Ideas for food budget that would consists of enough calories and protein sources?

showsaf

I'm starting college in September, so I won't have time for work anymore. Any Ideas on how I can live off food in the cheapest but also healthiest way possible. I've estimated 20 euro a week for food, but would be interested to hear any tips or advice on this.

syklops

Go into your local butcher and see what deals they have. Mine does 10 chicken breasts for 10 euros. Get some mince and do a big spag bol or lasagne for one or two nights. Spend the rest on vegetables.

KTRIC

Lentils, very cheap and high in protein.

Zombienosh

KTRIC wrote: »

Lentils, very cheap and high in protein.

Yeah you can get bags of dried lentils/split peas for nothing in asian markets, they last ages and full of protein. I add them to everymeal.

j@utis

I afraid you have to increase it to 30euros. you could live on 20eur 5 years ago but prices aren't the same anymore. Also what you save on food now you might have to spend on doctors later in your life. living on lentils alone cannot be good to anyone.
We spend around 70eur for food for two people per week. it's mainly meat, eggs and veg & fruit, no treats or snacks (these aren't food anyway). We wouldn't be able to spend less without switching to crap like lowest quality meats etc. Cheap protein source is liver. it's also very nutritious. If you like patés they're easy to prepare, full of goodness and very filling. It cost me around 3.50eur to make enough pate for 5 days - perfect for quick breakfast.

syklops

j@utis wrote: »

I afraid you have to increase it to 30euros. you could live on 20eur 5 years ago but prices aren't the same anymore. Also what you save on food now you might have to spend on doctors later in your life. living on lentils alone cannot be good to anyone.
We spend around 70eur for food for two people per week. it's mainly meat, eggs and veg & fruit, no treats or snacks (these aren't food anyway). We wouldn't be able to spend less without switching to crap like lowest quality meats etc. Cheap protein source is liver. it's also very nutritious. If you like patés they're easy to prepare, full of goodness and very filling. It cost me around 3.50eur to make enough pate for 5 days - perfect for quick breakfast.

Liver isn't fashionable anymore so people aren't eating it. The last time I made pate I got the livers for free from the butcher. Seriously, make friends with your local butcher and you will get all kinds of bargains. Instead of crisps, I make these pork crackling bites. Lovely with a beer or as an on the couch snack, 0 carb, and he has never once charged me for the skin.

KTRIC

Zombienosh wrote: »

Yeah you can get bags of dried lentils/split peas for nothing in asian markets, they last ages and full of protein. I add them to everymeal.

Thanks for that, there I was buying them in Tesco.

littleredspot

If there's a community garden near you join it. For a small time committment you may be able to get lots of fresh veg and herbs.

If you're in Dublin, Moore st is your friend, but there's lots of other markets about that sell veg cheaply, Balbriggan on Sunday springs to mind.

Aldi do 6 fruit/veg at 69c or something like that. You'd be hard pushed to beat that.

A freezer will come in very handy. You can freeze bargains when you see them, and it's more economical to cook a few servings at once and freeze them.

syklops

QualityMark posted this in the Stingy things stingy people do thread in AH, but its actually a very frugal and healthy piece of advice. I hope he doesn't mind me re-posting it here.

QualityMark wrote:

There have been a few how-to-cook-cheap threads in Bargains, and I think in the cookery forum too.

Best thing is to have a shopping list you get each week: 2 loaves good bread, 6 eggs, a whole chicken, net of onions, garlic, 2 bags carrots, vine tomatoes (Aldi), 1 stick celery, 1 bag potatoes, 2 tins chopped tomatoes, stock cubes, parsley, cabbage, lettuce... then keep a stock of porridge, tea, sugar, milk, honey, etc, and things like Lea & Perrin's Worcester sauce, Kikkoman soya sauce (get the big bottle & decant into a smaller one as you use it), mirin and so on. Always have lentils (cheapest in Tesco, probably the only thing that is; the rest is cheap in Lidl & Aldi.)

Get some pot plants: rosemary, a bay tree (around €3 in the Avoca garden centre), thyme, coriander, basil - put them in big pots with lots of sand and compost.

Roast the chicken on Sunday (coated with lemon juice, a sprinkle of salt & honey, roasted on a bed of carrots, onions & celery, with boiled potatoes) and eat lots of vegetables so you don't make it a huge meat meal. Strip off the meat and use it through the week. Make stock by putting the chicken carcase, 3 chopped carrots, 2 halved onions, 1 bay leaf, 3 sticks celery and a load of water in a pot and boiling for around an hour; drain off the soup and throw out the bones and vegetables.

Make lentil soup with the stock: fry chopped carrots, onion and celery and a bay leaf in butter, add a good handful of lentils and fry more, add stock and salt, cook for around half an hour. This lentil soup with Lidl pumpkin bread and olive oil spread will be a good evening meal for 2 nights.

And so on through the week - if you go veggie or semi-veggie you'll save even more, for instance there's a lovely Greek dish where you fry onions, lentils and rice then add water and seasoning and cook until they're ready - a complete meal in terms of protein and carbohydrate - just add a salad and you're set.