Eating cheaply, but well? I avoid Ramen and fast food!?!


Question: Eating cheaply, but well!? I avoid Ramen and fast food!!?
I need some advice on eating well and healthy, but cheaply!. I have budgetted about $90 a month for food!. I've cut down eating out to 2x a month!. I only order pizza (about $14 each) to every other month! I don't want to LIVE on Ramen and mac & cheese!. Fast food won't help, b/c it will make me sick!. Pasta is good & one of my favorites, but not healthy all the time!. I eat oatmeal w/ raisins as boxed cereal gets expensive! I've started buying store brands and it's helping the foo bill!. I do buy in bulk, but in small amounts as the kitchen gets full fast!

I also have a diary intolerence and have to use soy milk more than normal milk! Luckily, I can tolerate cheese and yogurt, but only in small amounts!

Any suggestions about HEALTHY eating will be greatly appriecated!Www@FoodAQ@Com


Answers:
Basic foods (like rice, beans, etc!.) are cheap because they require effort to be put in!. This is where you can save a fortune!. You can get pounds of rice for the price of one box of pasta, because wheat prices are rising and rice prices aren't!.
If you're willing to put in some cooking time, you can find TONS of frugal recipes online involving these basics!. Some people will even put an estimated per-serving cost, like 92 cents per serving!.
Search "frugal recipes" on Google and you'll have many options!.
If you really don't have time, try freezer cooking!. You can search "freezer recipes," "once-a-month cooking" and "OAMC" for links and recipes!.
With these recipes, you do all your cooking on one day (like a Saturday) and freeze your meals!. Then, instead of spending $5 for McDonald's when you're in a hurry, you throw the thawed meal in the oven and have a cheap, good, filling meal!. Many of the once-a-month cooking (OAMC) sites are focused on cheaper meals that will save you a bundle!. And since they are often for families, good nutrition is a priority!.
Your local library will likely have some OAMC books, like
Time is money!. If you put in the time, you'll save the money you'd be spending on convenience foods!.
My husband and I are using OAMC cooking (I cook sporadically and put together 5 to 15 meals at a time)!. We're eating more healthily than ever before, we're spending less time preparing food at night and we're saving a fortune!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Look at these sample menus and see if there's anything that might appeal to you and your budget!. Good luck!.

http://www!.hillbillyhousewife!.com/70doll!.!.!.
http://www!.hillbillyhousewife!.com/lunchb!.!.!.
http://www!.stretcher!.com/menu/topic-g!.ht!.!.!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

buy a turkey its a lot of good recipes for that you don't have to eat it for a HolidayWww@FoodAQ@Com

Tofu is good and inexpensive!. Look online for recipe ideas!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

pasta is always a good choice, or soup or salad!.
and lots of yogurt!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Learn how to cook!!

Rice is a good one - very easy!. Just rinse your rice in a colander to wash it (important - skip this and it'll be too sticky)!. Whatever amount you use (I always use 1 cup for a family of 5 - it expands when it absorbs the water), you'll add 1 and a 1/2 times the amount of cold water!. So - for 1 cup rice, I add 1 1/2 cups water to the pan!. Start out with a high flame and bring it to a boil!. Once its boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover your pan!. Keep checking it (without stirring) and turn off the fire when you see no more liquid (usually about 5 or 10 minutes)!. I'd let it cook for less rather than more time (overcook it and you waste rice, plus have a sticky mess to clean up from the bottom of your pan)!. Leave it covered after you've stopped cooking until you're ready to serve!.

For variations on taste, you can use 1/2 coconut milk and 1/2 water (so in the above recipe for steamed rice you would use 1 cup rice, 3/4 cup coconut milk and 3/4 cup water)!. Add some oil (maybe 1/2 tbsp) to the bottom of your pan first and sautee some onion, garlic, maybe ginger for a few minutes!. Then add your washed rice and stir it!. Keep doing this until it makes a crinkling sound (this seals the rice)!. Then add your liquid and cook it as you did the first recipe!. This is THE BEST coconut rice - people love it when I make it!.

You can add herbs to your rice after you cook it (start an herb garden for this to be an affordable option - things like basil and cilantro grow like weeds - they're super easy)!. Eat it with just butter or soy sauce, maybe some sweet & sour sauce!. Have a cheap Mexican-style meal when you serve steamed white rice with refried beans, tortillas and some cheese and lettuce/tomato!.

Another good one is egg noodles!. Boil them for a few minutes (just until soft)!. Then mix in some broth, butter to taste and a few fresh herbs like chopped dill!.

Stir frys are easy!. Cook your white rice as in the 1st recipe!. In a separate large pan (or wok), saute some veg like onions, ginger, carrots, zucchini, bell peppers, etc!.!.!. adding plenty of soy sauce (just take your bottle and throw it in there - keep tasting and add as much as you like)!. When those are good and soft, add your steamed rice to the mix and add more soy sauce (until brown), stirring the whole time!.

Omelets for a big breakfast on the weekend are easy and impressive (they are so much easier to make than they look) and will keep you going all day with maybe a light dinner later on!. Eat well earlier in the day and you won't snack so much later on (snacking is what really takes up your food budget)!.

Aside from that - buy seasonal produce as its cheaper, compare store flyers to see who has the best prices, use coupons, and buy as few pre-made products as possible!

Switching to a mainly vegetarian-based diet is also cheaper and healthier for you (and healthy is cheaper in the long run when you don't have big medical bills!)!.

If you're short on time - invest in a slow cooker!. You can use lots of cheap grains and pulses, mix with a few chopped veggies, broth and sauteed onions, throw it all in the slow cooker, push a button and come home to a home-cooked stew!
Good luck - I've given you a few resources to get started with!.!.!. (ps - the 2 "swishes" of the pan during your omelette-making are key to getting it perfect with no tears)!.Www@FoodAQ@Com





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