Hi. Recently diagnosed T2 and put on 1000mg Metformin a day. I was
told a good rule to live by is 30 carbs to 15 protein per meal.

However, I have 2 toddlers in the house and am on a limited budget. I
get about $75/wk for food, gas, diapers, etc.

I am having an awful time trying to figure out the "best way" to eat -
with the constrained budget.

Any suggestions would be welcome!

Eggs are a very good source of protein and very inexpensive. Beans provide
protein, carbs and fiber and are also inexpensive.

"Sarinja" > wrote in message
...
> Hi. Recently diagnosed T2 and put on 1000mg Metformin a day. I was
> told a good rule to live by is 30 carbs to 15 protein per meal.
>
> However, I have 2 toddlers in the house and am on a limited budget. I
> get about $75/wk for food, gas, diapers, etc.
>
> I am having an awful time trying to figure out the "best way" to eat -
> with the constrained budget.
>
> Any suggestions would be welcome!
>

"Sarinja" > wrote in message
...
> Hi. Recently diagnosed T2 and put on 1000mg Metformin a day. I was
> told a good rule to live by is 30 carbs to 15 protein per meal.
>
Who told you this and what does it mean? I have never heard such a thing.

> However, I have 2 toddlers in the house and am on a limited budget. I
> get about $75/wk for food, gas, diapers, etc.

That's not very much unless it is cheap where you live. You certainly
couldn't do that here! I spend about $25 a week on gas alone. I have no
clue how much diapers cost these days. But 12 years ago they weren't cheap.
I'd say at least $20 a week with two kids who wear them. That doesn't leave
much for food.
>
> I am having an awful time trying to figure out the "best way" to eat -
> with the constrained budget.

Do you qualify for any assistance? I should think with such a limited
income, you would.
>
> Any suggestions would be welcome!

Eat beans. They contain both carbs and protein.

Unfortunately not, on the assistance question. Long story short, no -
I don't qualify.

As for the 30/15 ratio, I was given a book called: The Insulin
Resistance Diet. Written by Hart & Grossman, M.D.'s. Talks about carbs
and how they affect blood sugar levels and the protein necessity, etc.

I just... get frustrated looking at the recipes people hand out. It's
like, who are all these people that can afford so much of this all the
time? And, who has time to cook like that with toddlers in the house?

But, isn't there the threat of heart disease with too many eggs?

I am at the point where I'm scared to eat anything and screw up - and
then get hungry and say screw it and eat whatever I want. :-/ Not a
way to live.

Sarinja wrote:
> Unfortunately not, on the assistance question. Long story short, no -
> I don't qualify.
>
> As for the 30/15 ratio, I was given a book called: The Insulin
> Resistance Diet. Written by Hart & Grossman, M.D.'s. Talks about carbs
> and how they affect blood sugar levels and the protein necessity, etc.
>
> I just... get frustrated looking at the recipes people hand out. It's
> like, who are all these people that can afford so much of this all the
> time? And, who has time to cook like that with toddlers in the house?

Here's my suggestion for inexpensive, healthy sources of protein. (This is
what I do.) Buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts in quantity when they are
on sale for $1.99 lb, and freeze them, wrapped separately or in packs of
two. (Every few weeks one or the other of our local supermarkets will run
this sale.) Join a warehouse "club" like BJs and buy light--not
white--tuna, which they always have at the best price, and lean ground beef
and ground turkey in big packages at prices far below the supermarket.
Separate it into patties and freeze them, or make into big batches of
flavorful meatballs and sauce in a style that suits you (Italian, Indian,
Swedish...) and freeze in servings sufficient for future meals. All of those
things are kid-friendly, cheap sources of protein, adaptable to many forms
of cooking, and very good for you.

Also buy eggs and beans, preferably dried. At BJ's, you can buy Barilla's
Plus pasta for far less than in a supermarket--although it is still more
expensive than plain pasta--and it has more protein and more Omega 3s than
other pastas. You can also get by far the best price on skim milk, Greek
yogurt, and cottage cheese: all good low-fat sources of protein and calcium
for you and your kids.

"Sarinja" > wrote in message
...
> Unfortunately not, on the assistance question. Long story short, no -
> I don't qualify.
>
> As for the 30/15 ratio, I was given a book called: The Insulin
> Resistance Diet. Written by Hart & Grossman, M.D.'s. Talks about carbs
> and how they affect blood sugar levels and the protein necessity, etc.
>
> I just... get frustrated looking at the recipes people hand out. It's
> like, who are all these people that can afford so much of this all the
> time? And, who has time to cook like that with toddlers in the house?

My daughter is 12. She doesn't cook much now but as a toddler she always
helped me in the kitchen.

Who gave you the book? And what makes you think you should follow it? I
don't know about ratios so I wouldn't do well with such a diet.

"Janet" > wrote in message
...
> Sarinja wrote:
>> Unfortunately not, on the assistance question. Long story short, no -
>> I don't qualify.
>>
>> As for the 30/15 ratio, I was given a book called: The Insulin
>> Resistance Diet. Written by Hart & Grossman, M.D.'s. Talks about carbs
>> and how they affect blood sugar levels and the protein necessity, etc.
>>
>> I just... get frustrated looking at the recipes people hand out. It's
>> like, who are all these people that can afford so much of this all the
>> time? And, who has time to cook like that with toddlers in the house?
>
> Here's my suggestion for inexpensive, healthy sources of protein. (This is
> what I do.) Buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts in quantity when they
> are on sale for $1.99 lb, and freeze them, wrapped separately or in packs
> of two. (Every few weeks one or the other of our local supermarkets will
> run this sale.) Join a warehouse "club" like BJs and buy light--not
> white--tuna, which they always have at the best price, and lean ground
> beef and ground turkey in big packages at prices far below the
> supermarket. Separate it into patties and freeze them, or make into big
> batches of flavorful meatballs and sauce in a style that suits you
> (Italian, Indian, Swedish...) and freeze in servings sufficient for future
> meals. All of those things are kid-friendly, cheap sources of protein,
> adaptable to many forms of cooking, and very good for you.

Whoa! They are never that price here! Not even at Costco!
>
> Also buy eggs and beans, preferably dried. At BJ's, you can buy Barilla's
> Plus pasta for far less than in a supermarket--although it is still more
> expensive than plain pasta--and it has more protein and more Omega 3s than
> other pastas. You can also get by far the best price on skim milk, Greek
> yogurt, and cottage cheese: all good low-fat sources of protein and
> calcium for you and your kids.

Buying in bulk can be cheaper too. I buy the large tubs of cottage cheese
at Costco and I really save!

"Sarinja" > wrote in message
...
> But, isn't there the threat of heart disease with too many eggs?

No.
>
> I am at the point where I'm scared to eat anything and screw up - and
> then get hungry and say screw it and eat whatever I want. :-/ Not a
> way to live.

Right.

ok, this is an issue with me that very closely approaches anal retentive/ocd
so just remember as you read this that is where i am coming from. I will
use examples from my area of residence, since you have net acess you will
need to go on line to do the research/look for the ads and types of stores.
-first off, you need to apply for food stamps, WIC and commodties even if
you have already done so, you should do this no less than once a year, and
every six months if possible, and when/if you are rejected you need to know
the why for the rejcetion, dollar amount, assets and so forth, what you do
before the next applicatation is for you to decide.
-Child support, if the father of the children is not contributing
appropriately then you need to make a budget and keep detailed track of how
you spend your money so if you have the oppertunity to ask for an increase
your attorney has sufficent information to make a good case for the
increase.
-Aldi stores; this is a warehouse store that advertises as "the stock up
store", you can go and look at their www to see if they are in your area and
what things they offer. if there isn't one near you there will be a similar
store to fill this part of the market. Specifically at aldi, they have very
inexpensive canned vegetables and dry beans, also their dairy is positively
excellent if you read labels for natural products, they have some of the
best dairy in the cheese department outside of a speciality shop i have ever
eaten and its not near the cost of the regular grocery. They also offer on
a sparatic basis, really good frozen vegetables and olive oil much cheaper
than regular stores.
-THE NET; every week before we shop i go on line and look at the ads and
make my grocery lists from that, this does several things, it allows me to
have a list so i can take advantage of sales and save money, two weeks ago i
got skinless boneless chicken breasts for $1.69 lb. with a list you don't
buy impulse items, and with the lists yo can plan a route that allows you to
use as little gas as possible, and if you are out shopping it allows you to
either get the kids home as quickly as possible or pay less for the sitter.
-USED BY; when you are in a store shopping always look in the clearance
bins/shelves, this week DH got a package of sirlion steaks for $2.18 lb, the
regular was more than twice that and the other clearance packages were
almost $3.00 but as DH scrutinised he realised this package was much larger
and he figured that was why it was discounted, and for meat it was fine.
you don't always find stuff but when you get something from the bin if you
are careful it is a real money saver, my last favorite score was the lamb
breast for $2.99 lb when it runs over $5.00
-make a menu of meals, say three or four weeks, after you have looked at the
sales. I am not saying that you need to stick with the plan, but it helps
you purchase in the right amounts, if you can freeze and get meat on sale
good, but if your storage is small then you might only be able to plan for a
week at a time.
-use left overs, when you have vegetables at the end of a meal save them.
acrew them and have home made soup with some meals, puree the vegetables for
the kids.
-carbs, i am working on reducing carbs, and am transitiong with "better"
carbs, for want of a better term, and i am saying this because what i have
found is that this group of carbs is more filling for me. brown rice is
better than white in the general health dept. but it is still carbs, so when
you do need to have them buy the better ones as you need less to be filled
up.
-your kids; if they are out of the formula stage but still need baby foods,
consider making it yourself instead of the prepackaged stuff, a blender,
food processer or stick blender does wonders, my sister saved huge amounts
of money buy making her own baby food, saving the prepackaged stuff just for
occasions when she was out and need to just open or ad water because of the
day's activities...

if you are still reading, I sure hope i helped a little. meals totally with
the minuim carbs is not an area i can speak to but susan and mary l who both
post here can help with plannig and substitutes a great deal.

Lee
"Sarinja" > wrote in message
...
> Hi. Recently diagnosed T2 and put on 1000mg Metformin a day. I was
> told a good rule to live by is 30 carbs to 15 protein per meal.
>
> However, I have 2 toddlers in the house and am on a limited budget. I
> get about $75/wk for food, gas, diapers, etc.
>
> I am having an awful time trying to figure out the "best way" to eat -
> with the constrained budget.
>
> Any suggestions would be welcome!

the regular price for b/s chicken breast is about $2.25 its whole chickens
that never go on sale, Lee
"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Janet" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Sarinja wrote:
>>> Unfortunately not, on the assistance question. Long story short, no -
>>> I don't qualify.
>>>
>>> As for the 30/15 ratio, I was given a book called: The Insulin
>>> Resistance Diet. Written by Hart & Grossman, M.D.'s. Talks about carbs
>>> and how they affect blood sugar levels and the protein necessity, etc.
>>>
>>> I just... get frustrated looking at the recipes people hand out. It's
>>> like, who are all these people that can afford so much of this all the
>>> time? And, who has time to cook like that with toddlers in the house?
>>
>> Here's my suggestion for inexpensive, healthy sources of protein. (This
>> is what I do.) Buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts in quantity when
>> they are on sale for $1.99 lb, and freeze them, wrapped separately or in
>> packs of two. (Every few weeks one or the other of our local supermarkets
>> will run this sale.) Join a warehouse "club" like BJs and buy light--not
>> white--tuna, which they always have at the best price, and lean ground
>> beef and ground turkey in big packages at prices far below the
>> supermarket. Separate it into patties and freeze them, or make into big
>> batches of flavorful meatballs and sauce in a style that suits you
>> (Italian, Indian, Swedish...) and freeze in servings sufficient for
>> future meals. All of those things are kid-friendly, cheap sources of
>> protein, adaptable to many forms of cooking, and very good for you.
>
> Whoa! They are never that price here! Not even at Costco!
>>
>> Also buy eggs and beans, preferably dried. At BJ's, you can buy Barilla's
>> Plus pasta for far less than in a supermarket--although it is still more
>> expensive than plain pasta--and it has more protein and more Omega 3s
>> than other pastas. You can also get by far the best price on skim milk,
>> Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese: all good low-fat sources of protein and
>> calcium for you and your kids.
>
> Buying in bulk can be cheaper too. I buy the large tubs of cottage cheese
> at Costco and I really save!
>

Susan wrote:

> On a tight budget, buying whole pieces of meat or poultry and cutting
> and even grinding them onself is much more economical. Unless you can
> buy the whole thing and get it ground for free at the warehouse?

Assuming you own a meat grinder, this definitely can be true. Since she says
she doesn't even have time to cook, I doubt she has time to butcher meat and
grind it. Or cut them up for stir frys, stews, and so forth. Or make her own
sausage! All of which I do. <G>

> I buy whole chickens and cut into parts using a $13 poultry shear. Or I
> roast it whole, making chicken salad or lunches from leftovers,
> and soup from the carcass, adding lots of low carb veggies.

That is fine if you like dark meat. We don't. Again, she needs a combination
of price and convenience. *I* skin and trim chicken and save the bones and
trimmings in my freezer and make stock. I do the same thing with beef and
fish. I doubt she's going to do that. And boneless, skinless breasts at
$1.99 lb are probably cheaper as a source of lean meat than most whole
chickens.

But certainly your suggestions are excellent for the person who has the time
and expertisse, or is willing to acquire it.

Hi. Thank you for all the replies! Let me clarify a little bit. I have
a 4 year old and a 2.5 year old. The husband left a year back. He does
pay some child support; however, with the medical bills piling up (and
yes, he does help), my budget is about $75/week. It's rough but we've
already lost our house and don't want to lose anything else, so trying
very hard to get medical bills paid so we can breathe, again. Even
though we're separated, we are still working together for the medical
bills/care of children. And, because of his income/mine, we don't
qualify for any assistance at all. Medical bills don't count with the
state.

My biggest stress is *at* the store and *at* dinner time, trying to
get together something healthy that I will enjoy (I don't have a lot
of don't likes) and that the boys will eat. It has always been easy to
make what they like and will eat instead of worrying too much about
other things. Yes, I know teaching them young helps; however, at that
age, it's difficult. Get them to eat, then introduce new things. That
was my way of thinking. The 4 year old doesn't like hardly any meat at
all. He has been this way since he started solid foods. Getting him to
finally eat a chicken nugget (bagged or McD's brand) or even half of a
cheeseburger from McDs was an awesome day! The 4 year old now will eat
celery with peanut butter (and someone mentioned adding raisins to
that) and actually told me to get him a cucumber, the last time we
were at the store.

I stress easily. When I am faced with a lot of it at once, I typically
say, screw it and do whatever I want. Bad. Bad. I know. However, I
went looking around last night for some people to talk to that
understand that stress and can help. Small things. A few meals a week
that are "perfect" and build from that - until it becomes habit.

I do belong to Sam's Club (bulk store). I have found, however, when I
buy bulk, it tends to go bad because I don't cook it like I should,
when I should. I have a slow cooker and have tried doing things like
chicken with mushroom soup in it. The boys won't eat it.

I have copied/pasted quite a few things of what y'all said to a file
called "notes," and am not saying y'all weren't helpful! You were! I
am just clarifying a little bit more than my original post.

Thank you!

BTW, I also suggest joining your local freecycle group. It is amazing what
you can get there.

On Dec 8, 10:29*am, "Janet" > wrote:
> BTW, *I also suggest joining your local freecycle group. It is amazing what
> you can get there.

Freecyle?

i am not sure in which state you live but assistance in IL does consider
medical bills, nand if you and DH are legally sepearated, your bills would
be covered by our state medicaide card... now i kinow lots of states are
different, and if you have a hope of repairing things, then that may not be
the way to go, but i do know also that other things like commodities and wic
aren't as dollar qualifiying as food stamps, Lee
"Sarinja" > wrote in message
...
> Hi. Thank you for all the replies! Let me clarify a little bit. I have
> a 4 year old and a 2.5 year old. The husband left a year back. He does
> pay some child support; however, with the medical bills piling up (and
> yes, he does help), my budget is about $75/week. It's rough but we've
> already lost our house and don't want to lose anything else, so trying
> very hard to get medical bills paid so we can breathe, again. Even
> though we're separated, we are still working together for the medical
> bills/care of children. And, because of his income/mine, we don't
> qualify for any assistance at all. Medical bills don't count with the
> state.
>
> My biggest stress is *at* the store and *at* dinner time, trying to
> get together something healthy that I will enjoy (I don't have a lot
> of don't likes) and that the boys will eat. It has always been easy to
> make what they like and will eat instead of worrying too much about
> other things. Yes, I know teaching them young helps; however, at that
> age, it's difficult. Get them to eat, then introduce new things. That
> was my way of thinking. The 4 year old doesn't like hardly any meat at
> all. He has been this way since he started solid foods. Getting him to
> finally eat a chicken nugget (bagged or McD's brand) or even half of a
> cheeseburger from McDs was an awesome day! The 4 year old now will eat
> celery with peanut butter (and someone mentioned adding raisins to
> that) and actually told me to get him a cucumber, the last time we
> were at the store.
>
> I stress easily. When I am faced with a lot of it at once, I typically
> say, screw it and do whatever I want. Bad. Bad. I know. However, I
> went looking around last night for some people to talk to that
> understand that stress and can help. Small things. A few meals a week
> that are "perfect" and build from that - until it becomes habit.
>
> I do belong to Sam's Club (bulk store). I have found, however, when I
> buy bulk, it tends to go bad because I don't cook it like I should,
> when I should. I have a slow cooker and have tried doing things like
> chicken with mushroom soup in it. The boys won't eat it.
>
> I have copied/pasted quite a few things of what y'all said to a file
> called "notes," and am not saying y'all weren't helpful! You were! I
> am just clarifying a little bit more than my original post.
>
> Thank you!

On 12/8/2010 12:21 PM, Storrmmee wrote:
> i generally agree with you on most things, but having done experiments in
> the b/s breast area its not as cost effective as you would think, although i
> think cooking with the bone tastes better, Lee

I buy the bone and skin breasts when they are on sale like 99 cents a
pound. I bone them myself. The skin goes into the freezer for when I
render chicken fat. The bones go in the freezer along with any of the
less pretty pieces of chicken for when I'm going to make chicken soup.
It is a definite savings if you use everything.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

ok if i could get them for less than a dollar i agree... but honestly there
is rarely more than twenty five cents difference, but then whole chickens
are rarely under a dollar a pound either, its so odd how this works, Lee
"Janet Wilder" > wrote in message
b.com...
> On 12/8/2010 12:21 PM, Storrmmee wrote:
>> i generally agree with you on most things, but having done experiments in
>> the b/s breast area its not as cost effective as you would think,
>> although i
>> think cooking with the bone tastes better, Lee
>
> I buy the bone and skin breasts when they are on sale like 99 cents a
> pound. I bone them myself. The skin goes into the freezer for when I
> render chicken fat. The bones go in the freezer along with any of the less
> pretty pieces of chicken for when I'm going to make chicken soup. It is a
> definite savings if you use everything.
>
> --
> Janet Wilder
> Way-the-heck-south Texas
> Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

From all that I've just read, it appears the bottom line is all summed
up with one simple sentence: Not fast and convenient but healthy. I
guess it'll be a long learning process. :-/ I've always gone
convenient and fast.

I'm only 20lbs overweight, not a terrible amount, btw. But, I have
a strong family history of adult onset diabetes plus was insulin
resistant and poly-ovarian, etc.

Every body is different. Many of us here who are T2 have found that
*increasing* the fat in our diet while reducing carbohydrates to much less
than you were advised (personally I eat fewer than 50 gm of carbs per day)
also results in substantial improvement in our lipids profile, contrary to
the commonly believed idea that eating fat causes one's cholesterol to rise.
Recent studies have indicated that eating fat and carbohydrates together is
what causes high cholesterol, not the fat per se.

Here are the results I experienced by changing from the food exchange diet
to a low-carb one, and besides eggs I also eat 3 ounces of full-fat cheese
every day, that's my breakfast together with some raw green pepper. To give
a more complete picture however, I also eat a lot of nuts and a lot of fish,
and use only extra virgin olive oil as an added fat. I am not taking
metformin or any other prescription medication for my diabetes, but I do
take alpha-lipoic acid, a supplement.

7/11/2010 11/4/2010
FBG 168 95
A1c 6.7 5.6

total cholesterol 157 129
triglycerides 149 120
HDL 43 42
LDL 84 63
HDL/LDL 51.2% 66.7%
total chol / HDL 3.7 3.1
triglycerides to HDL 3.47 2.86


"Sarinja" > wrote in message
...
> But, isn't there the threat of heart disease with too many eggs?
>
> I am at the point where I'm scared to eat anything and screw up - and
> then get hungry and say screw it and eat whatever I want. :-/ Not a
> way to live.
>

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Sarinja" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Hi. Recently diagnosed T2 and put on 1000mg Metformin a day. I was
>> told a good rule to live by is 30 carbs to 15 protein per meal.
>>
> Who told you this and what does it mean? I have never heard such a thing.
>
>> However, I have 2 toddlers in the house and am on a limited budget. I
>> get about $75/wk for food, gas, diapers, etc.
>
> That's not very much unless it is cheap where you live. You certainly
> couldn't do that here! I spend about $25 a week on gas alone. I have no
> clue how much diapers cost these days. But 12 years ago they weren't
> cheap. I'd say at least $20 a week with two kids who wear them. That
> doesn't leave much for food.
>>

On the topic of diapers, perhaps it would be possible to use cloth diapers?
Whatever they would cost to acquire, I suspect they would be more economical
over time compared to purchasing disposable ones every single week.
Granted it's not a lot of fun preparing them for laundering, but if the
disposable ones are taking over 25% of income, it seems to me this would be
more prudent.


>> I am having an awful time trying to figure out the "best way" to eat -
>> with the constrained budget.
>
> Do you qualify for any assistance? I should think with such a limited
> income, you would.
>>
>> Any suggestions would be welcome!
>
> Eat beans. They contain both carbs and protein.
>
>

you have to start with healthy, and YOU make it those other two not relying
on the store, this is where the savings comes in, like someone said, get
those chicken breast or whatever, cook and portion as you need, freeze,
then, it is fast and easy later, Lee
"Sarinja" > wrote in message
...
> From all that I've just read, it appears the bottom line is all summed
> up with one simple sentence: Not fast and convenient but healthy. I
> guess it'll be a long learning process. :-/ I've always gone
> convenient and fast.
>
> I'm only 20lbs overweight, not a terrible amount, btw. But, I have
> a strong family history of adult onset diabetes plus was insulin
> resistant and poly-ovarian, etc.

"Storrmmee" > wrote in message
...
> the regular price for b/s chicken breast is about $2.25 its whole chickens
> that never go on sale, Lee
=
The cheapest price I've seen here for boneless breasts is $2.99 and that's a
rarity! I've never bought a whole chicken and wouldn't. I have bought
those rotiserrie chickens a few times and nobody would eat them. Daughter
and husband will eat the legs so sometimes I buy just those for them. Those
are cheaper and I've been told the thighs are cheaper still. I don't like
dark meat chicken at all.

"Sarinja" > wrote in message
...
> Hi. Thank you for all the replies! Let me clarify a little bit. I have
> a 4 year old and a 2.5 year old. The husband left a year back. He does
> pay some child support; however, with the medical bills piling up (and
> yes, he does help), my budget is about $75/week. It's rough but we've
> already lost our house and don't want to lose anything else, so trying
> very hard to get medical bills paid so we can breathe, again. Even
> though we're separated, we are still working together for the medical
> bills/care of children. And, because of his income/mine, we don't
> qualify for any assistance at all. Medical bills don't count with the
> state.
>
> My biggest stress is *at* the store and *at* dinner time, trying to
> get together something healthy that I will enjoy (I don't have a lot
> of don't likes) and that the boys will eat. It has always been easy to
> make what they like and will eat instead of worrying too much about
> other things. Yes, I know teaching them young helps; however, at that
> age, it's difficult. Get them to eat, then introduce new things. That
> was my way of thinking. The 4 year old doesn't like hardly any meat at
> all. He has been this way since he started solid foods. Getting him to
> finally eat a chicken nugget (bagged or McD's brand) or even half of a
> cheeseburger from McDs was an awesome day! The 4 year old now will eat
> celery with peanut butter (and someone mentioned adding raisins to
> that) and actually told me to get him a cucumber, the last time we
> were at the store.
>
> I stress easily. When I am faced with a lot of it at once, I typically
> say, screw it and do whatever I want. Bad. Bad. I know. However, I
> went looking around last night for some people to talk to that
> understand that stress and can help. Small things. A few meals a week
> that are "perfect" and build from that - until it becomes habit.
>
> I do belong to Sam's Club (bulk store). I have found, however, when I
> buy bulk, it tends to go bad because I don't cook it like I should,
> when I should. I have a slow cooker and have tried doing things like
> chicken with mushroom soup in it. The boys won't eat it.
>
> I have copied/pasted quite a few things of what y'all said to a file
> called "notes," and am not saying y'all weren't helpful! You were! I
> am just clarifying a little bit more than my original post.
>
> Thank you!

I wouldn't worry at all about kids not eating meat. Most likely meat is the
most expensive thing that you would be eating. Yes, I know there are things
like truffles, but realistically you're not going to be eating fancy stuff
like that.

Young children tend to eat the same thing day after day and then might
totally go off of that food and eat something else. My daughter is 12 now.
But I can remember a time when I used to feed her and her friends dinner.
Night after night they happily ate the same thing. Kraft (or a store brand)
macaroni and cheese, beef sausages, canned green beans, baby carrots and
black olives. Sometimes I would sub out the mac and cheese for frozen
pierogies. They liked those too. They also liked apple slices, applesauce
and cheese cubes.

I am lucky that Angela loved canned green beans. They were cheap when I was
living in CA. I could sometimes get them for 25 cents a can. She would eat
those any time of the day or night. Mostly I tried not to buy any junk food
for her. I know most kids like Goldfish crackers and Cheerios. She did get
those when she just learning to eat. But after that? Not often. Maybe for
a road trip. But more likely we would stop at a farm stand for fruit or
veggies and then wash them off with bottled water that we had in the car.

"Storrmmee" > wrote in message
...
> totally agree with this, repackaging or cooking then repackaging is a must
> to do asap upon arriving home, and i prefer cooking then packing, takes a
> bit of effort, but after you have done a few items meal prep down the line
> is so mucheasier, Lee

I used to buy large blocks of cheese and cut into cubes. Then I got lazy
and bought them already portioned out. But when Costco was out of these, I
bought the 5 pound block. MUCH easier. But a pain to cut up.

You can get little kids to help in the kitchen. They like to wash things.
Stir things. Hold the bag open. Stuff like that.

"Janet" > wrote in message
...
> Susan wrote:
>
>> On a tight budget, buying whole pieces of meat or poultry and cutting
>> and even grinding them onself is much more economical. Unless you can
>> buy the whole thing and get it ground for free at the warehouse?
>
> Assuming you own a meat grinder, this definitely can be true. Since she
> says she doesn't even have time to cook, I doubt she has time to butcher
> meat and grind it. Or cut them up for stir frys, stews, and so forth. Or
> make her own sausage! All of which I do. <G>
>
>> I buy whole chickens and cut into parts using a $13 poultry shear. Or I
>> roast it whole, making chicken salad or lunches from leftovers,
>> and soup from the carcass, adding lots of low carb veggies.
>
> That is fine if you like dark meat. We don't. Again, she needs a
> combination of price and convenience. *I* skin and trim chicken and save
> the bones and trimmings in my freezer and make stock. I do the same thing
> with beef and fish. I doubt she's going to do that. And boneless, skinless
> breasts at $1.99 lb are probably cheaper as a source of lean meat than
> most whole chickens.
>
> But certainly your suggestions are excellent for the person who has the
> time and expertisse, or is willing to acquire it.

I buy canned chicken and use it for a lot of things. I don't know how that
works out pricewise. I usually buy it at Costco, but occasionally buy it at
other stores if it is on sale. I guess I am fortunate in that I don't
necessarily have to pay attention to prices.

The canned chicken is very easy to use and Angela really likes it. One
thing she likes is a salad that she got a sample of at Costco. It uses
their sesame dressing mixed with the chicken and served over a bed of bagged
lettuce. I add baby carrots and black olives to hers.

She also likes it in soup with rice or noodles. I add onions, carrots and
celery. She likes it in casseroles. In gravy and served over rice, noodles
or pasta.

Angela does not necessarily eat the same things that I do. I do try to make
meals that we both can eat, but I have to eat less of the carby part.
Sometimes in the case of casseroles or other mixed dishes, I add more meat
and non starchy vegetables. Because you can still see the pasta or rice or
whatever, you have the illusion that there is more of it than there really
is. She never notices that I put less starch in.

"Storrmmee" > wrote in message
...
>i generally agree with you on most things, but having done experiments in
>the b/s breast area its not as cost effective as you would think, although
>i think cooking with the bone tastes better, Lee

I know that buying with the bone in is less expensive. How much less? That
I don't know. But in this house, nobody will eat the breast with the bone
in. Husband finds it to be too much work and Angela and I have an aversion
to bones in our food. Oddly she will eat chicken legs. This is the only
thing with a bone that she will eat. Not sure she knows it is a bone. She
refers to it as a stick. Those are cheaper, yes. I don't like them and I
don't like messing with them. But they do like them so a few times a year,
I will make them for them.

I can not bring myself to bone and skin a piece of chicken or take apart a
whole chicken. If I were alive way back when people had to do their own
meats like that I surely would have been a vegetarian. In fact it is the
bones that is partially the reason I became a vegetarian to begin with. I
don't know if boneless, skinless chicken breasts were even available back
then. I think not. My mom left me a package of chicken parts and a recipe
and a note to make dinner. I could not bring myself to touch the chicken
parts. We had dissected a frog earlier that day in school. The chicken
parts just reminded me of that. I am very suggestible.

Julie Bove wrote:

> I buy canned chicken and use it for a lot of things. I don't know
> how that works out pricewise.

Canned chicken is very expensive.

"Storrmmee" > wrote in message
...
> ok if i could get them for less than a dollar i agree... but honestly
> there is rarely more than twenty five cents difference, but then whole
> chickens are rarely under a dollar a pound either, its so odd how this
> works, Lee

I don't buy meat very often. I tend to buy it more often when my husband is
home. He is a big meat eater. Angela and I are not. At least twice a week
we have meatless meals. We used to have pizza, but then I was getting
really sick of it. Thankfully she told me she was getting really sick of it
too! Heh. I guess we are not typical.

So on our meatless days we usually have toasted cheese sandwiches or
macaroni and cheese. Less often we will have cottage cheese with canned
pears or nachos. When she was little, I made quesadillas a lot for her for
lunch. Sometimes I put chicken in them, but mostly just cheese. Little
kids really like them.

Tonight I will probably have bean with bacon soup. Yes, there is a little
meat in there, but very little. So it's an inexpensive meal. Angela won't
eat that kind of soup. She is having leftovers. I bought a small cooked
turkey breast when I thought we might be snowed in on Thanksgiving. We
actually were, but we had it the next day at my parent's house. Anyway...
We had it on Monday with green beans and mashed potatoes. I packed up a
dish with potatoes, gravy and turkey for her and sent it in to the dance
studio with some raw baby carrots and apple slices. There is still more
turkey left and she will probably eat it as a snack. I am not overly fond
of turkey. She likes it a lot more than I do!

One thing I do sometimes do when I buy meat is to look for packages that are
about to expire. I've been able to get a very good savings on them. But
when I do this I have to either be flexible with my meals or put the meat in
the freezer. I don't like having meat in the freezer but I will keep a
couple of packages of it through the winter in case we get snowed in.

When Angela was little, I did a lot of prep work in the kitchen while she
watched a video or was in bed.

A large package of meat can be cooked, cut up or prepared however need be
for the freezer or refrigerator. A large package of cheese can be shredded,
or cut in cubes or slices for later. Vegetables can be washed, peeled,
chopped, sliced, or whatever. I used to do enough for a week at a time.

My main problem in those days was that I was so severely disabled that it
was difficult for me to stand up long enough to cook a meal. But I still
managed to do it. I bought a bar stool so I could sit near the stove or to
do prep work. I found with about 2 hours of prep work per week, I could cut
down a lot on the length of time it took to make a meal.

"Sarinja" > wrote in message
...
> From all that I've just read, it appears the bottom line is all summed
> up with one simple sentence: Not fast and convenient but healthy. I
> guess it'll be a long learning process. :-/ I've always gone
> convenient and fast.
>
> I'm only 20lbs overweight, not a terrible amount, btw. But, I have
> a strong family history of adult onset diabetes plus was insulin
> resistant and poly-ovarian, etc.

You can do convenient and fast at home if you take the time to do a couple
of hours of prep work sometime earlier during the week.

In my book there is never any reason to eat fast food. By the time Angela
was 4 I could probably count the number of times she had fast food on one
hand. I just didn't want her to have it!

When we are out, we can make a meal out of things we buy at the grocery
store, if need be. Angela and I both love hummus. She ate it even as a
young child. We will eat it with baby carrots or sometimes chips. We keep
a can opener in the van. That way if we need to, we can get a can of
refried beans and some chips or corn tortillas. Obviously better tasting
heated, but... It is still a healthy meal. You can get small cans of tuna
or chicken, cooked strips of chicken, small packages of lunch meat, string
cheese, sometimes hard boiled eggs, packaged salads, bags of cut of fruit.

One thing I do buy that is quick and convenient is the Quick N' Eat
precooked hamburger patties. I get them at Costco. I have seen them at
other store but they are much cheaper at Costco. I open the box and
repackage the patties, three to a quart sized bag. They only take a minute
in the microwave. We rarely eat them on a bun or with bread. My favorite
way to make them is to smother them with onions and green peppers that have
been lightly sautéed in a skillet.

"Janet" > wrote in message
...
> BTW, I also suggest joining your local freecycle group. It is amazing
> what you can get there.

When I belonged to a CSA, it really saved me a lot of money. But... I
don't know if it would be feasible for a family with two small children.
That might be too much food for them. I had to quit when my husband moved
to CA. It would be just too much food for Angela and I.

It also required more work on my part. I was often dealing with vegetables
that I wasn't familiar with. So that meant a lot of searching for new
recipes. But it did get us eating healthy meals!

"Ellen K." > wrote in message
...
>
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Sarinja" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Hi. Recently diagnosed T2 and put on 1000mg Metformin a day. I was
>>> told a good rule to live by is 30 carbs to 15 protein per meal.
>>>
>> Who told you this and what does it mean? I have never heard such a
>> thing.
>>
>>> However, I have 2 toddlers in the house and am on a limited budget. I
>>> get about $75/wk for food, gas, diapers, etc.
>>
>> That's not very much unless it is cheap where you live. You certainly
>> couldn't do that here! I spend about $25 a week on gas alone. I have no
>> clue how much diapers cost these days. But 12 years ago they weren't
>> cheap. I'd say at least $20 a week with two kids who wear them. That
>> doesn't leave much for food.
>>>
>
> On the topic of diapers, perhaps it would be possible to use cloth
> diapers? Whatever they would cost to acquire, I suspect they would be more
> economical over time compared to purchasing disposable ones every single
> week. Granted it's not a lot of fun preparing them for laundering, but if
> the disposable ones are taking over 25% of income, it seems to me this
> would be more prudent.
>
Cloth diapers are not very cost effective. I did the math when I had Angela
and it just costs too much money to do that much laundry, and even more so
if you are living in an apartment and have to use a pay laundry!

However her kids are ages 2 and 4. I should hope that the 4 year old is
either potty trained or close to being. Angela wasn't really fully trained
until just before her 4th birthday. I was beginning to think she would
never be! And she was a big girl. In those days, diapers were too small
for her and so were Pullups. So she had to wear the more expensive
Overnights. These days they make both diapers and Pullups for older kids.

"Janet" > wrote in message
...
> Julie Bove wrote:
>
>> I buy canned chicken and use it for a lot of things. I don't know
>> how that works out pricewise.
>
> Canned chicken is very expensive.

Oh. Well shucks.

"Sarinja" > wrote in message
...
> On Dec 8, 10:29 am, "Janet" > wrote:
>> BTW, I also suggest joining your local freecycle group. It is
>> amazing what
>> you can get there.
>
> Freecyle?

They are online groups that serve different areas, more than likely you
have one in your area. You give away things to prevent them becoming
landfill. I gave away 3/4 of my furniture from a very large home to move
interstate. 8 seater dining seat, 2 lounge suites, an almost new BBQ and
deep freezer, beds, room sized rugs etc. Clothes, linen, outdoor
setting, tv's and entertainment units. Large foosball table. Excess
plastic ware etc. When I settled in to my new house I received lots of
stuff to help furnish a small house. One person who gives away stuff in
my local group consistently gives away bread, bread rolls and other
baked goods once a week. Also canned food, trays of yoghurt, baby food
etc. Truly amazing what people give away. We received an electric organ
once. We also have food barns relatively close to me that sell packages
(pantry, freezer, fridge, fruit & veg) of foods for about 1/3 what you
would pay in the shops.

My grandkids (2 and 3) are at that stage of not wanting to eat much and
have become very picky. They will eat scrambled eggs and they often have
2 minute noodles (without all the seasonings) which we cook with a
little chicken broth sometimes, other times water. We put peas and corn
and chopped chicken in it. We do similar with rice. They have discovered
they like hard boiled eggs (cold) after picking at my snacks We buy
yoghurt in a large tub and spoon small amounts into little cups - we
found they were wasting half of the kiddy sized tubs. We make jellies
ourselves and they like apple slices and carrot sticks which are both
relatively cheap. They like slices of frozen orange as a treat. As for
me I eat for the most part plain proteins, i.e. chicken, meat eggs etc
with no sauces plus veggies. Cutting starchy stuff out was easy for me.

"Janet" > wrote in message
...
> Julie Bove wrote:
>
>> I buy canned chicken and use it for a lot of things. I don't know
>> how that works out pricewise.
>
> Canned chicken is very expensive.

I've always thought how sickening canned chicken sounded. Just recently
I actually saw some on our supermarket shelves! I'd never be tempted to
try it

i can buy a 2/3 lb rot chicken for $5.99 every day, and $4.99 on sale, and
if i wait until eight at night half price for them from the meijer deli, Lee
"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Storrmmee" > wrote in message
> ...
>> the regular price for b/s chicken breast is about $2.25 its whole
>> chickens that never go on sale, Lee
> =
> The cheapest price I've seen here for boneless breasts is $2.99 and that's
> a rarity! I've never bought a whole chicken and wouldn't. I have bought
> those rotiserrie chickens a few times and nobody would eat them. Daughter
> and husband will eat the legs so sometimes I buy just those for them.
> Those are cheaper and I've been told the thighs are cheaper still. I
> don't like dark meat chicken at all.
>

there are two ways to look at the cost effectiveness of bone vs boneless,
this of course does not consider taste at all.

-total gm of meat, you would have to buy and debone/skin some chicken, then
weigh it and divide it by the total paid, to get the edible meat price,
doing it this way is probably cheaper to buy bonless to start with, but...

-total contributions to meals, as susan said making the broth from the
skin/bones, all you are adding is a little water and some cheap veggies to
get the broth, when you consider the filling factor of a flavorful broth
with good tasting fat, and if you do the bones right, the extra nutrient
value of what is boiled/stewed out of the bones it gets much fuzzier, and in
the OP's case, I would probably vote for cheaper bone in so that the broth
would be available, and she could crock pot that i did it often, and that is
little to no work.

Lee
"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Storrmmee" > wrote in message
> ...
>>i generally agree with you on most things, but having done experiments in
>>the b/s breast area its not as cost effective as you would think, although
>>i think cooking with the bone tastes better, Lee
>
> I know that buying with the bone in is less expensive. How much less?
> That I don't know. But in this house, nobody will eat the breast with the
> bone in. Husband finds it to be too much work and Angela and I have an
> aversion to bones in our food. Oddly she will eat chicken legs. This is
> the only thing with a bone that she will eat. Not sure she knows it is a
> bone. She refers to it as a stick. Those are cheaper, yes. I don't like
> them and I don't like messing with them. But they do like them so a few
> times a year, I will make them for them.
>
> I can not bring myself to bone and skin a piece of chicken or take apart a
> whole chicken. If I were alive way back when people had to do their own
> meats like that I surely would have been a vegetarian. In fact it is the
> bones that is partially the reason I became a vegetarian to begin with. I
> don't know if boneless, skinless chicken breasts were even available back
> then. I think not. My mom left me a package of chicken parts and a
> recipe and a note to make dinner. I could not bring myself to touch the
> chicken parts. We had dissected a frog earlier that day in school. The
> chicken parts just reminded me of that. I am very suggestible.
>

we call the close to sale, the used meat bin, gross but funny, often we get
this meat and cook, then depending on size and other ofood available we
freeze or just contanerize and leave in frig, i try and do some of the prep
work when i can, and we often make four or six servings of something we like
and we used to freeze the extras, after a few meals like this, we have
plenty of our own "tv" dinners, being here in the hotel we usually just put
in a container and eat it in a day or two.

Lee
"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Storrmmee" > wrote in message
> ...
>> ok if i could get them for less than a dollar i agree... but honestly
>> there is rarely more than twenty five cents difference, but then whole
>> chickens are rarely under a dollar a pound either, its so odd how this
>> works, Lee
>
> I don't buy meat very often. I tend to buy it more often when my husband
> is home. He is a big meat eater. Angela and I are not. At least twice a
> week we have meatless meals. We used to have pizza, but then I was
> getting really sick of it. Thankfully she told me she was getting really
> sick of it too! Heh. I guess we are not typical.
>
> So on our meatless days we usually have toasted cheese sandwiches or
> macaroni and cheese. Less often we will have cottage cheese with canned
> pears or nachos. When she was little, I made quesadillas a lot for her
> for lunch. Sometimes I put chicken in them, but mostly just cheese.
> Little kids really like them.
>
> Tonight I will probably have bean with bacon soup. Yes, there is a little
> meat in there, but very little. So it's an inexpensive meal. Angela
> won't eat that kind of soup. She is having leftovers. I bought a small
> cooked turkey breast when I thought we might be snowed in on Thanksgiving.
> We actually were, but we had it the next day at my parent's house.
> Anyway... We had it on Monday with green beans and mashed potatoes. I
> packed up a dish with potatoes, gravy and turkey for her and sent it in to
> the dance studio with some raw baby carrots and apple slices. There is
> still more turkey left and she will probably eat it as a snack. I am not
> overly fond of turkey. She likes it a lot more than I do!
>
> One thing I do sometimes do when I buy meat is to look for packages that
> are about to expire. I've been able to get a very good savings on them.
> But when I do this I have to either be flexible with my meals or put the
> meat in the freezer. I don't like having meat in the freezer but I will
> keep a couple of packages of it through the winter in case we get snowed
> in.
>
> When Angela was little, I did a lot of prep work in the kitchen while she
> watched a video or was in bed.
>
> A large package of meat can be cooked, cut up or prepared however need be
> for the freezer or refrigerator. A large package of cheese can be
> shredded, or cut in cubes or slices for later. Vegetables can be washed,
> peeled, chopped, sliced, or whatever. I used to do enough for a week at a
> time.
>
> My main problem in those days was that I was so severely disabled that it
> was difficult for me to stand up long enough to cook a meal. But I still
> managed to do it. I bought a bar stool so I could sit near the stove or
> to do prep work. I found with about 2 hours of prep work per week, I
> could cut down a lot on the length of time it took to make a meal.
>
>
>

All caught up on the posts. Thank you for all the information.

I have another question: If you aren't a "list-maker" by nature, how
do you overcome the stress at the grocery store? I've got a sitter
that can handle the boys at home while I'm shopping; however, it's the
stress of finding what's right/cheap/edible by boys, etc., and not
taking overlong to do it...

The 2.5 y/o is nearly potty trained. Nights are his bad time, now. The
4 year old is potty trained.

What is b/s chicken?

I did figure out that OP is me - the original poster?

I'm not against prep-work. I can find time during the day to do so -
when the 4 year old takes his nap with the 2 year old instead of
fighting it for hours on end. It's just .... I guess I've gotten lazy.
If it's not cooked and ready in 20 mins, screw it. How do you retrain
yourself at 38 to care and take the time, find the time, do the work?
I do have a freezer that I can store stuff in. Half the time, it's
empty. I do have quite a few sets of frozen corn on the cob I bought
from some farmers over the summer. I'm not sure what to do with that,
now. The one time I tried to thaw it and cook it, it tasted watered
down - blech. Even the boys wouldn't eat it and they LOVE corn on the
cob.

And, of course, another question: How do you get past the "poor
pitiful me, I can't eat this and that anymore" and move on?

Thank you, again!

"Ozgirl" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> "Janet" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Julie Bove wrote:
>>
>>> I buy canned chicken and use it for a lot of things. I don't know
>>> how that works out pricewise.
>>
>> Canned chicken is very expensive.
>
> I've always thought how sickening canned chicken sounded. Just recently I
> actually saw some on our supermarket shelves! I'd never be tempted to try
> it

It's similar to canned tuna.