Looking for Some Enexpensive Healthy Family Recipes and Snack Ideas

Hi J.,

About a year ago, I started experiencing health problems due to being overweight. I decided that rather than do any fad diet plan (there are so many out there...and none of them truly work), I would just start eating healthier. All products have a label indicating recommended serving size as well as caloric count, etc. I started eating three meals a day...DO NOT SKIP BREAKFAST! Any responsible doctor will tell you that skipping breakfast will not help you lose weight. So, after that, I started counting calories, alternating between 1500-1800 calories a day. By fluctuating, my body never truly felt starved and the pounds came off. Within a month, I lost 15 lbs. Now, a year later, I have lost 50 lbs and lost 2-1/2 pant sizes (I say 1/2 because it depends on the cut). Other than a responsible diet, exercise will help you lose the weight and keep it off.

Hi J.,
Balance,cleanse,nourish.Lately I have been learning about ph balancing.We should be eating 80% of alkaline foods and 20% acidic foods.Unfortunately I think our diets have become the other way around.I know thats easier said than done... so try to balance.You like meat well maybe take out coffee?soda?Sugar is very acidic so watch for words even such as ASPARTAME ect.Put in more greens.Drink plenty of water.Drink water with lemon or apple cider vinegar.
Try taking a whole health body cleanse.
Digestive enzymes.
Whole balance instant shake.
krill oil.
To find out more about the last products mentioned feel free to visit my store :) FAQ is a good place for common questions.
I have read you are meat eaters so I know you would love the jerky.Natural Turkey,Natural Buffalo,Natural Beef,many to choose from.
I also noticed you said you are on an extremely tight budget.And I am looking for a couple special people.
www.northbuffalo.jerkydirect.com

If you can buy the cookbook 5 ingredients in 15 minutes by Cooking Light. It is completely worth the cost and maybe you can find a used copy somewhere. I lost 25 lbs eating on this cookbook for dinner and watching what I ate for BF and lunch. For myself I ate about 1400 calories a day. 250 for BF, 100 snack, 300 for lunch, 100 snack and 350-400 for dinner. The meals in the cookbook fit in for that dinner and they are GOOD. My husband and my parents loved them. We switched it up a bit if they said pork we might use chicken or beef...whatever. But they are easy, quick and inexpensive. Good luck!

I know how hard it is to eat healthy and cheaply. I work at that every week. My hubby is not a veggie lover, but will try new things occationally. So, I don't know how perfectly balanced these suggestions are, but they are some of our favs. And I feel pretty satisfied that they are basically healthy.

Alfredo Bowties with Ham:
(might have to double this for the size of your fam.)
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pkg. of bowties (or any pasta)
bottle of reduced fat alfredo sauce (or Rago Parmesan and
Mozzerella Alfredo - suprisingly low-fat)
16 oz. pkg. of ham chunks
chopped broc. (fresh or frozen) (amt. to taste)
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Simply cook the pasta. Add the alfredo, ham and broc. and heat through. Great served with garlic bread (for cheap we just do butter on bread with seasoning like gar. powder, chili powder and fresh basil [super-easy to grow in a pot outside] - lay on foil and bake in oven for 10 min. or until "toasty!" Also add a side salad of fresh spinich.
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Baked Chicken Quesadillas
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Flour tortillas
Chicken breasts (cooked)
Rotel tomatoes and green chiles
shredded ched. cheese
Italian dressing (optional)
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Cook chicken in microwave with can of Rotel until done. Cut up into small pieces. Lay tortillas on sprayed (cooking oil) cookie sheet. Fill half of tortilla with chicken mix. Add cheese to taste. Add squirt of Ital. dressing. Fold over and hold close with toothpick. Bake at 350* for approx. 10 min. or until the tortillas are light brown and feel "crunchy!"

Serve with spanish rice and/or fat-free refried beans (I stir in a spoon full of salsa and some cheese if I have it.). Also can serve with a fresh spinach salad.
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Hope those help! Press on knowing there are others out here attempting to do the same thing! :)

Sounds like you are going in the right direction. I lost 112 pounds by eating "mini meals" about every 3 hours. I stuck to very lean beef (on occasion) but mostly white meat turkey and chicken, veggies and fruit. I stayed away from breads and pastas (not easy for me) I also cut out salt, sugar and alot of dairy and had no fried food. One thing that amazingly helped a lot was drinking 100+ oz. of water a day. The first couple of days I almost quit because of all the trips to the bathroom! Ha! But once my body got used to it, I adjusted well. These are just a few things you might add that seemed to really help me. Good luck!

I found a wonderful FREE site that uses foods we would already have on our grocery list with lots of alternates and its similar to a myspace type of set up, has tons of reciepes and excerises and videos and again its free to join its here is the link http://sparkpeople.com/ goodluck and hope you enjoy!!!

We do a lot of things with ground turkey instead of beef. My husband likes to try new things but he also loves the old favorites. We will do sloppy joe, but use turkey instead of beef with whole wheat buns.

One of my favorite recipes is Turkey Goulash.
1lb ground turkey
16 oz of tomato sauce
1 zuchinni
1 red bell pepper
2 Tbsp basil
1 Onion
8 oz of egg noodles

In a pan sautee the onions with a little bit of EVOO, 2 minutes later add the sliced peppers, 2 minutes later add the sliced zuchinni. Let them sautee for about 2 minutes then remove from heat. Cool Turkey until done, then add veggies and tomato sauce. Add basil (sliced, and fresh taste better). Then serve over egg noodles. Delicious!

I really like the Body For Life book, they have great, inexpensive dinner, lunch ideas. I also love Weight Watchers. Good luck!

Feb of last year I went and started weight watchers. They were having a special for only 40 to start and it gave you the Etools as well. I stopped going to the meetings because I lead a busy life of a restaurant manager and a 13 yr old son to bus around. Etools was only 12.99 to keep so I continued to use them and I successfully lost over 45 lbs to this day. I actually stopped using etools last summer as well and just continued eating the way I had while I was on the diet and the weight just melted away. I went from a 185 size 18 almost to now a size 9 and 150 lbs. I look and feel so much better. I honestly didn't change much except for the way I ate. I went to diet sodas which I thought I would never like, but they are not that bad once you get used to it. I drink sugar free creamer and 2 splendas in my every day morning coffee. I put splenda in everything including my spaghetti recipe. I also do not stuff myself anymore. I have learned it's not what you eat it's actually how much you eat of it. I was stuffing and putting way too much food into my diet other than eating what satisfied me. Now I eat and snack all through the day and still the weight is coming off. I can't wait to put a 2 piece on this summer. My husband is thrilled that I have done this too. Since we married 2 years ago and I was heavy, He actually gained 20 lbs since then and now is trying the diet too and losing weight as we speak. He is down from 175 to 170 now in a matter of weeks. You will feel so much better about your life and yourself once you start changing. It's great!!!
Also I found a ton of recipes on their website because they have these great forums. So you can change the family diet too.

Check out this post from a couple of months ago: http://www.mamasource.com/request/16636770686072782849
Even if you're not ready to eliminate meat, try cutting down, for both budget and health reasons. We used to eat meat at every meal; since my husband was diagnosed with high cholestorol, we now do chicken or fish 2-3 times a week, and otherwise vegetarian. We started for health reasons, but also find it saves about $100-200 a mo on groceries! Plus we've both lost weight, slowly and steadily, without much effort. Also try to steer clear of pre-made and processed foods; they almost always have fat and sugar in that you didn't realize! Good luck, and stick with it!

http://recipes.familyeducation.com/

you an try also ground turkey it tastes like meat

You can get free recipes from Jenny Craigs website.
I tried a couple and they were good. Go to the library and see if there are any cook books with low fat or low calorie recipes.
Good luck..
I am trying to eat healthier too... but its hard when no one else will eat what I cook

How about fish? Use a lot of fillers like rice, beans, pasta. I love to put pasta (cold) in a salad and chicken. Grilling is another way to spice things up. You can put all kinds of veggies on the grill. I also use unexpected vegetables in a salad like squash, zucchini, olives, etc. I know that weights with aerobics are a great way to loose weight and swimming. Good luck.

You might try Weight Watchers. Their plan is to retrain your eating by balancing everything and making you conscious of portions. It's a lifetime adventure and they make it possible if you just follow their guidelines.

Lentis soup with potatoes
Place some chopped onions on a pot with a little butter 'til they are transparent, add lentis and 10 cups of water per cup of lentis. Salt to taste and let cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes, add squared potatoes. When potatoes are cooked serve on a bowl,add fresh lemon juice to taste. Add beef if you want and compliment with whole wheat crakers.

Affordable and hearty!

The South Beach - life style - will help you!
it's not expensive and the whole family will benefit.
lots of great recipies, fresh veggies (which you are growing) and lean meats (deer & chicken fit in) You just have to change your mindset and eat healthy