Take a look at the food you cook now and see how you can make it better. Like say you were making stew, you could use less meat and more veggies. For lunch to go with your sandwich eat carrots and apples instead of chips. Look for changes you can make like that. Read lables for the things you do buy now and pick the lower fat, lower sodium one. Try a low fat version of margarine, cheese, milk,sour cream etc.. Just don't try to change everything at once. It really is all about baby steps.
RICKIEBETH 5/11/07 11:21 A
Just FYI -- to some people, ingredients such as leeks are "basic ingredients" and are available at any grocery store or farmers market. A leek is just the longer, milder cousin of the onion.
Just because you don't have the means to grow your own vegetables anymore (this is what I assume from your post -- correct me if I'm wrong) doesn't mean that you have to resort to hamburger helper every night. The menus provided by SP are just a suggestion and you don't have to use them -- I never have.
Since you grew up eating homegrown foods, you know that fruits and vegetables are best when they're in season. Find a local farmers market and go there every week. It's cheaper than a regular grocery store and you'll get the best stuff there is. If you want vegetables out of season, choose frozen ones over canned. Freezing retains most of the nutrients that canning destroys.
Round out your diet with grains and lean protein sources that are prepared simply. Bake, broil, grill, or poach your meats and use lots of spices for flavor. Mustard and tomato sauce are great condiments to use. Make a stir-fry with lots of vegetables and some shrimp or chicken and serve it over brown rice.
Basically, don't make a habit of seeking out the ingredients that you find in recipes. Do it the other way around. Find good ingredients that you like and then figure out what to do with them afterwards.
HUNISU 5/11/07 10:54 A
I generally try to get as close as I can. Though I will admit to substituting carrots more often than not.
I'm also lucky in that I have a farmer's market grocery not far from where I live that has awesome prices.
One thing you can do is look at the sales ads that come in the mail. Look to see what foods you can get on sale and plan meals around those foods. We eat lots of chicken when we can get it for $1.69/lb.
Hope this helps at least a little.
BWPAINTS 5/10/07 11:23 A
I'm just getting started here and come from a family who cooked everything from scratch. That didn't mean to buy the box and cook it on the stove. It means to grow your own vegetables, can them and use what you grow and raise on the farm. Flour and sugar were about the only things we needed from the store along with a few good spices. A lot of the recipes I see here require several ingredients I've never heard of, nor can find in the grocery store - like a leek. What is that? Are there any healthy recipes available which require the basic ingredients and you don't have to spend a ton of money going to a specialty grocery store to find? I understand wanting variety, but I'm fine with monotony. Should we completely throw out everything I learned growing up and start over, or is the way I prepare my food fine now? This is the part that I have difficulty understanding. I know baking is better than frying. I know fresh is better than canned. But, where do you go from there besides cutting out the Oreos? I don't make the money to buy everything on the grocery list prepared for me for the meals I SHOULD eat. So, how do I substitute affordable food for the items I can't find or afford?
