[Tennessee]

OK girls, let's all post every way you can think of to do Atkins w/o bankruptcy! Tips and/or recipes are welcome

My best tip is to stick with the basics, no shakes, bars, etc.

1. Whole chickens are inexpensive here, so I buy them and then roast or boil them. Left over chicken becomes chicken salad, gets added to a cauliflower cassarole, or is eaten plain. Stock is good to make soup with later. If you're cooking for a family, cook them two at a time, one for supper, one for you to eat during the week.

2. Buy turkeys now when they're on sale, they're cheap and they'll feed you for a week. Check for canned pumpkin, cream cheese, etc.

3. Cube steak sauted in olive oil with a can of cream of mushroom soup on top, served w/shredded cauliflower/rice.

4. Use your leftovers creatively. When you only have a little meat, chicken or veggie left, don't throw them away, make quiche, an omelet add to a salad.

5. Buy in bulk and on sale!

6. Now is a good time to stock up on nuts if you use them. Our Kroger had Buy 1, Get 1 free on nuts, so I cleaned up on almonds, etc. I won't be ready to add them for a while, but they'll keep in the freezer till I am.

7. I look for meat at Food City on Monday mornings that's going out of date. There's nothing wrong with it, they just have to sell it that day so they discount it by quite a lot - into the freezer it goes.

[Sonnet]

Those are great ideas Tenn. I'm a "Cheap" soup person and have fun seeing what ideas I can come up with.

8. I find anything can be thrown into a soup, so keep lots of chicken and beef broth on hand. I bought a large crockpot (slow cooker) and I've saved a lot of money and time making wonderful chicken soup with a few mushrooms and a tiny bit of celery. A small amount of cream can be added at the end of cooking, but I like to put a slice of cheddar cheese in my bowl. If you don't want to eat too many vegetabes, measure some out for the soup and put some extra celery, veggies and herbs in cheese cloth. This add lots of flavor without the temptation to eat them all. This saves money in other ways, since it heats the house while it's on all day. Variations: pork and beef. Keep cans of mushrooms and water chestnuts on hand. They are cheap.

9. One more way to save money on soup making , use a can of chicken broth or bullion cube, and one to three precooked frozen hotwings (check label for lowest carbs). Thaw the wing out by baking or microwaving it. Bring it all to a boil. Let simmer with bone. Remove bones before eating. They are very spicy and makes for a nice tasty quick cheap snack or meal.

[bnbsmommy1]

Freezing the broth from when you cook your chickens is also a cool penny pincher idea

When buying eggs it's usually cheaper to buy the biggest thing of them if you're a big egg eater too

Also, refilling water bottles with tap water saves me a LOT

[Mindy5936]

Cut coupons! I can usually save on tuna, cheese,broth, frozen veggies, luncheon meats etc...

Have no store loyalty, go where the best sale is ( especially if you have a coupon for a sale item).

Use a crock pot ( or other slow cooking method) to turn a tough cheap piece of meat into a tender flavorful meal

[iloveadam]

I've got one! Buy frozen Cauliflower instead of fresh....Mine is always going bad, fast. I keep it in the crisper and it still gets yucky looking. So, I just buy frozen Cauliflower instead...it last much longer!

[gonna_be_150]

Great ideas. I already do some of them (shop in the mornings when meat is reduced, take advantage of buy 1/get 1 family packs of meats, refilling water bottles, etc).

Originally Posted by iloveadam

I've got one! Buy frozen Cauliflower instead of fresh....Mine is always going bad, fast. I keep it in the crisper and it still gets yucky looking. So, I just buy frozen Cauliflower instead...it last much longer!

I'll have to try that. I never think of the frozen veggies aisle . I have the guys from Produce cut a head of cauli. in 1/2 for me. That way I'm only buying what I know I'll eat before it goes bad. Cauli. is so expensive here, I hate to buy the whole head if I don't have to.

[CMorrison64]

Bump
Because I think this is an awesome thread!!!

[SherryA]

Tuna is always cheap. Tuna salad on a bed of lettuce or baby spinach with tomatoes!

Cube steak isn't extremely cheap where I live, so sometimes I replace it with round steak that has been tenderized. But I make this wonderful recipe that one of my books calls "Arizona Fried Steak". The recipe calls for breading it with egg and corn flour, but for Atkins I leave that part off. What I do is to sprinkle the meat with seasoning salt, paprika, garlic salt or flakes, cayenne, and cumin. Brown on both sides in some oil, and then serve with green chile salsa on top. I buy the Herdez version in a can. Warm the salsa before serving. Yummy!

Hamburgers are always pretty cheap. I buy hamburger in huge bags and then repackage it myself. I pat out burger size portions and then freeze them that way. This way I always have something for lunch.

Omelets with tomato and mushrooms and cheese and bacon are wonderful too!

[Tennessee]

Make sugarfree popsicles out of Crystal light or coolaide you make w/splenda

Egg or tuna salad wrapped in a big lettuce leaf

Line a cassarole dish with cut up cabbage. Place an entire kielbasa on the cabbage, and top with 1/2 of a sliced onion. Add a few tablespoons of water to the pan and @ 350 for 30 mins

Plant a garden, even if it's just a few containers on the deck with some squash, tomatoes, and peppers, it's a real money saver!

Buy a big bag of chicken legs, boil them for a nice soup stock, and use the meat for chicken salad.

Brown a pound of spicy sausage (the kind that comes in a roll), add a head of coarsely chopped cabbage. Put a lid on it and simmer it until the cabbage is transparent and wilted.

Look for Nathan's or Hebrew National all beef hot dogs to go on sale (they have BOGO's on them every few months here). Chop up two dogs (one carb each) and fry till browned, add 1 c. saurkraut (0 carb). Fast, easy and really pretty good w/some hot mustard

Forgot the broccoli cheese soup...
2 16 bags broccoli flourettes
1 carton chicken stock (or stock from boiling chicken)
1 lb. American cheese (I like the kind from the deli)
garlic powder, pepper
Add the broccoli to the chicken stock and simmer 15 minutes till broccoli is tender. Add chunks of cheese and simmer, stirring, till melted. Season w/a dash of garlic powder and some black pepper. Ta Da!

[nasus40]

MMMM Getting ready to domy shopping hopefully for the week and with dh homewith is foot soup sounds great. and croc to boot. love the warm kitchen since mine hardly gets any heat. (had frozen drain pipe 3 times this year so far and it has not been too cold.)