It's Expensive to be Healthy - Page 2

^ That's what we do too, pretty much. Meal planning is key to not wasting any fresh produce and getting your moneys worth, I think. I make lots of soups and stew type things that I freeze and get maybe 5 meals out of one batch of veggies. It also nice becasue it makes a fast meal so we don't end up ordering out or doing fast food. It saves us a lot of money really. Some days there is just so much going on that I don't want to cook or I don't have enough time. Break out Grandma's frozen veggie soup and a loaf of bread and VIOLA! DONE!

Yep, you're welcome. Soups are great because you pretty much throw everything in and let it cook for a few hours, not much work really. Then you have like 5 meals out of the way, for 2 adults and 2 toddlers, it goes a long way. It costs me about $10 to make a batch of my Grammies veggie soup. Gotta LOVE that!

like sultry said, make stuff and freeze it.. ive grown up doing that! i understand some foods you can't, but make homemade pasta sauces, meat pies, lasagnas.. whatever.. but make a lot at a time and freeze it. also buy your meat in bulk and freeze it. living by myself, what I do is vac-pack (vac-packers are a good investment) individual servings of everything.. one chicken breast, a small container of pasta sauce, anything! Also, buy frozen veggies, they have all the nutrition of fresh veggies!

edit: sorry, after i wrote this i saw that pooh already wrote pretty much what i just repeated!

I was just going to ask pooh what she puts in Grandma's Soup besides the frozen veg...hopefully not Grandma!

(That was a bad joke, I know it was. Sometimes I have these little outbursts.)

I played the viola.

i don't know if you have a trader joes around you but they're just as cheap, if not cheaper then regular grocery stores and better quality. i get apples that don't taste like carboard for 39 cents each. i got about a 1 lb bag of organic pasta for $.99 and some organic spaghettic sauce for $.99. they had some wild salmon fillets that my bf loves for $9 for 4. but i agree it's pretty expensive to eat healthy. so you don't waste those fresh items, make large batches and freeze them, then you'll have a meal or 3 for later and very quickly. i would prolly not buy juice since it's expensive and its better just to eat the fruit so you get all the nutrients. i just drink water all day, which is pretty cheap.

Awww, no, not grandma, she is fresh from chemo, not very tastey.

You wouldn't like it Casey, it has beef in it. I don't think you could mkae a tofu crumbles version, not enough flavor. But I think I have a good chic pea recipe for you. I am having connection issues this evening but I will get it to you tomorrow.... Comcast willing.

You just have to get accustomed to it...and think in terms of where your money would really go. I'm in NYC, and the bf and I spend about $75-150/week for groceries. (What really adds up is the beer and steaks!) This is on basics, like milk, eggs, bread, produce, veggies, cat food, etc.

We do however eat out a LOT less than people we know who don't cook. Eating out we'd probably spend ~$500+/week on food btw the 2 of us. Neither of us are health nuts, but we both refuse to eat fast food/chain food at least. Cheap food is cheap for a reason! Once you're used to paying a certain amount and eating real food, it'll be hard to imagine doing anything else, and fake food will just taste really fake and make you feel sick after eating it.

Au contraire mon cherie! You underestimate my abilities with TVP (textured veggie protein) and vegan beef bouillon.

Looking forward to Grandma's Soup AND the chickpea recipe. I <3 chickpeas.

Veggie soup:
4 diced carrots
3 or 4 diced stalks of celery
one diced yellow onion

saute in a little bit of olive oil until onions are just barely turning color

add in a can of diced tomatoes (or fresh, whatever) and 2 cups low sodium chicken broth and two cups water, turn heat down and simmer for an hour or two, add seasonings as desired.

You can add or delete tomatoes, add rice or noodles ("amish" or homestyle work well), add roasted chicken or rotisserie chicken... we also make a "tortilla" soup that has a similar base, but I use add a can of spicy rotel (diced tomatoes and peppers in the mexican food section), some fresh cilantro, some roasted chicken (from the deli if we are feeling lazy), and serve with toasted tortilla strips or over rice.

ETA: Food Network : Cooking, Recipe Collections, Party Ideas, Quick & Easy Recipes, Cooking Videos is great for finding quick & easy recipes and has tons of soups and stews

Poohbaby- when I had cats (and i was vegan at the time), I actually cooked for them. They were both from the pound, but they transformed into sleek cats with super shiny coats and always perfect vet checkups...I had them for 3 years and they were vegan (with a supplement to supply them with all extra nutrients) and they loved it! They also loved peas and corn

Okay Casey, I am going to give you this recipe then I am going to have to kill all of you. It's top secret, local restaurants around my dear old Gram have been begging her for it because it is that good, of course one of them is owned by my high school best friend nd her husband. =) But it really is amazing and with a nice loaf of fresh bread for dipping its more then a good meal. It's one of the ONLY meat meals I actually make and still eat.

Grandma's veggie soup

1 Chuck roast (free range for me)
1 bag frozen veggies, peas, corn carrots and beans(you can use fresh if you really want to but it's a TON of prep time because they must be chopped small.
half head of cabbage
3-4 stalks of celery
half large onion
1 large can of V-8 juice

I have been making this recipe for years so I ad lib a bit but to the best of my memory, this is how it goes. Put chuck roast in pan and cover with water, add a bit extra because some boils off, I add about 2 inches extra. Bring to boil simmer until meat pulls apart easily, approximately 2-3 hours. take meat out and cut up into bite size pieces ot pull it apart in the pan. chop cabbage, celery and onion add in pot with v-8 juice, leaving enough room for forzen veggies later. you may not use all the v-8, you may use more but I leave at least 1.5 inches in the top of the pan. simmer for as many hours as you want but no less then 3, cabbage must be translucent. add frozen veggies and cook until veggies are done, maybe 30 minutes. salt to taste at any time during cooking, you don't need that much at all, sometimes depending on the meat I don't salt at all. The longer you cook it the better it and it's even better the next day.

Medeterranian pita "stuff" LOL

1 purple onion
garlic, depends on how much you liek garlic
olive oil
cumin to taste
diced tomatos or stewed, whateve you have, with juice
feta cheese
pita bread

I use a wok type pan, deeper in the middle but you can use any deep type frying pan. slice onions, mince garlic saute in pan with olive oil, I just drizzel on enough to keep them from sticking. cook until onions are soft, they don't have to be clear. add tomatos with juice and cumin to taste, a lot of cumin is normal for the recipe it is med. dish. but some people don't like it that much. I ususally shake a good bit so it almost covers the top of the pan. simmer for 15 minutes or so, some juice will cook off, that is OK. add chic peas with or without juice, your choice, I don't use the juice because it is starchy but you can if it looks dry. cook until chic peas are done, top with TONS of feta cheese and dip away. You want it to be a juicy salsa consistency and you want some cheese with every bite. Keep in mind, I eyeball everything so times can very. I got this recipe from an Egyptian friend who says it is a staple in his country. I can see why, it is simple, cheap, and very tastey.

HAHAHAHA My cats wold prefer that I serve them moreso then I already do. Chez Michelle's now open! I have to do soemthing, one of them is so fat, but he sure is a handsome fella!

I have a great site somewhere detailing the natural diet for cats, involves cooking and some raw foods. But I lost it after my computer crashed last year. I haven't been able to find it since.

I can't wait to see how my vego version of Grandma's Soup turns out. I'm thinking I am going to use seitan and marinate it in the fake boullion for a while....hmmmm....I'll let you know how it goes.

The pita stuffing sounds FAB! I am going to trader joes and picking up stuff for it today.

Thank you dear!

Oh, you will love the pite stuff, I KNOW it.

You know, I would probably add the boullion to the whole batch then add the seitan at the end so it doesn't get too mushy. Since you are cooking the meat for so long only to get flavor, you could skip that part.

You are SO welcome, anytime!!

I've got a great veggie tomato sauce that I used to add beans to that was pretty awesome. The sauce, sans bean, made a meal for me with some good homemade garlic bread. Pasta and peas was a favorite of mine AND spinach portebella burgers.

Just a quick question that may be a bit off topic. I feed my cat just regular wet cat food but after reading this I think I will change his food.

Anyway, when I feed him wet food sometimes he makes the attempt to cover it up like it is a pile of shit. Is this normal or is he just letting me know that he thinks it is shit?

^^^lol! My cat sometimes does that near MY food. What are they trying to tell us? I have been trying different wet foods for months ever since whole foods stopped carrying the one he liked. He normally eats a bit or two of the new food and then leaves it (little bastard). I just picked up a can of "Cat Tuna" at Trader Joes and he LOVED it. It isn't organic, but it is high-grade, no filler (dolphin safe too!). I figure it is will be fine because he doesn't get a ton of the wet every day. Just a spoonful or two. The best part is a can of it is only $.35!

POOH!!!! I made the chickpea recipe and it is GREAT...so filling too. I am one of those people who can eat forever and this had me stuffed so fast. I am going to be making this many times a week...I can tell. I used lowfat feta and it was perfect!

^ I knew you would like it. You're a spicy chick(pea). It is filling!

My cats do the food cover thing too. I think it is to hide it from other cats. They do that with everything they like and everything stinky. I came home to a cat toy covered in carpet fuzz one day and one cat trying ferverently to rip up more carpet to completely cover it.

Well I am glad to know that my little guy is not the only one that covers up his food. I too have come home to little toy mice covered in carpet fiber as well. Sometimes the toys end up in the food.

Ahahahahah...laughing my butt off at your cats covering up their toys.

I have no carpets, but I often wake up with strange things under me...noooo...not men...Cat toys!

He brings them to me while I am sleeping and then hides them underneath so he can attack them. An...btw...these aren't just bought cat toys, these are anything he has decided is a toy. I woke up this morning with several q-tips under me. Guess who had gotten into the makeup cabinet...

Ugh! Mine bring me lizzards and from how the poor thing died, I can tell which cat it was who decided a gift was in order.

Casey is your kitty wild on any level? I used to have a bengal and a snow leopard and they were so wild, sometimes is a good way. Ginger used to swim in the bathtub but the snow leopard was inapproachable on every level unless you scared her. So at the vet she would cling to me like a small child then at home she would claw my eyes out for walking in her direction. I am just wondering about your kitties breed. I've not expereince with it and frankly until I saw yours, never laid eyes on one.

My cat loves q tips too. He stalks them, talks to them and even carries them around. He even fetches things and will put them in my hand. He loves the lizards too. Just today I heard him growling and went into the kitchen to see him sitting there with a very angry lizard. It had its mouth open ready to bite. I do not think it hurts him but I guess he does not expect the toys to bite.

So glad there are no lizards here for Atreyu to get at.

LOL...you asked about my cat...now you are going to get it

Singapuras are not considered wild in the same way as a bengal. I lived with a bengal (and his owner) for three years, so I am pretty familiar with them. Unlike bengals, the singapura breed started from only a few cats brought to the US from singapore in the 1980s...they were "street cats" who all had the same look and distinctive ticking pattern in their fur. They were able to introduce a few more cats to the breeding program a few years later, but because of mass culling in singapore there are no more original cats. The breeding of them is very controlled to maintain the strength of the gene pool and keep them healthy and sweet.

Anywho...any wild in Atreyu is so far back as to be meaningless...probably 15-20 some generations (I have the paperwork somewhere). Because of the small original pool and the fact that the breed standard does not allow outcrosses there are only about 2000 singapuras in the US. Which..really when you consider the millions of cats there are here makes them very rare.

Atreyu is very tightly bonded with me. He sleeps under the blankets right next to me and follows me from room to room all day. He is friendly with others, but hides behind me at first when there are new people around. Like your snow leopard did, he totally clings to me at the vets office. It is toooo cute. He is pretty bossy around the house and if there is something he doesn't like (lack of food, littermaid not working, some unknown kitty concern) he bites me until I fix it. Not hard biting...very much sibling type biting.

I can't say enough good things about his breed. He is such a dear little guy with so much personality. I love that he is almost two and still has a kittenish look to him. Our vet always gushs over how healthy and perfect he is...

Funny singapura story that rings so true to me. One of the first times one was being shown in a major cat show, the singapura stole the judge's cat toy and wouldn't give it back. Classic.