# Healthy Eating on the Cheap: Help Please!



## LovelyLiz (Mar 22, 2011)

Since this is about both health and food, I didn't really know which forum to put it in. If it needs to be moved, feel free, but I thought it might fit better here.

Here's the issue (and FTR, I was asked for help by the person running this household, I'm not just giving my unsolicited advice ): Some members of my extended family have been eating pretty much only processed food and basically zero fruits and vegetables (think hash brown patties with hot dogs or highly processed sausages, or something from a box, for every meal, and mostly sugary sodas/sports drinks). Part of the reason for this is that the foods they eat seem (and often are) a lot cheaper, and they are extremely tight on money. They're also easier and quicker to prepare, and let's face it, are highly palatable. 

One member of the household is a 16 year old boy (he lost his mom in August, and his 35-yo sister is now taking care of him - they all already lived together tho), and he hates almost any food that's somewhat healthy, and is really resistant to trying new types of foods. They are in a difficult spot right now, all dealing with grief after their mom's death (they were an extremely tight-knit group), but what they're eating is really not helping them to feel good and nourished and healthy, y'know? It's actually really taking a toll on them - not only bodily, but in their moods and energy level and everything else. And the older sister sought my advice. 

Knowing them, I think it's going to work best to take very small and very easy steps toward incorporating more fruits or vegetables into their diet, not trying for an immediate 180, you know? I recommended things like buying frozen chopped spinach and after defrosting and draining it, mixing it in with the tomato sauce for spaghetti. That way the 16-yo might not even notice, and might get some vegetables in him (I have snuck vegetables into people's bodies this way more than once!)  Or if broccoli is on sale (or whatever other vegetable is on sale), buy that, steam it in the microwave, and then melt as much cheese on it until it's palatable for them. Or use frozen vegetables and put cheese on them. The key is to use cheese to ease into the vegetable flavor... Or even to eat canned, if that's all they can swing at a certain time.

So the two issues are:

1) Do you have ways of cooking food where you use vegetables but they don't exactly taste super vegetable-y and are very easy and cheap? (The older sister also can't stand for long periods at a time, so cooking over the stove is less of an option.)

2) Do you have any suggestions for how to get a 16-yo finicky boy who desperately needs to eat some actual food, to really do so? (The older sister hasn't had to be a mother before...so it's hard for her to know how to handle this.)

Thanks for any help or suggestions anyone has!


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## cinnamitch (Mar 22, 2011)

My daughter will shred zucchini and put it into her lasagna. shred carrots to put in her meatloaf, She has friend green beans to make it seem like they are getting to eat the "good Stuff". make yogurt pops, plot a stick into a cup of yogurt and freeze it, then pop it out stick and all when its frozen. she roasts a lot of her veggies to make them more interesting. It seems the kids eat them better that way for some reason. Turkety burgers with bbq sauce, turkey meatballs in spaghetti. none of it is really too expensive.


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## moore2me (Mar 22, 2011)

Now summer is coming, make your own frozen treats. Buy whatever fruit is cheao (plums, nectarines, strawberries, bananans, etc.) Boil the fruit for a few minutes in a enough water to cover it, When mushy, add sweetner of choice (I use Splenda). Pour in reusable, individual plastic freezer cups and freeze. Enjoy 

If the peels or pits get in your way - just strain them out before freezing. You can also freeze the juice in ice cube trays for adding to cold drinks.


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## Dr. Feelgood (Mar 22, 2011)

If they have a blender, it is possible to buy carrots, cauliflower, beets, or whatever, cook them, puree them, and freeze the puree for later use. The aforesaid puree can then be smuggled into soups, pancake batter, meat loaf, etc. in small doses: it is highly nutritious and virtually undetectable. :eat2:


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## lypeaches (Mar 22, 2011)

Just in general, I'd recommend chili as a basic dish...topped with cheese pretty much anyone will eat it, you can make dozens of variations including meatless, or not much meat, and hide all kinds of vegetables in it. Also, doesn't require much prep work.


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## Miss Liz (Mar 22, 2011)

Mix thawed and drained frozen chopped spinach into the cheese for a lasagna. Zuccini bread is another good way to sneek veggies in. Chili was already mentioned - along the same lines - homemade hamburger helper: ground meat (turkey, chicken and beef all work), any veggies that can be used in stews, brown gravy or beef stock and noodles. Another advantage of chili and hamburger helper type meals is they freeze well, so leftovers can just be reheated.

As far as the problems with standing, if your friend has a kitchen table or the dining room table isn't too far away, a lot of prep work (peeling, chopping, mixing) can be done sitting down.


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## moore2me (Mar 23, 2011)

As far as standing in the kitchen, for a time I used a bar stool to sit on while cooking. I would move it when necessary from the sink to the stove.

Another suggestion for veggies it to pair them with eggs. Fresh eggs are cheap and nutrious and make the base for several meals such as quiche, eggs rachero, and eggs scrambled with onions, peppers, cheese, salsa and the meat of your choice. Egg salad is also easy and can be made with olives, onions and a little chopped celery (plus mao).

I have even tried the new liquid eggs that come in cartons in the store. They are great in that they are pastuerized and sealed in a milk carton. Unopened a one pint or one quart carton will keep for up to almost two months. Once opened, they keep for a week. Most of the stores have a generic brand that is inexpensive and easy to transport - you don't have to worry about breaking egg shells.

To talk a teenage boy into eating eggs, point him in the direction of body builders. Eggs are a staple of bodybuilders diets. They add fresh veggies to the eggs and use the protein and vitamins, minerals, etc. to bulk up and sculpt the hard bodies the chicks adore and the other guys covet. (Of course, there is some working out involved too.)


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## Ruffie (Mar 23, 2011)

I have watched a few episodes of this show and there might be some recipes here that would be of assistance.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/ten-dollar-dinners-with-melissa-darabian/recipes/index.html


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## LovelyLiz (Mar 23, 2011)

Such great suggestions! I will definitely pass all of these along. Thank you so much, everyone.


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## tinkerbell (Mar 26, 2011)

My husband and I eat as cheaply and healthy as we can. We don't have a lot of extra money, and have been eating better for our health. I like cheap, easy and healthy! 

Anyway, I love frozen Green Giant Veggies. They either come in a bag or a box, for smaller portions. And many of them come with sauce or some sort of seasoning on them. They have broccoli with cheese sauce, broccoli, rice and cheese sauce, cauliflower and cheese sauce, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and cheese sauce.... etc. Others have a butter sauce, teriyaki sauce or herbs etc. The boxes will go on sale for a $1 a box often here, and there are around 2 to 3 servings in each box. 

I was not a big fan of vegetables either, and started with these because the sauce helped. I'm moving more toward the plain steamed varieties now because I don't like the excess sodium that comes with the sauces. And like plain veggies better now. 

I will still use the kind with the sauces, and will mix them with other things. I'll mix the cheddar sauce flavors with whole wheat pasta, to make a side dish to go with our meals. I also will mix the teriyaki flavor with pork or chicken, and put it over brown rice for a "stir fry" type meal. Easy, and cheap. I also make another "stir fry" type meal with just red, orange and yellow peppers, and use a store bought sauce, cook it with pork or chicken, and throw in the peppers, and cook for a few minutes, and put it over brown rice. I love that meal. And its easy, and good. And I would never even dream of eating peppers in the past. 

I also recently made a really easy quiche with frozen spinach, pork loin p we eat a lot of that since it goes on sale really cheap here), bisquick and cheese. I've found that frozen steamed spinach doesn't really even have a flavor. 

I recently experimented with my muffin recipe, and made a white chocolate chip carrot muffin. It was really good, and my co workers and husband loved it. It was high in fiber, vit A, and lowish calorie.


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## EMH1701 (Mar 31, 2011)

What about spaghetti? Fresh tomatoes are healthy and it's one food most kids will eat. You can sneak other vegetables into the spaghetti as well, or make other types of pasta with them. Top with a lot of tomato sauce and the kids won't notice the veggies as much.

In season fruit can be really good. You can put it in a salad, mix it with ice cream, or put it in a blender with milk. Or just put it on cereal. Also frozen fruit is great when it's not in season, you can always make smoothies with it.

Also I would think you can sneak all kinds of veggies into a burrito. Beans in and of themselves are pretty healthy.

Gumbo maybe? It's pretty vegetable heavy.


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## Hodson (Apr 1, 2011)

Hey you would have to make different recipes at home and let them enjoy there... You will select the fresh veggies, bean's, cookies, some type of health foods and fast one's also in a week....


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## EMH1701 (Apr 2, 2011)

Also -- take a tip from Julia Child and use butter with your veggies. A lot of her basic veggie recipes blanche them first, then saute them in butter, maybe with a few seasonings. I guess the butter takes away the bitterness of things like broccoli, so people would be more willing to eat them. 

Creamed peas made well are really, really awesome. There are a couple of good creamed peas recipes on epicurious.com.


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## Jes (Apr 4, 2011)

While this may not be a hit with the 16 year old, lentils and beans are good sources of fiber and count (dried, 1/4 cup) as 1 serving of veggies on the pyramid (and have you noticed that over the last few years, the gov. has upped the number from 5 a day to 10 a day? Gah! But I still try to do it!). Anyway, someone said chili, and I'd recommend half a lbs. of turkey (or cheaper ground beef) and double the amount of black or pinto or kidney beans. It's still chili, you can still put a bit of cheese on it, but it's got lots of beans. They are also know as the musical fruit, thus ticking off another of the 10 a day on the pyramid. Dried beans that are soaked overnight are dirt cheap.


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