Eating on a budget

This is my attempt to spend very little on food, eat healthily, AND lose weight. That is a tall order. Like most people, I have either loaded my cart with fresh vegetables, exotic fruit, shrimp, and every kind of ethnic sauce or herb, spending $80.00 at the store, or, in more desperate times, subsisted on cream of mushroom soup, butter and spaghetti. There has to be a better way.

Today I spent $11.10 at the my local Hannaford's grocery store. Yes, I made an impulse buy of a candy bar at the check out line.

candybar .79
16 oz. bag frozen Tortillini $2.06
Mayonaise $1.86
28 oz can of crushed Tomatoes $1.80
can of Light Tuna $1.19
5 Drumsticks $1.89
celery $1.49
sales tax on candy bar .04
credit for using my own bag +.o5.

I came home, ate half the bag of tortillini with some Smart Balance spread I already had (a healthy margarine, no- trans fat.) Turns out half a bag is two servings and totals 600 calories! That was a mistake! Then I made a chicken stew, adding black beans, onion, garlic, thyme and a shot of hot sauce I already had on hand. I am bringing a tuna fish sandwhich to work tomorrow on multi grain bread I also already had in my pantry.

The stew came out really well. Here is the recipe: Sauteed small chopped onion, a carrot and celery in olive oil. Dumped in 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes (I used Pastene brand today. No added sugar or salt.) Dropped chicken drum sticks in the tomato sauce. Added enough water to make sure the chicken was covered. Cooked 25 minutes, stirring occassionally. Took out the chicken,cut away the bone and added the meat back to the soup. Added thyme, a can of black beans and salt. This made approximately six servings. Since I am single, I am going to live off this soup the rest of the week, or at least until Thursday, which is pay day. In addition to the money I spent today, I also have brown rice, pasta, juice, some frozen vegetables and coffee to supplement this. As I keep going on this blog I will have a better idea how little I can spend at the store and still eat healthily. That's the goal.