I have an extremely low budget when it comes to what I have left out of my check for food. It's so hard to find healthy things for low prices. My main focus is on protein and thats what my doctor wants me to primarily focus on anyway. I've tried out HelloFresh meal delivery and it's not bad but I work overnight and my husband is on second shift so it doesn't make sense to buy something every week that may not get cooked. I've even tried couponing but I'm not very good at it. What can I do to make sure I'm getting the right nutrients, saving money and time, and stay in the right lane of what I'm supposed to be doing? (High Protein, Low Carb, Low Calorie) And so I'm not eating the same type of protein every day, because I like to mix things up a little.

And what are some good recipes?

Do you have a Trader Joe's or Aldi nearby?

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2 minutes ago, Ms. Brightside said:

Do you have a Trader Joe's or Aldi nearby?

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I do have an Aldi about an hour away. What do you recommend?

Oh my goodness. Well, could you go once a month or so & stock up on essentials? Everything is cheap at Aldi.

Outside of that, what about Walmart or Sam's Club (especially frozen goods)?

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There are many sources of protein that are cheap, healthy and quick to prepare:

1. Eggs ($0.53 per dozen at Aldi); you can scramble them, hard-boil them, fry them, top them with melted cheese, or salsa, or Tabasco sauce, or salt & pepper, or fresh veggies such as sauteed bell peppers and chopped tomatoes, or other protein sources such as chopped ham.

2. Tilapia ($5.49 per 32-ounce bag at Aldi); one fillet has 100 calories and 20 grams of protein. Look up recipes for blackened Tilapia. Serve this fish with steamed veggies for a filling meal.

3. Cottage cheese ($1.99 per 24-ounce tub at Aldi); 4 ounces of low-fat cottage cheese has 80 calories and 12 grams of protein. Serve it with a baked apple topped with cinnamon or a fresh fruit of your choice.

4. Chicken leg quarters ($6.80 per 10-pound bag at Walmart); divide the leg quarters by cutting them into their separate thigh and drumstick components. Each bag will generate about 25 to 30 pieces of chicken leg meat. Use quart-sized freezer bags to store them in the freezer until you are ready to thaw them for cooking.

Each thigh has about 14 grams of protein and the drumsticks have 12 grams of protein. Look up recipes such as "rosemary garlic chicken," "lemon pepper chicken," "Mexican chicken bake," and "ranch chicken" for starters.

Not only the above post, but the fact that your portion size is so dramatically reduced, so too is the cost.

One can of refried beans lasted me 3 days, and that's having 1/3 a cup of it 3 times a day, which sometimes felt like too much.

Edited May 5, 20179 yr by PatientEleventyBillion

What do you like to eat and not eat and what is your meal prep time like?

If you could afford Hello Fresh then you should easily be able to afford regular groceries. Those delivery services are expensive.

I'm single so I just cook for me, but I keep my food costs low by keeping my diet simple and clean.

I don't make recipes. They require a lot of ingredients for the most part and few things that I am ever going to finish as a single person.

I eat a cut of meat and veggies. i cook my meat either pan fried, baked or grilled. I eat various cuts of steaks, pork and fish. I create variety in the method of preparation and the spices.

The one thing I do splurge on is spices and spice blends. I purchase spices at https://www.penzeys.com/ they have a lot of sugar free and salt free spice blends. I also like https://flavorgod.com/ spices. They are very large containers that last a long time. I order the packs and leave the unopened ones in the fridge to keep them fresh.

I see people complaining a lot in my keto groups about the cost of keto, but it is only expensive if you are making a bunch of recipes and buying lost of specialty items.

Eating clean is very cheap. I do make recipes every now and then, but even with that I buy one container of coconut flour a year from Sam's club, and 2 bags of almond meal a year from Trader Joe's.

On 5/5/2017 at 9:20 AM, OutsideMatchInside said:

What do you like to eat and not eat and what is your meal prep time like?

If you could afford Hello Fresh then you should easily be able to afford regular groceries. Those delivery services are expensive.

I'm single so I just cook for me, but I keep my food costs low by keeping my diet simple and clean.

I don't make recipes. They require a lot of ingredients for the most part and few things that I am ever going to finish as a single person.

I eat a cut of meat and veggies. i cook my meat either pan fried, baked or grilled. I eat various cuts of steaks, pork and fish. I create variety in the method of preparation and the spices.

The one thing I do splurge on is spices and spice blends. I purchase spices at https://www.penzeys.com/ they have a lot of sugar free and salt free spice blends. I also like https://flavorgod.com/ spices. They are very large containers that last a long time. I order the packs and leave the unopened ones in the fridge to keep them fresh.

I see people complaining a lot in my keto groups about the cost of keto, but it is only expensive if you are making a bunch of recipes and buying lost of specialty items.

Eating clean is very cheap. I do make recipes every now and then, but even with that I buy one container of coconut flour a year from Sam's club, and 2 bags of almond meal a year from Trader Joe's.

HelloFresh was only 27$ a week for my husband and I -although it was only 3 meals, it did include all of the ingredients so I thought it was a good deal compared to what those ingredients would cost at Walmart.

Can you explain Keto to me, please?

Odd - I put in the veggie plan for two and total is $59. And that is veg protein and vegetables. I don't see how that is economical at all. Classic is $109. And they pick the recipes for you. So what is the protein grams in a meal? I am not logging into them to find out.

Keto is like Atkins, which is low carb. And most successful wls patients eat fairly low carb to stay away from trigger foods that make you crave starch and sugar, useless carbs.

1 hour ago, Sosewsue61 said:

Odd - I put in the veggie plan for two and total is $59. And that is veg Protein and vegetables. I don't see how that is economical at all. Classic is $109. And they pick the recipes for you. So what is the protein grams in a meal? I am not logging into them to find out.

Maybe she just ordered once with the promo, because hello Fresh is 9.99 per meal per person. So it is $20 a meal. You can eat out for less, especially with a sleeve.

One cooked meal for 2 people should cost less than $5. I spent about $5 a day on meat and veggies, and that is kind of stretching it. It is only that high because some days I eat grass fed beef. If I eat pork it is more like $2-3 a day. And I eat at least 16 ounces of meat a day.

I have thought about getting one of those subscription boxes, but none of them have low carb options for menus, so they are a waste of money for me.

@OutsideMatchInside Yeah. I can shop cheap if you check the meat on sale in the flyers, and get fresh or frozen vegetables or farmer's market in the summer if you can't garden. I garden and freeze the excess and can the tomatoes - so good in soup and chili. (BTW - I am a spice wh0re as well)

@Sosewsue61

I just buy whatever meat is on sale that week. Sometimes I end up with things I normally wouldn't buy which is nice, then I have to find new ways to prepare it.

Just eating meat and veggies is really cheap. The biggest issue is preventing waste, not the costs.

I'd just go buy the rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, that lasts me all week when I'm lazy. I also love to make low carb chili, that will last at least a week. Costs me about $12 and will last for at least 20 meals (I eat 5-6 small meals a day )

I love coupons and I'm on a low budget I'm on SSDI and have a 12 year old and I shop and Food 4?Less and Ralph's and buy store brand a lot and that seems to work. I do buy Premier protein and Kirkland protein bars and a discount place that helps battered women