$150 for a month of TF groceries

[krankedyann]

Theoretical question that isn't so theoretical- If you had $100-150 for four weeks of groceries for a family of four, what would you do?

We're gluten free, one of us is also dairy free. I have basic staples in the house already, some grains and a grain mill. Some beans. So I don't have to buy salt, baking soda, spices and the like.

I've already got a basic plan, but I'm looking for some ideas to spur my creativity. What would you buy and what meals would you serve?

[moondiapers]

at my local northern cali safeway store

4 small heads of cabbage $5
2 large tubs whole milk yogurt $7
4 1.5 lbs pkgs organic ground beef or bison $28
2 whole chickens $24
4 doz pastured eggs $16
4 pkgs kerrygold butter $20
2 lg pkgs oatmeal $8
8 large cans tomato sauce $16
1 large bag brown rice $6
8 lbs if different types of beans...$10

that leaves $10 for frozen veggies....here that would be 4 bags. I'd be making a lot of soups and chili dishes that would work for lunch the next day as well.

[Ruthla]

Probably a whole lot of rice and beans.

[eastkygal]

I would make sure I had pinto beans, potatoes, and onions on hand. Appalachian style soup beans and cornbread is a very cheap delicious meal. I would get 1 or 2 whole chickens. Our family of 3 eaters can make that last for 3-4 days if I do it in the crockpot. Ground beef is another good thing that you can make last. I also would get some basic veggies to do stir frys with rice and the chicken maybe. Eggs and cheese and some nuts would be great if you could swing it. I can do about 1/4 cup of nuts and a piece of Babybel cheese and let that be lunch. Oatmeal is a nice cheap breakfast as well.

I'm going to post a recipe for Hoppin' John that will feed about 6-8 adults and is a cheap meal on here for everyone. You might want to check that out.

[pnutS4us]

Hmmm.... I have been close to that myself! And have done it on $36 a week, for a family of 3.5....

Soups! We do a lot of soups anyway, but soups are what get us through the lean times. The lentil soup I do has carrots, celery, onion, a couple potatoes with skin left on, spices of choice, 1 smoked turkey leg (if not pureeing the soup) and chopped greens stirred in towards the end. Oh and some tomatoes (canned) in there too. I do about 6 qts, with one bag of lentils and plenty of broth or water. Feeds us for 3 nights with leftovers at lunch. Split pea soup the same way, and we really like the frozen pea soup in the NT book too, and that is a few nights. We do soups quite often during the month, at least 2 times a week. Access local farms, managed to get a bunch of winter squash for cheap and made really awesome roasted squash soup, chili, broccoli soup... Beans are your friend!

Eggs all ways! Baked, poached, scrambled, with vegg, cheese if you can have it. Baked potatoes with topping, like a pasta-esque sauce... little meat, lots of veg... tacos with lentil/rice filling with liver or ground meat mixed in with vegg, salads... when times are tough, I look to frozen veggies as as apposed to fresh salads.

I am sure to be back with more ideas!

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by eastkygal

Oatmeal is a nice cheap breakfast as well.

But not gluten-free.

[eastkygal]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

But not gluten-free.

I'm sorry... I'm not really up on gluten-free. I apologize for my ignorance.

[tayndrewsmama]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

But not gluten-free.

There are some certified GF oats, but not everyone can tolerate them even though they are GF. I am one of those people.

ETA: I have no good ideas for this. I could maybe pull it off in the summer with the garden going strong.

[pnutS4us]

Recipes...

PUMPKIN AND SAUSAGE SOUP
1 - 15 oz. can pumpkin
4 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. minced onion
*1/2 c half and half mixed with 1/2 c water
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T Italian Seasoning
1 pound spicy sausage or half sweet and half hot
½ t Sage
Add sausage, onion, & garlic to the pot, brown and drain. Add herbs & stir in the pumpkin. Stir in the broth and mix well. Simmer 20-30 minutes. Stir in the ½ & ½ and water and simmer on low another 10 minutes or so.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Winter Squash Soup
2 1/2 - 3 lb squash, fresh (or I bake a lot and use left over to make the soup next day)
6 cloves of garlic
2 onions, chopped
2 Tablespoons sage, chopped
4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
2 qts chicken broth
olive oil
Diced Fontina Cheese and sage leaves, for garnish (opt)

Pre heat your oven to 375 degrees F.
Slice the squash in half, scoop out seeds and strings. Poke holes in the fleshy side of squash, and stuff with three garlic cloves to each side. Brush the squash with olive oil. Place cut side down on a baking sheet, and bake for 35-45 minutes. Poke w/a fork and make sure that the majority of the squash meat is soft and tender.

While the squash is baking, saute the onions, sage & thymea until the onions start to turn brown.

Add the chicken broth and lower the heat to a simmer.

When the squash is done baking, spoon out the flesh of the squash and add it and the garlic to the soup.

Bring up the heat below the soup pot to medium and allow the soup to boil for about 15 minutes, then lower the heat back to low, and simmer for about 25 minutes. Use a stick blender to puree the mixture.

Ladle soup into serving bowls. Add cheese, and top with sage leaves if desired.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Asian Style Beef & Cabbage
1 lb ground beef
2 T sesame oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, sliced
1 bag cole slaw mix (or shredded cabbage and carrots)
1 T soy sauce
Crushed red pepper flakes or a teaspoon of that hot "chili garlic sauce" (the one with the rooster on it in the Asian aisle)
grated ginger (optional)

In a large skillet or wok, brown the ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Remove the beef from the skillet, drain and set aside.

Heat sesame oil in the skillet over med-high heat. Add garlic and green onions; stir-fry for 2 min. Add slaw mix; stir-fry for a few minutes till it's soft. Add soy sauce, stir-fry for 2 min.

Return the cooked ground beef to skillet with vegetable mixture, and season with red pepper flakes, or add your chili garlic sauce and ginger. Stir until ingredients are well combined and heated through.

This is a versatile recipe, and since I happened to have sesame oil, ginger, chili sauce, etc. in the cupboard I made it Asian. If you want to make it Mexican you can use a different oil, add some cumin & chili powder, get rid of the soy sauce, and use some Chalula and cilantro.

~*~*~*~*~*~
Broccoli soup


Chop a medium to large onion fine and start sauteeing it in a soup pot in butter.

When the onions are getting tender, add chicken broth or veggie broth.
When the broth is warm, add a couple of heads of fresh broccoli. (Chop the stems and divide the tops into soup-size pieces). Turn the heat down to simmer.

Put a couple of tablespoons of flour in a cup. Then, either using milk or some of the broth dipped from the pot, make a paste and gradually thin and stir it to get out the lumps. Just as the broccoli is getting tender, gradually stir the thickener paste into the soup. Stir well so it doesn't settle on the bottom or scortch. I have also been known to just puree to thicken.

Let warm well and season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. A little garlic powder and a dash of Italian seasoning can also be nice.

Serve into bowls and top with shredded cheese. This is good with cornbread or crackers.

[Ruthla]

The certified GF oats are also rather expensive; when money is tight I'd recomend making brown rice for breakfast with "typical oatmeal add ins" rather than expensive GF oats, even if her family can tolerate them.

I can't tolerate the GF oats either.

[tayndrewsmama]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

The certified GF oats are also rather expensive; when money is tight I'd recomend making brown rice for breakfast with "typical oatmeal add ins" rather than expensive GF oats, even if her family can tolerate them.

I can't tolerate the GF oats either.

Agreed. I just wanted to clarify for others who may be reading that they do exist.

[krankedyann]

I do have some buckwheat, rice and GF oats on hand for breakfasts. And I do have some beef left over from our last cow and a couple of packs of chicken leg quarters. And a few cans of home-canned tomatoes. Dry beans and some lentils. So I've got a good head-start.

My chickens should start producing eggs soon, too, but I don't know if it will be soon enough to help out with this month. When they're up to production, we'll be able to sell some eggs, so that will add to the food budget.

[ScarletBegonias]

here in northen ca, avocados are super cheap right now. we do a lot of avocados and carrots for snacks. cauliflower is a cheap, nutritious filler for soups and snacks. my family loves mashed 'potatoes' made with cauliflower instead of poatoes.

i second pp's suggestions of soups, beans and stews. shepherds pie is a cheap, delicious dinner that lasts us several days, including lunches and snacks. i make mine different every time, but basically as long as you have a good, thick gravy and lots of it, any combination of meats/veggies would be tasty. it also freezes very well.

i would also make a lot of shredded meat for snacks and to use in recipes. 1 pound of shredded meat can last us almost a whole week of dinners. i also make chinese fried rice in big batches, becasue we like it as a snack too. mine is pretty simple, but sometimes i doctor it up with homemade bbq pork, bean sprouts, etc.,. also, pot stickers are super cheap. i can make 60 of them for about $6, not including spices of course. i usually have meat left over, which i cook and throw into my fried rice.

fried rice:
make a batch of steamed rice
scramble 1-3 eggs with 1 tbls water for each egg & 1/2 tsp ginger per egg
add about 2-3 tbls of soy sauce per cup of cooked rice, to taste
throw in some finely chopped veggies, sauteed onion and garlic and whatever other spices you'd like. mix it up gently and spread on a cookie sheet. bake at 350 until rice is 'dry' and fluffy.

[nicolelynn]

I currently am doing $200/mo for 2 adults by getting hardly anything organic or pastured anymore (I cut that down from $500/mo all organic and pastured). But we are in Southern California which is more expensive and don't have room to stock anything...so that is $50/wk for everything except spices.

If I had to go even lower my guess is I would do some frozen veggies as I still buy all fresh veggies, so that would save some. Also, I still buy real maple syrup for pancakes on Saturdays, so maybe cut that out since it is $14 a pop and make muffins or use jam on pancakes instead.

I already basically do this, but I would develop an even more strict plan: a beans or lentils and rice night (or as PP said I love beans and cornbread), omelet for dinner night, get some omega 3's and protein by making salmon patties with canned salmon, stretch ground beef my mixing with lentils/an or using less, etc. I know it's not exactly TF but TJ brand brown rice pasta with marinara sauce and a bit of ground beef is cheap, filling and tasty.

The other night I made lentils and rice cooked in chicken (sadly of course good ole' Foster Farms) stock with chopped onions, and curried cabbage (with lots of butter for animal fat). I told DH that meal was $1 each, and was tasty and nutrient dense, so we were happy and thankful.

Best of luck!

[mamadelbosque]

A lot of rice & beans variations! My favs are black & pinto beans with salsa (for homemade, blend a can of tomatoes with some red chili flakes (I do 2 TBSPish but we like it HOT, so... to taste, then mix in 1 tsp oregano and 1tsp garlic powder and some cilantro if you have it. Best after chilling for an or or two in the fridge.), cheese & onions.

Another fav around here is curried potatoes: 1 cup lentils (we like brown/green for regular, or red with sweet potatoes) in 4 cups water or coconut milk (up to 2 cans), bring to a boil then add chunks of potatoes and cook for 15-20 minutes, then add 1 TBSP curry powder and cook till everythings tender. Serve over rice (basmati if you have it), with yogurt and tortillas or chapatis (3 cups flour with 1 cup water and 1 tsp salt, mix together, shape into ball and let set for an hour or so, then fry on a dry skillet) on the side.

Hope that helps you some!!

[gilamama]

Originally Posted by tayndrewsmama

There are some certified GF oats, but not everyone can tolerate them even though they are GF. I am one of those people.
.

but they ar enot cheap

my kids will eat a soft boiled egg and some cut up fruit for b-fast i eat 2 eggs and fruit.

we love potatoes so i'd do alot of those. you can make hamburgers small (i.e. cheap) and cook 'em in fried onions and serve on top of alot of mashed potatoes. mmmmmm...

you can do roast potatoes with salt pepper paprika thyme mustard powder ...
you can do french fries

you can do shephards pie.

sardines.

good luck...

[Shakti77]

I think it's doable. Krankedyann, I read your website and forums once in a while and I know you are a very resourceful person. You can do it! Here are some things that I can think of... Most of which you might already know.. With very good meal planning, you can mostly certainly do it.

- Soaked GF oatmeal for breakfast - oat groats can be soaked to make energy bars, soaked granola, soaked pancakes, soaked waffles, soaked muffins - easy to soak everything and make it in the morning - doesn't take much work too..

- I make soaked crepes out of amaranth, quinoa and sorghum and they come out very well.

- Save all bones in a gallon size freezer bag and make stock when it's full. Call your nearby butchers to ask if they have extra bones.. Most of the time, it's free and sometimes really cheap. But makes amazing stock.

- GF tortillas - you can soak the dough overnight and make it the next day. Use the tortillas to make burritos stuffed with veggies, some brown rice, and mashed up beans..

- Don't let anything goto waste - brown rice freezes well, so do pancakes, waffles etc.. left over veggies go into soups.. Left over GF tortillas can be brushed up with olive oil and baked for sometime and make some salsa/hummus/guacamole to go with it.

- Dried beans can be soaked/sprouted easily and also can be frozen in 2 cup portions. I have frozen cooked beans and raw sprouted beans.

- make your own GF crackers - I saw a recipe on mothering.com as well

- Look for gluten free flours in Ethnic stores - Besan/gramflour, bajra/bajri flour (a type of millet), jowar/sorghum flour are all very cheap (about 2 bucks each for 1 lb bag) and can be found in Indian stores. I make crepes out of gramflour (besan in Indian stores) and soaked green mung beans / green mung bean flour. The gram flour is a bean flour and is gluten free. You can also make steamed savory cakes out of it and it tastes VERY good!

- Lentils/Beans from ethnic stores.. cheaper. lentil soups, sprouted lentil salads..

- Making your own Sauerkraut/kimchi is very cheap.

- look into making your own kombucha - you can get free scoby from here. I picked up mine yesterday and am all excited about it. Free gallon size or bigger pickle jars from freecycle or delis or restaurant.. all you need is some sugar and tea to maintain it..

- water kefir - if you can find some free water grain kefirs..

- Make corn tortillas - soaked if possible

[caedmyn]

Lots and lots of potatoes...a 20 lb bag at Walmart is $5.99. I just peel them thickly since they're supposed to be pretty bad for pesticides. I'd also look at using the cheapest GF grains. Sorghum is around $.70 a lb here for a 25 lb bag, although I know it's hard to find as a whole grain. Quinoa seems to be very expensive. Millet and buckwheat are fairly cheap. I'd also look at buying whatever fats are cheapest, if you don't have enough on hand for the month. I buy Tillamook butter, which is at least partially pastured and rBGH free. I can usually find it on sale for $2.50/lb or less, and that is the cheapest healthy fat I've found. And I'd use meat sparingly, too, since it's fairly pricey, especially pastured meats.

I'd cut out fruit entirely since it's expensive and not very filling, or use only bananas and applesauce if you can't live without it. And buy the cheapest veggies, frozen or things that are high in calories and cheap like sweet potatoes.

[Teenytoona]

For my fats, I'd focus on butter and animal fats that I have already. With a limitied budget, I'd also go with conventional meats/products. Soups are a good idea or even stews/curries over grain of your choice. Eggs are good. I tend to buy frozen veggies when I'm budgeting, that way if I don't get to them right away (to make a stew, for instance) then I know they won't go bad.

Cabbage is well priced this time of year.

[Koalamom]

We are on a really tight budget, so we focus on nutrient dense foods. I find it much easy to spend less on food in the summer when there are loads of farmers markets. So in the winter things are not usually local or organic.
-Kale and other dense greens (my DD loces them steamed and with butter)
-Homemade yogurt (raw milk is $3 a gallon, so I can make yogurt for almost nothing.)
-Local farmers surprisingly try to give their cow liver away for something as cheap as $1 lb and charge $15 lb for expensive cuts.
-Unsalted butter (see if it has "natural flavoring" and call the company to see what it is. It usually is cultures which is a good thing.)
-Potatoes!
-Whole chickens and make loads of broth and soup.

It is hard to eat well on a budget. I am pregnant and have aversions to things that are really cheap. Luckily soups are fine.

I have found that when things are tight summer is also good because you can help local farmers out in exchange for food. Like I would pick berries in exchange for half of whatever I picked. At the end of apple harvest season, I would go to the local organic orchards and the farmers would basically give away the apples left on the trees.
I would grind wheat for a local market vendor in exchange for a bag or organic sweet potatoes each week.
I know you don't do gluten, but check with local feed stores to see if they carry local grain. My feed store did, and they had unsprayed wheat and rye for $10 for 80 lbs. That makes alot of bread.

I know this may sound silly, but eating like a peasant (not ramen noodles but plain foods) is actually simpler and cheaper.