20 mins. and I'm done menus
 

I need some menus that I can do without staying in the kitchen too long, and also that I can do without going to the store to buy food that is too exotic, or expensive. I have a low food budget and thats what got me into this weight problem to begin with pasta, and rice are cheap, and I can make 101 dinners with them :daze:

It is true that the LC WOE tends to be more expensive - especially to those that have made the effort to really trim their food budget. For those of us that were hardcore fast food junkies, we have often seen out food costs go down.

At some point we have to accept that the added cost is basically a necessary medical expense. And if it lets you get of medication or avoid medications in the future, the financial payback is almost certainly in your favor.

You can prepare many foods ahead of time. I baked a package of chicken breasts (about 45 minutes back time but my total involvement was five minutes at most) and then I split each one and put it in a baggie. Then I take one out, nuke it (you can eat it cold, of course) and put a slice of cheese on it along with some mayo and brown mustard plus some spinach leaves and, poof, done in under five minutes.

I also make a big crock pot of chili about once a week. It takes about half an hour to prepare the ingredients and get it going and then about 10 hours to cook. Then I split the result into single serving plastic containers and put them in the fridge. Throw one in my lunch box in the morning and nuke it for 1.5 minutes at work and I'm done.

Scan through the recipes section and forums and experiment. Good luck.

chili?
 

I'm still on induction can I have chili because I have a great recipe for it if I can
4cans chilli beans
2cans kidney beans
1cans black beans
3lbs ground beef browned with 1 onion and drained
3 pkg chilli mix

brown GB w/onion drain add chilli mix 2cups water simmer 10 min add all the beans simmer 10 min

I used to also add 1 can of corn and 1 can diced tomato( but not now I guess

I'd hold off on the chili till your out of Induction. The beans violate Rule #4 of Induction. No legumes of any kind yet, though I prefer to make my chili without beans anyway. Also, tomatos add quite a few carbs.

You REALLY have to watch out for the chili mix. Most of them have LOTS of carbs in them from starches to thicken up the chili. You can use your own spices or find a low carb mix. The lowest one I have found is Williams Original. Even so, it adds about 3g of carbs per my serving size (1/4 of the chili).

Once you are off of Induction, you should be OK. But be sure to carefully determine how many carbs are in each serving.

I agree with wbahn. While the cost of food may be a bit more, the savings you are getting with better health and potentially getting off medications is immeasurable. Ditto on the chili mix...try making your own with cumin and chili powder, much less carbs and probably better for you without all the fillers that they put in the commercial stuff.

no bean chilli
 

I forgot about the beans but tell me more about the no-bean chilli

I can't suggest 20-minute menus, but you can save money and time by buying in bulk and cooking in bulk. One of the advantages of low carb is that fat is good, and fattier cuts of meat are cheaper. One of my favourite things is to get a pork shoulder roast (butt) rub it with garlic, salt and herbs and slow roast it. It takes longer than 20 minutes, but there's lots of leftovers to reheat (which is fast) or eat cold (even faster). So look for regular ground beef, chicken legs, turkey thighs--they're all cheaper--and cook a bunch at once.

Cabbage is wonderful braised--slice up a head of cabbage as fine as you can. Throw it in a big pot with a half cup of broth, a couple of tablespoons of butter, and some salt. Bring to the boil, stir it up, turn down the heat, cover and cook for about five minutes, maybe a little longer until it's tender. Even if you eat a cup at a time, it will last a while.

Susan

quickie meals
 

All of the above have given you some great ideas. Anytime you can buy and cook large amounts of roast beef or pork, chicken thighs or breasts, etc do so. Freeze meal size portions and then nuke when ready to eat. If you are still in induction, the veggie thing is easy - a cup or two of lettuce, a cup of green beans, some spinach, or turnip greens.
Try to watch for specials at the store. And, ground beef is usually fairly inexpensive. Form it into patties and freeze or cook the patties and then freeze. Nuke the amount you want at a meal.
Almost every day for lunch I have a ground beef pattie with mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip), maybe a slice of cheese, on top of a handful of lettuce. Basically a cheeseburger without the bun.
Eggs are usually a good value. Wal-mart generally has the best price in my part of the country.
All this meat can be expensive compared to beans, rice, and potatoes but - if you were doing colas and snack foods before, you will probably see a decrease in your food bill.
Good luck!

lunch quickie
 

can of vennie wennies
1 oz chedder cubes
hand full of pork rinds
two deviled eggs
one glass of diet decaf pepsi
everything had zero carbs on pkg is this to good to be true?