[twyls]

Hello all,

My husband was fired about a month ago. I am disabled. My husband's former employer contested unemployment, and somehow won. We are going to appeal this faulty case, but in the meantime...

We bought a quarter cow a few months ago, and so are stocked up on meat. We have beef and pork to last us at least six months. Other than that, I don't have a whole lot of stockpile. Mostly I have BBQ sauce and salad dressing, mustard and storage bags. My question is, if you had meat taken care of, where would you spend your money?

We will most likely be getting a good amount of food stamps, since our only income until he gets a job is my disability check, which is not enough to cover our rent. (We have some limited savings, and my church family will be helping to cover bills.)

I want to get the most bang for my buck. I'm a confident cook, but I've never had to deal with buying the best quality food at very low prices. We're also both somewhat picky eaters, so we never pushed our boundaries too much. Now we are willing to.

Beyond beans, potatoes, and rice, which are staples I know I can cook with, where would you put, say $20 to $30 a week to make the most nutritious meals?

We have no children.

Thanks!

Amanda R. in Louisville

[joshmamabear]

you can buy bags of veggie mix (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, etc) stir fry thin beef strips added with some Kikkomann soy sauce for a tasty Oriental meal. have you tried jazmine rice? there's coupons for some types of rice and its filling so you don't go hungry right after eating a heavy meal.

[brook6]

veggies...try some new ones, frozen or fresh will be good price now
seasoning/spices...try some new ones
rice, pasta, potatoes...
rice&beans dishes
soup - cream of xxx, broth
casseroles

try some new recipes...

[mlb1985]

Originally Posted by joshmamabear

you can buy bags of veggie mix (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, etc) stir fry thin beef strips added with some Kikkomann soy sauce for a tasty Oriental meal. have you tried jazmine rice? there's coupons for some types of rice and its filling so you don't go hungry right after eating a heavy meal.

Oh and Look for STORE BRAND VEGGIES, they have BIG bags of Veggies That I buy Here at Ingles and They are 2.50 For a Good Size Bag.

Also This IS an awesome Time to Stock Up on FREE or Almost Free Condiments.
I may have Some Mustard, BBQ, and Other Condiment Q's I wouldnt Mind Sharing with you if You want.

Just PM me ok.

[LinzluvsGJ]

Whole grain/whole wheat pastas are more healthy and filling than bleached flour pastas. Most breakfast foods like pancakes can be made from scratch, and if you use whole wheat flours it is more filling/healthier PLUS you can add things like canned pumpkin in place of the oil/eggs in them which adds fiber and vitamins (and tastes darned good I think!). We make pancakes or waffles from scratch on the weekends and freeze the extras (they reheat easily in the microwave) for a healthy filling breakfast that is only pennies each during the week.

Buy veggies frozen on sale with coupons, Buy fresh from places like farmer's markets in season. Most can be sliced/chopped and frozen or canned. The more you buy in season, the healthier it is as well as the cheaper especially if it is grown locally.

Crockpot meals also save time and use healthy high fiber fillers a lot (make chili, soups, etc and supplement with a bread item and a fruit like watermelon for dessert).

[staviles]

Also don't forget to shop at places like Aldi's which offer a great assortment of canned goods and frozen food for a very reasonable price...or the Angel Food ministries which takes Food Stamps and is a great way to get some awesome food for around $25 a month! Good luck and hope that your hubby gets a great job soon!!