Suppers when you're poor

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Household Management -> Finances

1 2 3 4 5 Next

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

amother

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 1:18 am

Is it justified to serve chicken, meat, fish during the week? Or just eggs, tuna, beans? (We do use a small amount of ground meat and cheese for flavoring but not as a main part of the meal. Like I would put some ground meat in sauce to flavor it but not serve meatballs. I will make tuna pasta but not tuna patties which use much more tuna.)
That is what we do but I want to know if I am doing the right thing.
We are in a lot of debt and get some tzedakah assistance. Also tuition assistance.
We do not have Tomchei Shabbos or similar in our location.

Window

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 1:25 am

You can serve whatever you want.
Just make sure that they’re still getting protein. Like you can add beans to the meat sauce.
Pasta has more protein than rice.
Quinoa. Whole grains.
But for real, meat has a ton of protein, so a small amount of meat can be enough. Vs beans, you need a lot to meet the required amount of grams of protein

amother

Amber

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 1:29 am

Turkey has loads of protien so perhaps make a Turkey roast once a week or cold cuts.

amother

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 1:33 am

amother Amber wrote:

Turkey has loads of protien so perhaps make a Turkey roast once a week or cold cuts.

It's very expensive. I would prefer to serve chicken or meatballs or salmon or shnitzel or fish cutlets but I feel like I can't justify those things on a regular basis since we are getting tzedakah money. I sometimes get a small pack of salami or turkey cold cuts as a Shabbos treat or serve hot dogs on special occasions.

notshanarishona

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 1:47 am

Personally when I am in debt I wouldn’t even consider meat during the week. Chicken doesn’t have to be expensive if done properly. Their is a difference between serving even chicken thighs (2.49lb vs a shniztel 5.49 or more a lb). If you do it smartly, for example chicken hot dogs can cost $3 for a package of 8 but beef might be $8 then you can put variety into your menu.

twizzlers1

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 1:50 am

If I was the one helping you out financially, I want you to be feeding the kids and yourself healthy food with proteins. It does not seem like you are feeding anybody steaks in the middle of the week for dinner or even on shabbos. I think it’s great to keep your eyes out for a certain sales. But you should definitely not feel guilty. But adding things like lentils and beans that are higher in protein and probably cheaper is OK to do as well. I don’t think anybody could eat those kind of meals every night without going crazy. But you should definitely not feel bad about feeding your family healthy things. I hope that your situation transfer my quickly and that you can be only giving and but until then you’re doing absolutely nothing wrong in my humble opinion

amother

Dustypink

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 2:13 am

There are so many recipes with lentils, beans... especially now that it is winter. So many soups, stews, bean patties... and using dry beans and lentils makes it a lot cheaper. I have made these things in a crackpot so it didn't matter that they were dried. And no, it didn't taste like cholent- a crockpot can be used for so much more than that!
Mushrooms actually have protein too. Not too filling on their own but good for variety and flavor. Mushroom barley soup.. yum.
You can have a lot of variety for very cheap. I would look into vegan and vegetarian meals. There is only 1 B vitamin that is only from animal sources and I don't mean you need to go totally vegan. Shabbos have some fleishigs, use leftovers to flavor stews/soups etc. All I am saying is you shouldn't feel limited using beans as a base.

ray family

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 2:38 am

A chicken stir fry or lo mein can stretch chicken further then straight up shnitzel
Veg stuffed with meat and rice can stretch the beef further.
Chilli with more beans then what you’d normally use.
Lentil soup
Mejadera (lentils and rice)
Pea soup
Veg chilli
Tofu
Quinoa
Also if you can get beef bones they can add a lot of flavor even when using less meat in a dish.
Even when making hot dogs, I know people make hot dogs and potatoes, and that can stretch it as well.
Salmon is usually an expensive fish. Maybe a cheaper option or even tuna patties instead.
I know in the years that we struggled my kids did not get protein every day.
And that was life. As long as they had food in their stomachs I was happy.

Golde

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 2:56 am

amother OP wrote:

I don't consider myself poor at all but we never have those things you mention during the week. They're for shabbos. Sometimes we do have fish during the week, but never chicken, meatballs, schnitzel etc as kosher meat is very expensive where we live. Obviously what you can or cannot eat is ultimately your own choice.

amother

Bisque

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 5:45 am

Chicken wings are a popular low cost item in Israel. We use them for like one supper in the middle of the week, as chicken soup with wings or baked in the oven. The rest of the time we eat vegetarian, other than on Shabbat.

amother

Azure

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 6:09 am

I think it’s a balance
You shouldn’t feel bad serving kids chicken or ground beef 2times mid week
If you can afford it
And if you can’t afford it maybe it’s time to look at government programs such as WIC

DVOM

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 6:10 am

amother OP wrote:

There's no need to 'justify' what your eating in your own home to anyone.

That having been said, if your in debt and living off charity, you probably want to be extremely careful with your very limited resources. It makes a lot of sense to me to save the chicken and meat for special occasions (shabbos), and serve cheaper meals on weeknights.

Is this the 'right thing' to do? I find your question confusing. This is (in my mind) much less a moral question (is this right or wrong), than a practical one.

It sounds like a smart way to use your food budget, and a smart way of (hopefully!) start chipping away at your debt and getting off of charity.

(One current favorite weeknight meal is chilli. 1/4 lb chop meat is usually enough to flavor a great big pot. We use canned beans, whatever varieties are on sale, lots of onion, peppers (my grocery store sells 4 big peppers for 1.99$ at the end of the week. I buy this just about every week), tomatoes, carrots. Add chilli spice, garlic, onion, salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, and simmer for an hour or 2. Some of my kids like this over pasta or stuffed in a pita, I like it plain with a dollop of chummus on top to cut through all the spiciness. Absolutely delicious! We are fortunate at this point in our lives to be able to have chicken for a midweek dinner, but many years of frugal living has taught me that cheap foods can be just as healthy, flavorful and filling. Eating cheaply doesn't have to feel like deprivation. )

amother

Babyblue

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 6:23 am

We cant afford it but I have one airborne allergic to eggs and peanuts, so those are never an option, one allergic to chicken , wheat and fish, one allergic to dairy and a bunch who won’t touch beans or fish. So if I want to only have to make 1- 2 dinners instead of 3+, one has to be meat or chicken. And it’s not like making beans and telling anyone who doesn’t like it to go have frozen pizza or fish sticks or chicken nuggets is cheaper than putting up a big pot of chicken and rice (and meatballs for allergic)

Brit in Israel

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 6:24 am

As long as your kids don't feel deprived of food you are doing amazing in finding meals on a budget.

If using mince meat I always go half beef with chicken or turkey when money was tighter I would do 1 beef to 2 chicken/turkey.

I use chicken sausages, sliced and fried with onions and pepper, flavoured with soy and sweet chilli served over spaghetti or Thai noodles, it really stretches the amount of sausages and makes a very fancy meal.

If you do tuna patties or meatballs I add extra eggs and breadcrumbs (softer than matza meal) and it stretches the amount it makes.

No one needs meat every day!

strivingmom

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 6:36 am

There’s actually a school of thought that you don’t need as much protein as the world thinks you need. They claim you can have enough protein from fruits, vegetables(they have some protein in them) beans. You can check out Chris Beats Cancer(instagram/book) or The china study(book) for more info on this.
So you may be better off not having so much protein, which they claim is the cause of many illnesses nowadays.

amother

Azure

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 6:45 am

When trying to stretch ground beef for meatballs you can grind any leftover cooked veggies as well as adding more breadcrumbs-
My kids never noticed and I was able to sub up to 1/3. Grind it in the food processor until it turns to mush.
I even used the leftover Shabbos soup veggies that don’t have much flavor left in them

amother

Olive

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 6:46 am

Food should come before tuition

amother

Pumpkin

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 7:22 am

notshanarishona wrote:

I don't know where op lives, but if she lives in a city where there's no tomchei Shabbos, prices are probably much higher. I live in a large oot community and prices are way higher than what you listed, even on sale.

amother

Lightgray

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 7:27 am

amother Pumpkin wrote:

Most oot communities have the equivalent of tomchei shabbos, just under a different name.

amother

Pumpkin

Wed, Nov 08 2023, 7:32 am

Op, it sounds like you're already trying to be frugal. I don't think you're doing anything wrong. Just remember, lots of people don't serve salmon or chicken or meat during the week, even if they are not quite as tight financially.

My family is mostly vegetarian during the week. There are lots of healthy, delicious foods you can feel good about serving your family!

Page 1 of 5

1 2 3 4 5 Next