7 Foods to Buy When You're Broke (hamburgers, coupons, freezing, meals)
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Right. You're not going to stash a hard-boiled egg in your bag or your glove compartment in case you need a snack. Protein bars come in handy like that.
I avoid those nutrition bars as I've found so many are high in sugar, carbs, etc. As others noted, you can find good protein sources in many other foods that are much better for
you.
I am not broke but I still buy all the foods on the list (except brown rice). Yum!
Hmmm the nutritionist I go to recommended protein bars. Especially the ones with lower sugar that I buy. She said it's hard for some persons to get enough protein....they think they are getting enough but really aren't. I guess she knows what she's talking about since she charges a lot and is considered one of downstate Illinois best nutritionists.
Even if the protein bars only the best ingredients and none of the bad, they are just too expensive for me. When I was working I would invest in a box of the good type and keep one in my purse for emergency hunger. But now that I am retired I buy nuts in bulk and make up little packages of them to fit in my purse to take out and eat if hunger hits when I am not home. Nuts have protein. Also, if they are on sale, I buy those little boxes of raisins.
Purse food can be many things in a zip lock bag or tin foil; apple slices, a banana, nuts, trail mix (make your own, it's cheaper), cereal no milk of course. I have also made little peanut butter (for protein) "sandwiches" by putting a little between crackers and sometimes a bit of popcorn for my purse snacks. Just for one day, any one of these will keep. Nuts are my favorites. Whatever I don't eat when I am out and about becomes a snack for my evening munchies.
Purse food can be many things in a zip lock bag or tin foil; apple slices, a banana, nuts, trail mix (make your own, it's cheaper), cereal no milk of course. I have also made little peanut butter (for protein) "sandwiches" by putting a little between crackers and sometimes a bit of popcorn for my purse snacks. Just for one day, any one of these will keep. Nuts are my favorites. Whatever I don't eat when I am out and about becomes a snack for my evening munchies.
Cereal, crackers and popcorn are going to get pulverized in my purse in a zip lock, and putting them in a hard container reduces the portability (a small bar vs. a tupperware? I'll take the bar every time. It's a purse, not a backpack. LOL). Nuts and trail mix could work, but fresh fruit won't work because I don't want to have to re-pack something every day. I never know when I may need my "emergency" stash. It may be tomorrow, it may be next week. I want to know that there's always something available to me even if I didn't take the time to slice some apples the night before. The protein bars fit the bill perfectly and come in a variety of flavors.
Cereal, crackers and popcorn are going to get pulverized in my purse in a zip lock, and putting them in a hard container reduces the portability (a small bar vs. a tupperware? I'll take the bar every time. It's a purse, not a backpack. LOL). Nuts and trail mix could work, but fresh fruit won't work because I don't want to have to re-pack something every day. I never know when I may need my "emergency" stash. It may be tomorrow, it may be next week. I want to know that there's always something available to me even if I didn't take the time to slice some apples the night before. The protein bars fit the bill perfectly and come in a variety of flavors.
My purse is smallish but it is made out of a kind of backpack material, I don't know what you call it, but it has reinforced sides that help things to keep from getting squished. But I remember when I carried soft leather purses with soft sided purses, my protein bars sometimes got smushed too.
As I said, a good grade of protein bars are great, but this is a thread about foods to eat when you are broke. I just can't afford protein bars so that's not an item on the list in which I can indulge. But I am not saying others who can, shouldn't.
Yeah deep six those protein bars if your looking for nutrition on a budget. A 180lbs man can get all the protein he needs for about $1.50 worth of chicken breasts a day about at 99cents a pound. Plus a good portion of the calories intake as well if you leave the skin on. Toss in one or two hard boiled eggs for about 10cents apiece and you can drop to about 1.00 of chicken breasts. If you find a deal on Turkey breast the price per gram of protein is even cheaper because of its higher protein content. If you can find some cheap beef liver thats another good one for the budget.
I used to spend a bit of time on these numbers when I was an amateur competitive power lifter back in the 80's.
99 cents a pound for chicken breasts..............NOT in my neck of the woods!
I live on Social Security so I am in a perpetual state of broke. I do buy peanut butter it goes a long way. But there are all kinds. I buy the store brands on sale that don't have sugar or added oils. Rice doesn't have to be expensive, there are all different kinds and it goes really far. I have no problem with frozen veggies which, when on sale, are often less expensive than fresh and keep longer. It's just me, so it's hard to buy some fresh vegetables in amounts small enough so they don't go bad. So if I buy perishable veggies, I have to use them up quickly which means buying them more frequently so even though the cost may be low, the frequency in buying them may be high. In that case, buying frozen is more economical.
Everything I have read has said that frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh, you just have to know how to cook them for them to taste good. I use a steamer.
But everything else is fine except for the protein bar. Those are too expensive and I never really found one that tasted good to me.
I'm like you and my check goes only so far. I always shop by list and try to do it big purchases. Its easier to get a lot from your list and have the temptation of one extra thing be limited. And I buy basic stuff, no frozen dinners. I treat myself with one pizza a month, but it lasts three days.
I buy meat, but eat small amounts at dinner. The potatoes and rice and staples fill up the rest. I'd add onions but fresh to the list. Chop up a little and cook it with you meals and it adds nutrients and flavor. Also garlic.
Last night I took some chicken drumsticks which were on sale for three dollars, and boiled them with a sauce and a little broth, chopped onion, and garlic. Once they were done I took out the chicken and flaked it, but added canned tomatoes, spinich, a few spices and seasoning I like. I put more water in it so it cooked down and the flavors mixed nicely. I made rice. I put the chicken in the sauce and put it over rice.
The chicken was cheap, a cup of rice, part of an onion, a spoonful of minced garlic, a dollar for the tomatoes and a handful of frozen spinich. A few cheap spices will make ordinary food taste very good.
It's three dinners for me. It could easily be a nice filling bowl for four on very little outlay. If you use basic stuff, including frozen vegies like spinich, and fresh like onions which keep very well, you can do tasty stuff at a low cost.
And peanut butter is a good suggestion. That and good bread (not the mushy wonder type) are filling and nutritious. I would also question the protien bars, unless your out and its not practical to carry your lunch.
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Yum!
