Recipe help!

[Whiskey]

granted single or couple you can better budget in the salmon and the other high cost foods

what high cost foods? I eat eggs, chicken, some pasta, canned veggies, fresh veggies. I eat in season, I look for deals. I eat tuna from a can! I have to be one of the healthiest eaters I know and I spend quite a bit less on food than people who "eat cheap"

[TreasureChest]

it still costs more than it should and for what you are getting it isnt always worth it
honestly bleach has no business near my food (yes america you chicken gets a bleach bath)

healthy and cheap ARE possible but lack the variety you need to stay healthy
it gets harder as you get older or have large crowds to feed or have other set backs

[Whiskey]

it still costs more than it should and for what you are getting it isnt always worth it

healthy and cheap ARE possible but lack the variety you need to stay healthy

so healthy food lacks the variety to be healthy? what? the healthier you eat, the LESS you eat. You aren't filling yourself with empty calories, and if you eat protein like you should, you eat a WHOLE lot less.

edit: im seriously wondering what you consider "healthy food" if you think healthy food has no variety.

[TreasureChest]

thank you so kindly for twisting what i say, really helps

not that healthy food has no variety

it is that if you eat healthy and you do it by season and you do it be price
you end up stuck buying the same foods

cold months lots of leeks, zucchini, and toss in some other squash families if at decent $
warmer months lots of lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, beets, cleric every so often

everything else ends up costing to much for a family of 5, yes you can eat cheaper if its just you but making things work so that everyone has enough healthy food dispite not liking something...

one kid hates cooked veggies if they go mushy, other totally cool with steamed carrots as long as there is a lil garlic and yogurt for dressing, the youngest just try and stop him from eating the beets

everyone has their own needs out of the healthy living category...
there is the base minimum of what you should have

then there is the special needs list... do you have allergies, restrictions, what not like that

the more you stop going from the basics and add in those extra needs the more the costs adds up. with most of the produce being grown farther away the base cost starts out much higher than locally grown food markets

i use to cut corners and get cheaper fresher produce but going to the aisan markets
was the only way to buy enough, make sure it was fresh and low cost

[NorthernZel]

it is that if you eat healthy and you do it by season and you do it be price
you end up stuck buying the same foods

cold months lots of leeks, zucchini, and toss in some other squash families if at decent $
warmer months lots of lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, beets, cleric every so often

I agree re: using seasonal veggies. I'm considering taking up the"Cabbage Soup Diet" and am going to cook some soup tomorrow just to check the taste.
I bought the ingredients yesterday, and I reckon I spent approx. 10 $ for a batch of soup that'd keep three people (two adults, one child) full and happy for a whole week.

Not totally low on cholesterol (since the recipe includes broth, which is rich in salt/potassium), but still healthy, yummy and cheap.

EDIT - might as well add the recipe (all measures are approximate):

The "base" is approx. 2.5 liters (0.66 gallons) of broth. Vegetable or chicken broth are recommended, though I'll try beef broth tomorrow since I've already got some in the freezer.

In this broth, you cook: (amount depending on taste and the size of your pot. All ingredients must be sliced or diced)

- white cabbage
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- celery
- spinach
- tomatoes (crushed or pureed, they only have to be tossed in 5 minutes before serving)
- chopped parsley
- leeks or spring onions

Cook until all veggies are tender. Season with lemon grass or lemon/lime juice, red chili (fresh or ground - your choice), currry and garlic.

[Magpie]

what high cost foods? I eat eggs, chicken, some pasta, canned veggies, fresh veggies. I eat in season, I look for deals. I eat tuna from a can! I have to be one of the healthiest eaters I know and I spend quite a bit less on food than people who "eat cheap"

Those ones.

But in all honesty, I find that my food bill goes up in the summer because of all the local veggies. We make up for it in the winter though, by eating local and as in-season as you can get (root veggies and squash all winter long).

[AdminAssistant]

Food cost is entirely dependent upon where you live. If you live near lots of chicken - chicken and eggs will be cheap. If you live in cow country, beef is almost always cheaper than chicken. (I eat more beef now than I ever did, because chicken is so damned pricey. Well, that, and I won't buy any Tyson products, ever.) If you live in a place with long growing seasons (California, the South), local veggies are much more affordable. Also, most foodstuff tends to be cheaper in the 'burbs than in urban environs.

Fall and winter suck for me, because I don't like squash/pumpkins. But yay for potatoes!

[Barracuda]

Roasted veggies-Take your favorite veggies, including things like mushrooms or leek or green onion. Put a thin layer of olive oil on the bottom of a baking dish and add the veggies. Top lightly with more olive oil and if desired your favorite oil based salad dressing (I use Italian or Greek.) Roast at 450 for about 30-40 minutes or until brown and delicious. You may need to add more dressing or oil as it cooks to keep from drying it out.

For crunchy snacks, roasted garbanzos--take a 15 ounce can of garbanzos (chickpeas) and thoroughly rinse off the vinegar they come in. In a small bowl, add a couple of teaspoons of olive oil, some salt and pepper to taste, and your favorite seasoning (Cumin or curry powder are delicious.) Toss to coat the chickpeas and put into a baking dish lined with tinfoil in a single layer (this is important.) Roast at 450 for 20-30 minutes until just starting to brown, shaking pan now and then. This will create a tasty crunchy healthy snack.

Broth based soups are excellent. You can make a lot of different tasty soups with your favorite stock and veggie/meat combo. Seafood tomato based soups like Manhattan clam chowder or cioppino are also good bets. Avoid carbs, red meat and pork and a lot of eggs and cheese. Only drink skim milk, if you have it at all, and if you make a cream based soup use skim or 2% and not cream or half and half. For meat, lean poultry (turkey and chicken) are your best bets. Avoid processed foods (TV dinners, frozen pre made chicken nuggets or any frozen pre made dinners, also crackers and chips and canned soups or chili) like the plague-not only do they actually make you hungry again sooner, they are high in sodium, fat and cholesterol and usually have the nutritional value of sawdust. Cook only in virgin olive oil or peanut oil and avoid sunflower and canola oil. Avoid margarine and cook sparingly with real butter-it is actually healthier than the oils in margarine or other substitutes. Also, remember you can eat what you want sparingly--try a half portion of a favorite as a side dish instead of a main course for example. Read nutrition facts before eating out if possible--some places can surprise you (For example, a BK side salad has over 180 calories and 18 grams of carbs. I have no idea how they get that many carbs into a salad.)
Frozen boneless chicken and ground turkey are now your FRIENDS. Avoid white flour and look for healthier brown or wheat substitutes-tortillas as well, there are some tasty low carb options, I recommend Mission or La Tortilla Factory. I can give you a few soup recipes if you want.

[Sandman]

Could you Barracuda? It would be greatly appreciated.

[Barracuda]

Ok! Here's one of my favorite non soup recipes as well.

Quesadillas-the healthy way
Burrito size wheat tortillas-Mission's are awesome if you get the low carb ones
Green onions, chopped
Sliced button mushrooms
Your favorite variety of LOW FAT cheese (Do NOT use processed cheese! Processed food bad!)
Cilantro and fresh salsa and low fat sour cream if desired
On each tortilla, place about 1-2 slices of cheese (use 3 if needed to fill up space.) Add desired amount of mushrooms and green onions (tastes vary, I like mine piled on.) Cook until brown and crisped on both sides and until cheese is bubbling out along the seam and mushroom and onions are cooked. I recommend using a George Foreman style electric grill if you have one (and if you don't, you should get one-GREAT way to quickly make meals, especially with boneless chicken that is cooked perfectly and drains off the fat as it cooks,) or with a little butter in a hot frying pan if you do not. Using a cookie sheet and the broil setting on an oven works as well (Grease the sheet and keep a close eye to make sure it does not overcook with this method.) Serve with salsa, cilantro and sour cream. Yummy! You can also add cooked sliced or shredded boneless chicken to this recipe to make chicken quesadillas.

There you go, a good recipe I am having myself this evening! I will rustle some soup recipes up for you later, I think I have Shrimp and Herbs soup recipe lying around somewhere, and I know I saw a slow cooker recipe for Chicken Tortilla soup....

[Food Lady]

First thing I feel the need to do is stick up for eggs. From what I've read, too much saturated fat in your diet triggers your body to produce too much bad cholesterol. The general limit per day is 15 to 20 grams sat fat per day; 1 egg has 1.5 grams. The cholesterol is not linked to your cholesterol. Secondly, fiber helps. I eat a generally fresh diet (very little boxed food at all) and it's cheap if I cook at home. My staples are tortillas, breads, low-fat dairy, beans of all sorts, fresh fruits & veggies, eggs. All this stuff is cheap, esp. if you eat in season. I can't get enough black bean & corn enchiladas right now. It's filling, cheap, easy to freeze, healthy.

[Magpie]

First thing I feel the need to do is stick up for eggs.

There is also question (raised by the egg producers of course, but it makes sense) of the fact that the initial studies which said that eggs were horribly bad for you were based on tests on rabbits. You know, animals which normally are herbivores. Humans aren't, so the effect of an egg on a rabbit doesn't necessarily say a lot about the effect of an egg on a human.

[Barracuda]

Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1 lb.)
2 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, undrained
1 4 oz. can of chopped mild green chilies, drained
1 diced yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 corn tortillas, sliced into 1/4 inch strips
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 avocado, seeded, peeled diced and tossed with lime juice to prevent browning
Lime wedges

Place chicken in a crock pot slow cooker. Combine tomatoes with juice, chilies, garlic, broth and cumin in small bowl. Pour mixture over chicken. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or until chicken is tender.
Remove chicken from crock pot. Shred with 2 forks and return to cooking liquid. Adjust seasoning and add more broth if necessary. Heat through.
Just before serving, add tortillas and 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro to crock pot. Stir to blend. Serve in soup bowls, topping each bowl with cheese, avocado and squeeze of lime.

Shrimp and Greens Soup
12 oz. peeled and deveined fresh or frozen shrimp
1 large leek
Nonstick cooking spray
2 cloves minced garlic
3 14 oz. cans reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 tbsp snipped fresh parsley
1 tsp. snipped fresh marjoram or thyme or 1/4 tsp of same, dried and crushed
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
3 cups shredded bok choy or fresh spinach leaf

Thaw shrimp if frozen. Rinse shrimp and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside. Wash leek and trim roots from base. Cut leek in half lengthwise and cut into thin slices (about 1/2 cup.)
Coat an unheated large nonstick saucepan with nonstick cooking spray and preheat over medium-high heat. Add leek and garlic and cook 2 minutes or until leek is tender. Carefully add the other ingredients except the spinach or bok choy and shrimp, and bring to boiling. Add shrimp. Return to boiling and reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for about 2 minutes. Stir in greens (boy choy/Spinach) and cook about 1 minute more until greens are wilted. Serve.