Money just got EXTREMELY tight for DBF and myself, and the last thing I want to spend what little I do have on is food. I need electricity, water, and a phone that is still connected a lot more than I need a big meal. At the same time, for about a week now, he’s been living off of Ramen Noodles and I’ve been not really eating at all. I went from 125 lbs to 112 lbs in about a week and a half. =/ I find that when I get stressed out I have no appetite or desire to eat until I feel so sick I’m about to pass out and my eyes start blacking out. I work in a restaurant and I don’t even feel tempted to eat when I’m running out plates of food anymore. It’s not healthy, it’s just how I’ve been feeling. I would rather sleep and be lethargic for extended periods of time than eat.

So today, I decided I HAVE to bust out of this. I am working hard to get a second job and I gotta take care of my body if I’m going to run it constantly. I took all the stuff out of my pantry and said “What can I make out of this?” and “What do I need to finish these meals?”

This is what I came up with to feed DBF and I until next Friday (9 days) for only $45 at the grocery store. It’s not the healthiest meal plan you’ve ever seen, but all of it is easy to make and it’s a hell of a lot better than Ramen noodles.

Breakfast:
I already had on hand oatmeal, and that’s what I’m going to eat. I also had on hand some Great Value Orange Drink Mix (Walmart Brand Tang) so that’s what we’ll have to drink.
I also got some bananas. $.76

Pro tip: If you’re going to eat oatmeal everyday for a week, do something different to it every day. Today I put brown sugar on the top. Tomorrow I might add a splash of maple syrup. Sometimes I add cinnamon and apples. The best is just good ol’ milk and butter.

For DBF:
Raisin Bran: $2.82
Milk: $2.18

Total Cost for Breakfast This Week: $5.76

Lunch: I already had bread and lunch meat (When we have cooked for the last two weeks, it has been almost entirely sandwiches consisting of ONLY turkey, cheese, and mustard. So boring.)

To spice up our sandwiches, I got
Lettuce: $1.18
Banana Pepper Rings: $1.43

And to go with them, I got a bag of Doritos: $2.58

We’ll probably drink either more orange flavored drink or unsweet tea (we had tea bags at the house already, as well).

Total for lunch this week: $5.19
I’ll probably have to buy more sandwich meat when we run out.

Dinner #1:
I found a can of shredded chicken, two cans of chicken broth, and a can of tomatoes and green chiles (Rotel). My natural instinct was of course, green chile stew. :)

Since I had all the main ingredients, all I had to get was:
1 Onion $0.62
4 Jalapenos $0.16
2 Potatoes $1.01
Total: $1.79

This will make a big pot of soup, and I’ll probably eat the leftovers with my turkey sandwiches for lunch.

Throw some cheese and tortilla chips on that and it is DELICIOUS.

Dinner #2:

Breakfast Burritos.
I had six eggs left from the last carton I bought, so I bought a Jimmy Dean Skillet Meal, which includes the potatoes, onions, bell peppers, and sausage or ham depending on which one you buy. $4.12
Tortillas to put it in: $2.18
Cheese: I already have sliced American. If you want to make these the right way, use shredded cheese. >_>;
Total: $6.30

Dinner #3

I found two cans of tomato sauce, a package of “Spaghetti Sauce Mix” and even the noodles! Jackpot!

All I bought to complete the meal was a pound of sausage $2.98, and frozen garlic bread $2.27

Total $5.25

Dinner #4

Sloppy Joes and Chips
I already had the tomato sauce and sloppy joe mix, and I bought the Doritos to go with lunch.
So all I had to buy was
Ground Beef: $2.58
Hamburger Buns: $1.25

Total: $3.83

Dinner #5

Hamburger Helper. Good ol’ cheeseburger macaroni.
Already had the box, so all I had to get was another roll of ground beef. $2.58

Dinner #6

DBF really likes “Frito Burrito Wraps” despite the fact that they have little to no nutritional value. I figure, better to make it at home than pay $2.50 a piece for the SAME thing from Sonic.

I already bought the tortillas for the breakfast burrito dinner and again, I’m doing this the ghetto way and using American cheese. I highly recommend getting shredded instead.

Fritos: $3.78
Chili: $1.25
Total: $5.03

Dinner #7

Chicken Fettuchini. It was a ‘complete’ meal from Hamburger Helper where everything is in the box and you don’t have to add meat. Free.

Dinner #8

I already had pancake mix, syrup, and butter. Again, free.

Dinner #9

Red Baron Frozen Pizza $3.33

For snacks I have Pot Pies that were already in my freezer and oranges that were already in my refrigerator.

Do I realize that all of this is essentially junk food? Yes. Chicken was expensive this week. Ground beef and sausage were not. This also uses a lot of ingredients that have been sitting in my pantry for a long time that I consider “free” at this point. $45 to feed us for nine days is really good. I’ve spent that much on a single trip to Panda Express (I kid you not.)

I may end up going back to the store for some more bananas and turkey, but this is essentially all the food I have to live on for a while. Hope this helps anyone who can’t figure out what to make if they’re roughing it in this economy.

Note: If you’re going to be living on a meal plan like this, (Not a lot of fruits and veggies to speak of) invest in a good multivitamin. It helps fill some of the gaps that your diet may not. 19 months ago

Made these tonight and they are DEFINITELY getting added to the meal repertoire. Super easy, super cheap, and super fast.

You take a tortilla. Put some shredded cheese, black beans, and jalapenos/salsa on it. Then put some more cheese on it, and top it with another tortilla.

Bake in the oven at 350 for about ten minutes.

Cut into fourths with a pizza cutter, serve with sour cream or guacamole.

A can of black beans = $0.84. You can save even more money by cooking your own dry beans.
Tortillas = $1.29
Cheese = $2.28
Jalapenos = $0.27

Total cost for this meal: $4.68
It was pretty delicious. :) 19 months ago

It was just one of the skillet meals you get in the frozen section of the grocery store but it was actually really good. At $4.50 for a bag, that feeds the two of us for only $2.25 a person. It wasn’t a lot of food though so next time I might buy some frozen egg rolls to go with it.

Wayy cheaper than Panda Express. :) 19 months ago

Tonight I got 3 100% whole wheat pre-made small pizza crusts for $2.79, a bottle of store brand pasta sauce for $1.29, a BIGG bag of mozzarella cheese for $8.84, and a bag of pepperonis for $2.88.

I’d say I used about 1/8 of the bag of cheese, 1/4 of the pepperonis, and just a few tablespoons of sauce.

Total cost for a dinner for two: $5.79

Pretty good and the pizzas were delicious. The time investment to make them was around fifteen minutes. :) These were pan sized, I also bought two big crusts to use the remaining ingredients. Wayy cheaper than ordering pizza out AND you can put whatever you want on your pizza.

Highly recommend trying it. :) 19 months ago

Started feeling sickly today. Not full blown sick, just extra ‘gunk’ in my throat and that scratchy feeling that won’t go away.

On the bright side! I REFUSE to get sick within my first month of starting a new job, so I took a trip to the grocery store today and got some “ammo” to help me fight this off!

Tonight I had a big bowl of potato soup, a bowl of fresh fruit (grapes, watermelon, cantaloupe, and a key lime.. they call it “aguas fescas y mas” at my HEB. It’s $2.69 and everything is already cut up so I just gotta pop it open and get it down ze hatch) and a LOT OF WATER.

Hopefully since I’m making an effort to squash this NOW while I’m not full-blown sick yet, it’ll get better.

If anyone else is feeling icky:

Potato Soup:
Cut up 2-3 large potatoes or 4-5 smaller ones, one medium white or yellow onion, a clove of minced garlic (use less if you’re not a huge garlic fan. This is a garlic-y pot of soup and I like it that way.) and a few carrots.
Place the chunks in a large pot. Cover with about 1 inch of water. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat. Simmer over medium heat for about one hour or until potatoes are mushy.
Add salt, pepper to taste.

I like to keep it simple. You can also add basil, bay leaf, or anything else you like. =] 19 months ago

I was STARVING when I left work today and on the way home I drove past my favorite barbeque joint and I was super tempted to stop and get a chopped barbeque sandwich. I fought the urge and instead made my way to the grocery store. I didn’t feel like ‘cooking’ tonight and since I was pretty bad yesterday with my turkey bacon ranch sandwiches, I decided to go a little healthier.

I made a GIGANTIC salad with a bag of mixed greens, broccoli, carrots, sugar snap peas, black olives, cherry tomatoes, and avocado. I wish I had gotten some pepperchinis to throw on it as well. I topped it off with sunflower seeds (I hate croutons), some mild cheddar cheese, and a spicy dressing. :) Much better for me than a mass produced fatty barbeque sandwich.

By the looks of it though, I’ll be eating salad for the next couple of days. I didn’t mean to make it so huge, and the boyfriend doesn’t eat “rabbit food”. 20 months ago

I’m really not the greatest cook. I’ve managed to do some pretty stupid things. I’ve served spaghetti with undercooked noodles, I’ve used ‘garlic salt’ instead of ‘garlic powder’, and I’ve even forgotten the milk in Hamburger Helper.

That being said, I’d still rather eat my cooking than this over processed, over priced junk food that I’ve been living off of from Jack-in-The-Box, Wendys, and Sonic. I’ve resolved that I want to start eating at home six nights a week and that way the one night we DO go out to eat, it can be something nicer. A treat. :)

I hate that when I see cookbooks to cook at home, it’s always foods I would never be brave enough to prepare or foods I would never eat. So, I’m going to post on this goal and hopefully it’ll inspire some of you guys to try to make some meals too, I’d love to see some of you guys’ recipes as well. :) I am from Texas so you’ll see a lot of Southern food and Tex Mex on my part.

Tonight I made… SANDWICHES! Yep. What could be easier than sandwiches?

This is turkey, bacon, and ranch (use low fat ranch for a healthier option!) on whole wheat bread served with homefries and “natural” ketchup with no high fructose corn syrup. Is this “junk food”? Yes. Is it way better than out to eat junk food? Yes. I can list the ingredients on one hand, and that’s always a plus.

Tomorrow for lunch, I’ll use more of the whole wheat bread to make almond butter and jelly sandwiches. Almond butter is delicious and slightly better for you than peanut butter, if you’re feeling adventurous. I like to mix it with organic raspberry preserves for a snack that has fiber, protein, and a bit of sweet. :) 20 months ago