Health Tips for eating good food on a budget

[Kurve]

Please share your best tips or your favourite cheap n easy recipe.

 

[raskolnikov]

Lots of stir fry veggies.

 

[Silent Alarm]

Vegetarian.

Bought a thing of chicken the other day and it was about $7 at that point then... $17. And it wasn't that much chicken.

 

[Kurve]

Vegetarian.

Bought a thing of chicken the other day and it was about $7 at that point then... $17. And it wasn't that much chicken.

I have a great recipe for vegan lasagne, its better without the meat and so easy. I'll put it up later. Just as good cold.

 

[HairyO]

Please share your best tips or your favourite cheap n easy recipe.

Buy in bulk and cook it yourself.

There are plenty of very cheap vegies. And if you want to eat meat, make it a small part of the meal not the major part of the meal.

 

[Scotland]

Don't shop at Coles/Woolies.

Buy in bulk. Spudshed gets plenty of shit over here for the produce quality (can't confirm or deny) but they have whole scotch fillet for $10/kg. If you buy sliced steaks of scotch fillet you'll battle to pay under $20/kg even for the dodgiest cuts on special at Coles. No point saying 'meat is expensive' if you are paying $40/kg for premium cuts of meat that you could get for much less.

Cook in bulk. Stir fries are great. Healthy, easy and not usually that expensive but they don't last. If could can nail a good stir fry for one or two meals that's ideal. You don't want it 2 or 3 days later. Staples like bolognese, curries, soups etc. last better.

I find a good trick is to look at what you've ordered at a restaurant and compare it to the price of ingredients and skill involved. If you order a 500g T-bone or something then it's still going to cost you $10+ to make the same meal at home. If you order a soup for $15 you're probably paying for a couple of dollars ingredients at most. You can't just go home and decide you want pulled pork which takes hours to prepare like you can at a restaurant, but you can learn how to grill a piece of salmon which takes a couple of minutes. You can also learn slow cooked stuff easily but you just need to prepare it ahead of time.

Agree with making vegetarian meals. Made a bolognese the other night which was entirely vego. Cheated and used a jar of sauce because it was after work and I couldn't be arsed but a couple of 400g tins of kidney beans/chick peas/lentils/whatever is about 2 bucks and it feels lighter after eating than if you just use beef/pork.

 

[Kurve]

Buy in bulk and cook it yourself.

There are plenty of very cheap vegies. And if you want to eat meat, make it a small part of the meal not the major part of the meal.

You have to shop around I've found even on veg. Plan. Its hard for singles especially if they're working five days a week, out at dawn home at dusk. Meat's pretty expensive but we all could possibly be healthier eating less of it.

 

[I Lost My Keays]

Go to local markets on a sunday morning. I've been trying to eat healthy and I reckon I spent $30-$35 on a whole fridge full.

 

[CheapCharlie]

Buy an electric pressure cooker
Go once a week to a vegie store and buy primarily what is on special. Pumpkins, sweet potato, squash, beans, carrots etc. all have good prices when u buy a bulk bag
Use whatever seasonal or on special vegetables you bough with the pressure cooker and if u want add some chicken/pork/beef/goat/fish. I might add 2 drumsticks and then cut the meat off the bone when its been cooked
One person, you can eat that meal for a few days without freezing.
Keep the vegies you buy in plastic containers in the fridge and you will extend the life of them by 50%+
Eat it with Brown rice

 

[Run n Spread]

Short story. Anything Asian. Vietnamese supermarkets especially.

There is a reason Americans are fat and Vietnamese/Thais are skinny. Seriously go fresh, eat up and enjoy your health.

 

[JG22]

Oats & rice value is unbeatable

 

[Kurve]

Oats & rice value is unbeatable

Oooh porridge in winter. I make a heap of it, the dogs get half plain they love it and we get it with sultanas and a blob of vanilla yoghurt.

 

[Demosthenes]

You can drastically cut your weekly food expenses by first shopping for used groceries before buying new.

 

[PoppedCorn]

Vegetarian.

Bought a thing of chicken the other day and it was about $7 at that point then... $17. And it wasn't that much chicken.

Chicken breasts are 9 bucks a kilo in coles
Deli section, have been for months

 

[Silent Alarm]

Chicken breasts are 9 bucks a kilo in coles
Deli section, have been for months

My shopping was about 9 bucks, ended up 19 with the chicken, and the packets are generally not exactly a kilo... so... yeah.

 

[PoppedCorn]

U buy chicken in a packet???

And there in lies the problem

 

[William Wonka]

The most important thing is get the best quality/most expensive basic ingredients.

If for instance you ignore the $5 bag of 'sunrice' rice and go for a $20 bag of 'Maharajas secret' 3 year aged Himilayan basmati.

Do this with all your staples and you dont need to spend much to get great tasting meals.

Btw. Dont buy cheap meat/eggs either.
Free range or GTFO!
If you're happy for what you are eating to have lived a tortured life in a cage so you can save $1.35 then you are a complete and total campaigner.

 

[Kurve]

Free range or GTFO!

Dong a favor for my footy club this year (cos not working atm) and committed to managing their canteen and catering. Of course that's where a lot of their profit comes from but even I make them buy free range eggs. Don't care, nobody's eating cage eggs on my watch.

 

[Bazzar]

Vegetarian.

Bought a thing of chicken the other day and it was about $7 at that point then... $17. And it wasn't that much chicken.

Whats a "thing" of chicken?
Ethics aside, if that's an issue, chicken (and eggs) are the cheapest and most nutrious food vailable. An uncooked whole chicken is around 7-8 dollars at coles or woolies and will provide many meals, and the leftover carcase the basics for a decent stock/soup

 

[William Wonka]

Dong a favor for my footy club this year (cos not working atm) and committed to managing their canteen and catering. Of course that's where a lot of their profit comes from but even I make them buy free range eggs. Don't care, nobody's eating cage eggs on my watch.

Your players will appreciate the benefits.
Premiership is as good as in the bag.
-------------
Health Benefits of Free Range Eggs
A comparison of nutritional data for caged versus free range eggs found, on average, the free range eggs had:

• Twice as much omega-3 fatty acids.
• Three times more vitamin E.
• Seven times more pro-vitamin A beta-carotene.
• A quarter less saturated fat.
• A third less cholesterol.

Other tests have demonstrated that pastured eggs have up to six times more essential vitamin D than regular supermarket eggs. They have also been shown to have significantly more B vitamins than a factory egg.

Egg yolks are also a known source of lutein and zeaxanthin, but the pale, watery yellow yolks in eggs from caged chickens, fed the waste products of the grain industry, contain very little.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are two important antioxidants for the health of your eyes. They help to protect the delicate macula region of your eye from damaging UV and high-intensity blue light.

If you’d like to protect your vision as well as improve your overall health, look for the deep yellow/orange yolks you’ll find in real free range eggs.
---------------

 

[Thegibbsgamble]

Meat is expensive. It's hard to garner real meat as well.

But the fats minerals and protien are important for long and short term health. They are not easily replaced. Our DNA is wired to process meat. Will take centuries to change.

Run and spread is correct. Chinese or Vietnamese.

You can't best those 5 dollar meals at asian food courts.

Sustenence

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Some meat or chicken between two slices of bread makes a tasty treat.

 

[Halloween Jack]

Roast whole chicken, then use the bones and any offcuts of veg to make a delicious and basically free stock. Stock can be mixed with left over chicken, noodles and veg for a quick, tasty and cheap meal.

 

[utility]

Buy at markets, if you're willing to buy older or less good looking produce it will be cheaper. But you may need to eat same day or next day before mold starts to grow.

Load up on vegetables, if you can't afford meat then load up on both eggs and lentils. Eggs are a super food. If you want carbs go with low-GI rice, don't buy cheap bread as it is awful for your health. Soups can make for very cheap meals, get some bones and make bone broth. Cook with butter not seed oils.

Avoid ultra-processed foods as they're not only bad for your health but in the long run more expensive. Avoid sugar, with the exception of fresh fruits in moderation. Drink only water and tea.

I do not recommend Chinese or Vietnamese food. Generally speaking it's low in nutrition.

 

[craigos]

Whole roast chook and 6 pack of wholemeal rolls/loaf = $13 and will make you lunch for 3 days.

Chuck/Casserole steak, can of tomatoes, paprika, chilli, garlic, onion in a slow cooker for 4 hours. Serve with carrots, broccoli & cauliflower. Leftover meat in a wrap for lunch following day.

Heroin on a Friday night. Prices vary but you wont have to eat at all on the weekend and will be shredded like Iggy Pop within 3 months.