how is the value proposition here? was this an adequate use of money?
(keeping in mind as well fwiw i don’t eat meat)
That frozen broccoli is pretty good and useful, great choice
Presliced cheese is typically more expensive than block. Alfredo is cheap to make from scratch. The instant Mac that comes in the microwavable bowls are like 2.5x the price per ounce of the ones that are just packets.
I’ve always held that belief about block vs shredded/sliced cheese, but in my receny grocery trips, I’ve noticed that all the stores in my area charge the same by weight for block, shredded, and sliced. Obviously YMMV
Same for me. It used to be the case that a block of cheese was cheaper than sliced or grated, but at some point in the last 10 years it’s evened out. That’s the case for every store I shop at.
I realized that too ages ago. But I still find blocks better for 2 reasons. 1) you can cut cheese mold off and the rest is perfectly fine so blocks can last longer. 2) shredded does have anti caking agents to keep it loose. Nothing bad IMO, but unnecessary for my cooking.
I feel like the anti faking agent dulls the flavor. sometimes it’s worth it though cause grating can be a hassle and maybe your gonna melt it.
The instant Mac that comes in the microwavable bowls are like 2.5x the price per ounce of the ones that are just packets.
They also use some sort of thickener that turns into mucusy slime when water is poured on it so you don’t have to use milk or butter. We’re at the point now where there are better ways to eat your processed foods, LOL.
What does Mexico taste like?
I don’t see any beans, masa, or Gansitos. I’m guessing it’s more northern Mexican food in the picture though.
Idk I feel like buying a cat with your groceries was a bit too much. Should have just skipped the groceries and only bought the cat
Good deal on the cat, tho. The food is basically free.
You’re eating far too much healthy food. Try mixing in some junk to balance things out.
You can buy a cutter from Amazon to make your own uncrustables. Cheaper and you have more control on flavors.
Just eat the crust
Never understood why people think it’s inedible. It’s basically the best part!
I do, but it makes my kids lunch a lot easier.
You can get jelly that’s a lot less sugar than the cheap stuff. As for kids - I’m a firm believer in letting kids butch and moan for a few days and after that they get used to it and eat it. Just take the time investment to save yourself some hassle later on. Or tell them to make their own.
kudos to those who can afford being vegan. I know that with this spreads nutritional ratio I would either gain weight rapidly (and thus have to sub in more expensive proteins) or have to work out all the time. I
They aren’t vegan judging by the crazy amount of cheese. Also you can eat an entirely plant based diet that is both high in protein and very cheap.
My mistake, though I am curious how do you accomplish a high protein plant based diet that offers complete proteins?
Pretty much every whole food contains every essential amino acid, you just have to be careful with overeating certain grains like wheat and rice which are low in one or two specific aminos and overeating fruit which is low in protein in general. If you specifically want high protein you eat lots of legumes, nuts, and non starchy vegetables (especially dark leafy greens like spinach and kale). If you want really crazy protein go for stuff like tofu and other refined products.
See now that sounds expensive again to me… my wife is a fake vegan of sorts, aka no meat, no dairy except lactose free cheese, but WILL eat eggs, and when I try shopping for her I struggle to find food that would allow her to consistently eat 78-80 grams of protein a day without paying quite a lot for gluten based protein products or tofu. Nuts can only be bought in smaller quantities as well, due to how expensive they end up being. It also seems that all those other complete amino acid foods have high levels of carbs, how do you offset that without simply being overly active every day? I keep reading more about it and cant find anything helpful online that incorporates a steady diet that will supplement a physical gym routine including a lot of lifting with the desire for muscle growth. Maybe im just a weird minority here, IDK :(
Tofu should be cheaper than meat (like $2-3/lb, and maybe cheaper at Asian grocers), dehydrated soy products like TVP are even cheaper.
Beans and lentils are some of the cheapest foods available both by calorie and by gram of protein, this is doubly true if you get them dry.
Nuts can be expensive by weight, though they are very calorie dense. Peanuts and peanut butter are usually quite cheap, some stores might have cheap mixed nuts as well.
Leafy greens don’t pack many calories but are fairly close to being just protein and fiber and also very nutritionally complete. They also aren’t expensive, I regularly get bunches of kale for under $2 for example.
i know the enchilada sauce is one of the cheapest items in this picture but i recently made some from scratch and can confirm that canned enchilada sauce is absolutely flavorless. alternatively, it is super simple, quick and inexpensive to make from scratch. broth, tomato paste and toasted spices (chili p., ground cumin, garlic p., onion p., pinch of oregano/cayanne/salt/pepper and optional dash of apple cider vinegar) made in a roux and simmered for 10m. that’s it! the difference is night and day. go forth in flavor.
I just use the can to get it started and throw all that in anyways.
PURGE the muffins and Swiss rolls unless you’re bodybuilding
Needs more ray tracing.
Learn to cook/bake, you’ll save even more by not buying processed foods. You’ll get more micronutrients too. Less jars, more fresh produce. Look for protein rich vegetables to make up for the lack of meat, or toss in a few eggs into your diet.
Not bad, not great. I buy my veggies from a grocery that specializes in that, it’s much cheaper and less plastic. No yogurt? No solid/brick cheese? No nuts and dried fruit? No canned beans or dried beans? Peanut butter?
What you really need is a $/portion table to see what’s actually expensive here.
I think the muffins tip you over the edge into junk food land. They are very empty and basically the same as the rolls, the kraft dinner, and whatever is in the red box. A fair bit of this stuff is basically sugar and bread.
I was wondering if maybe OP has kids.
My SO and I recently found out that Walmart (I see the Great Value brand) has actually become one of the more expensive places to buy goods from. We’ve done comparisons from Trader Joe’s, Fry’s, and Safeway. We’ve found that Walmart is the least value. Take what you will.
I get 3x as many groceries at Costco for the same price as at Walmart.
I can shop at Costco for my family of two. There are a lot of bulk items that don’t make sense for me to buy, but non-perishables and especially any electronics or big (for me) money items I try to buy from them
I just say that because I hear a lot of people hesitant to shop there with the reason they won’t be able to finish everything before it goes bad. But they sell a lot of household items and the lifetime guarantee is worth the membership cost by itself
Also if you’re an executive member you can add someone else for free! They don’t even have to be in your household. I added a friend in need so they could get some necessities
You could’ve saved $3 on the pack of tortillas by spending $10 on a bag of masa and 6 hours making enough tortillas to feed a small battalion
Fresh tortillas are delicious, though time consuming
So, some points for consideration….
Canned vegetables will have around half their product weight in Canning Liquid. So keep that in mind when comparing prices on frozen ($0.082/ozverse canned ($.044/oz).
Frozen is also usually better in quality (texture, nutrient value) and lower in salt and other preservatives. Modern freezing centers are frequently able to get nearly as good as fresh; and might come out on top if you’re not buying from the farmers market.
Lentils and rice represent a whole protein, and are easily adapted to a variety of flavors; (For example); takes about 10 minutes of prep, 25-30 of reasonably hands off time and can be easily made in advance and augmented with fruits and vegetables. (For example, sautéed squash/zucchini plopped on top.) or basically any kind of stir fry mix.
Block cheeses are going to save you money, compared to sliced or shredded.
On that note, Alfredo (or rather pasta al burro) is super simple to make; albeit requiring some technique and experience : reserve some (hot) pasta water, in a large bowl, soft butter and the drained pasta. Stir until coated toss in the parmigano regianno; use the pasta water to help emulsify and melt the cheese. (Alfredo melts 3x butter with heavy cream, reduces that then adds the pasta and cheese, a bit more work, imo.)
You’re probably thinking I’m a snob for using the Italian name for Parmesan. Fun fact: in the US Parmesan is not in fact Parmigiano reggiano as it is in the EU- but if you stick to block cheese and away from that Kraft shaker Parmesan, you’ll be fine. (It’s cheese, mostly, but there’s stuff added to it that makes it… not good… for sauces.)
Also, in a similar vien, a mornay sauce can replace Mac and cheese tubs, and generally don’t require extra time compared to just cooking the pasta. (Equal parts melted butter and flour, whisk together until smooth, medium-low heat. Whisk in milk slowly until the consistency of heavy cream, then whisk in shredded or cubed cheese a bit at a time, letting it melt. When the pasta is mostly cooked, reserve some of the water and drain the rest, finish the pasta in the sauce, using the pasta water to control consistency and as an emulsifier.)(if you want to get fancy, before making the roux, sauté a minced clove of garlic and maybe some minced onion in the butter, then proceed. Black pepper to taste.)
Oh, and pro tip, heads of garlic cost less than the jars of minced grossness. Similarly, saving scraps like onions, carrots, celery, ginger, mushrooms, and stuff, can then be simmered in a lot of water to make stock, and can add flavor and nutrients to things like rice or stews (potatoes, mushrooms?)
Also if note keep an eye on value when selecting sizes. Rice and grains go down in price per weight drastically when you buy larger quantities. I buy extreme bulk for flour and rice. The flower lasts me months the rice lasts me years and I’m paying less than half as much for my rice and flour
if it’s brown rice, it doesn’t last years- 3-6 months is good, you can vacbag and freeze, though. But while white rice might last years at room temperature, you’re still paying for storage, and running the risk of vermin or it getting wet or otherwise ruined while it is being stored. This is one of those “you do you” things, but, I know my pantry doesn’t have space for 2 years worth of rice…
yeah, I want to buy a costco bag of rice because its stupid cheap but I don’t want to have that much grain storage. but you could get like at least a 1/4 of all your caloric needs for a year for 40 bucks.
Authentic Parmigiano Reggiano is technically not vegetarian, it contains rennet (though usually people don’t care)
Rennet is one of those things that are going to depend on which vegetarian you’re talking to. It’s certainly not vegan. There’s also vegan alternatives to it that can be used. A lot of cheeses are made with rennet since it’s one of the most effective enzymes for curdling.
FWIW, I bought cheese made with vegan rennet the other day. I had to look it up, and apparently it’s made from mushrooms. It blew my mind.
Someone that has an $87 food budget probably isn’t going to buy imported Italian cheese.
There’s some US-made “parmesan” that’s somewhat decent and quite a bit cheaper than the legit Italian stuff, just make sure you buy a block of it and not anything pre-grated, and that it doesn’t have any filler ingredients.
Some US-made parmesan is produced using similar techniques to Parmigiano Reggiano, they just can’t legally call it that since it’s not made in a specific area in Italy.
Block cheese in general will be okay, but some of it isn’t even made eith the same process and is instead just flavored with crap to make it taste the same.
Which in general, buy the best you can afford. Doesn’t have to be amazing, most people won’t even really know the difference anyhow.
On the garlic front taste a spoonful of minced garlic and then a clove of fresh garlic and you will then know how little garlic flavour is in that minced garlic. It’ll be night and day. spit the clove of garlic out once you do that cus it will be overpowering.
I would suggest not putting a full clove of raw garlic in your mouth, lol.
(the only time I do that is when people try to tell me garlic isn’t spicy and insist peppers are the only ‘spicy’ food. capsaicin isn’t spicy- it’s not even a flavonoid. It triggers the heat/temperature receptors rather than taste receptors; which is why it feels like burning. chewing a whole clove of garlic is a great way to cause an afternoon of indigestion, though.)
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