(Orlando, FL)
I am the light skinned one on the left
Lately for the past couple weeks I have been eating:
a soft tortilla large b/c I use it as a wrap I fill it with spinach, tomato, onion, shredded cheese, ranch dressing and a spicy chicken pate that I buy in the freezer section.
Sometimes I fill it with mustard and mayo and sometimes with sour cream
I’ll eat it with (guilty) tater tots
I usually eat two of those a day when I work and three on days off
I sometimes make two of those chicken patties with broccoli and for snack chips
I only drink bottled water and coffee before I leave to work.
When I am at work I drink sweet tea and Pepsi sometimes.
I work as a hostess. I usually work double shifts which is from 9 am to 9pm with a two hour break from 3pm-5pm
I go to college on Tuesdays from 1pm-10pm with a class switch that I use as a break from 4pm-6pm.
We are allowed to eat in class, not meals but snacks are welcome, a sandwich too.
I am on a budget I’ll spend $60 on grocery every two weeks.
When I do eat I always feel hungry even though they are not small meals.
I always feel like I want more food so I find something to eat usually more chips.
I did one of your videos once, it was very good my leg muscles ached the next day. lol
I have been WANTING to start running again. I used to run when I was in high school. As of now I don’t do any routine exercise besides the running around at work as a hostess.
How can I start healthy eating with my budget? And still feel full? How should I eat on days I work from 9am-9pm with a 2 hour break in between? How should I eat on days I have off when I get bored and eat?
Answer from Rumi
Here are tips how to buy healthy foods on a budget.
If you cook your food it is not expensive to eat meat, fish, eggs and veggies.
Did you try my Exercise videos?
And take ideas from my Diet plans.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I think you are still hungry after you eat because you are not getting enough nutrients. I would recommend oatmeal for breakfast. You can buy the big Quaker Oats round cardboard boxes at Walmart for $3 or $4 dollars. You shouldn’t have to buy one every week. It should last you a month at least. I wouldn’t just dump butter and sugar on it either. I have tried mine a couple of different ways. Apples are consistently fairly inexpensive. You can thinly slice an apple and cook it with the oatmeal in the microwave. It’s 1/2 cup oatmeal and 1 cup water for about 3 or 4 minutes. Then sprinkle cinnamon and splenda on it. I have also done frozen blueberries. I cook the blueberries with the oatmeal in the microwave and add cinnamon and splenda when cooked. You can buy a bag of frozen blueberries at Walmart, the great value brand for about $3. I also do rasins, walnuts and cinammon which I add after the oatmeal is cooked. You can buy a big cardboard container of rasins for about $3 and a big bag of walnuts for $4 that will last most of the month. The good thing about all these ideas is they all either come out of the pantry or freezer so they won’t spoil and they are fast, inexpensive and high in nutrients so you shouldn’t be hungry. You could add a boiled egg. I also have a cup of coffee or tea.
For lunch I highly recommend bean and vegetable soups. You mentioned you like chicken. You could add that. The best way is to take just a half hour one day a week and make a big pot of soup. I like to do this on weekends. It should last you most of the week and it’s easy to pack in a tupperware container and pop in the microwave on a break. You will save a lot of money this way. I find I am very satisfied with chilli or lentils and you can add carrots, onions, celery and canned tomatoes all which are very inexpensive and high in nutrients. If you haven’t been cooking it sounds complicated but I promise it will make your life easier knowing lunch is taken care of for the week.
I would avoid chips. Try baby carrots for that crunch. Add hummus. Hummus is expensive but very easy to make if you have a blender. You just blend a can of garbanzo beans, a few garlic cloves, some juice from a lemon, a little olive oil and tahinni (which is sesame seed paste and can be found in the peanut butter section) in the blender. When you make your soup, make a batch of hummus and store it in tupperware so it’s ready to grab on your way out the door.
For dinner I love the steam in bag veggies and my favorite is broccoli but something that has helped me even more is buying a rice cooker at a discount store with a vegetable steamer on top so I just throw in 2 cups of brown rice and one cup of water and toss a bag of frozen veggies on top, turn it on and walk away. You can also buy steamer inserts that fits in most pots for just $10 if you are making it on the stovetop. I often have frozen salmon or chicken breast with this. I just bake it with a little olive oil, sea salt and ground pepper. It is very satisfying.
I would stay away from tator tots but I love potatoes so I often have a baked potatoe for dinner. I will just put one in the microwave for 7 minutes or so. Rather than putting sour cream and butter on it, try salsa. Newmans Own makes an incredible black bean and corn salsa that again is only a couple of dollars and it’s very good on a baked potatoe with some left over chilli.
I always keep bananas, frozen berries and soy milk on hand. Just these three items make an awesome smoothie and you get your fruit in for the day with just one. I would recommend adding whey protein powder. Walmart sells a huge container for about $14 that will last months. For a sweet tooth I go for a smoothie.
Other things that are great to keep on hand are whole wheat tortillas for tortilla pizzas. You can keep them in the freezer. I also keep whole wheat pasta and marinara on hand. I like to add an onion, a can of mushrooms, a can of tomatoes and some ground turkey or soy meat to my marinara and season it with garlic salt and italian seasoning. It’s much better than just the jarred version and you can make a big pot of it. It will feed you for several nights. For the tortilla pizza I spread hummus on the bottom and add chopped onions, peppers, kalamata olives, ground turkey or soy meat and canned artichoke hearts. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. I usually have the hummus on hand so this is easy. I also often chop up one whole onion and one whole pepper when I make soup and hummus and store them in the fridge in a ziplock bag to add to soups, salads, wraps or pizza. This tip has helped me big time. I also buy cherry tomatoes and bagged lettuce. With the baby carrots and chopped up onions and peppers you already have a salad ready to grab with your soup or spaghetti and you don’t have to chop up veggies everytime you want a salad. You can splurge on low fat cheese to top your spaghetti, baked potatoe or tortilla pizza with but make sure it’s 2% shredded Kraft.
By the way I have lost about 50 pounds and kept it off for two years on this diet. You have to avoid fast food and processed food but there are ways to eat fast and healthy with just a little planning. You don’t have to cook a lot but when you do, make extra and invest in some tupperware. Concentrate on fruits, veggies, whole grains and nuts. Lean meats and low fat dairy are ok in very small amounts, These foods are naturally inexpensive anyway. I love fruit. Try watermelon, bing cherries or peaches in the summer and oranges or grapefruit in the winter. Buy one of these a week and eat them after lunch or dinner as a treat. I also splurge on one coffee every morning and I buy the good creamer. I like it better than coffee house coffee. I make mine in a french press.
Let me know if this helps.