I am trying to live a healthier life style...need help

[mommyof3-2008]

Alright ladies.  I am trying to live healthier for me and my family.  The problem is my budget is tight for a family of 5.  So how do you do it?  What do you make fo rbreakfast, lunch, dinners?  What do you snack on?  What are things you WILL NOT buy and what are things you CAN NOT live with out?  Any ideas help is very much appriciated.  ALso do you work out?  If so what do you do how many times a week?

[PookaboosMom]

 Eggs for Breakfast, a dozen eggs only cost 99 cents and they are healthy  and full of energy for the day!

[Mrs.W512]

I would like to know the same things so here is a bump for you... 

[JulyBabies]

I don't buy ground beef anymore, just turkey. I've been eating that for so long that I don't even notice the difference.

 

[a_and_j_momma]

Eggs w/either no yolk or if I make scrambled eggs I use only one yolk. I love breakfast burritos...whole wheat tortillas, eggs (no yolk or 1), salsa, turkey bacon. Lunch hummus instead of mayo on wholewheat bread w/turkey breast and lots of veggies, wraps on whole wheat tortillas. I looove hummus. Soy nuts are good, almonds, etc. Yogurt is a plus. I drink nonfat milk, cook w/it too. I use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef. Olive oil is a must

[eviesmom453]

For breakfast we usually have home made granola w/ yogurt or fruit and a hard-boiled egg. Snacks are usually nuts, fruit, veggies w/ ranch dip or string cheese. lunch is turkey and/or veggie sandwiches or my 6-yo loves salads w/ garbanzo beans. We never eat anything that comes in a box or any type of frozen dinners. I hope this helps:)

[Mommy2Khloe]

I am trying to do the same. I just joined a new free website called MyFitnessPal.com it's pretty awesome! You type in your weight, the weight you want to be & a couple other things. Then it gives how many calories you should take in each day & you can put in everything you eat & it will keep track of your day. So even if your having a bad day & eat something a little bad it tells you how much you have left for the day. You can also put in your work outs & it will calculate, if everyday were like today you will weigh (amount) in 5 weeks.  Anyway you should check it out :)

[a_and_j_momma]

Oh if you crave chips eat baked only or they have these veggie crisps they sell at costco...soooo good

[tigerlily721]

I think the healthiest thing you can do is cut out all the sugary stuff from your diet (especially high fructose corn syrup). I can't afford to go totally organic, although it's awful what they put in our food to keep it preserved. I buy my produce and milk products organic, except for food with peels, like bananas, avocados, oranges, and so on. And I collect coupons from the paper (and from family members) for the local health food store.

[DanielleK21]

Quoting JulyBabies:

I don't buy ground beef anymore, just turkey. I've been eating that for so long that I don't even notice the difference.

  

Yep we do that too and its cheeper than ground beef by like 40cents a lb. we snack on pretzles there fat free and cheap.

[Paesana82]

We eat very little meat, and when I say meat I mean red meat, chicken, etc. It's expensive and it's high in saturated fat.

Here are some of our breakfasts:

cereal(usually Cheerios), oatmeal, fruit, yogurt, eggs

Lunch:

My DS love PB and J, egg sandwitches, left overs

Dinner:

usually pasta or rice with some kind of vegetable/s.(rice and beans with veggies, pasta with tomato sauce, or broccoli or zucchini, spinach etc)

Snacks:

fruit, yogurt, cookies(for me...I don't give them to the kids)

Meat is never a "main course" if we do have meat it's very little. We go through LOTS of fruits and veggies and that's probably where we spend most of our money foodwise. YOu can cut down by buying in bulk when food is on sale and in season. Like, I don't buy strawberriesor any berries in the winter because they're more expensive. Instead, I'll buy a whole bunch when they are in season and cut and freeze them for the winter....I usually will put it in oatmeal for the kids.

We are also on a very tight budget. I think the most important thing is, is make your own meals. Don't buy pre-prepared stuff....it's not as healthy and it's expensive. Your diet should be high in whole grains, fruits and veggies. One of the cheapest things in the whole entire world to make is tomato sauce. It's easy and cheap and most kids like pasta with sauce.