Only have $20 to spend for meals (groceries)through next Thurs. What should I buy?

[Anonymous]

The better your cooking skills are, the more likely that you can eat very inexpensively without feeling deprived. Keep in mind that many of the dishes served in high-end restaurants started out as peasant food. A $12 appetizer of polenta with arugula is really a few cents' worth of cornmeal mush, plus a plant that is so easy to grow it's a weed in some parts of the country. Gourmet food often IS poor folks' food. The difference between that and a steady diet of Kraft mac n cheese is a few pieces of decent kitchen equipment and skills that let you make the most of what you have and avoid waste.

One of the most important things I've learned about eating cheap is NOT to load up on the cheap carbs. They make you hungrier than the same number of calories in vegetables or protein, due to the insulin spike, and offer far less nutrition. Try eating a hardboiled egg vs. a slice of white bread toast and see how long each lasts you. Choose slower-release carbs like beans over white bread. I use the Glycemic Index to prioritize foods when price and nutrition are similar.

Cook on the weekend. I cook beans, caramelize onions, make a roast or a whole chicken, make stock, bake muffins, put together casseroles, prep vegetables for weeknight cooking.

How old is DD? Does she have any cooking skills? Try to learn together, as she will need the same skills herself when she goes out on her own. Can she handle a chicken? My mom was a great cook but wouldn't touch fish, so I did the fish cookery from the age of ten. Maybe she can help you on this. And if you can't handle a whole chicken, but can touch raw chicken otherwise, look for leg quarters. It's the best quantity of meat, and dark meat is more nutritious than white.

If you want bread and pizza, learn to bake. I buy the large pack of dry yeast at Costco for about $4 and split it with a friend, then buy white whole wheat flour. Pizza dough is unbelievably simple and easy once you get the hang of it, you can top it with all kinds of things, and it's something your DD may enjoy making with you. It's also a great way to feed a lot of her friends inexpensively. This is my go-to for parties for my DD - almost ten kids can eat for around $12, they love rolling out and topping their own pizzas, and far from being "poor food," they think it's really cool.

Check the library for Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. This is a very simple and work-friendly method for having fresh, gourmet homemade breads that take very little time.

It has worked best for me to use versatile whole ingredients with classic flavorings. Bacon is expensive, but one slice sauteed with an onion can make the flavor of a meal. When I buy a bag, I take out a few slices to eat straight and dice and freeze the rest to flavor other foods.

I also set aside enough to buy special ingredients that may seem like luxuries, but are nutritious and not too expensive per meal. One pomegranate in season can class up your meals for a week for $1.25. I buy a bag of lemons or limes, use some fresh, cut the rest in halves and wedges and freeze. Freezing gives you more of the juice, and you can defrost one half at a time to squeeze over beans, into drinks, etc. Cilantro and parsley go a long way, and you can chop and freeze the extra in oil to use next week. A little good Parmesan kept in the freezer can make many meals taste rich. Spices are essential. If you can get to Glut food co-op in Mt. Rainier, buy bulk spices there - they have excellent spices and most are cheaper than anywhere else. They have other bulk items as well, some very good deals, although many of their other items are expensive. They are also a good source for cheese. Costco is another great option for quality cheese.

Tacos - the bag of fifty yellow or white corn for a couple of bucks - are a better bang for the buck than bread. Three taco shells can turn a few dabs of leftovers into a meal, and they last much longer. They can be baked into fresh chips for a treat.

Any ingredient you can use in more than one way helps you avoid boredom and waste.

Buy cabbage instead of lettuce. It's cheap, can be eaten raw and crunchy for tacos and salads, and works cooked in several other dishes.

Carrots are also cheap - even organic - and can be roasted, used in salad and soup and fresh with homemade bean dip.

Sweet potatoes over regular potatoes, when affordable. Regular potatoes over bread. Steam a pot of potatoes, eat some mashed with your rotisserie chicken, and use the rest throughout the week to stretch your scrambled eggs, quesadillas, soups etc.

The poster who mentioned cooking a larger pot of beans and freezing in portion sizes is right. Too much of the same can get monotonous, but this way you can vary it as easily as opening a can at about a quarter to a third of the price.

In general, try to take advantage of your cooking time to cook a little ahead. Hardboil a few eggs after you make pasta, instead of pouring the hot water down the drain. Roast a pan of vegetables every time you make a roast - eat some with dinner, and make soup with the rest. The flavor is so much better. If you're chopping half an onion, chop the whole thing and put the rest aside to saute with your eggs in the morning.

Waste nothing. Always make stock from your bones and veggie trimmings.

Be judicious with frozen vegetables. There are a lot of good deals, and they're usually more nutritious than canned. If frozen chopped onions make it more likely that you'll cook from scratch, go for it. I always have a dollar bag of mirepoix (diced onions, carrots and celery) in the freezer for when I'm running short of time and want to make a soup.

It's best to have some raw fruits. Bananas are the least nutritious of all raw fruits - they're basically starch. However, a half a banana and a little cinnamon make French toast into a luxury. Frozen berries on sale are good for smoothies and oatmeal. If nothing else, I always buy the 3-lb bag of organic apples.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
If you want bread and pizza, learn to bake. I buy the large pack of dry yeast at Costco for about $4 and split it with a friend, then buy white whole wheat flour. Pizza dough is unbelievably simple and easy once you get the hang of it, you can top it with all kinds of things, and it's something your DD may enjoy making with you. It's also a great way to feed a lot of her friends inexpensively. This is my go-to for parties for my DD - almost ten kids can eat for around $12, they love rolling out and topping their own pizzas, and far from being "poor food," they think it's really cool.

Great post and tips! Can you post your pizza dough recipe? Thanks

[Anonymous]

What wonderful, caring beautiful peopkle we have on this board. Happy New Year to you all.

[Anonymous]

These suggestions are awesome!!!! Very inspirational!

[Anonymous]

This thread makes me cry. Years ago, I was without food and shelter, new to the area and knowing no one. So I love this thread and the results. I am going to give tonight. So often things like this are a scam, glad to see it is (hopefully) not. Glad to see OP is making progress. God bless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If you want bread and pizza, learn to bake. I buy the large pack of dry yeast at Costco for about $4 and split it with a friend, then buy white whole wheat flour. Pizza dough is unbelievably simple and easy once you get the hang of it, you can top it with all kinds of things, and it's something your DD may enjoy making with you. It's also a great way to feed a lot of her friends inexpensively. This is my go-to for parties for my DD - almost ten kids can eat for around $12, they love rolling out and topping their own pizzas, and far from being "poor food," they think it's really cool.

Great post and tips! Can you post your pizza dough recipe? Thanks

Not PP but I use the one from The New Best Recipe - you can find it at your library. DH has become a master at stretching and tossing the dough. I very rarely get pizza out because what we make at home is soooo good!

[Anonymous]

Bump.