I need ideas...

Hi. First of all, I'm new here so HOWDY!

I am (hopefully) on my way to getting to my goal weight. I need some ideas on what type of foods to buy. I am a single mom of 2 boys (10&2) w/ a very limited income. I can't really buy seperate foods for me like diet dinners, low cal stuff. So what type of family meals can I do that would also be great for everyone else? My usual shopping list includes chicken, steak, sausage, pasta, apples, bananas, clementines, tuna, etc. Also kids cereal ie; Fruit Loops, Cocoa Pebbles, but also pick up Special K Red Berries & Strawberry Mini Wheats for me. Any ideas on what type of meals to have with all the "typical" food shopping I usually do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance. -Katie (Newbie )

Original Post by lil_red_ridin_hood:

 I can't really buy seperate foods for me like diet dinners, low cal stuff. 

 My usual shopping list includes chicken, steak, sausage, pasta, apples, bananas, clementines, tuna, etc. Also kids cereal ie; Fruit Loops, Cocoa Pebbles, but also pick up Special K Red Berries & Strawberry Mini Wheats for me.

You don't need special food- you need fresh unprocessed food- no ready meals, processed burgers/foods etc. Look for bargains in the fruit & veg section and use them in meals like bolognese/stews/soups etc. Use less meat (to save money) and try to include more veg. You don't have to cook seperate meals for the kids- get them eating healthy too- they can survive without the chicken nuggets! LOL! Your cereals are okay- but very high sugar (I mean YOUR cereals, as well as the kids ones)- why not get bulk bags of wheat/oat based cereals (non-name brands, usually a LOT cheaper) and add your fruit/nuts to make muesli type cereals? Just a thought?

Original Post by lil_red_ridin_hood:

My usual shopping list includes chicken Good, steak Good, sausage Not bad, pasta could be worse, apples good, bananas good, clementines good, tuna good, etc. Also kids cereal ie; Fruit Loops garbage, Cocoa Pebbles garbage, but also pick up Special K Red Berries garbage with a good marketing campagne & Strawberry Mini Wheats garbage for me.

I don't see any veggies on your list, which is the big thing that jumps out.  Buy lots of chicken/steak/etc (especially if it's on sale) and freeze it (my local grocery store marks chicken down about 50% towards the end of the week and my fiance and I buy 25lbs at a time and freeze it).

With all of your meat and veggies you can grill the meet and steam veggies, make stir frys, etc.  Brown rice is probably a better carb source than pasta, but pasta isn't terrible.

Your breakfast can really use some work, try old-fashoned oatmeal.  Much cheaper and healthier than all the junk cereal your buying now.  You can add spices like cinammon or fresh/frozen fruit to it when its cooking.  Eggs are another great breakfast option.  They're cheap and they're great for you. 

You could get some frozen veggies-broccoli, califlower, green beans etc.  Also whole wheat breads and pasta.  My easy go to dinner meal -very quick.  Cook some whole wheat pasta, add a bunch of fresh spinach at the end of cooking to whilt and stir in a jar of tomato basil pasta sauce.  You could also add some chicken to the meal also.  The pre-cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast that come frozen in a bag are great.  Just put them on a plate in the microwave for about 5 min and they are done-they are a bit more expensive but seem to last my family a while.  Also yogurt and lowfat cheese-you could make grilled cheese (no butter) on whole wheat with a side of veggies or soup.  I also buy the whole wheat mac and cheese for my kids sometime, but I usually dont eat it or if I do I dont eat too much. 

These simple, healthy calorie-counted meals go down very well with my young son.  

Meatballs and Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce

Breaded Chicken with Broccoli and Pasta Pesto

Chicken Fried Rice

Lamb & Red Onion Kebabs

Breakfast:

plain yogurt with fruit (fresh or frozen)

old-fashioned oatmeal (yummy!) with a tbsp peanut butter or nuts and half a banana - my current favorite

Lunch:

fresh veggies, lean meats and whole-grain breads

- chicken tacos with w-g tortillas and lots of veggies or as a taco salad

- tuna salad = lime juice, carrots, jicama, celery, cilantro (no mayo!) on a bed of lettuce

- a big plate of mixed veggies with lemon juice and basil as dressing (my current favorite)... kidney beans or chickpeas, tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, radishes + 1 boiled egg and 1 slice w-g bread

Dinner:

I make lots of tomato-based stews and casseroles (a little cheese)

a fun low cal snack I ran across the other day...

small size wheat tortilla (or the like) with a small amt of peanut butter, banana slices, apple slices, maybe a dash of coconut... or whatever other fruits you and the kids like... perhaps kiwi.

In general when you do your pasta dishes, load them up with lots of veggies and less meat and cheese.

Also, perhaps cut back on the steak, for $ & calories. Extra lean ground beef is prob better.

Don't forget about frittatas w/ lots of veggies and some cheese. Skip the crust.

oh and I also read about mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes. Do a little internet research to find a good/low cal recipe and then don't tell 'em it's cauliflower (until after they rave about how delicious it is ;0) )

Thanks everyone for your input. I plan on trying everything listed! I really like the mashed cauliflower idea!! Thanks again everyone

-Katie