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poor people food
Thanks to our pets bankrupting us a few days ago (having all four of their annual vet checkups and vaccinations at once makes it easy to keep track of but holy crap can we say expensive!), I'm looking for ways to trim down our grocery shopping list this week.
I've googled, but all of the suggestions are for things like beans and rice (a staple when I was in college!) or bulky pasta dishes -- I can't eat those kinds of things due to the gestational diabetes, and lower GI substitutes like quinoa are $$$ here. Add to this that meat is yet another thing that's comparatively expensive in Australia (cheap ground beef is $7+/lb), and I'm having difficulty coming up with a meal list. Soooo...
What's your favorite 'poor people food'?
P.S. We already meal plan, don't buy much (if any) convenience food/soft drinks/etc, so I'm looking for recipe ideas vs ways to cut back in general. 
Re: poor people food
isn't it hard to eat good, healthy food for cheap?
What is in season there - do you have any local markets or fruit/veggie stands? In the summer it's pretty cheap to grill veggies - I like them ON a salad with some nice cheese, DH likes them with a salad. Last year we mostly grew our own but I know you can get them cheaper than a grocery store at the local markets and stands.
Maybe think of things you can make in bulk - like turkey (or other meat) chili filled with veggies. It's filling (unlike other soup type foods) and not carb-filled and you can eat it for a couple of days. DH and I don't mind eating left overs so that usually works for us. My mom swears it's still worth it to buy a whole chicken and use the entire thing, but I don't really like preparing meat - especially kind with bones so I don't know much about that.
My favorite meal during the last trimester was a spinach salad with avocado and grapefruit with a oil, vinegar, grapefruit juice and dijon dressing, random I know. I had trouble trying to eat a protein though.
We're coming into winter, so it's mostly things like squash. We do have a farmer's market here, but it's kind of odd - it's only once a month, and although everything there is homemade, it's primarily stuff like jam and bread and very little in the way of fresh produce or meat.
I was thinking of doing a big pot of chili - it's not Ben's favorite, but he'll eat it and like you said, it's filling and cheap!
I think chili is a great idea. Definitely filling and healthy!
I don't know if you've got an Asian market near you but miso goes a very long way. You could make a hearty, veggie rich miso-soup-that-eats-like-a-meal with chopped cabbage, carrots, greens, tofu (or not) etc. You could even toss some brown rice or something in there.
You can also make miso stir-fry or something, although it sounds like you might not be able to get very many veggies b/c of the season.
Also, if you can find thai curry pastes (one without preservatives) those can be stretched out into veggie rich soups, too.
Ummm... you could make squash/carrot soup?
Mjarda is pretty cheap to make too!
Alyson & Phil | Planning Bio | Married Bio!
Dates & Quinces Blog
Huge fresh veggie fans, with only a few exceptions like brusselsprouts and parsnips. Fish or turkey filled tacos are also favourites in our home.
Just found this cheap & healthy food blog, that might be of interest! Looks they have some pretty good recipes!
i am not sure what is ok for your diet w/the GD, but you can make some pretty hearty salads that are filling
can you have potatoes? or is that too carb heavy? there's a great potato soup in my blog
since brent does stuff in endocrinology i actually have a diabetic cookbook that he got for free...here are some of the recipes in it, not all poor man's food, but probably GD friendly (let me know if you want one scanned/emailed):
sizzling fajita mushrooms
corn chowder
portobello mushroom chili
fennel and tarragon soup
asparagus and red grape tomato salad with citrus vinaigrette
asian chicken salad
crispy chicken flautas
lemon oregano chicken w/veg. stacks
curry hot pot
red risotto with tofu
Jaime & Brent
Oahu, Hawaii | Sept. 9, 2005
My Food Blog - Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats
No potatoes, unfortunately - I can have a little sweet potato, but that's it. I also can't have corn or rice and Ben isn't a fan of soup.
(I swear the minute I pop these kids out I'm having a burger and fries lol.)
Let me see...the Asian chicken salad or the curry hot pot might work! Have you tried either one?
I'm a fan of bean soups. I made two huge batches recently, ate half and froze half for after baby arrives. The only things you really need to buy are the bags of beans and then you can improvise from there with whatever veggies and seasonings you have on hand.
Split Pea and Ham/Bacon/Sausage/Whatever Soup -- one bag of split peas, water, onions, carrots, celery, and some kind of meat diced up for flavor (don't need a lot). Add salt and pepper to taste. Cooks great in the crock pot.
Black Bean and Lentil Soup -- a bag of black beans and lentils, water, whatever veggies you have, crushed tomatoes or whatever type of canned tomato sauce you have, and seasonings to taste. Also cooks great in the crock pot.
I'm with you on the pet expenses... def a worthy expense, but OUCH, those visits are costly!
sorry, haven't tried either.
what about the pineapple black bean enchiladas in my blog?
Jaime & Brent
Oahu, Hawaii | Sept. 9, 2005
My Food Blog - Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats
I would love them, but black beans are ridiculously expensive here - we even have to buy them from a specialty store because they're not available in the regular grocery store. Do you think the recipe would work as well with a different kind of bean?
This looks like a great site - I've bookmarked it!
Given your GD status it's hard to cook on the cheap without traditionally "cheap" foods like potatoes, rice, beans and pasta.
Here's my healthy bugdetzilla suggestions:
Salad greens with grilled chicken, fish or shrimp (get whatever's on sale/special)....chicken thighs or even a whole chicken can be less expensive.
Omletes...seriously...throw some eggs in a pan and add whatever green veggies, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc. that you have on hand. You can add a slice of toast if you get some bread with higher fiber.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a glass of milk (get no-added sugar jelly) (on high fiber/low carb bread)
Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (on high fiber/low carb bread)
Do they sell quinoa or brown rice pasta where you live? I could have that when I had GD (just a half cup though). I'd use it as a base for Alfredo Sauce and throw in some green veggies (asparagus, spinach, broccoli, whatever was fresh and not too expensive) and then we might add shrimp (frozen and bought in bulk), turkey meatballs or grilled chicken breast. You could do a pesto sauce instead of alfredo or even just a little butter, herbs and garlic.
TTC/PG Blog | Mommy Blog
Lori - omelets! Brilliant! Ben won't eat 'em, but he can always have something else that night.
Yes to the quinoa pasta, but no to the brown rice pasta. The quinoa stuff is REALLY expensive though. Quinoa seems like it's only just becoming known in Australia, so it's still one of those "exotic" food items and therefore $$$$.
hi hi hi
poor people food aka college apartment starving student food... hahahha
we used to drink tang. hahaha just add water. and swiss miss. just add water. hahaha
lately when i buy a costco sized bag of carrots and celery and onions. i'll also buy a costco case of crushed tomatoes. then i also buy a big bag of tortellini.
so when i'm lazy, i just throw it altogether and make a tortellini soup.
but b doesn't like soup?
i'll also use the carrots and celery and throw it together with chicken and a korean curry mixes from the asian market.
i tend to buy my meats from costco in bulk and then partition them in ziploc baggies. then on weekends i'll plan my menu and buy vegetables. also i usually cook enough for 2 days worth. so that i'm not cooking every night of the week....
hawaii 10.2008 plan ;P married bio ???