Healthy eating on a budget?

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As far as serving, etc. The book Mindless Eating is about the psychology of eating, including information about how storage, presentation, and packaging affects what and how much we eat. Even if your husband wouldn’t read it, you could use some of the information to rethink a few things.

(One biggie that was easy for us to adopt: not to keep serving plates on the table at dinner time!)

Our library system had a lot of copies. It was a very quick read and had a lot of good info.
 
I agree with soups and stews. They can be tailored to anyone’s tastes and are economical and filling. One snack that I go ga-ga over, you might want to try, is take an apple (it must be a good apple) cut it in half, remove the core and stuff the hollow with peanut butter and a few chocolate chips. It’s fantastic! Satisfies the sweet tooth without inducing fits of guilt. 😛
 
He does snack a lot, but I think it’s because he skips breakfast and doesn’t bring lunch to work. Maybe I’ll get a toaster so he can have toast in the morning? But that’s more carbs. Ugh. He leaves super early, so I’m usually still in bed or just getting up.

Costco would be great, but unfortunately we’re limited to what we can walk to.

Eggs are good. I can do eggs. We’ve actually been eating breakfast burritos when I’m short on time. Eggs, beans, cheese, salsa. Of course we’ll eat like 9 eggs split between us, not sure how healthy that is, either.

We do use smaller plates already, since the larger ones isn’t even fit in our stupid cabinets. Ridiculous! We should be moving to a 1br in January with a much bigger kitchen, which will be a relief.
 
boomerang said:
I agree with soups and stews. They can be tailored to anyone’s tastes and are economical and filling. One snack that I go ga-ga over, you might want to try, is take an apple (it must be a good apple) cut it in half, remove the core and stuff the hollow with peanut butter and a few chocolate chips. It’s fantastic! Satisfies the sweet tooth without inducing fits of guilt. 😛
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I’ve been eating apples with peanut butter every day. I’m definitely trying this with chocolate chips now.
 
What about baked oatmeal for breakfast? It’s a bit better than just bread, and you can make it ahead of time. That’s my go-to weekday breakfast. (Budget Bytes has a lot of recipes!)
 
pensmama87 said:
What about baked oatmeal for breakfast? It’s a bit better than just bread, and you can make it ahead of time. That’s my go-to weekday breakfast. (Budget Bytes has a lot of recipes!)
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I’ll look into that, and maybe even some instant. Right now all we have is steel cut and that takes 25 minutes.
 
AClaire11 said:
He does snack a lot, but I think it’s because he skips breakfast and doesn’t bring lunch to work.
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Therein lies your problem. I doubt it’s what your cooking that is the problem… or at least it isn’t the major contributor.

Skipping breakfast is known to cause weight gain and not bringing in your lunch means that you eat out at a canteen or restaurant, which means someone else is serving up your lunch and it’s probably twice the size it should be and more expensive to boot.

Best way to loose weight: three meals a day (1 large, 2 medium), plus 2-3 tiny snacks in between (like, an apple = 1 snack).

There is a TV show in Ireland called operation transformation. They have food plans on their website for the different “leaders” which will give you an idea of the relevant portion sizes your husband should be eating. But the #1 thing is that you pretty much have to prepare all your meals yourself. Eating out is really difficult if you want to lose weight.

ot.rte.ie/
 
I’m a great believer in low carb/high fat as I’ve lost a lot of weight & got my blood glucose under control with it (I have diabetes). No grains, no sugar, no potatoes (tho I allow myself a small serving of sweet potatoes now & then), no snacks, only 3 meals a day (but now I eat only 2 meals, husband eats 3 with the evening meal being very small).

As someone else mentioned, portion control is important. You can eat lchf but pig out on meat & not lose much weight. I eat about 50-60 grams of protein a day. That’s not grams of protein foods, but the protein that is in the food.

It isn’t expensive to eat this way. I buy the cheapest hamburger, chicken thighs or whole chickens on sale, various roasts on sale. I don’t buy store pork anymore because I find it tasteless, tho I sometimes buy sausage. I eat a lot of eggs. Lots of lettuce (I like it!), celery, green beans (not much cause I don’t like them that much), broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms on sale, avocados on sale. Walnuts go on salads & are a rare treat. I eat a lot of canned salmon, mackerel, & sardines - I stock up when they’re on sale.

I almost forgot the added fats! Butter, coconut oil, and olive oil are kind of expensive, but you don’t eat all that much of it. Butter makes EVERYTHING taste better. 😃 I do eat a little cream & cheese, but not much as I have problems with dairy. But for weight loss, they should be somewhat limited anyway. Butter doesn’t seem to bother me, but maybe that’s because I never pig out on it.

If you look at lowcarber.org or dietdoctor.com you can look at people’s success stories & before & after pictures. You’ll find that we all have different ideas of what low carb is & what works for us. I’m very low carb because of my diabetes, others choose to eat more carbs.

Good luck. Unless your husband is totally on board about losing weight, no diet is going to work.
 
Add about 2 quarts water to a pound of dry red beans and soak overnight. The next day, fry about a pound of lean ground beef with some chopped onions. Add this to the pot of beans, and then add an envelope of onion soup mix, a few teaspoons of chili powder, and an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce. Simmer for at least 2 hours. I don’t even bother to change the water that the beans have been soaking in.

This is nutritious and very cheap to make, especially if you can find a sale on ground beef and tomato sauce. Dry beans are always pretty cheap.
 
Bonnie said:
I’m a great believer in low carb/high fat as I’ve lost a lot of weight & got my blood glucose under control with it (I have diabetes). No grains, no sugar, no potatoes (tho I allow myself a small serving of sweet potatoes now & then), no snacks, only 3 meals a day (but now I eat only 2 meals, husband eats 3 with the evening meal being very small).

As someone else mentioned, portion control is important. You can eat lchf but pig out on meat & not lose much weight. I eat about 50-60 grams of protein a day. That’s not grams of protein foods, but the protein that is in the food.

It isn’t expensive to eat this way. I buy the cheapest hamburger, chicken thighs or whole chickens on sale, various roasts on sale. I don’t buy store pork anymore because I find it tasteless, tho I sometimes buy sausage. I eat a lot of eggs. Lots of lettuce (I like it!), celery, green beans (not much cause I don’t like them that much), broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms on sale, avocados on sale. Walnuts go on salads & are a rare treat. I eat a lot of canned salmon, mackerel, & sardines - I stock up when they’re on sale.

I almost forgot the added fats! Butter, coconut oil, and olive oil are kind of expensive, but you don’t eat all that much of it. Butter makes EVERYTHING taste better. 😃 I do eat a little cream & cheese, but not much as I have problems with dairy. But for weight loss, they should be somewhat limited anyway. Butter doesn’t seem to bother me, but maybe that’s because I never pig out on it.

If you look at lowcarber.org or dietdoctor.com you can look at people’s success stories & before & after pictures. You’ll find that we all have different ideas of what low carb is & what works for us. I’m very low carb because of my diabetes, others choose to eat more carbs.

Good luck. Unless your husband is totally on board about losing weight, no diet is going to work.
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Me too.

I find that if I eat higher fat and protein and lower carb, I don’t get the ravenous hunger I get when I eat higher carb. In short, my appetite is more tamed. I end up not snacking nor am I craving snacks or sweets.

All in all, I consume a lot less calories. Of course the source of these fats and protein come from high quality sources such as fish like salmon, eggs, and nuts and avocados.

I am trying to teach myself to like lentils and beans.

Eating healthier is like health insurance but a lot less expensive if you know what you’re doing.
 
I am a great fan of cookie sheet cooking.
I have a sheet that is the same size as the inside of the oven. I line with foil and give a light spray of oil. I chop up veggies and throw them on. Last night I did a butternut squash, 3 beets, onion, peppers. Light spray and season them up. I like poultry seasoning and onion powder on squash. Salt and pepper. 400 degrees for about 1/2 hr depending on the size of chunks you cut up. This is a great side dish and on days I want soup I will roast a chopped potato and onion with a butternut squash and use that in chicken broth. Roasting veggies gives an awesome flavor. I have roasted carrot sticks, green onion, tomatoes without their juice, etc. If they are similar in size they will cook about the same time.
 
1ke said:
That is healthy eating.
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It is, but it’s a very narrow view of it. You don’t have to survive purely on bland chicken and steamed peas and carrots to eat healthily. Food should also be pleasing to the senses and enjoyed.
 
PennyinCanada said:
I am a great fan of cookie sheet cooking.
I have a sheet that is the same size as the inside of the oven. I line with foil and give a light spray of oil. I chop up veggies and throw them on. Last night I did a butternut squash, 3 beets, onion, peppers. Light spray and season them up. I like poultry seasoning and onion powder on squash. Salt and pepper. 400 degrees for about 1/2 hr depending on the size of chunks you cut up. This is a great side dish and on days I want soup I will roast a chopped potato and onion with a butternut squash and use that in chicken broth. Roasting veggies gives an awesome flavor. I have roasted carrot sticks, green onion, tomatoes without their juice, etc. If they are similar in size they will cook about the same time.
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You are right Penny, that is a wonderful way to cook vegetables. Roasted vegetables are so good I don’t even miss meat! But it makes a great side for broiled fish, or grilled chicken. My favorite mix of vegetables: Brussels sprouts, onion wedges and red bell peppers, a shake of garlic powder.

Chicken does not have to be “plain” to be healthy. Marinades do not add that much caloriewise, but can add enough flavor to chicken to make it special. Grilled and sliced and served over a salad is good, you can add a bit of grated cheese of your choice, and a fat free salad dressing. It only takes a little bit of herbs to change up the flavor of chicken.

I could eat soup everyday. 😉 So many recipes out there on Pinterest, you could eat a different one every time. Great economical meal, or a creative way to use up leftovers. It is filling also, so no need for snacking later. And you can control the sodium level!
 
Sarcelle said:
I am trying to teach myself to like lentils and beans.
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It can be hard with texture, but one really nice thing about beans and lentils is they can basically taste like anything. A lot of dishes we make I will split 50/50 meat and beans, but flavor it all the same.

I typically buy dry beans (except for kidney beans, they’re fussier) and cook them in the slow cooker. 1 lb beans, six cups water, 4-6 hours on high. Yield is about 6 cups (or 3 cans.) I’ll freeze two and then use the other for whatever that day.
 
Sarcelle said:
I am trying to teach myself to like lentils and beans.
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I’ll share my favorite lentil recipe. It’s SO good, but I can’t eat it any more because it’s too high in carbs. I adapted it from Laurel’s Kitchen.

Lentil Sandwich Spread or Dip

2 cup cooked lentils*
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt – optional
dash pepper - optional
garlic to taste - optional

Mash the cooked lentils. Mix with other ingredients. Refrigerate.

Garnish with alfalfa sprouts, parsley, sweet peppers, etc.
Especially good with whole grain breads, pocket bread, crackers, etc.

*Can be part or all split peas, but I like the lentils better.

*any lentils will work, but red (orange) lentils are prettier, especially for dip

I loved it on homemade whole grain bread with a big pile of alfalfa spouts. I miss it - the only thing I can still eat are the spouts.
 
Lentils and beans taste a lot better cooked in animal-based stock. A small investment in soup bones pays off hugely with lentils and beans.
 
ThePCWife said:
Lentils and beans taste a lot better cooked in animal-based stock. A small investment in soup bones pays off hugely with lentils and beans.
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There is a soup called Portuguese bean soup made with linguica, a type of Portuguese sausage. I am not sure what beans are used, maybe kidney beans, but is so good. Some people uss ham hocks to flavor the soup.
 
As someone who has gained more than I should have since having my son, we have the opposite problem. I’m the one who needs to lose weight, and my husband can basically eat anything he wants and not gain a pound. I find that the most effective thing for me is purchasing “junk” that only he will want to eat, and that I won’t be tempted by. So I buy brands or flavors of snacks for him that I don’t like, and it keeps me from eating those kinds of things. It sounds like your husband likes more bland foods, so you could work with that. If you want to be able to make grilled cheese, is there a certain kind of more “flavorful” cheese you could use that he wouldn’t want to snack on?

Aside from the weight issue, my husband also likes bland, flavorless (in my opinion) foods, while I like spices and sauces. So I try to make something that we can both eat, that I can add to. For instance, chicken is easy to do this with- I can season his with some salt and pepper, and mine with something a little more “interesting”. Also, I am home with our son while he is working during the day, and so if I want something a little more flavorful I will eat it for lunch and eat something that he would enjoy more for dinner. Another way we have addressed this is that one night a week, I make whatever I want, regardless of whether he will like it or not. He eats leftovers or heats up some soup. That way, I feel like I get to eat something I really enjoy and if I make more bland food the rest of the week it’s not as difficult to deal with.
 
AClaire11 said:
It is, but it’s a very narrow view of it. You don’t have to survive purely on bland chicken and steamed peas and carrots to eat healthily. Food should also be pleasing to the senses and enjoyed.
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Lean meats and vegetables need not be bland. Fresh herbs, spices, and seasoning enhance flavor. Use oils and cheeses in moderation.

A diet high in refined carbs is not good. If you add in pasta, rice, tortillas, etc, use whole grains like brown rice and 100% whole wheat.
 
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