Building a Base of 750 calories; then ADD TO IT (customize for your needs, and food budget)

Because I'm 65; my husband is 72, and we're on a FIXED income, it was necessary to build a base of REGULAR DAILY FOODS that we liked (and was also balanced).  By doing this, we SAVE MONEY by making sure that the 'base' is the kind of food that stores well; saves trip to the grocery store.

FROM THAT BASE, we build 'up' to meet our different calorie requirements.  Mine is 1340 calories a day, my husband's is 1690 calories a day.

Here's my 'base' - I thought this might help others who have constraints on the grocery allowance, and also this allows you to CUSTOMIZE to tailor for the individuals in your household.

EVERY DAY AT BREAKFAST:  One apple; Granola or Oatmeal, and 1/2 cup of cottage cheese.

EVERY DAY AT LUNCH:  One pita - whole-wheat; 2 ounces of a lunch-meat, and 1 CUP of raw carrots.

EVERY DAY AT DINNER:  Another cup of RAW carrots - Peas (about 12 pea pods - we like the sugar peas) - cooked, OR FRESH/RAW.  Four ounces of chicken breast (no skin - poached or baked).  1/2 cup of whole-wheat pasta, or one small RED potato.

SNACK:  15 seedless grapes. 

At this point, you've got about 750 calories.

I now can add:  600 calories for me; 950 calories for my husband.

Because of our age, the best foods for us to FOCUS ON ARE:

garlic, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, peanut butter, cottage-cheese, yogurt, oranges, seafood, cranberries, walnuts, onions, almonds, broccoli, cabbage, and pumpkin, and beets.

My husband LOVES PEANUT BUTTER.  He spreads 1T on a banana (total of 210 calories) - this is one of his snacks.  He adores tomatoes, so I fix those with a tomato sauce; the garlic and onion, and serve it with the pasta and chicken.  The low calorie count on this barely adds to his needed '950', but by adding the banana and peanut butter, he's now only got 740 more to go!

I make up COOKED CABBAGE - he eats that as if it's 'candy' - and we can add another 100 to 200 calories - depending on how much he eats.  With 540 to go, he quickly makes up that calorie need by eating WALNUTS (1/3 cup), and sometimes I put walnuts into pumpkin that is 'spiced' with the pumpkin-pie spice, and a bit of honey.  I stir in YOGURT - and that makes a super dessert - this usually gets him to his desired calorie count.

For me, I STOP AT THE PUMPKIN - this means I eat everything else, but the pumpkin treat.

ALL THE FOODS ARE EASY TO STORE; NOT TOO HIGH IN COST (walnuts being the most expensive), and I can 'vary' the dinner with SEAFOOD (another important food for us in our age-group).

The spinach often is fresh - a salad of sliced red onion; tomatoes, and a little RED GRAPEFRUIT which I just 'live on as my candy'.

WE LOVE CRANBERRIES - they can total up pretty quickly in calories, so we have that as a 'relish'.  I cut up an orange, and fold into the cranberries - very tasty.

We do NOT 'vary' the diet to the extent we over-spend; we vary it often enough so we don't get bored, but one of the secrets to NOT OVER-EATING, is to become 'bored' with food; to get MORE ACTIVE, and start finding other 'interests' than just 'eating'.  I'm an advocate of eating to be healthy; eating to live, and NOT living to eat.

Anyway, I suggest you calculate your 'base' - and the money you have for food; surprisingly, THE HEALTHIER WE EAT, THE LESS IT COSTS US - the high-priced foods are often not good for you; 'prepared', and we eat out only once a week. 

When we eat out, we still FOCUS on the good food - usually at a buffet - this allows us to select the SIZE OF THE PORTIONS, and we keep each food as 'natural' as possible (none of that creamed stuff or casseroles where you don't know what the calorie count is to save your life).

Since I've been doing this for 45+ years, and never have to adjust the food budget for rising prices; have never been over-weight, I figure there just might be some sense/cents in all of this.  Diane

Excellent idea. I have been doing somewhat the same, eating very well and not spending a massive amount on groceries. Thanks for posting.

Trisha

Wow!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

That is a fascinating idea...

I think you make some good points.  I happen to be fairly familiar with keeping items that store well because I live quite far from the nearest grocery store so a trip in adds $10 in gas to my food costs.  All your base items strike me as perishables.  You must live close to stores.  You are fortunate because I think it ends up being less healthy in general when foods have to be stored longer. 

I shop once every 2 weeks so at the end of the first week, the bananas would be rotten if they weren't all eaten.  Apples last better if refridgerated.  I recently bought a new fridge and now vegetables keep longer but there is only so much room in the crisper.  We end up eating stuff that can be frozen.  So, I prepare meals like chilli and spaghetti sauce in large quantities and freeze them in smaller containers for use over the long term.  Then, we have these foods once a week to prevent the boredom you mentioned.  I have a deep freezer to store all this.  Bread freezes well. 

I like your ideas.  I think that I would do something like that if my husband was not so finnicky.  He can't eat the same thing every day.  He prefers to live on chips and pop!  It is hard being the health conscious one trying to pass that to the kids with the example he sets. 

 Good for you and your method.  It sounds very healthy.