I'm not big on fish but I believe food "likes" is learned behavior so I'm giving it a chance in the new me. What brand frozen do you purchase? I worry that all the good for you benefits get sacrificed so I'm trying to educate my self. A knowledged mind is a strong mind.
The homemade chicken dinner is higher in fat and calories than McDonalds??? That's just bizarre.
But in any case, like others have posted, I find that overall, I don't spend more eating a high protein, low carb diet. I think if you look at all the extra meat and seafood and imagine adding that to your current food budget, then yeah, it seems expensive. But for me, when I was eating junk, I was eating a LOT of it. So those bags of chips or cookies may not have been that expensive, but it wasn't like it lasted for a couple of weeks at a time. Eliminating pretty much all processed foods leaves lots of room in my food budget for the things I eat.
As for specific things to have, I try to cook multiple servings of everything, and when possible I freeze portions. So I will broil or grill several pieces of chicken at once, and then have that for several meals. I don't personally roast whole chickens because I'm not a fan of white meat and I would rather cook the individual pieces that I like. I roast up a big batch of veggies and have that over several days. I cook soup just about every week and take it for lunch.
I bought a deep freezer, had them price match a cheaper place that was too far! When ever boneless breast is on sale I buy upwards of 40 lbs. I can feed us all on about 3 lbs that's usually under 6 bucks for chicken, not including the quinoa or veggies or beans we usually eat but that is usually just an added expense of 3 dollars or so. I just have to make sure I stay on top of the sales. I also buy frozen veggies in abundance when they have a sale. When we go out to eat for 5 it's usually no less than 40 bucks and we r left hungry a couple hours later. But I get what u mean when a box of Mac and cheese is 50 cents or a frozen pizza is a couple dollars, u just have to really search for those sales.
So I guess the moral of the story here is...Try to find a local farmer/rancher. Buying in bulk will really reduce the cost of the meat. You can also find a local CSA program (community sponsored agriculture) for veggies. Also- News Alert- this is seriously cool- Check out craigslist- people will sell eggs from their happy backyard chickens for a great deal.
(yes- I know those are turkeys, but sometimes you can buy those on craigslist too! LOL)
ETA AGAIN: (I get so excited about this topic).
You can find the most amazing things on your Farm/Garden section of Craiglist: http://greenville.craigslist.org/gra/
You will find yourself building a sustainable little community. Being healthy can literally change your entire life! It's AWESOME!!! ::geeking out::
I'm in Canada and I would say in the last 5 or so years junk food including fast food and processed food is way more expensive then good non processed food. In the McDonald's example above I would say around here for any fast food with tax it is close to $10 a person. A bag of chips used to be at most $2 and now the lower end chips regular price are $1.50 to $2 and the standard brand chips are about $3 to $4. I prefer cooking at home even when going to a good restaurant both because of the cost of that restaurant meal and knowing what actual ingredients are in the food I make.
I spend more money on food now... but it's because I'm buying healthy meat and veg for me, and still buy chicken nuggets and chips for the rest of the family.
I'm hoping that I can slowly move them toward healthier fare. If I were just buying for myself, I would definitely spend less. I buy whatever meat is on sale, and get most of my veg frozen. I buy eggs and cheese and butter full price (it's seldom on sale). The rest of my pantry stuff is usually on sale as well (peanut butter, tuna, soups, etc.)
In my home we spend a lot of money on food. I will not lie. We feel what we put in our bodies is worth it and we have the means to buy good food.
HOWEVER, with that said, I cut back where I can. I make my own yogurt (doing it right now). I make organic yogurt that costs less than half what it costs to buy it at the grocery store.
I make our own breads. The loaf my son likes is $3.99 a loaf for WHITE bread! My husband's is about $4.50 a loaf. For me to be able to make it at home? The white bread is about 30 cents a loaf. The WW is about 50 cents.
I buy seasonally and sale fruits and veggies. Some veggies I buy frozen that taste OK frozen (collard greens and the like). I buy generic and bulk where I can and we don't buy ANYTHING processed except for the protein bars and soon that will be eliminated too - I'm going to start making my own. I even bake and slice our own deli meat (tastes better and it's cheaper).
Currently, I only work part-time so I can do it. When I was working more full-time hours (two part-time jobs) I was doing it mostly on the weekends. Saves me tons of money and tastes better too.
Now, where they get ya is the pre-cut stuff. You pay for convenience.
I don't buy fresh fruit except for apples and an occasional orange or grapefruit. I buy frozen, bulk, generic berries other fruits and add them to my yogurt to make a smoothie (yogurt, partially thawed frozen fruit and 1/2 a scoop of chocolate or vanilla protein powder/whey powder). That way I don't worry about it going bad.
Lunar, your kind of my hero for the craigslist advice I just moved from Orlando to South Carolina so I had no idea about buying that way
Synger, I'm in that boat I'm trying to convince the adults to eat healthier but it's hard to pry the fat from a southern family lol I also have a nine year old autistic son who eats a very specific diet and my five year old is autistic also but not as picky but very small I'm afraid to limit his fat to much.
Thinforme- Are you using GAPS? I'm using GAPS for my crohn's disease, but the diet was made for children with autism. Also- don't need to be afraid of the fat so much as the sugar. http://www.mommypotamus.com/why-gaps...-inner-junkie/
With my oldest it's because he will only consume seven things in this world. Luckily he drinks only milk and loves certain fruits but his main food is fruit loops :/ he won't eat any meat or veggies so he takes vitamins. My youngest is my veggie eater he wont touch anything really sweet "favorite food is green beans" but he is one of those kids you just can't put weight on at five he just got up to forty pounds and he is very tall for his age.
Location: Okinawa, Japan (for now!) originally from the UK :-)
Posts: 45
S/C/G: 279/254.4/135
Height: 5 foot 5!
I paid $14 for a butternut squash the other day, pineapples run at about $7, potatoes are $11 for a 5lb bag and bell peppers are about $2.50 each (and they are tiny) :-( I nearly cried when my husband and I first arrived here!
Bad food is cheaper because over 80% of the commercially processed foods are loaded with genetically modified corn... which is subsidized by the federal government (google and check it out; I did and was appalled). It is also full of stuff such as wood ashes, etc. It is far cheaper to produce "food" if you make it out of stuff that is not real food.
I do spend a lot more on food than I used to, but it is worth it to be eating nutritious, wholesome, food that is not contaminated with pesticides and other garbage.
Last edited by Misti in Seattle; 02-10-2013 at 10:56 AM.
Check out craigslist- people will sell eggs from their happy backyard chickens for a great deal. 
