Cooking for yourself in a way that's healthy, cheap, and easy

Hey Veeky Forums
I know we have threads like these quite frequently but I find them helpful.
As of this Saturday I will be 100% responsible for buying and cooking my own food. I'd greatly appreciate any tips/advice on eating healthily whilst spending as little as possible. My definition of healthy might be different to yours.

I basically plan to buy lots of

>oats (steelcut and rolled)
>brown rice
>sweet/white potatoes
>dried lentils and chickpeas
>fresh broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage
>frozen spinach
>eggs
>lean and fatty meats of all types except processed
>offal
>skimmed milk
>low-fat yogurt
>cheese (gouda for dat K2) and butter
>olive oil
>sardines

Occasional whey, nuts, and cacao nibs too.

I'll just cook for a couple hours every Sunday/Wednesday and put it in Tupperware, eat it cold.

Don't kid yourself, after two weeks you'll be eating at Burger King or McDonalds every day.

I've not eaten any junk food or added sugar in more than 4 years

I'd suggest cottage cheese over yogurt unless you're getting greek yogurt (and even then I personally like cottage more).

Utilize freezer space well and buy in bulk. The $15 Family Pack of ground beef is cheaper than a 1lb pack based on price per pound, you can divide it up into ziploc bags in 1 lb sets.

There is nothing wrong with frozen vegetables over fresh if you want to cut down on cost; they also (obviously) store much better. However avoid buying frozen seafood; I've found the only types that don't come out shitty are Swai and Shrimp (haven't had tilapia ever so I cannot comment on that).

Throw in some whole wheat pasta and fruits (in season).

Remember you can cook in bulk and freeze also. A pork shoulder is about 8-10 lbs; slow cook it overnight in the oven and freeze it in ziplocs; do the same with a whole chicken and freeze it as well. I mix them together in 1lb sets and when I'm in the mood for something I don't have to work too hard on I let it thaw and reheat it with onions, garlic, whatever spices I need and steamed veggies.

I'd also suggest having about 3 each of chicken broth, vegetable broth (low sodium for all) and various types of canned tomatoes (crushed, chopped, puree).

In terms of a price to substance ratio, spices will be the most expensive thing you buy; over the next few months you will have a decent collection and know what you need.

Thanks!
I've been eating cottage cheese as well as quark. Awesome taste and macros, but sometimes I really fancy cheap yogurt. Any reason apart from protein?

I also know frozen is actually better than fresh, but the fresh ones I listed are actually cheaper where I live. I also eat a fair amount of frozen fish and find it fine.

If I can find actual whole-wheat (not 52%) I'll get that.

I should have mentioned I have really plain tastes. My favourite meals are things like steamed unseasoned vegetables, fish out of the can, and oats made with salty water

Do people eat like this their whole lives?

most seafood is frozen after caught, then thawed in store, so that recommendation is completely false unless op lives at the sea.
my best piece of advice would be to find a good grocery store, especially the ones in areas with ethnic population often have insane deals for vegetables/fruit etc. Thats even more interesting for you since you want to buy/cook in bulk anyways.
You seem to underestimate how much effort is needed in order to cook for one week, also i highly doubt you want to eat the same thing for a week straight, but some things keep really well, i for example make a huge pot of bolognese once in a while and freeze it, its great to have something to go back to if you dont feel like cooking.

A good portion of your list looks excellent, but there is a bias towards concentrated and animal fats that is inexplicably combined with low-fat dairy. I see no particularly good reason to include fatty cuts of meat when looking to eat healthy. Of course it's all a matter of quantity and proportions in the end. For fats you included butter, cheese and olive oil, all of which are most certainly unhealthy (K2 does not change that since you would have to consume large quantities to get significant K2). I would argue that most of your fats should come from nuts, fish and vegetables, followed by small amounts of fat from meats, and only tiny amounts from refined and extracted fats.

Brown rice is very high in inorganic arsenic so some organizations recommend limiting its consumption. It's not a bad idea to have some variety in grains

Carrots and onions tend to be cheap in most places, cheaper than broccoli etc., of course I don't know if that is true in this specific case. Tomato products might be worth looking at, as well as condiments like mustard (which is an excellent source of ALA, iron and magnesium and is also tasty and versatile)

Try to stay clear of 'go 'za for a while, or if you can't manage that at least lay of the 'chup or the 'to sauce.

Other than that you should just try to focus on being a gastrosseur, avoid flyover foods (they made my wife's son fat)

Only if they're virgins. You're meant to grow out of it a few years after you finish college.

I just imagined a 23 year old living with his parents typing this whilst giggling to himself

mcdonalds isn't cheap everywhere. a big mac costs 8 dollars here.

that looks way better than what I eat.
I've lived on rice, pasta and dough with the most basic condiments for a real long time now.

Thanks for your post
I personally have done a lot of research (googling stuff) and consider animal fats, when consumed in moderation as part of a healthy diet, health-neutral at worst. I've also always considered olive oil as healthy, but will look more into that. Most of my fats will be coming from nuts, meat and cacao anyway (vegetables? Do you mean vegetable oil? That stuff is poison)

Never new mustard was good forr you, will be eating lots from now on

Frozen peas. Cheap, healthy, tasty, lots of protein

how the fuck do you people afford to buy this shit in bulk when I make like $200 a paycheck as it is

Yes, animal fats in moderation are fine, the problem is that most people have a high-fat diet to begin with and most of that fat then comes from animals. However, following a low-fat diet, a person would stay below the maximum intake of saturated fat even if 100% of their fat came from meat (with butter and cheese that's not the case though). However in that case they're missing out on EFAs and the benefits of unsaturated fats.

As for vegetables, I'm mostly referring to green vegetables like spinach, Brussel sprouts, kale and broccoli. There are some higher-fat varieties with 15-25% calories coming from fat, most of this fat is omega-3 ALA, so they can actually make a significant contribution in that regard. 1 good portion of these can provide 2-3 grams of ALA, which is equivalent to half a portion of fish (of course fish provides DHA which is better..:). However ALA competes with LA

Thanks user. Sound advice. I do eat a lot of spinach, broccoli, sprouts etc (almost a kilo daily). I also eat a fairly high-fat diet, but
by far most of my fats come from canned salmon and pumpkin/sunflower seeds. I'll eat eggs/beef/fatty dairy 6-7 times a week.

That looks like a dream to me. Literally only been eating icecream the past two days.

Not the same user, but yes animal fats are good to an extent just not loads and loads of them. I would limit dairy for lots of reasons but dietary acidosis and theories that it promotes estrogen spikes in the body are a good start.

Where I live there is a big 'farmers market' grocery store combo where a lot of stuff is local, just see what is less expensive and vary your diet with the season. E.g. Bell peppers are as much as $2 a piece here in the winter some times but I can get 2 for $1 right now so I eat about 3-4 a week.

Basically, cook seasonal stuff for the best deals and use as many herbs and spices as possible for added health benefits. Mustard is so damn good too.

Where the fuck do you live? Is that just for the burger or a combo?

I've been eating rice, spinach or whatever's cheap and whatever protein is available in the fridge. Still go to tacobell from time to time because its cheap.

Do you work full time? Maybe pick up more hours or look for some higher pay. Eating healthy doesn't have to be expensive. Since I stopped buying red meat and eat a white meat and fish once a week, my grocery bill is roughly halved.

So start eating healthy, the only one stopping you is you.

>bell peppers
Embarrassing. Completely forgot about these somehow. Cheap, delicious and full of good stuff. Thanks!

Denmark.
McDoland is not cheap.

No problem user. Also if you are reheating or eating meals cold I would stick to other grains besides rice or maybe incorporate some starches like a potato, just personal preference. Rice gets weird if you don't reheat it right and I don't like it cold. Mashers on the other hand reheat super easy and you can toss any veggies or healthy sauces on it to keep from just shoveling in starch.

Personally an offal stroganoff type dish with lots of hearty veg and mushroom over mashers sounds great right now. Also, potato hash is based breakfast food.

From time to time I will make a sour cream based lentil dip that also has lemon zest and spices like turmeric and bay leaf, I take that for lunch with pita or some time of sliced veg for dipping. It is designed to be eaten cold and it is high in protein.

Ah, thought you lived in the states when you mentioned dollars. Isn't food in general more expensive in Europe?

How frequent are your checks? If you know anyone with a restaurant depot or costco/bjs card buying in bulk saves you in the long run. If not search for your local groceries. Last week chicken thighs were .59 cents a pound for 10 pounds each at my local shoprite. Take advantage of coupons, every Wednesday a bag of coupons are dropped off my doorstep, most of the time it doesn't apply to fresh food but it helps.

>Ah, thought you lived in the states when you mentioned dollars. Isn't food in general more expensive in Europe?
sure, but fastfood in particular is way cheaper in usa.

What you have sounds good.
The #1 tip I have is to know what ingredients are in your area and what price they are at each store, and buy what's cheap at the time.
#2 find meals you like that can be made with a variety of ingredients (for me that's kimchi, soup, viili and kefir I ferment myself (I add fruit and greens to it), and stir fried vegetables).
#3 try new things, especially if they are cheap.

>kefir
Good stuff. Everyone should make their own kefir and sauerkraut at home. Cheap, delicious, and one of the healthiest foods