Healthier eating

[claricem75]

Re: Healthier eating

This post has a lot of great suggestions, thanks everyone. I am in the midst of a low-calorie diet and need all the advice on saving money that I can get. Good luck in your endeavors!

Clarice

[marglo]

Re: Healthier eating

I do most of my shopping at Wild Oats but I get somethings at Trader Joes because I can get them cheaper...eggs, milk, canned foods etc. I do not buy produce or meat there usually as it is packaged and I prefer not to buy these things packaged. I LOVE the meat at Wild Oats and would really hate to go back to buying it at a conventional store. It is so much more tender and tastier! I try to buy mostly natural or organic products, but I do buy a few things at Winco, Walmart and Costco too.

[mom-from-missouri]

Re: Healthier eating

I often stretch meals by adding a baked potato. I buy them in the 20 - 25 lb bags.

[DivaJen]

Re: Healthier eating

I do most of my shopping at Wild Oats but I get somethings at Trader Joes because I can get them cheaper...eggs, milk, canned foods etc. I do not buy produce or meat there usually as it is packaged and I prefer not to buy these things packaged. I LOVE the meat at Wild Oats and would really hate to go back to buying it at a conventional store. It is so much more tender and tastier! I try to buy mostly natural or organic products, but I do buy a few things at Winco, Walmart and Costco too.

Yea - another Trader Joe's fan! We don't buy meat, but I have heard pretty decent things about TJ's fish. I wish we had a Wild Oats or Whole Foods near us, but we don't.

[CRFSaver]

Re: Healthier eating

Trader Joe's fish is great. I also get their boneless skinless chicken breast as it is cheaper then Giant or Harris Teater. I sometimes buy a roast there and they have this great Korean BBQ you can get there as well. Big fan of Trader Joes. Whole foods is nice but jeez, so expensive...

[niki_the_tiger]

Re: Healthier eating

I just checked and the nearest Trader Joe's is about 3 or 4 hrs from us. I have never heard of it before.

[CRFSaver]

Re: Healthier eating

It used to be a Hippy store in San Francisco that turned into a yuppy store about 10 years ago and has expanded. Lots of "Organic" and "Natural" foods. Prices are always really cheap including quality wines for 4 and 5 bucks a bottle.

[Russell]

Re: Healthier eating

Trader Joe's is pretty good but a few years ago I accidentally found a middle eastern grocery store and I pleasantly surprised how much cheaper and fresher the produce was. Even the meat. I then moved to a newer area and found yet another similar store...once again *much* cheaper and fresh food. The flooring and lighting is not like the fancy Albertson stores, its crowded (still not Costco crowded) at times but once or twice a month its worth it. Not to mention that I've since found some tasty food items I had never seen before.

A few weeks ago on NPR they were discussing organic food and had a few local farmers on the program. They said that as more and more people are demanding organic food the big corporations are taking interest and since there's no standard for organically grown food they can make their own standards and label a food organic. This of course, drives the little guy out of the business by mass producing the 'organic food'. He said, his cows spend 8-10 hours out in the fields just grazing and hanging out and they're milked twice during the day.

[CRFSaver]

Re: Healthier eating

My parents hapenned apon some little family owned grocery store in one of the chicago suburbs. Said they havent found a store (including walmart) that can match their prices on fruits and vegatables and have a fulled staffed meat counter. Little places like that are awesome. Any of you guys been to the marina stores in the bay area?

[pennywise]

Re: Healthier eating

I disagree with most of you. Eating healthy is actually cheaper. Cut the meat - the price is outrageous, is full of steroids and antibiotics, full of fat and just not worth the heart attack. Beans and rice folks. You can make a lot of very good dishes with these basics. Also, milk and eggs are a complete protein, and less expensive than meat. We do not need a lot of external protein because our bodies make most of it. We only need the 8 essential. Veggies fresh from Aldi's. Like Mom from Missouri I have cut my grocery bill down to $200 per month for 3 people and think I still can do better by using my price book, etc. Stick to the perimeter of the store. Make your own pitas and tostadas, mine last 1 week are made with whole wheat flour and taste great! It can be done, your just not looking in the right places.

[niki_the_tiger]

Re: Healthier eating

How do you make pitas and tostadas?

[pennywise]

Re: Healthier eating

Pita: 3.5 cups flour 1 cup WARM water 1 pkg yeast 1 tsp honey 1 tsp salt
do the yeast with water for 5 minutes. Add salt and honey. Stir. Add flour slowly, knead until smooth, cover, raise 2 hours, punch down and knead for 5 minutes. Make 12 balls, roll flat (if you go too flat they will not Pita) rest them for 30 minutes, heat at 500 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Put in paper bag with damp cloth for 15 minutes, store (I reuse old bread bags)

Tostada: can't find my recipe right now but I did post it on this site called tostada's

I have made both these recipes and they are good. I usually use 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 white flour and add wheat bran to my liking, usually 1 tablespoon. this is excellent for the B vitamins and bowel health. I researched intestinal health and found a radiologist article where they watched white flour transverse the colon: it just sat there. The reason: whole wheat has the bran which absorbs liquid which expands and stimulates the intestinal movement. Think what happened when you where a kid and made the piggy banks with clorox bottles, newpaper, flour and water!!!!

[pennywise]

Re: Healthier eating

Sorry, meant to stay tortillas: in the food link: 3 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/3 cup oil, and 1 cup warm water. Knead 5 minutes, cover 2 hours, roll into flat circles, fry both sides. Very easy, very cheap, very healthy.

I just bought Carb solution Ragu: I am very upset with myself. I read the ingredients and I am disgusted. I will stick with my plain tomato sauce and paste with herbs. I don't need all that cr-p in my food. Thank you. Ragu I thought you improved that is why I bought it, but I see you all just can't get healthy can you.

[CRFSaver]

Re: Healthier eating

Ughh. I cant stand beans. And lean meats are not bad for you at all.

[pennywise]

Re: Healthier eating

CRFSaver: where do you get lean meat? Haven't seen such an animal since 1970!!!! And I must correct you: too much meat is not good for you. Too much protein is not good. Meat is implicated in colon cancer!!! Please read and educate yourself on vegetarian cooking. Beans come in many a variety and can be flavored fantastically. I make many great dishes and get many compliments. Consider your health before the taste bud. But if you are getting lean meat, share the location, we all will come to buy. Do you know what lean meat is???