nutritious meals and snacks on a budget...

[ssippi]

A few weeks ago I ran across a post about cheap meal ideas and thought I would do a spin off for all of you.  I am a single, full-time working, non-food stamp receiving, mother of three beautiful children, who pays for daycare out of my paycheck each week along with the normal living expenses.  Of those three, two live with me, Hayleigh; six years of age, the goddess with beautiful hair to her knees and a  personality that shines like the stars from above and Gunner; four years of age, my ‘lil loving man who is deaf and very active but never allows me to forget that we are all different yet the same.   With Gunner we have been through it all and yet have a long way to go.  I have had Doctor's say wow he's a hyper one yet they all say it's due to him being deaf.

 

Over a year ago we took out all sugar from his diet to see if his behavior changed any.  It slightly did, but not enough to notice.  Six weeks ago (after a year of no sugar) at his I.E.P. meeting someone suggested taking out Red Dye #40 out of his diet to see if that affected his behavior in anyway.  My first initial thought was wow another person telling me what to do with "lil man's life.  How dare them!  They don't live in my shoes and deal with Gunner on a daily basis.  Later that day I looked it up on the good 'ole world wide web, and I was so shocked at the symptoms I was reading of children who were intolerant to that lovely red dye we can't seem to get away from.  I swear they were describing my ‘lil man to a tee!

 

The next day I started my crusade to change his diet yet again.  I was so amazed at the changes we were seeing in the first week.  He was more attentive, playing with toys for longer periods of time, could actually sit and watch a movie without bouncing off the walls a million times, he was staying within his boundaries and limitations, his aggressive behavior was at a record low, and he was the most loving caring child I had seen in a long time, and low and behold going potty and poo on the toilet instead of in his pants. 

 

Back to the topic at hand;  I stated above I don't receive food stamps and pay for day care out of pocket as well as normal living expenses.  Trust me mommas, I know how hard it is to buy groceries at the end of each week.  I not only buy groceries for home but I also have to buy healthy foods for lunches and 2 snacks a day at daycare for 2 children.  This is what I buy on a weekly basis and how I am able to make them all last.

I shop on Wednesdays for one... it seems more things are on sale in the midst of the week and they are more manager's specials to choose from.  Gunner is lactose intolerant so I buy 1 chocolate and 1 vanilla SILK milk and mix them together.  Hayleigh and Gunner both drink it so it doesn't go to waste.   I then purchase 2 loaves of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of sugar free strawberry preserves (without RED 40), Fresh carrots' strawberries, grapes, pineapple, and apples.  Then I purchase a box of Ritz crackers, Ritz minis with cheese,  a bag of trail mix with fruit and nuts, and a box of banana flavored Cheerios. A box of Mac-N-Cheese, a package of turkey hotdogs, sliced ham, a package of chicken breasts, a package of hamburger, and a package of steaks.  I grab some broccoli, a head of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and carrot sticks, a package of cheese... and then I hunt for manager specials on meats that I can throw in the freezer for weeks I am low on cash. 

 

On Sunday nights, I literally sit in my kitchen and make 10 sandwiches, usually a variety of peanut butter and jelly and ham and cheese. I then put them in zip-lock baggies and the top shelf of my freezer door is their sandwiches for the week.  I then sit there and wash all the fruit.  I cut up the strawberries, apples and pineapple, and then begin bagging them up in the snack sized baggies.  I do about 6 of each fruit then mix them all together and bag them up as well.  The bottom door freezer shelf then becomes full f fresh fruit for a few weeks.  Next I put peanut butter on the Ritz crackers and bag them in snack sized baggies, bag the trail mix, and the small Ritz with cheese crackers and throw them I the cabinet.    Not only are their lunches and snacks for daycare made but there are snacks at hand as well.  It saves me so much time and money doing it this way and I also know ‘lil man and Hayleigh are getting well balanced and nutritious meals.

 

I hope this helps some of you mommas trying to figure out ideas and ways to make ends meet without taking away the nutritional value we all need and crave. 

 

[yovonna]

May. 25, 2009 at 6:51 PM

 I have done it for 53 years and any one can do it if you pray cut coupons and do adds..  JESUS always helps me do it... Its HIS money so HE helps me .... thanks for good post............