I use both).

Mix and knead a couple minutes.
Let rise 1 to 2 hours.
Punch down, make into 3 small pizzas or 1 large.
Add spagetti sauce (Ragu,etc). grated cheese, pepperoni or other toppings.
Bake at pre-heated 450 oven for 14 minutes (large) or 10 minutes (small).
Even teens can survive a day or so on this.

 

[Cat]

Eating healthy on a budget is definitely possible.

I live alone, so obviously the challenges when you have a family involved are greater, but these are a few things I do to try to stay healthy while sticking to my budget:

1. I don’t buy milk, soda, candy, desserts or “junk food” (crisps, etc). It may not seem like it initially, but cutting out these nonessential things really saves on budget. Just drinking water saves a lot of money on juice drinks, sodas, milk etc. I love my tea and coffee but still consider them treats.
2. I try to purchase food with the fewest “ingredients” possible. For instance, a bag of oatmeal is just rolled oats. A box of sugary cereal contains a LOT more ingredients and is probably going to cost a lot more too. A bag of rice is just rice. A pouch of flavoured rice is full of extra ingredients that you can make yourself and more expensive.
3. I don’t really cook with salt. This is more of a general health thing, and a lot of people don’t like that, but that’s just me.
4. Other posters have mentioned it, but buying frozen vegetables in a big bag saves. They last longer and you don’t have to worry about them wilting or turning brown.
5. Again, just a general diet thing but I don’t really eat meat. I eat seafood pretty regularly, but I buy shrimp pre-frozen and I usually buy my fish and freeze it. I love salmon but limit it to every other week or so. I don’t enjoy eating beef and pork and the price of chicken means that I usually limit it to once a month or less. Occasionally I’ll eat sliced meat on a sandwich or toss some shrimp into a curry but that’s about it. I also eat Quorn mince which is a fairly cheap “meat substitute” that tastes good in chili, stir fry, etc.
6. Fruit, fruit, fruit. Don’t be afraid of “seconds” they usually taste just fine and cost half the price of the nice-looking fruit.
7. Where my budget allows it, I buy organic. This is easier because the grocery store has a generic organic brand that is only slightly more expensive than the generic brand and still less than the “name” brand items. The only things I really prefer organic are eggs, meat and dairy products. Local fruit is just as good and usually better than the organic stuff.
8. Garden! Gardening is extremely inexpensive if you plant from seeds. If you’re not a good gardener, why not start with green beans? They’re easy to grow, accomodate to most conditions and you get loads of delicious fresh beans throughout the summer. Another easy choice is cucumbers. If you like beans, lentils are easy to grow and you can dry them yourself for soups and such.
9. Cheese is generally cheaper by the block than the grated kind. Grating it yourself will save you a few pence (or cents) that can add up quickly.
10. The more (or fancier) packaging something has, the more chance it is going to cost more. If you’re not adverse to cooking, buy ingredients and not pre-made meals. Stock up where possible and don’t waste food just because you can’t use it all in one dish. If there’s half a tomato left over, put it in a container and eat it the next day with a salad. If you have 1/4 tin of tuna left over today, eat it on a cracker tomorrow. Never waste food, the more you throw away the more you will think you need to replace it.

I want to make a comment about gardening.

If you can do it, excellent.

But I can’t. Even green beans. NOTHING grows for me.

And I’m the daughter of farmers! My mother gardened when we were growing up.

But somehow, I have lost the ability.

My husband is even worse than I am.

We hire a crew to mow our lawn because we can’t even get that done right.

I believe that gardening is becoming a lost talent in the U.S. My children have no clue about growing anything because they never saw me grow anything. My daughter’s husband supposedly knows how to garden and looks forward to someday having a house so he can plant a garden. Lucky for her! So maybe her children will assimilate gardening skills.

But I think many many Americans really, truly have no idea how to garden. That being said, I must say that for those who are gardening-impaired, learning how to garden could possibly end up costing more money than just going to the store and buying a can of green beans (on sale, of course).

Gardening is not cheap unless you have all the tools, a roto-tiller (or the strength to do it by hand), the seeds or plants, the bug spray (Japanese beetles destroy everything green), the rabbit fence (over the top of the garden, or the rabbits will find a way in), etc. etc. etc.

That list of expenses doesn’t even cover the possibility of injuries from weeding and hoing and yanking, and of course, the need to constantly anoint yourself with sunscreen, and the visits to the doctor for an all-body exam of moles and pigmented areas, and of course, the allergy meds to keep you from sneezing your brains out.

You may think I’m joking about all this. Kind of, but not really. I honestly think that gardening is not the answer for those who haven’t gardened all their lives. It’s just another stressor. Best to just buy that can of green beans. Shopping is today’s gardening.

 

[Cat]

One way to eat healthy on a budget is just to eat less.

I was watching a TV show the other day in which the statement was made that today’s children and teenagers eat constantly, almost every hour. (It was a special about childhood obesity).

I think many adults have gotten used to doing the same thing–eating constantly. It might have something to do with the diet fad that’s going around lately–three small meals and three snacks a day. (It really does help certain people keep their metabolism up and burn the calories, and it helps keep blood sugar levels constant).

But I also think it’s just the way our society is. We do a lot of “spectator” activities–television, of course. Reading–in the past, many people didn’t sit and read for a hobby. Sports and arts events, festivals, etc. And eating just seems like the thing to do while watching TV or reading.

Why else would we feel the need to keep all kinds of healthy (or unhealthy) snacks around the house? My mom didn’t do this–we had a cake or some other sweet that she made once a week, and it lasted all week. We also had a bag or bushel of apples. That was about it.

Also, we don’t like the physical or psychological discomfort of feeling hungry. In the U.S., we tend to reach for relief whenever we are in pain or discomfort. Pain of any kind is “wrong” in our society and we must “stop it.”

I’ll admit, I’m not very good at eating less! I eat a lot.

I know that when you have children, you have to provide an adequate diet. I’m not suggesting that you let your children starve.

But I’m thinking that maybe many of us could stand to eat a little less and eat less often. I know I could.

 

[puzzleannie]

I want But I think many many Americans really, truly have no idea how to garden. That being said, I must say that for those who are gardening-impaired, learning how to garden could possibly end up costing more money than just going to the store and buying a can of green beans (on sale, of course).

Gardening is not cheap unless you have all the tools, a roto-tiller (or the strength to do it by hand), the seeds or plants, the bug spray (Japanese beetles destroy everything green), the rabbit fence (over the top of the garden, or the rabbits will find a way in), etc. etc. etc.
ng.

all you say is true, I think

but if you think huge subsistence garden you are beat before your start

if you think, this year, I’ll try a couple of tomato plants in that sunny corner, with some basil and marigolds to combat pests, you can spend the time to weed, water, pick suckers and harvest and even the satisfaction of a half dozen home-grown ripe tomatoes will make up for the ones that didn’t make it. start small

also look into a community garden, where they exist somebody else does the big jobs, or you can contribute some time along with dozens of others, and just take care of your little patch of earch, with lots of advice and help from experienced gardeners. that way you learn the fun along with the work

you don’t have to grow enough beans to can for all winter, although the satisfaction of doing so is immense (and don’t grow them at all if your family does not like them) but it is a great way to learn

the biggest value is that your kids learn to appreciate and experience the taste of fresh & local vs mass market produce, makes them veggie lovers, or at least lovers of some veggie which they helped to grow, gives you quality family time together, and hands on to them some of those lost skills.

While not necessarily the total cure for your food budget it gets backs to basics in understanding real food vs consumer products masquerading as food, and it is those processed foods that blow the budget.

I like you have a black thumb even though my family always had a victory garden, but have always tried to do at least some tomatoes, peppers, herbs when we had space, but my biggest thrill in gardening came from a community garden, when we watched our inner city multi-ethnic girl scouts win prizes for their produce at the county fair–held out in the country where many of them had never been before.

why not start with 3 herb pots on a sunny window sill? they are hideously expensive fresh but add so much for you

 

[Onegin]

I want to make a comment about gardening.

If you can do it, excellent.

But I can’t. Even green beans. NOTHING grows for me.

And I’m the daughter of farmers! My mother gardened when we were growing up.

But somehow, I have lost the ability.

My husband is even worse than I am.

We hire a crew to mow our lawn because we can’t even get that done right.

I believe that gardening is becoming a lost talent in the U.S. My children have no clue about growing anything because they never saw me grow anything. My daughter’s husband supposedly knows how to garden and looks forward to someday having a house so he can plant a garden. Lucky for her! So maybe her children will assimilate gardening skills.

But I think many many Americans really, truly have no idea how to garden. That being said, I must say that for those who are gardening-impaired, learning how to garden could possibly end up costing more money than just going to the store and buying a can of green beans (on sale, of course).

Gardening is not cheap unless you have all the tools, a roto-tiller (or the strength to do it by hand), the seeds or plants, the bug spray (Japanese beetles destroy everything green), the rabbit fence (over the top of the garden, or the rabbits will find a way in), etc. etc. etc.

That list of expenses doesn’t even cover the possibility of injuries from weeding and hoing and yanking, and of course, the need to constantly anoint yourself with sunscreen, and the visits to the doctor for an all-body exam of moles and pigmented areas, and of course, the allergy meds to keep you from sneezing your brains out.

You may think I’m joking about all this. Kind of, but not really. I honestly think that gardening is not the answer for those who haven’t gardened all their lives. It’s just another stressor. Best to just buy that can of green beans. Shopping is today’s gardening.

On one hand I understand gardening woes (Roses can be AWFUL if not tended properly) but on the other hand, I’m inclined to say that if things are dying off, the fault probably doesn’t lie with you but lies with the ground. Overly acidic soil can damage or kill certain vegetables and while green beans are unusually hearty, they aren’t invincible.

This might sound a bit silly, but the way I learned what my garden "liked’ was to purchase several seed packets of various vegetables (green beans, cucumbers for the shady areas and tomatoes, peppers and lettuce for the sunny). I then all but tossed the seeds directly onto the garden, buried them under a little soil, watered and waited.
This is how I realized that I had fairly acidic soil and, apart from completely tilling up the whole lot and replacing it, I decided to just work with my advantages and only plant the vegetables that were likely to survive.

Regarding costs, the only expenses I incur yearly are the costs of the seed packets (about 70p/50c), the cost of some basic water-soluble fertiliser and a decent spade. The reason it is so cheap is that I’m not too concerned about the aesthetics of a vegetable garden so I only weed after a good rain (makes it easier!), and don’t do so very frequently. A vegetable garden is a utility so as long as the vegetables grow and have some access to sun, I’m not to concerned how they look.

Another option, if you don’t like the thought of planting new seeds each year is to choose something that grows back. Strawberries, chives, some herbs and flowers are good examples. My strawberry garden was a horrible mess for about 3 years and it still yielded about 2-3 kilos of strawberries each summer! Not bad for ignoring the garden completely.

Anyways, I think the ultimate point was don’t give up! I’ve been experimenting for several years and ultimately, have found about 2 or 3 vegetables that really thrive in the environment that I have. That may very well be different for you, so once you find what they are (a cheat is to ask a local gardener ) you may find that the whole process is a lot simpler than it seems. Best of luck!

 

[Maria1212]

Gardening can be very economical. I live in an apartment building and my balcony gets lots of sunlight so in the summer I grow herbs, egg plant, tomaotes, cucumber etc. I grow everything in pots. The initial purchases of pots and soil seem expensive but are well worth the investment.

Sincerely,

Maria1212

 

[Cat]

No, no! I’m obviously not getting the message across here!

As I walk along and wave my hands, grass dies. Does that make it clearer?

A few herbs in a pot? ??? I’m 52 years old. Every single plant–all of them—all of the plants that my children brought home from school–all of the plants that people give me for playing the piano–ALL of them—have died within a week and I am left with a pot of dirt and sometimes a stick that used to be a thriving plant. I have thrown out so many pots of dirt that the garbage men probably think I’m trying to grow weed in the basement.

Acidic soil? How on earth would I ever know that?! Do you use litmus paper to test the pH? I have no idea what you’re talking about. To me, acid is something that burns.

A few years ago, I planted a box of sunflower seeds. I was so thrilled that a few of them actually grew and bloomed. It was a fluke. I have pictures to remind me that once, I actually didn’t kill a plant. But I’m sure it was a fluke. Probably the neighbors took pity on me and came out in the middle of the night and did whatever gardeners do to make things grow.

Once the sunflowers died, a patch of weeds grew up where they used to be. That’s all that’s left now–weeds. Thankfully our new neighbors profess to know less about gardening than I do, and it shows. Both of our yards look like a nuclear bomb dropped. I like our new neighbors.

I’ll tell you something–it is more likely that all of you will become millionairesses and hire a cook to make all your food for you than it is that I will ever get anything to grow other than a few weeds.

Be glad and rejoice if you have the gift of gardening.

Hooray for Farmers’ Markets!

 

[LongingForLight]

Angel Food Ministries and Costco are too expensive for us We feed our family for less than $9 a day when we aren’t able to afford luxeries (2 adults, 3 kids under 4 years old). Normally we splurge to get ice cream, good tea, good coffee, chocolate, etc., but the below is our “unemployment food plan”.

We shop at Cash and Carry, a store that markets to restaurants and others in the food business in the NW US.

My tips:

• Buy as much as possible in single ingredient form and then cook. Processed foods are nearly always far more expensive.
• Get a freezer (ours was $50 on Craig’s List), then stock up by buying bulk and on sale, and freeze; especially meats, cheese, and veggies
• Buy dried staples in bulk
• Use lots of fruits and veggies for affordable nutrients

For carbs, we use a lot of rice, oatmeal, and barley - bought in dry bulk - plus some bread. We splurge to get good, healthy breads, since the kids love bread and it goes well with soups (which we eat a lot of - it’s an easy way to use dried staples and affordable produce). I don’t normally have time to bake, even w/ the ‘artisan breads in 5 minutes’ tactics.

For protein and iron, we use a lot of beans (bought dry bulk) and the kids like plain tofu (which always seemed weird to me, but not going to fight it!), but we also eat meat on most days. We buy our meat bulk and often cut and freeze it in portions for one meal each, and are usually able to get meat for less than $1.50 a pound. Anything over $2 a pound is a splurge. We don’t usually worry too much about fat content when buying ground beef, etc., since the rest of our diet is pretty lean, but do trim fat off of cuts of meat most of the time. We also eat a lot of eggs, which we get 5 dozen at a time for about $8 when we aren’t on WIC.

For calcium and more protein, I buy lots of cheese whenever I find it for $2.50 a pound or less and freeze the excess. The kids drink lots of milk, which is a pretty good value for the protein and calcium. I’m lactose intolerent, so we do splurge on some soy milk for me to help me get calcium.

We do the rest of our shopping at a produce store just down the street. We spend a lot of $$ on fresh fruits and veggies - around here, fresh is often cheaper than frozen if you buy in-season. Produce tends to be cheaper by weight compared to almost every other food group; only carbs are cheaper. Plus there are tons of nutrients in produce! Because of this, we tend to splurge a lot here. Also, adding variety to produce does a LOT to add variety to your meals. We keep frozen veggies on hand, especially spinach and broccoli (I struggle to get enough iron in my diet) for those nights when we are too tired to chop veggies.

Finally, keep a few convenience foods on hand even though they aren’t cheap and usually aren’t healthy, either. Soup-in-a-can, that kind of thing. It’s cheaper than eating out and healthier than McD’s.

I have to agree w/ Cat about gardening. It’s not very cost effective unless you have the time and talent to garden from seeds, at least around here, and even that is questionable. And when you consider the time involved . . . I’d be better off putting in a single extra hour of overtime every month during the summer. It might be different in a warm state like California, though. I still garden nonetheless, but it’s a hobby, not a way to save $$. There is something very satisfying about growing one’s own food This year, I’ll have to rely on leftover seeds from last year … . homefully some of them will still sprout.

 

[mizznicole]

Good question. I find the seasonal produce is still quite expensive. Our farmers markets are not cheap. Often my veggies cost as much as meat, and they are in season. Unfortunately Whole Paycheck is our closest grocery (although I can usually make out pretty good with 365 Brand). Next is Randalls (horrible produce). Next is the upscale HEB. I also found WalMart’s prices to be not so good. They charge $2.50 for fresh dill; ironically, you can get it for .99 at the gourmet HEB. I don’t buy anything prepackaged except for yogurt, and our groceries still cost an arm and a leg. I wonder if belonging to a CSA saves money.

 

[psr13]

I have to agree w/ Cat about gardening. It’s not very cost effective unless you have the time and talent to garden from seeds, at least around here, and even that is questionable. And when you consider the time involved . . . I’d be better off putting in a single extra hour of overtime every month during the summer. It might be different in a warm state like California, though. I still garden nonetheless, but it’s a hobby, not a way to save $$. There is something very satisfying about growing one’s own food This year, I’ll have to rely on leftover seeds from last year … . homefully some of them will still sprout.

Some things are typically very easy to garden. Tomatoes are supposed to be super easy. Last year that’s what we grew. We didn’t have to do anything but water, and they were so yummy. Yes, I do live in California, so gardening is a little easier here. We have some plants in the garden already, and the others will be going in this weekend. Now, this year we are lucky. We are living in the house my grandpa owns. He has always been a major gardener, so the soil is excellent. Cat may have a horrible thumb, but for most people some gardening is worthwhile. The typical person eats so many things based off tomatoes. They could save a bundle just by growing a good number of those only.

 

[Cat]

One suggestion I would make for those who are truly poor is to make use of the various organizations and charities that are available in your area.

Don’t be too proud.

Food stamps can be a God-send during hard times. Use them. We pay our taxes to support these programs. I like to think that good, decent families experiencing hard times are getting food stamps.

Also, there are local food pantries where you can get food for free or on a sliding scale. Again, those of us who donate to these places love to think that we’re helping families in financial straits. In these economic hard times, any of us could end up needing a little help.

We have a great Rescue Mission in our city that helps families in trouble with food. Other communities have other resources for the poor to obtain food. Use these.

And of course, your church. Most parishes have some kind of assistance available for the poor and hungry. Use these.

I realize that many of us want to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps and not accept charity. Well, get over that. When it comes to kids, they need certain foods and can’t wait for our gravy train to come chugging into the terminal. For that matter, adults perform better in daily activities when they are adequately fed.

 

[puzzleannie]

you can still eat cheaper w/o growing your own
my secret–make friends with a gardener
offer to cut their grass, wash their car, rake leaves anything you can do, and you will have more tomatoes and zucchini than you can eat (just make sure your neighbor is growing things you like)
also google farmers markets in your area, which are often held at the same time and place as flea markets.

also not everyone can master the art of canning, or wants to, but just about any idiot with a bag of hefty freezer bags can freeze excess produce

also look for pick your own places and freeze, great for berries, tomatoes, beans

in general however your instinct is right, at the grocery store (not counting co-ops or farm stands) serving for serving frozen is almost always cheaper than fresh, except in the weeks when the item is in season, even then, I almost never see asparagus marked down any more, even in the spring.

some of the old rules don’t apply any more because you never know where the food is coming from, that is why If I want to buy fresh I would rather from a farm stand, farmers market or local chain that specializes in locally grown (Heinens in Cleveland is an example). even there you have to read labels. we do have farm stands here but many of them simply go to the wholesale produce depot and buy small quantities of the same imported stuff that is going to the chain stores, from Mexico, Chili or whereever. This is a huge agricultural area but almost all of what is picked is immediately shipped out, and you can rarely buy it here, so y’all probably get the benefit of our fresh stuff in season–broccoli, cabbage, spinach, carrots, onions, watermelon, and of course citrus the only thing that is widely available locally.

that is why frozen is better quality esp if you are going to cook it because it is washed and flashed frozen as soon as it is picked. If you saw the stuff leaving the fields here in trucks and sitting in parking lots at the packers for days, you too would prefer frozen.

 

[Cup_o_Joe]

YES! here’s a 10 dollar home made soup (best served within 3 days), great with meals for a family of at least 4 (makes 16 servings of 1 cup each in total)

step 1: Buy some potatoes, onions, leeks, garlic, tomatoes, parsley, and celery. (carrots and broccoli optional)

Step 2: scrub all ingredients in hot water, peel the onions and garlic.

Step 3 (placing everything into a 4 quart pot after cutting each ingredient): Cut up 3 big potatoes (1lb) into little cubes of about 1cm; Cut 5 big tomatoes (about 1.5lbs) into cubes also; dice 2 leeks, 2 medium sized onions, and 4 stalks of celery; mince about 3 cloves of garlic and place into the quart.
(dice 2 big carrots and half a stalk of broccoli if you want the soup to be even more filling and tasty)

Step 4: add water to the top and bring to just under boiling (steam coming out buit no pockets of air) cook at that temperature for 2 hours stirring occasionally (maybe once every 15 minutes).

Step 5. Enjoy, the soup will taste great.

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/5720/1001078t.jpg

 

[jewells17]

YES! here’s a 10 dollar home made soup (best served within 3 days), great with meals for a family of at least 4 (makes 16 servings of 1 cup each in total)

step 1: Buy some potatoes, onions, leeks, garlic, tomatoes, parsley, and celery. (carrots and broccoli optional)

Step 2: scrub all ingredients in hot water, peel the onions and garlic.

Step 3 (placing everything into a 4 quart pot after cutting each ingredient): Cut up 3 big potatoes (1lb) into little cubes of about 1cm; Cut 5 big tomatoes (about 1.5lbs) into cubes also; dice 2 leeks, 2 medium sized onions, and 4 stalks of celery; mince about 3 cloves of garlic and place into the quart.
(dice 2 big carrots and half a stalk of broccoli if you want the soup to be even more filling and tasty)

Step 4: add water to the top and bring to just under boiling (steam coming out buit no pockets of air) cook at that temperature for 2 hours stirring occasionally (maybe once every 15 minutes).

Step 5. Enjoy, the soup will taste great.

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/5720/1001078t.jpg

Looks good and I bet I could add diced cabbage too. I use to make a similar soup with cabbage, onion and other veggies with one packet of Lipton Onion Soup mix and topped each bowl with a little Parmesan cheese…it was wonderful.

 

[Cup_o_Joe]

It’s really good for the kidneys, the soup I described is a spinoff of the hippocrates soup that Doctor of Preventative Medicine Max Gerson developped to clean the kidneys.

Here’s the original soup:

youtube.com/watch?v=dB0FaWXt0Mo

 

[Cat]

It’s really good for the kidneys, the soup I described is a spinoff of the hippocrates soup that Doctor of Preventative Medicine Max Gerson developped to clean the kidneys.

Here’s the original soup:

youtube.com/watch?v=dB0FaWXt0Mo

Clean the kidneys?

 

[Cup_o_Joe]

yes, it’s all in here:

amazon.com/Gerson-Therapy-Nutritional-Program-Illnesses/dp/1575666286/

I have the book and Doctors of Preventative Medicine Charlotte Gerson and Morton Walker recommends this soup to wash out excess sodium from the kidneys.

This book has lots of good recipes made with organic fruits and vegetables.