If you had a dietary restriction...

[valerian]

how would you eat frugally? We need to cut our food bill desperately.Here's the case at our home so I'd like it if you'd address these issues specifically to help us...My dh is diabetic and doesn't eat pasta, rice, potatoes or anything starchy that he can avoid (that also means beans) so taking pasta, rice, potatoes, beans out of the equation how would you shop and eat frugally? What would you buy? What would you cook? My family says to cook lasagna or spaghetti in big batches (er, no, starch is in there). Beans and rice...double no-no! He needs to eat fish and veg and nuts and small amounts of meat. We eat mostly fresh veg, but I also buy some frozen and some canned (neither of which is that good). I get sick of cooking cabbage, squash, zucchini, fresh green beans, brussel sprouts. Tacos aren't good for him because of the shells...I do make taco salad some...the three kids prefer tacos. Fresh fruit and veg are very expensive as is meat. I can't do fish often and neither will the kids. I use a few coupons, but rarely find any for fresh produce or anything like that. I can reduce the kids' snacks and I have done that, but I'm not going to cut them out completely. The Farmer's Market here is as expensive as the grocery store. I have a Sam's membership, but you have to shop carefully at those types of places to get bargains and I use it mainly to buy snack crackers for the kids and I...stuff like that. Some things there are more expensive than the grocery store also. So if you couldn't eat the things I've listed, how in the heck would you lower your food bill? I'm beginning to think it's not doable.

[imagine]

Do you have a Aldi's. They tend to have fresh fruit and veggies on sale every week?

[druthb00]

Maybe those who have been on or are currently on the Atkins diet might be able to help you. They should know some tricks to eating frugally while omitting starches. I honestly can't come up with very much..... Have you tried casserole type dishes with meats, eggs, veggies? Ground beef, butt or shoulder roasts that you can throw in the crock pot (pulled pork, italian beef...just not on a bun), chicken legs/thighs. You could do chicken or tuna lettuce wraps.... I'm out of ideas, sorry.

[valerian]

Do you have a Aldi's. They tend to have fresh fruit and veggies on sale every week?

Aldi's is in another town about 40 minutes away...I've been there before though and liked it.

[valerian]

Maybe those who have been on or are currently on the Atkins diet might be able to help you. They should know some tricks to eating frugally while omitting starches. I honestly can't come up with very much..... Have you tried casserole type dishes with meats, eggs, veggies? Ground beef, butt or shoulder roasts that you can throw in the crock pot (pulled pork, italian beef...just not on a bun), chicken legs/thighs. You could do chicken or tuna lettuce wraps.... I'm out of ideas, sorry.

I'll have to check into the Atkins diet. The kids aren't very keen on casseroles unless it involves cheese, taco meat, stuff like that...most of those have beans in them too or rice which makes them good for the kids and I, but not dh. We eat ground beef and sometimes a roast in the crock pot...dark meat chicken makes me gag! I can eat a little of it, but not much. Never have liked it. We do chicken wraps, but the low carb tortillas were only sold in one place in town and they apparently have quit selling them 'cause I never can find them anymore. Thanks though.

Dh will occasionally eat some starches, but I feel horrible as a wife serving them to him 'cause it's like I'm helping him to eventually get his leg amputated, etc. In good conscience I can't do it.

[Libby]

With your situation all I can think of are meat and veggie dishes - stews, goulash, soups etc. Is your DH severely diabetic? To me, being diabetic does not mean NO starch...just controlled amounts in combination with lean proteins and veggies. What about tofu?

[Momto5RN]

i have alot of things i cant eat that the rest of the family can between my IBS and my fibro and my latex sensativity ( which rules out a slew of fruits )

my 13 yo has delevoped a shellfish allergy in the past 6 months.

my 9 yo cant eat alot of dairy or he gets the runs

at one time ( from about 1-5 ) the now 16 yo was allergic to corn syrup/ all corn and wheat ( try food whopping with those LOL )
the 22 yo has some IBS like issues so cant eat certain things either .

i dont cook for the whole family in my diet / their diet .

IE alot of time pasta like spaghetti doesnt sit well with me - i still cook it once a week i just eat something else like a chicken pot pie or leftovers .

alot of things you are listing can be eated in moderation - is he a new diabetic ?? if so i would suggest seeing if his dr has a dietician you can meat with

we dont do any beans and very little rice - due to IBS and just likes.
no seafood but tuna in a cassarole now and then

i cant eat anything with any too much sugar and carbs with my fibro .


i guess i just dont really think about it and i just chuh along LOL

we always have lots of fresh fruits and veggies and if not fresh veggies canned / frozen bought on sale.
while we do eat pasta we dont eat it every meal- we have a cassarole once a week and pasta once a week thats it - we

we have meats we watch for the sales and buy whats on sale freeze some extra packages etc

why not list what he can eat instead of what he cant and then work on trying to find cheaper resources for that .
i wouldnt try tp put your whole family on a diet they dont need to be on - if one day you make the rest of the family something your dh cant have he can have a salad etc or something like that .

looking back i am 99% sure my dad had IBS - funny story meats seemed to set his off- my moms rtoasts were so dried it was like eating salted cardboard- i did not even know that a roast could be juicy and taste good until i was in my 20's because all i ever knew was the overcooked meats no spiced diet my dad ate and my mom cooked.

i decided then that if i , or any of the kids had a dietary restriction i would work with it but wouldnt not have those foods in our life.

[Momto5RN]

i know not what your asking about right now, but i did a search and came up with this
Budget101.com - - Diabetic Mixes

Diabetic Recipes - proving eating healthy with diabetes can be enjoyable

What's for Dinner: Quick and Easy (and Cheap) Recipes

Cheap Diabetic Dinner Ideas | eHow.com

i would say buy what ingredients you can on sale each week and see what you can make out of it that is within your dhs diet .

[larabelle]

I feel your pain. I am gluton (no wheat products) and lactose (no dairy products) sensitive. I eat lots and lots of veggies and fruit. But I do not have to limit my starches so lots of potatoes, rice and beans. I have found that my grocery bill is rather high as I also have started to eat only organic. I find coupons to be a waste as I do not eat anything out of a box. I hope others offer good suggestions as I will certainly also benefit from them.

[shoiji]

Find out from your grocery store when the meat department has managers specials. That way you know when to look in the meat department and double up on buying meat. This is basically the only time I buy meat.

Have you tried greens? Collard, mustard, kale, etc., are all in season now. Try looking at different types of vegetables that are out there. Eat produce in season. Different seasonings can help add variety to vegetables. I always have carrots and celery on hand. By roasting them with an additional vegetable and different seasonings I can feel like I am eating something different.

Many time you can replace grilled veggies like eggplant or zuchinni for noodles to make a lasagna. Just make it vegetarian style with a dollop of riccotta cheese with each serving. If your husband cannot have riccotta cheese leave it off his serving. Try looking at vegetarian ethnic dishes to get ideas. You will probably get ideas for alternatives to what you may want to eat. Tahini which is ground seaseme seeds tastes similar to peanut butter. Tahini or peanut butter can be made into a great dipping sauce. To me it sort of replace the mouth texture of cheese. The greek yogurt and cucumber salad also makes a nice change of pace.

I can't eat nightshades but will follow a recipe I might find interesting and just leave them out. Since I don't know what the receipe is orginally supposed to taste like I still think it tastes great. You can also try frozen and canned veggies to make a pureed soup.

Are you able to have a garden or potted garden? I have found that the herbs I grow in pots many of them surrive through out the winter.

See if there is anytype of community extension that supplies fresh produce. Some also only provide local organic produce. Basically you sign up for x amount and receive the produce that they have so it can vary. It sounds very similar to the Angel baskets.

See if there are any organizations that have a support group for diabetics. Bet you will find all kinds of wonderful ideas to make a meal.

[valerian]

With your situation all I can think of are meat and veggie dishes - stews, goulash, soups etc. Is your DH severely diabetic? To me, being diabetic does not mean NO starch...just controlled amounts in combination with lean proteins and veggies. What about tofu?

I do some stew and soups that we all like okay. My dh was following the Rosedale diet which is mainly seafood, salad, and nuts and really very little else. He had a setback after a skiing accident and his blood sugar hasn't been the same since. Before that I cooked for him from a ton of diabetic cookbooks and his blood sugars were never under control. That was even with meds. Rosedale gave him control to the point where he didn't have to take meds, but after his accident it didn't seem to work as well. Trauma can do that to a diabetic. Also I really hated cooking from the Rosedale book because it was sooooo restrictive. Now he takes meds AND insulin and his blood sugars are sky-high some days. I want to try to get him on a modified Rosedale if I can meaning not as restrictive, but it's expensive.

[valerian]

i have alot of things i cant eat that the rest of the family can between my IBS and my fibro and my latex sensativity ( which rules out a slew of fruits ) I have fibro and latex sensitiviy also...what has fruit got to do with that?

alot of things you are listing can be eated in moderation - is he a new diabetic ?? No, he's not.if so i would suggest seeing if his dr has a dietician you can meat with

i guess i just dont really think about it and i just chuh along LOL

we always have lots of fresh fruits and veggies and if not fresh veggies canned / frozen bought on sale.
while we do eat pasta we dont eat it every meal- we have a cassarole once a week and pasta once a week thats it - we

we have meats we watch for the sales and buy whats on sale freeze some extra packages etc

why not list what he can eat instead of what he cant and then work on trying to find cheaper resources for that .I'll try this.
i wouldnt try tp put your whole family on a diet they dont need to be on - if one day you make the rest of the family something your dh cant have he can have a salad etc or something like that .I've done this many times. I feel like sometimes though that I'm cooking two different dinners or whatever.

i decided then that if i , or any of the kids had a dietary restriction i would work with it but wouldnt not have those foods in our life.

I'm sorry for all of your restrictions too. Hugs!

[valerian]

Find out from your grocery store when the meat department has managers specials. That way you know when to look in the meat department and double up on buying meat. This is basically the only time I buy meat.Great idea!

Have you tried greens? Yep! I buy and cook lots of them. Kids don't eat them, but dh and I do. I'm anemic so they help me out too.Collard, mustard, kale, etc., are all in season now. Try looking at different types of vegetables that are out there. Eat produce in season. Different seasonings can help add variety to vegetables. I always have carrots and celery on hand. We always have these too. By roasting them with an additional vegetable and different seasonings I can feel like I am eating something different.

Many time you can replace grilled veggies like eggplant or zuchinni for noodles to make a lasagna. Just make it vegetarian style with a dollop of riccotta cheese with each serving. Good idea! I'll have to check Harris Teeter though for the eggplant 'cause Food Lion doesn't ever have it. If your husband cannot have riccotta cheese leave it off his serving. Try looking at vegetarian ethnic dishes to get ideas. You will probably get ideas for alternatives to what you may want to eat. Tahini which is ground seaseme seeds tastes similar to peanut butter. Tahini or peanut butter can be made into a great dipping sauce. To me it sort of replace the mouth texture of cheese. The greek yogurt and cucumber salad also makes a nice change of pace. Sounds good. I'll look into these.

I can't eat nightshadesHuh? What are nightshades? LOL! but will follow a recipe I might find interesting and just leave them out. Since I don't know what the receipe is orginally supposed to taste like I still think it tastes great. You can also try frozen and canned veggies to make a pureed soup.

Are you able to have a garden or potted garden? I have found that the herbs I grow in pots many of them surrive through out the winter. We have a nice-sized yard. I grew only tomatoes, cukes, and banana peppers this year though. I'd like to do more of this.

See if there is anytype of community extension that supplies fresh produce. Some also only provide local organic produce. Basically you sign up for x amount and receive the produce that they have so it can vary. It sounds very similar to the Angel baskets.We were getting lots of cheap veggies from someone my Mom works with, but the deer destroyed and ate his garden so that only lasted about five or six weeks.

See if there are any organizations that have a support group for diabetics. Bet you will find all kinds of wonderful ideas to make a meal.

I'll start digging more.

As a former OR nurse I know how diabetics end up after years of out-of-control or barely controlled diabetes and I'm scared that's going to happen to him. Our money only goes so far though.

[mndtrp]

Absolutely make sure the Sam's Club membership is worth the cost. I finally spent half a day going to various stores, checking prices on what we usually eat, and found that the cost to Sam's and Costco wasn't worth the very minor discounts they gave. Most of the time, Sam's and Costco cost more than the local grocery stores during sales.

You may have to make starchy meals for everyone but your husband, simply to stretch out the budget. If you are having tacos, wrap your husband's in lettuce and no rice or beans, but have rice and beans for the rest of the family. It will mean an extra pot to wash, but it will mean cheaper meals overall.

If you can find non-perishable items he can eat, check out Amazon. The wife is gluten-intolerant, so her pasta noodles are pretty pricey at the store. Amazon has them by the case for a crazy cheap deal. I'm not sure what diabetics can eat that could be ordered from Amazon, but it's worth checking out.

[Momto5RN]

I have fibro and latex sensitiviy also...what has fruit got to do with that?
>>>

if you dont know the connection with latex sensativities and certain fruits you really were not educated properly about your latex sensativity by your health care provider- but since i have found its not taken seriosuly enough by the medical proffesion in my opinion because non latex stuff costs more - it doesnt surprise me .

American Latex Allergy Association | Latex Allergy Topics

While the details of the clinical association of latex and food allergies await further study, documentation of food allergies known to coexist with latex sensitivities may be useful for identifying the risks of latex exposure for some patients.

Listed below are the allergens reported to be associated (clinically or immunochemically) with natural rubber latex.


Degree of Association or Prevalence

High (4)
Banana
Avocado
Chestnut
Kiwi

Moderate (7)
Apple
Carrot
Celery
Papaya
Potato
Tomato
Melons

Low or undetermined (33)
Pear, Mango, Sweet Pepper,
Peach, Rye, Cayenne Pepper,
Plum, Wheat, Shellfish,
Cherry, Hazelnut, Sunflower Seed,
Pineapple, Walnut, Citrus Fruits,
Strawberry, Soybean, Coconut,
Fig, Peanut, Chick Pea,
Grape, Buckwheat, Castor Bean,
Apricot, Dill, Lychee,
Passion, Fruit, Oregano Zucchini,
Nectarine, Sage, Persimmon

i cant eat kiwis or pineapple which i am not sure why its not on that list because it was on the first one i ever read and i def react orally from that - -i can eat bananas only if i am careful not to tocuh the skin - i dont eat papayas - nectarines started to bother me this past year

i am very leary of any homepoathics that havev a slew of weeds /plants in them the dont specify by name - i reacted to one many years ago .