What's with vegetables?

amother

Tue, Apr 09 2013, 11:50 am

The price of lettuce is about $4 for a bag of romaine and more for the other varieties (aside for iceberg which is devoid of nutrients), and vegetables in general are really expensive.
I am working real hard to lose weight and change over to a healthier lifestyle but I cannot afford salad every night!
What other non starchy vegetables are there? I find that anything really good for you costs too much.

What are my options?

(Side point, the whole grains and proteins are expensive too, Can I live this lifestyle? I'm beginning to doubt it)

amother

Tue, Apr 09 2013, 11:56 am

Beans (black, kidney, chick peas etc.) are all pretty cheap and have a lot of protein. Tofu is also cheap. Quinoa, while not cheap, can go a long way. Eggs, as well.

I am also trying to eat healthier on a budget and these are foods that I find to be healthy, cheap(er) and keep me fuller for longer. Good luck!

pesek zman

Tue, Apr 09 2013, 12:08 pm

Raisin wrote:

buy whole heads of letttuce, much cheaper then bags.

Ditto. I only buy bags when they're super on sale (2 for $3 or less) and I only boy lettuce when on sale too (if prices are high, I just eat/serve cut veggies (peppers, cucumbers etc)

JoyInTheMorning

Tue, Apr 09 2013, 12:32 pm

I find that cucumbers and peppers are quite expensive too.

The cheapest vegetables around, IME, are carrots in the big five-pound bags, and plain green cabbage. (Red cabbage is always more expensive.) Green beans are also a good deal because you get so many servings out of each pound.

If you eat broccoli, you can get inexpensive frozen broccoli at many supermarkets. I pay one dollar per pound of frozen broccoli florets at my local supermarket and on sale even less. But in another local supermarket, it's twice as much, so I have to check prices carefully before I buy.

I make a delicious and inexpensive stir fry with thinly sliced carrots, mushroom, and broccoli, with a handful of snow peas thrown in. I season with a few smashed cloves of garlic and some chopped fresh ginger. It doesn't cost much at all and is delicious and filling.

r_ch

Tue, Apr 09 2013, 2:37 pm

Just tonight trying to stick to dieting, I baked fennel which I recommend:) It's rather ok and satisfies well. How's with cabbage, carrots, mangetout, beets? Apart from that lentils, buckwheat, barley are nutricious and could replace pasta and potatoes.

nyer1

Tue, Apr 09 2013, 3:09 pm

prior to having a baby this year I had done a great diet and lost about 50 lbs. now my baby is a few months old and im finally getting back into my old great ways of eating! I also found that certain things were expensive, so here are some of my tricks.

buy fruits that are in season. don't bother trying to find blueberries or watermelon in the winter. they are usually expensive, and not even that great.

costco has gr8 produce, in BULK. thats the only place that I WOULD buy most berries in the winter, because I can 4x the amount for the same price, and its usually great tasting.

I second the above idea about ethnic neighborhoods. I live near china town, and I find that they have some really great buys. also, fruit stands and farmers markets are awesome, shockingly.

legumes (beans, peas, lentils etc) are really cheap, great source of protein! last night I did a great lentil curry stir fry that was cheap (the bag of lentils cost me $1.50 and I only used half the bag. rice lasts forever and also is relatively inexpensive. the dinner gave us lunch for today too. what a great tasting, healthy and inexpensive meal!

check lettuce yourself, don't bother buying prechecked ANYTHING, unless it's frozen broccoli. not worth the extra money. checking veggies doesn't take THAT long.

good luck, and remember that if you do have to pay some extra money for fresh foods, it is totally worth it.