(cheap) healthy food

[artaxerxes]

I actually just finished a bowl and I do like it. I think I under cooked it but it was rather satisfying (I added a bunch of black pepper).

I was surprised by the soapy bubbles when I rinsed it. A recipe suggested soaking for a few hours but when I'm hungry, I'm hungry NOW so I rinsed it twice, brought the water to a boil, turned down to a simmer and let simmer for 10 minutes.

I like the suggestions. I'm also thinking cashews may go well mixed in.

I'm glad you enjoyed your foray into Quinoa. You're right. It can be transformed with an amazing array of different herbs, spices, veggies and nuts. After rinsing, try toasting the Quinoa, then boil it with water or homemade veg or chicken stock, then finish it with golden raisins, cloves, cinnamon stick, a couple cardomam pods (cheap at ethnic markets), and some cashews.

I love it and eat it about 3-4x a week. One of my favorite Quinoa recipes is Quinoa tabbouleh… it's more or less what you'd expect but I switch up a standard tabbouleh recipe and add cilantro, garlic macerated in lime juice, and go really really heavy on the parsley/cilantro proportion for the potassium and for flavor.

I posted a recipe in one of the recipe threads. Very tasty and very quick to prepare. I make a lot of it because it tastes better the next day as the flavors meld together.

I used to soak it, but as I eat it so frequently, I just started rinsing it very thoroughly and that method seems to work fine for removing the bitterness of the outside coating.

I buy my Quinoa bulk at a regular health food type store where prices are a little higher than normal, but I pay $1.79/lb. The red Quinoa is more expensive ($3.50/lb.) and it has a slightly different texture and a nuttier taste. Not sure it's worth the extra cost. Bulk bins are my friends.

I second the advice about buying produce and grains at local ethnic markets. My hood is primarily Central American and Mexican so I have easy access. If I walk in the other direction to the next hood it's Central American and Chinese. We've got a couple of good Indian stores around too, so pretty much any spice/ingredient you're looking for, that might be really expensive in a standard store, you'll find for a fraction of the price.

For instance, dried exotic mushrooms are ridiculously expensive at the reg. stores but you can get huge bags of them for cheap at the Asian markets. Where I live they even have Asian supermarkets that offer spices, sauces, noodles, different rices, and cheap beers from all over Asia. And the meat and fish counters are usually pretty good too.

The only problem I have with the produce is that it's not organic. But it makes up for that by being *much* cheaper and *much* riper. I just give the fruits and veggies a good rinse before I cook with them.

Another cheap and healthy food I eat a lot for breakfast, lunch and dinner is miso soup. You can get tubs of excellent miso at Asian stores for about $3.50 and that will make gallons of soup. Add some reconstituted (dried) shiitakes, oyster mushrooms or black fungus, some cubes of tofu and chopped scallion. It's so good that I'd probably ask for that as part of my pre-execution meal.

 

[OverDone]

Odwalla has brought out some real tasty granola bars. Out here in PA they are at an intro rate of 10 for $10 (I'm sure the price will sky rocket soon)

My favorite is Berries GoMega. Nutritional info below:

 

[CoffeeDrinker]

^Dude I love Odwalla bars! They are either $0.89 or $0.99 per bar depending on the flavor where I live.

Anyone into Goji berries? Also known as wolfberries.
I just discovered them, they appear to have lots and lots of nutritional benefits.
http://health.learninginfo.org/wolfberries.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfberry#Macronutrients
They are about $5 for a 1/2 lb. in my health food store. This may seem like a lot, but I have been snacking on the same bag of goji berries for about a week and I munch on them all throughout the day. I still have a decent amount to hold me over for a few more days.

 

[DrunkardsDream]

Fresh fruit and vegetables in the produce department.

Organic fruits and vegetables are more expensive and do not keep as well or as longer as regular fruit and vegetables.

Farmer's markets and produce stands are good too.

 

[addictivepersona]

Bumpity bump! This thread has some excellent information for people trying to eat healthier!

Let's try and leave the organic v. conventional debate where it is and talk about cheap, healthy food!

My cheap healthy food staples are:
- dried beans (black, kidney, red [different than kidney ], black-eyed peas, chickpeas... I could go on and on)
- brown Basmati rice (brown Jasmine is cheaper and tastes very similar. Normal brown rice is even cheaper but tastes like crap IMO)
- pearled barley (hulled barley isn't too much more per pound)
- dried raisins
- steel cut oats
- bulk fresh green beans
- 5-pound bags of carrots (while you're cooking your other foods that take awhile, chop the carrots into sticks or circles and use 'em in your cooking during the week!)

...I'm sure there's more, but that's all I've got for now.

For anyone who thinks the cooking time for some of these grains is rather daunting, here's a tip: Cook more than one serving at a time! I typically cook 6-10 cups of rice at one time (feeds me for a week or more, and yes! it does stay good if refrigerated!), 6ish cups of barley, a pound of beans (makes about 6 cups).

The above, supplemented with fresh vegetables (was using frozen for awhile but I've found my grocery bill dropping since switching to fresh) lasts me a week or more. Sometimes I have to cook more beans. Only once have I had food spoil, and that was from me cooking way too much at once.

OH, one last note: I read earlier in the thread that you have to soak quinoa. I have never heard that before today and I have made quinoa many times successfully after just giving it a good rinse. Check the package (if you're buying it in a package--it's cheaper in bulk!), it may be pre-rinsed.

Same goes for beans: You don't have to soak them. People say you do to shorten the cooking time and lessen the gas you get from 'em. I've found if you eat them enough, you don't get gas from 'em, and when you're cooking something for an hour, does 15 minutes really make that big of a difference?

Anywho, let's keep this thread going! It's got some awesome info. :)

 

[belarki]

^ sounds like a good shopping list addictivepersona I can't seem to find steel cut oats anywhere in stores here though, will have to keep searching as they sound tasty. What do you typically cook with the dried beans, chickpeas etc? Do we have a recipe thread here or is that over in Second Opinion?

I'd tried making soupy-curries from dried chickpeas years ago but found them still pretty hard after several hours of cooking so would imagine they might benefit from soaking overnight in salted water?

 

[Changed]

I buy those bags of dried beans and just soak them overnight, then cook w/ lentils in a vegetable broth for maybe 45 minutes--they come out fine. Mixed with whatever fresh vegetables and spices; tastes great, cheap as hell, and healthy.

 

[addictivepersona]

^ sounds like a good shopping list addictivepersona I can't seem to find steel cut oats anywhere in stores here though, will have to keep searching as they sound tasty. What do you typically cook with the dried beans, chickpeas etc? Do we have a recipe thread here or is that over in Second Opinion?

I'd tried making soupy-curries from dried chickpeas years ago but found them still pretty hard after several hours of cooking so would imagine they might benefit from soaking overnight in salted water?

That's strange that you can't find SCO's--Maybe they're called something else in your neck of the woods? You could also try finding oat groats--Steel cut oats that haven't been cut.

I typically eat beans with rice/barley for lunch. I'll add different spices (just the basics like basil, garlic, etc) or half a bouillon cube while reheating them.

Also, to clarify my portions up there, I had said I typically make 6ish cups of rice/barley: That's the cooked measurement. LMAO, I couldn't imagine how much rice I'd end up with if I cooked 6 dry cups of it!

Hrm, I'm not sure if there is a recipe thread somewhere here--I know for sure there's one in SO. Something to search for or make later.

I've heard you don't wanna soak beans in salted water as that makes them harder--Just soak in water overnight if need be, though I have cooked chickpeas successfully from dry with no pre-soak. Took abouuuut an hour and forty-five minutes to two hours and fifteen minutes--I don't really pay attention to time while cooking. However, do curries involve tomato sauce or a type of acid? Dried beans won't ever get soft if cooked in the presence of an acid.

 

[belarki]

^ haha yeh that could be it. I start all my curries with toasting the spices in oil, then add garlic, chopped onion, cook a little, then add a heap of tomato, reduce, and then add the vegetables, lentils, etc after that based on how long they take to cook. Didn't realise the acid in the tomato would prevent anything from softening... you learn something every day

 

[SicilianNate]

I have been trying to eat healthier and I have found http://www.amazon.com/Imagine-Organic-Broccoli-16-Ounce-Aseptic/dp/B001BM3KXU?ie=UTF8&tag=just05b-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969
I find them at my local store for a little over 3 dollars for one pack (4 cups of soup for less then 4 dollars, great value) There are various types you and everyone I have tried has been very good and healthy, and a few slices of whole grain bread and you are good to go. This makes for great at work food, because you can throw it in the fridge, pour a cup, microwave and enjoy.

Also I love getting hemp granola plenty of flavor, good source of nutrients and excellent snack.

 

[addictivepersona]

^ You could make your own soup for a fraction of that price per serving without the waste of the typically recyclable aseptic cartons.

Just playing devil's advocate for a second, don't take offense. Yes, $3 for 4 servings is a "good deal."

 

[McTwist]

This is a damn good thread! I need to convince my parents to stop buying all of this useless overpriced food and go bulk, but they don't understand! I'm making headway though...

Goji berries are excellent, they go great with my organic raisins in oatmeal with some local honey, hemp, and chia seeds....mmmmm

I also discovered brazil nuts! Apparently, and this is only from one source, but one or two of these nuts has 160% of one's daily value of selenium, a heart healthy antioxidant. It does contain a bit of saturated fat and too much selenium has been known to cause problems due to toxicity (again based on this one source, so it may not be 100% correct, all I know is they are good nuts)

Actually any kind of nuts- peanuts, walnuts, almonds, etc. etc.

I want to get into sprouts and things like legumes.

Also dried fruit is great, but I recently discovered my dried mango contains FDC red #5 and sugar...wtf are they adding shit besides sulphur dioxide to dried fruit?? I was disheartened....

 

[belarki]

^ I try to avoid dried fruit with sulfur dioxide too (preservative 220 here). Yeh yeh dried figs and bananas (sun-dried, not those fried banana chip thingies) are sooo good!

Goji berries are pretty nice, though I recall someone in a thread here mentioning they had stomach problems due to the tiny seeds within them? Also the last time I had some I got some super-cheap ones from a chinese grocery (sold as "chinese wolfberry" and about 5% the price of western supermarket "goji berries" but the exact same thing) but got really bad gastro directly afterwards. Not sure if it was connected but the association has turned me off them now

 

[addictivepersona]

This is a damn good thread! I need to convince my parents to stop buying all of this useless overpriced food and go bulk, but they don't understand! I'm making headway though...

Goji berries are excellent, they go great with my organic raisins in oatmeal with some local honey, hemp, and chia seeds....mmmmm

I also discovered brazil nuts! Apparently, and this is only from one source, but one or two of these nuts has 160% of one's daily value of selenium, a heart healthy antioxidant. It does contain a bit of saturated fat and too much selenium has been known to cause problems due to toxicity (again based on this one source, so it may not be 100% correct, all I know is they are good nuts)

Actually any kind of nuts- peanuts, walnuts, almonds, etc. etc.

I want to get into sprouts and things like legumes.

Also dried fruit is great, but I recently discovered my dried mango contains FDC red #5 and sugar...wtf are they adding shit besides sulphur dioxide to dried fruit?? I was disheartened....

Legumes are awesome--I typically eat a pound of black beans a week.

That's insane they add that crap to the dried fruit! Bet you'll be reading labels from now on.

Brazil nuts taste excellent but unfortunately for me give me really bad acid reflux. Only nut that seems to do that.

^ I try to avoid dried fruit with sulfur dioxide too (preservative 220 here). Yeh yeh dried figs and bananas (sun-dried, not those fried banana chip thingies) are sooo good!

Goji berries are pretty nice, though I recall someone in a thread here mentioning they had stomach problems due to the tiny seeds within them? Also the last time I had some I got some super-cheap ones from a chinese grocery (sold as "chinese wolfberry" and about 5% the price of western supermarket "goji berries" but the exact same thing) but got really bad gastro directly afterwards. Not sure if it was connected but the association has turned me off them now

Hrm! Thanks for posting the bit about the tiny seeds--I've had issues with fruits with small seeds (raspberries, strawberries, etc) in the past, so if I ever try goji/wolfberries, I'll have to try 'em slowly.

I am currently trying to finish up a bag of organic rolled oats that I bought for an awesome price (~$1/#). Have gotten the taste for steel cut oats, which seem expensive at first but really aren't when you look at the quantity and quality you get from 'em!

 

[tiggerific]

fresh fruit and veg, pulses and grains, eggs and if you can mix a little exercise with picking some fruit or herbs, mushrooms (not just the happy chappy ones :D) go fishing, all adds up.
I think if you find dishes you like or find out about how to cook all the things you enjoy from the cheaper items then you will find shopping is cheaper, also you will find you are healthier from eating better.
Also if you can grow a few things such as spinach, it grows all year round in a tub so you can have that in the house as well.
I need to stop posting in threads like this am hungry again.

 

[addictivepersona]

Cleaned up this thread a little bit to take all the organic v non-organic talk to a new mega thread: Organic v. Conventional Mega Thread. Link will be here soon!