I've gained 15 pounds in the past three months that I've been in school. The major problem is that I am on an extrememly tight, no more then 15 dollars a week on food budget. This leave me with not a lot of fresh fruits and veggies. I buy some frozen, but even that is expensive. I find myself eating a lot of 15 cent a pack ramen. Unfortunately, 2 dollars a day on food lends itself to this. Does anyone have advice for counting calories without being able to afford much of anything?
I do do some smart stuff. I make a turkey breast at the beginning of the week, and eat off it all week. Instead of poptarts and stuff like that I will have either a piece of cinnamon toast with splenda (i'm a type one diabetic to boot) or some strawberry jam. I can't afford chicken most weeks, and fresh veggies in my area are out of the question, save a little celery and carrots.
Any calorie wise, cheap recipes that i can make at the beginning of the week and eat throughout?

THanks in advance.

Oh, orfliv, I feel your pain.
I'll be thinking about this one... but the biggest thing that I used to do was to buy frozen spinach when it was one sale -- and lots of it.
With some boullion and some of that turkey and a few crackers... you have a nice, healthy, filling soup (even better if you add some carrots and celery, and onions!)
Also, try adding frozen/canned veggies to the ramen. I used to add peas, corn, green beans, whatever and it filled me up faster (so I could eat less).
Also try an asian market-type store to get a different kind of cheap noodle soups... you can get rice noodle soups or just plain rice noodles for cheap, and they aren't pre-fried like ramen is, but it's still easy to cook. It will help cut down on fat (but not necessarily sodium...yikes).
Hmm... you can make a big pasta dish casserole, maybe, with noodles and sauce (make one from tomato paste and a can of tomatoes with some garlic, onions, and seasonings... yum! and only about a dollar!!). Add whatever veggies you can and maybe a little part-skim mozzeralla on top and that should be good for a bit.
For breakfast: buy a big tub of oatmeal. It's cheap, it's filling, it's good for you... add a little brown sugar and buttery-type-spread or some honey and that should be good.
Yes?

Lots of good suggestions, PhysDom!

Okay, here's what I know to be affordable (some you are already doing and some PhysDom suggested already :

Dried beans, peas, lentils, rice, barley etc. (make your own high-fiber, protein rich, inexpensive soups, stews and bean dishes.

Carrots, celery, onions, garlic, tomatoes and whatever frozen veggies you can get on sale. Canned can be cheap too (watch for sodium content!)

Corn tortillas (to eat with beans, soups etc.)

Pasta and canned sauce (around here I find 4 packages for $1 on sale and the canned sauce for $1 as well. Add in some lentils, frozen spinach, shredded carrots, chopped onion and garlic and it's a balanced meal!).

Swallow any pride that may be preventing you from visiting a food bank and use what you can.

Get creative about ways to earn a little extra cash on the side. Offer to babysit, house clean or so on for groceries or cash.

Best of luck!

I agree with the oatmeal. It is easy to make in the micro, and SPLENDA makes brown sugar too That would make a very healthy morning meal. Also, for lunch you can have a half sandwich (a loaf of bread us usually $1, and some ham/turkey) then some broth? That would be a healthy low/cal lunch. Try making some turkey/vegi (carrots/celery/broth) soup for dinner. (I will be making that today since we have leftover turkey here).

I would stay away from the ramen noodle packets at all cost. They are empty nutritionwise-and offer pretty much nothing except empty calories and a lot of sodium.

My suggestions?

~Buy a bag of apples (rather than buying them singly at a higher cost) when they are on sale. Also-if you have an Aldi, or other type of "discount" grocery around you-you can get them for pretty cheap. In my Kroger store, I can get a bag of apples for about $3.00, and get about 10 or so in the bag.

~It has already been suggested, but oatmeal is a winner. It is cheaper and healthier than regular cereals.

~Eggs-you can get a dozen for under $1 in most places, and they are only 70 calories for a large egg, and they are a good, cheap source of protein. Lots cheaper than chicken breast when money is tight.

~Bananas-they are usually the cheapest fruit-usually anywhere in my local stores from .33-.60 cents a pound. I usually get a small bunch for under $2.00

~Buy yogurt when it is on sale if you like it-you can often get store brands sometimes 3 for $1.00, or national brand for 50 cents each on sale.

~Check the advertisement before you go through the store. Sometimes there is seasonal produce on special ($1.99 watermelons in the summer...or bags of salad for 99 cents!) and see what is on sale.

Thanks for all of your replies. I'm going home in between semesters for a month which will hopefully get me back on track, plus I'll be able to actually work and stash cash for necessities. You see, I work, but only like eight hours a week, enough to cover my groceries and gas, because I'm enrolled in 18 hours every semester, plus volunteer at hospice and have an unpaid internship at a law office. I'm exhausted too, which is part of my problem with my ramen crutch. Maybe I should cut back. There is actually an aldi opening here soon, so I will definately check it out. Are boulion cubes lower in salt then like chicken broth? I bought mine in bulk, and they don't have the nutrition on them.

If you're making turkey breast, why not then make a turkey stock from the carcass -- and use that to make yummy and healthy soup? if there isn't enough carcass in one, freeze one and make stock when you have 2. Keep the ends of onions and other veggies to add to the stock.

Course, you have to have enough freezer space for carcass and veggie ends...

Chicken broth is usually lower in sodium that boullion.

Keeping two is a good idea. I never have enough in one, so just get rid of it. Thanks for the idea!

I always keep a few cans of black beans on hand. I use them to make black bean soup, toss them with pasta salad, use them in veggie buritos (onion, corn, beans, jalepeno's, and a little cheese and sour cream). They go great over rice, which is also cheap. And they are good for you too!

veg stews, salad sandwiches,soup,fruit smoothies,pasta and tbs low fat mayo 1 tub will last a week and half, tined peas and carrots,beans on toast,rice and tinned curry, oxo cubes, broth,tomatoes on toast, boiled,poached egg on toast. hope this helps a little xxx

Check this website out...Meals for under $3.00

http://www.bloglander.com/cheapeats/...three_dollars/

Oh my! You need to ask Santa for grocery store gift certificates! There are already lots of great suggestions made....you might check out Big Lots because sometimes it's pretty incredible what they'll have in their food section (when I was a grad student at UT (TN) we often hit big lots). You may find canned veggies, pasta and pasta sauce, beans, cereals, etc. at really, really deep discounts. I always found that the ramen noodle option was better with a handful of veggies thrown in (watch for the big grocery store sales on frozen vegetables).

At $15/week it really sounds like it's more about getting some food period, rather than getting "diet" food. I used to advise student teachers so this is just my two cents, ok? If you are stretched that tight, your first option should be to take the suggestion to hustle yourself on down to the food bank and see what you can get. Yes! Swallow any pride and take advantage of it. When you're out of school and makin' some money you can proudly give back to a system that you'll know helps people in need. You might also want to check into food stamps. And finally....I would really suggest that if it's THIS bad, you should see about getting a small financial aid loan for next term. They may offer you more than you want and you can always opt to take less. I mean, at this point $500 for a term for food would take you out of survival mode and with creative shopping, put something more nutritious in your body. Loan payments are very reasonable after you get out of school (especially if you are taking only what you really need). You could also check with your financial aid office about an emergency loan to get you through the rest of this term. They will often do those based on you filing paperwork for a regular (like Stafford or Perkins) loan for the next term, and then loan maybe a couple hundred bucks--or a hundred dollars. I truly applaud your efforts to survive on $15/week, but.....that almost seems below survival level.

Shoot, at that point I'd probably be hanging out in the cafeteria and snatching away trays from people about to toss part of a sandwich or salad and eating it

I definetely second *or third, whatever it is at this point:P* soups and stews. My kroger sells a nice big pack of soup bones for like .80 cents, and trust me, there's plenty of meat on it. Actually *to continue talking up kroger- since i work there, hehe* we also have seasoned chicken thighs - like 3 big pieces for right under 3$ - but trust me, it's got PLENTY of meat on it. I like to get a pack, bake it and eat it completely skinless. Not as healthy as the breast, but still a great way to get in some protein. Also, don't be afraid to coupon clip! You would be suprised as to how much you save when you clip coupons. Alot of stores offer like doubling or tripling if it's under a certain amount - like 35 cents tripled saves you over a dollar; then combine that with a store sale? Major savings. Just make sure to check the ads - in most places they come out around tuesday-thursday, and you can even see them online.

$15 a week! I would be worrying about survival more than losing weight.

Maybe foraging and/or growing your own food might help. Actually buying enough greens to stave off malnutrition is pretty hard on that budget.