nerys-
Grrr :-)
I am loving this forum and getting a ton of information. I can't afford "diets" and "plans" and stuff like that heck I can't even afford a gym membership.
BUT I am lucky and can get fresh food pretty cheapy at local produce stands etc.. SO I tend to "mash up" my own recipies and concoctions. I figure I am getting so much from this forum I want to give something back. SO whenever I come up with something I will post the details with pics here.
I was hungry for lunch today. Did not want another yogurt I wanted more substance. We were about to order Tuna Salads. Its just tuna and lettuce but it was surprisingly good. I am concerned over how much mayo they might use though but since I have only eaten 200cals today I did not care too much.
Not open till 3pm (ouch) then I saw the price and almost passed out. $7.99 HOLY CRAP no way in hell am I paying $8 for lettuce and tuna I don't care who is paying or whatever. Its a matter of principle.
SO I grabbed $20 from the drawer and left for inconlingo's (local grocery store right next to the $8 tuna salad place
This is for TWO people so unless noted split all values in half for ONE person >> denotes its all for me alone
I also bought a jar of fat free Miracle Whip for $3.79 15 calories for 1 Tablespoon I used one heaping tea spoon in each can of tuna so I should easily get 30 uses out of the jar
I bought a bottle of Spray Salad Dressing Wishbone spritzers Caesar Delight. 1 calorie per spray We used about 15 sprays each It was $3.29 this will net us 17 uses at this rate
$1.50 80 calories Lettuce Bag
$2.36 200 calories 2 Cans Tuna
$4.78 120 calories 4 Tomatoes
$0.25 15 Calories Miracle Whip
$0.39 30 Calories Salad Dressing Spray
> $0.25 50 calories 1 Small yellow Onion
> $0.21 10 calories (bag of of spinach is 60calories I used 1/6th the bag)
So Total Dollars spent $16 BUT the spray dressing mayo and spinach can be used many more times.
actual cost PER MEAL
My sisters (no onion and no spinach)
$4.64 and 186 Calories
My meal with the Spinach and Onions
$5.10 and 246 Calories
I made both of the meals for just a tiny bit more than the price of ONE SINGLE $8 meal from the pizza shop and it would have had way less food (JUST lettuce and tuna) and lots of very high calorie mayo.
I am still eating it now. VERY VERY yummy and satisfying with hardly any calories to speak of!
I also plastered them in garlic salt and mine in pepper as well all of which are zero calorie.
Attached is a picture. The Tuna can is for scale so you can see HOW MUCH food you can have for so little calories. Hmmm can't post a picture. Not sure what I need to do in order to post pictures so for now hit my link on facebook (for some reason I can not link my blackberry with this laptop so I had to find some other way to "send" the picture.
I am pretty sure this link is directly to the picture
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2847003&id=588717704
Next time I will try the balsamic spray should be even YUMMIER !
also if you buy your tuna at Walmart (75 cents a can) and your Tomato's at a produce stand you can almost cut the price for this IN HALF.
Trust me on one thing only buy GOOD tuna. the no name brand tuna really sucks.
I got a can of off name tuna for 65cents a can from Family Dollar (it says its made by chicken of the sea like the $1.18 cans I got from grocery store)
not even close. its probably the same tuna but one looks like tuna the other looks like shredded tuna in a slury. they don't "taste" the same either though the 65cent can is certaintly not bad. I prefer the nicer looking and better tasting tuna.
Albacore Tuna is even better!! but be warned its a lot more money and 20 more calories per can.
BUT I am lucky and can get fresh food pretty cheapy at local produce stands etc.. SO I tend to "mash up" my own recipies and concoctions. I figure I am getting so much from this forum I want to give something back. SO whenever I come up with something I will post the details with pics here.
I was hungry for lunch today. Did not want another yogurt I wanted more substance. We were about to order Tuna Salads. Its just tuna and lettuce but it was surprisingly good. I am concerned over how much mayo they might use though but since I have only eaten 200cals today I did not care too much.
Not open till 3pm (ouch) then I saw the price and almost passed out. $7.99 HOLY CRAP no way in hell am I paying $8 for lettuce and tuna I don't care who is paying or whatever. Its a matter of principle.
SO I grabbed $20 from the drawer and left for inconlingo's (local grocery store right next to the $8 tuna salad place
This is for TWO people so unless noted split all values in half for ONE person >> denotes its all for me alone
I also bought a jar of fat free Miracle Whip for $3.79 15 calories for 1 Tablespoon I used one heaping tea spoon in each can of tuna so I should easily get 30 uses out of the jar
I bought a bottle of Spray Salad Dressing Wishbone spritzers Caesar Delight. 1 calorie per spray We used about 15 sprays each It was $3.29 this will net us 17 uses at this rate
$1.50 80 calories Lettuce Bag
$2.36 200 calories 2 Cans Tuna
$4.78 120 calories 4 Tomatoes
$0.25 15 Calories Miracle Whip
$0.39 30 Calories Salad Dressing Spray
> $0.25 50 calories 1 Small yellow Onion
> $0.21 10 calories (bag of of spinach is 60calories I used 1/6th the bag)
So Total Dollars spent $16 BUT the spray dressing mayo and spinach can be used many more times.
actual cost PER MEAL
My sisters (no onion and no spinach)
$4.64 and 186 Calories
My meal with the Spinach and Onions
$5.10 and 246 Calories
I made both of the meals for just a tiny bit more than the price of ONE SINGLE $8 meal from the pizza shop and it would have had way less food (JUST lettuce and tuna) and lots of very high calorie mayo.
I am still eating it now. VERY VERY yummy and satisfying with hardly any calories to speak of!
I also plastered them in garlic salt and mine in pepper as well all of which are zero calorie.
Attached is a picture. The Tuna can is for scale so you can see HOW MUCH food you can have for so little calories. Hmmm can't post a picture. Not sure what I need to do in order to post pictures so for now hit my link on facebook (for some reason I can not link my blackberry with this laptop so I had to find some other way to "send" the picture.
I am pretty sure this link is directly to the picture
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2847003&id=588717704
Next time I will try the balsamic spray should be even YUMMIER !
also if you buy your tuna at Walmart (75 cents a can) and your Tomato's at a produce stand you can almost cut the price for this IN HALF.
Trust me on one thing only buy GOOD tuna. the no name brand tuna really sucks.
I got a can of off name tuna for 65cents a can from Family Dollar (it says its made by chicken of the sea like the $1.18 cans I got from grocery store)
not even close. its probably the same tuna but one looks like tuna the other looks like shredded tuna in a slury. they don't "taste" the same either though the 65cent can is certaintly not bad. I prefer the nicer looking and better tasting tuna.
Albacore Tuna is even better!! but be warned its a lot more money and 20 more calories per can.
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