Trimmin' the winter fat

[imoldernu]

Sharing my plan.
Totally overcome with cabin fever... staying home... not enough exercise...Eating, snacking... and the natural result... Plus 6 pounds.
Because of the loss of control, decided to do something about it so down to Aldi's. Since I am basically lazy about preparing meals, decided to do my thing, and do four at a time. Veggie plates... took about 25 minutes, and provides my forced diet luncheon for the next four days.
Figured cost and calories, cuz I have too much time on my hands.
Going to camp, tomorrow, to finish fixing the wind damage and to start the water...

Multi small peppers .....$1.49........used half......$.75
Cucumbers 2 ttl .........$ .58........used 1.........$.29
Broccoli.....................$1.49.......used half.....$.75
Mini Carrots...............$.99.........used 1/4.......$.25
Swiss Cheese............$2.99........used 1/2.......$1.50
Summer sausage........$3.49........used 1/4.......$1.40
Mushrooms................$.69.........used all.........$.69
Diet Dressing.............$1.39........used 1/8.......$.18
Celery......................$1.29........used 1/4.......$.32
Roma tomatoes.........$1.25........used 4..........$1.00
Ramen seasoning as...$.72............................$.72
boullion for a bowl
of soup (need the salt)

Total for 4 servings......................................$7.85
Per serving................................................ $1.96
Total calories including dressing, cheese and meat... 320
10% of my daily weight maintain intake.
Sealing the extra meals from air, keeps everthing fresh for
three or four days in the refrigerator. I don't slice until
its time to eat. Not pretty, but works for me.

So what do you do?

 

[Pleeplus]

This looks great imoldernu! I am a big proponent of preparing a weeks worth of meals ahead of time. I find that if I am already hungry I won't take the time to make something to eat, instead choosing food that isn't the best for me. Couple questions, can you tell me a little bit about your soup? Is it just broth? Also, do the veggies start to taste like the summer sausage after a couple days?

 

[donheff]

Looks great. Be careful about the diet dressings. You are generally better off with the real fat than the BS they put in "lite" dressings. Or just go with olive oil and vinegar with herbs and/or some mustard.

 

[splitwdw]

This is always a great idea to prepackage several lunches or dinner. I can't do it with lunch because sometimes I'm at a customers but I do it for dinner. Some nights after work we're busy so having individual dinners ready real helps. My main ingredient is brown rice then whatever veggie and meat/poultry I have. It really does stop you from eating too much of the wrong thing.

 

[imoldernu]

The OP was kinda silly... only because I didn't wanna waste my work in trying to convince my son (who is on a diet) that he doesn't have to drive to Wendys every day to get their $4.99 salad...
Ya see, we have a running discussion about my frugality, and I'm still trying to train him @ age 55.
My point was that he doesn't have to drive 5 miles a day to pick up those meals.
...and BTW, he orders the $1.29 Diet Pepsi too. (I drink iced tea @ $.15 glass)

To finish our discussion I pointed out that this step toward time saving and frugality would add about $1250/yr to his portfolio, and that between now and his hoped for retirement age of 62, he could count on an additional $30,000... plus, he would be svelte.

I only wonder why he looks scared, when he comes to visit.

On the smelly summer sausage... it doesn't. On the seasoning pkg from the ramen soup... I just like it... (all the calories in ramen are in the noodles.)
For variety, instead of my thousand island diet dressing, I do sometime use olive oil and balsamic vinegar.... plus, now, while Avacados are $.49 to $.79 at Aldi's, I sometimes add in saltine crackers and mooshed avacado.

Writing this, is like compounding a felony...

Looong winter.

 

[splitwdw]

If you are so frugal and he is to inherit why shouldn't he drive 5 miles on his nickel. Won't he have all your nickels?
If he hasn't learned by now about buying lunch out versus making his own do you really think discussion will make a difference at his age.

 

[bubba]

So if I make up lunch salads and seal them in ziplock baggies, they should last up to 4 days? This is great news. I've chopped up salad stuff in a plastic bowl with snap on lid and it starts down hill by the next day. I like to carry my lunch to *ork everyday, but I need salad for weight control. I'm going to give this a try.

 

[imoldernu]

Just opened and ate the salad I made 4 days ago. So far, so good... The only part I might redo, is to not cut up the cucumber into bite-size. Was still ok to eat, but not quite as good... broccoli, small peppers, cheese, mushrooms, carrots, celery, tomato and the summer sausage were all fine... I don't think I'd try to use lettuce.
I did try to squeeze the air out, when I sealed the baggie. Kept salad in the crisper section... BTW... did not put the dressing in until being eaten.

The price part was more in fun than being serious.

DS is well aware of and encourages my frugality... possibly believing that it may come back to him w/interest in the future.

 

[Pleeplus]

In honor of the nature of this forum and your frugality imoldernu, I found the following recipe for the Ramen noodle seasoning packet. You could whip up a batch of this and never have to buy Ramen noodles again! Should at least shave a few cents off your total.

http://www.food.com/recipe/oriental-ramen-seasoning-copycat-198017

 

[imoldernu]

Well, thank you...will be sure to pass this on to DS...
Looking at the nutritional value on the recipe page, it shows 180 calories... hmm.
Guess I didn't know that onion powder, garlic powder etc had that many calories.

 

[powerplay]

Well, thank you...will be sure to pass this on to DS...
Looking at the nutritional value on the recipe page, it shows 180 calories... hmm.
Guess I didn't know that onion powder, garlic powder etc had that many calories.

It looks like the 180 calories is for the entire recipe which would be 8T of seasonings plus any salt added. Probably a lot of seasoning to use for one dish.

 

[friar1610]

If he hasn't learned by now about buying lunch out versus making his own do you really think discussion will make a difference at his age.

I wish I knew how much money I saved over my working career by bringing my lunch most days instead of buying it. I wouldn't hesitate to go out to lunch occasionally with a group but my normal routine was to brown-bag it. (Sometimes I would spring for a cup of soup from the cafeteria and have that with my sandwich.) In addition to saving money, eating lunch at my desk gave me time to either go to the gym at lunchtime (primarily when I was on active duty in the Navy) or at least for a brisk half-hour walk (when I was in my "second career".) So there were really three benefits to bringing lunch:
- more control over what I ate;
- less expense;
- more exercise.

 

[Walt34]

I wish I knew how much money I saved over my working career by bringing my lunch most days instead of buying it.

I paid~$15 for this in 1983. There is not a shade of a doubt in my mind that it saved me over five figures in meal costs.

Lunch from home - ~$2 (sandwich, apple, bottle tap water)

Bought lunch - even Micky D's is $7-$10 with a drink

 

[Wishing]

During my years at a megacorp, I was always astounded at the number of my co-workers who ate both breakfast and lunch at the company cafeteria. The prices were outrageous. Guess they thought that the generous paychecks offset the expenditure.

 

[wrigley]

Sharing my plan.
Totally overcome with cabin fever... staying home... not enough exercise...Eating, snacking... and the natural result... Plus 6 pounds.
Because of the loss of control, decided to do something about it so down to Aldi's. Since I am basically lazy about preparing meals, decided to do my thing, and do four at a time. Veggie plates... took about 25 minutes, and provides my forced diet luncheon for the next four days.
Figured cost and calories, cuz I have too much time on my hands.
Going to camp, tomorrow, to finish fixing the wind damage and to start the water...

Multi small peppers .....$1.49........used half......$.75
Cucumbers 2 ttl .........$ .58........used 1.........$.29
Broccoli.....................$1.49.......used half.....$.75
Mini Carrots...............$.99.........used 1/4.......$.25
Swiss Cheese............$2.99........used 1/2.......$1.50
Summer sausage........$3.49........used 1/4.......$1.40
Mushrooms................$.69.........used all.........$.69
Diet Dressing.............$1.39........used 1/8.......$.18
Celery......................$1.29........used 1/4.......$.32
Roma tomatoes.........$1.25........used 4..........$1.00
Ramen seasoning as...$.72............................$.72
boullion for a bowl
of soup (need the salt)

Total for 4 servings......................................$7.85
Per serving................................................ $1.96
Total calories including dressing, cheese and meat... 320
10% of my daily weight maintain intake.
Sealing the extra meals from air, keeps everthing fresh for
three or four days in the refrigerator. I don't slice until
its time to eat. Not pretty, but works for me.

So what do you do?

Looks great! Good luck to you.

I haven't heard the term "summer sausage" since I left Chicago 36 years ago.

Mike

 

[Amethyst]

One time, I asked a group of folks who were griping about the cafeteria food's cost and not-goodness, why they didn't just bring their own delicious homemade lunch every day.

Responses:
1) I'm lazy (seriously...people will admit this)
2) I don't have time
3) I'm a grownup, growups buy their lunch

During my years at a megacorp, I was always astounded at the number of my co-workers who ate both breakfast and lunch at the company cafeteria. The prices were outrageous. Guess they thought that the generous paychecks offset the expenditure.