Anonymous wrote:When I was a single mom, DD and I fed ourselves off $750 monthly of food stamps. We were able to do grass-fed/organic meat & eggs, too. What I did:

Breakfast was always oatmeal + pastured eggs + fruit on sale.

Lunch/Dinner was one of these rotating items:
Chuck roast
Pork Chops
Burger patties
Tilapia
Chicken Thighs

Served with either rice, potatoes, or egg noodles.

Veggies were carrots, celery, onions, sometimes mushroom and peppers, collard greens.

I'd also rotate in in spaghetti with meat sauce, stuffed peppers, tacos, homemade chicken noodle soup.

If we had extra food stamps at the end of the month, I'd get steaks or shrimp.

Honestly, I would still eat this way if H didn't complain. I was in fantastic shape.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can grow your own food. It's really not that expensive to buy starter plants. I never use fertilizer or pesticides either. I spent maybe $30 of plants that has provided us with veg from late June-now and probably through the end of Sept. You can can via boil water method too.

I am poor and have no outdoor space and no direct sunlight in my tiny apartment. I can't grow my own food. Having land is for rich people!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You seem to have little or no empathy OP. Why judge people so harshly? It sounds like your mom did what she could, but that food does not seem healthy. Have you been to a store lately? Fruits and vegetables are very expensive. The only thing that isn't is Trader Joes pasta and pasta sauce. It wouldn't be healthy to eat that for long. Also, since you're so judgey, why was your mom a single mom? Why no man in the picture? She could have afforded more for you with a man in the pic.

Seriously?

Organic black Lentils are $2.99. Carrots are $3.00. Celery $2.99. Make a soup in a pot that will feed you for a week. So many excuses.

How many true blood, “North American” bred and raised people have ever eaten a lentil, much less knowing how to prepare a dried one?

And are you really making soup with only lentils, carrots, celery, water? Seems like it would taste awful. You aren’t adding flavor. You aren’t skimming. What else is being used as an adjunct? People forget about the other things that make food palatable, or a meal - spices, broth, etc. those things cost money, need storage, and need some element to skill to use. I could do it, but I know what to do. It’s like saying bread and water are a meal.

DP here. Buy a rotisserie chicken for $5 and pick all the chicken off and chop/shred it. Divide it in two. Use one batch to make a casserole with frozen broccoli (microwaved), a can of cream of chicken, a can of cream of celery, sprinkle shredded cheese on top and bake. Serve over instant white rice. This feeds our family of four (with leftovers) for $10. Use the other half of the chicken to make a soup or stew (like chicken noodle or chicken tortilla, chicken rice, so many choices online with simple ingredients.) Also a $10 meal. Eating healthy dinners for $70/week for a family of four is pretty straightforward. Oatmeal or store brand cereal, milk, and bananas for breakfast. Tuna, PB, or Turkey sandwiches for lunch with sliced apples bought in bulk (or other in season produce on a good sale.) Supplement with canned/frozen fruit and veggies. Yes, you need more than what I've listed (spices, condiments, etc. but you don't go through those every time you use them.) You are making this much harder than it needs to be.

That is very high in fat and sodium, which isn’t good for cholesterol and glucose. Apples are also part of the dirty dozen, and pesticides directly correlate with weight gain.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the OP. I am sorry I wasn't clear. My point was that I keep hearing that poor people can't afford to eat healthy, but it can be done. It just involves planning, and cooking, and accepting that you may eat the same meals several days in a row.

Not always. Thanks for your singular data point.

+1 organic broccoli for 4 of us for a single dinner was $8. Why isn’t the US subsidizing organic green veggies? It would reduce healthcare costs considerably and is better for the planet than dairy and corn.

Healthy food is grossly expensive.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You seem to have little or no empathy OP. Why judge people so harshly? It sounds like your mom did what she could, but that food does not seem healthy. Have you been to a store lately? Fruits and vegetables are very expensive. The only thing that isn't is Trader Joes pasta and pasta sauce. It wouldn't be healthy to eat that for long. Also, since you're so judgey, why was your mom a single mom? Why no man in the picture? She could have afforded more for you with a man in the pic.

Seriously?

Organic black Lentils are $2.99. Carrots are $3.00. Celery $2.99. Make a soup in a pot that will feed you for a week. So many excuses.

How many true blood, “North American” bred and raised people have ever eaten a lentil, much less knowing how to prepare a dried one?

And are you really making soup with only lentils, carrots, celery, water? Seems like it would taste awful. You aren’t adding flavor. You aren’t skimming. What else is being used as an adjunct? People forget about the other things that make food palatable, or a meal - spices, broth, etc. those things cost money, need storage, and need some element to skill to use. I could do it, but I know what to do. It’s like saying bread and water are a meal.

DP here. Buy a rotisserie chicken for $5 and pick all the chicken off and chop/shred it. Divide it in two. Use one batch to make a casserole with frozen broccoli (microwaved), a can of cream of chicken, a can of cream of celery, sprinkle shredded cheese on top and bake. Serve over instant white rice. This feeds our family of four (with leftovers) for $10. Use the other half of the chicken to make a soup or stew (like chicken noodle or chicken tortilla, chicken rice, so many choices online with simple ingredients.) Also a $10 meal. Eating healthy dinners for $70/week for a family of four is pretty straightforward. Oatmeal or store brand cereal, milk, and bananas for breakfast. Tuna, PB, or Turkey sandwiches for lunch with sliced apples bought in bulk (or other in season produce on a good sale.) Supplement with canned/frozen fruit and veggies. Yes, you need more than what I've listed (spices, condiments, etc. but you don't go through those every time you use them.) You are making this much harder than it needs to be.

That is very high in fat and sodium, which isn’t good for cholesterol and glucose. Apples are also part of the dirty dozen, and pesticides directly correlate with weight gain.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You seem to have little or no empathy OP. Why judge people so harshly? It sounds like your mom did what she could, but that food does not seem healthy. Have you been to a store lately? Fruits and vegetables are very expensive. The only thing that isn't is Trader Joes pasta and pasta sauce. It wouldn't be healthy to eat that for long. Also, since you're so judgey, why was your mom a single mom? Why no man in the picture? She could have afforded more for you with a man in the pic.

Seriously?

Organic black Lentils are $2.99. Carrots are $3.00. Celery $2.99. Make a soup in a pot that will feed you for a week. So many excuses.

But soup requires water. Many people don’t have water. Also getting those things requires a car to go to the grocery store. Many people don’t have a car. Therefore they understandably give up and just go to the drive-through at McDs

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up poor. My single mom made minimum wage her entire life as a personal support worker. She is from southern Africa and only has a 6th grade education. We ate very healthy food. What made it work was that she cooked from scratch and we ate the same food several days in a row.

She managed the cost of food by preparing simple healthy dishes (stews and cornmeal porridge, or stews and rice).

She managed the time it takes to shop and cook by cooking one or two big pots of stew per week, so there was not so much variety in what we ate. We didn't have a car, so we took the bus to the grocery store once a week.

She got paid every Thursday and on payday we would have a treat (maybe a pizza or burgers).

Anyway, she came from a different place and a different time, but that is how you can be poor and eat healthy.

So why don't you go to a store today, armed only with $300 in food stamps for one month for 4 people and see how you do. Feel free to come back and show us how you did it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You seem to have little or no empathy OP. Why judge people so harshly? It sounds like your mom did what she could, but that food does not seem healthy. Have you been to a store lately? Fruits and vegetables are very expensive. The only thing that isn't is Trader Joes pasta and pasta sauce. It wouldn't be healthy to eat that for long. Also, since you're so judgey, why was your mom a single mom? Why no man in the picture? She could have afforded more for you with a man in the pic.

Seriously?

Organic black Lentils are $2.99. Carrots are $3.00. Celery $2.99. Make a soup in a pot that will feed you for a week. So many excuses.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You seem to have little or no empathy OP. Why judge people so harshly? It sounds like your mom did what she could, but that food does not seem healthy. Have you been to a store lately? Fruits and vegetables are very expensive. The only thing that isn't is Trader Joes pasta and pasta sauce. It wouldn't be healthy to eat that for long. Also, since you're so judgey, why was your mom a single mom? Why no man in the picture? She could have afforded more for you with a man in the pic.

Seriously?

Organic black Lentils are $2.99. Carrots are $3.00. Celery $2.99. Make a soup in a pot that will feed you for a week. So many excuses.

How many true blood, “North American” bred and raised people have ever eaten a lentil, much less knowing how to prepare a dried one?

And are you really making soup with only lentils, carrots, celery, water? Seems like it would taste awful. You aren’t adding flavor. You aren’t skimming. What else is being used as an adjunct? People forget about the other things that make food palatable, or a meal - spices, broth, etc. those things cost money, need storage, and need some element to skill to use. I could do it, but I know what to do. It’s like saying bread and water are a meal.

DP here. Buy a rotisserie chicken for $5 and pick all the chicken off and chop/shred it. Divide it in two. Use one batch to make a casserole with frozen broccoli (microwaved), a can of cream of chicken, a can of cream of celery, sprinkle shredded cheese on top and bake. Serve over instant white rice. This feeds our family of four (with leftovers) for $10. Use the other half of the chicken to make a soup or stew (like chicken noodle or chicken tortilla, chicken rice, so many choices online with simple ingredients.) Also a $10 meal. Eating healthy dinners for $70/week for a family of four is pretty straightforward. Oatmeal or store brand cereal, milk, and bananas for breakfast. Tuna, PB, or Turkey sandwiches for lunch with sliced apples bought in bulk (or other in season produce on a good sale.) Supplement with canned/frozen fruit and veggies. Yes, you need more than what I've listed (spices, condiments, etc. but you don't go through those every time you use them.) You are making this much harder than it needs to be.

Curious, where are your costs for the soups, the cheese, and rice? Where is this magical $5 chicken coming from daily, because food safety would dictate it shouldn’t be around more than a day or two. Depending on the size of the chicken, I wouldn’t expect it to fill a family for more than a night, and if two, it needs a bit of support. What re the other ingredients for this mysterious stew?

It sounds straightforward until you have to do it. Try it. But try it without any of your “stock” items - vegetables like mirepoix, spices, broth, condiments, etc.

Yes, you can eat cheaply when you “have to”. I was homeless and lived off off 0.33 ramen (cold, because I didn’t have a way to boil water) and bacon but with ketchup sandwiches (a luxury), It’s not a life in a way that is hard in the way many people here this is hard. And it’s not a life to give children.

Boiling organic lentils and make them taste good? Well, considering half the people here talk about what their kids will or won’t eat… empathy seems scarce.

I gave you recipes I make on a regular basis. And yes, a single rotisserie chicken is good for two dinners for my family of four, including two teens. The half we don't use right away gets frozen in a ziplock bag. The soup has a carton of chicken broth (2.50?) plus two cans of black beans ($3) plus 1 can of diced tomatoes and a small chopped onion. I always buy store brand. Yes I add spices but I buy them store brand and they last a long time, even with regular home cooking like I do.

You honestly just sound like you don't cook much.

My family didn't even have $10 for a meal

Four ritz crackers and drop of peanut butter for dinner

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You seem to have little or no empathy OP. Why judge people so harshly? It sounds like your mom did what she could, but that food does not seem healthy. Have you been to a store lately? Fruits and vegetables are very expensive. The only thing that isn't is Trader Joes pasta and pasta sauce. It wouldn't be healthy to eat that for long. Also, since you're so judgey, why was your mom a single mom? Why no man in the picture? She could have afforded more for you with a man in the pic.

Seriously?

Organic black Lentils are $2.99. Carrots are $3.00. Celery $2.99. Make a soup in a pot that will feed you for a week. So many excuses.

How many true blood, “North American” bred and raised people have ever eaten a lentil, much less knowing how to prepare a dried one?

And are you really making soup with only lentils, carrots, celery, water? Seems like it would taste awful. You aren’t adding flavor. You aren’t skimming. What else is being used as an adjunct? People forget about the other things that make food palatable, or a meal - spices, broth, etc. those things cost money, need storage, and need some element to skill to use. I could do it, but I know what to do. It’s like saying bread and water are a meal.

DP here. Buy a rotisserie chicken for $5 and pick all the chicken off and chop/shred it. Divide it in two. Use one batch to make a casserole with frozen broccoli (microwaved), a can of cream of chicken, a can of cream of celery, sprinkle shredded cheese on top and bake. Serve over instant white rice. This feeds our family of four (with leftovers) for $10. Use the other half of the chicken to make a soup or stew (like chicken noodle or chicken tortilla, chicken rice, so many choices online with simple ingredients.) Also a $10 meal. Eating healthy dinners for $70/week for a family of four is pretty straightforward. Oatmeal or store brand cereal, milk, and bananas for breakfast. Tuna, PB, or Turkey sandwiches for lunch with sliced apples bought in bulk (or other in season produce on a good sale.) Supplement with canned/frozen fruit and veggies. Yes, you need more than what I've listed (spices, condiments, etc. but you don't go through those every time you use them.) You are making this much harder than it needs to be.

Curious, where are your costs for the soups, the cheese, and rice? Where is this magical $5 chicken coming from daily, because food safety would dictate it shouldn’t be around more than a day or two. Depending on the size of the chicken, I wouldn’t expect it to fill a family for more than a night, and if two, it needs a bit of support. What re the other ingredients for this mysterious stew?

It sounds straightforward until you have to do it. Try it. But try it without any of your “stock” items - vegetables like mirepoix, spices, broth, condiments, etc.

Yes, you can eat cheaply when you “have to”. I was homeless and lived off off 0.33 ramen (cold, because I didn’t have a way to boil water) and bacon but with ketchup sandwiches (a luxury), It’s not a life in a way that is hard in the way many people here this is hard. And it’s not a life to give children.

Boiling organic lentils and make them taste good? Well, considering half the people here talk about what their kids will or won’t eat… empathy seems scarce.

I gave you recipes I make on a regular basis. And yes, a single rotisserie chicken is good for two dinners for my family of four, including two teens. The half we don't use right away gets frozen in a ziplock bag. The soup has a carton of chicken broth (2.50?) plus two cans of black beans ($3) plus 1 can of diced tomatoes and a small chopped onion. I always buy store brand. Yes I add spices but I buy them store brand and they last a long time, even with regular home cooking like I do.

You honestly just sound like you don't cook much.

Anonymous wrote:I grew up poor. My single mom made minimum wage her entire life as a personal support worker. She is from southern Africa and only has a 6th grade education. We ate very healthy food. What made it work was that she cooked from scratch and we ate the same food several days in a row.

She managed the cost of food by preparing simple healthy dishes (stews and cornmeal porridge, or stews and rice).

She managed the time it takes to shop and cook by cooking one or two big pots of stew per week, so there was not so much variety in what we ate. We didn't have a car, so we took the bus to the grocery store once a week.

She got paid every Thursday and on payday we would have a treat (maybe a pizza or burgers).

Anyway, she came from a different place and a different time, but that is how you can be poor and eat healthy.

Anonymous wrote:I replied on the first or second page, Latina, and immigrant, etc., blah blah blah. I think a lot of it really is cultural. Cooking from scratch is something my family always did in the home country and taught me. I could also live off the same meal for a week.

My husband, although he grew up poor, his parents didn’t cook and he ate mostly microwave meals. He can’t eat the same me for more than two days and so a lot of that trace is back to childhood.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You seem to have little or no empathy OP. Why judge people so harshly? It sounds like your mom did what she could, but that food does not seem healthy. Have you been to a store lately? Fruits and vegetables are very expensive. The only thing that isn't is Trader Joes pasta and pasta sauce. It wouldn't be healthy to eat that for long. Also, since you're so judgey, why was your mom a single mom? Why no man in the picture? She could have afforded more for you with a man in the pic.

Seriously?

Organic black Lentils are $2.99. Carrots are $3.00. Celery $2.99. Make a soup in a pot that will feed you for a week. So many excuses.

How many true blood, “North American” bred and raised people have ever eaten a lentil, much less knowing how to prepare a dried one?

And are you really making soup with only lentils, carrots, celery, water? Seems like it would taste awful. You aren’t adding flavor. You aren’t skimming. What else is being used as an adjunct? People forget about the other things that make food palatable, or a meal - spices, broth, etc. those things cost money, need storage, and need some element to skill to use. I could do it, but I know what to do. It’s like saying bread and water are a meal.

DP here. Buy a rotisserie chicken for $5 and pick all the chicken off and chop/shred it. Divide it in two. Use one batch to make a casserole with frozen broccoli (microwaved), a can of cream of chicken, a can of cream of celery, sprinkle shredded cheese on top and bake. Serve over instant white rice. This feeds our family of four (with leftovers) for $10. Use the other half of the chicken to make a soup or stew (like chicken noodle or chicken tortilla, chicken rice, so many choices online with simple ingredients.) Also a $10 meal. Eating healthy dinners for $70/week for a family of four is pretty straightforward. Oatmeal or store brand cereal, milk, and bananas for breakfast. Tuna, PB, or Turkey sandwiches for lunch with sliced apples bought in bulk (or other in season produce on a good sale.) Supplement with canned/frozen fruit and veggies. Yes, you need more than what I've listed (spices, condiments, etc. but you don't go through those every time you use them.) You are making this much harder than it needs to be.

Curious, where are your costs for the soups, the cheese, and rice? Where is this magical $5 chicken coming from daily, because food safety would dictate it shouldn’t be around more than a day or two. Depending on the size of the chicken, I wouldn’t expect it to fill a family for more than a night, and if two, it needs a bit of support. What re the other ingredients for this mysterious stew?

It sounds straightforward until you have to do it. Try it. But try it without any of your “stock” items - vegetables like mirepoix, spices, broth, condiments, etc.

Yes, you can eat cheaply when you “have to”. I was homeless and lived off off 0.33 ramen (cold, because I didn’t have a way to boil water) and bacon but with ketchup sandwiches (a luxury), It’s not a life in a way that is hard in the way many people here this is hard. And it’s not a life to give children.

Boiling organic lentils and make them taste good? Well, considering half the people here talk about what their kids will or won’t eat… empathy seems scarce.