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Ask HN: Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal.

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Re: Ask HN: Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal.

#41

Post by pxlpshr »

sidsavara wrote: post #13

I recommend finding someone on craig's list to cook for you, so you don't have to worry about it. Time is at such a premium when you are trying to launch your own business, and if they're shopping for a family, they are probably better at bargain hunting and coupon clipping than you are. I did just that, and I discuss it in this post. Wasn't sure if HN would appreciate it, so I haven't submitted it here: http://sidsa…

Fantastic!!!

I agree man, I enjoy cooking but it takes soo much time. So, for people still working a day-job, contracting your cooking is a great time saver. Fortunately, my gf is my life manager in the evening and takes care of me. :)

Re: Ask HN: Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal.

#42

Post by alaskamiller »

dcurtis wrote: post #40
alaskamiller wrote: post #2

I bought a cast iron skillet for 10 bucks ( http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Logic-4-Inch-Pre-Seasoned-Skille... ) and it's the best thing ever. Fast to heat up and start cooking and easy clean up. Best thing to make for me is pan-seared yellowfin tuna steaks over veggies like asparagus or broccoli. Get a 5oz tuna steak of sushi-quality, marinade it with some soy sauce and sesame oil, sprinkle on some seasoning and sesame…

I love seared tuna. It's pretty easy to make, but it's definitely not cheap.

In Silicon Valley, here's my shopping experience:

12oz yellowfin tuna fillet

Whole Foods: $14

Safeway: $9

Lucky's: $8

Costco: $6

12oz is good for 2-3 servings. Plus the $3 for a bundle of asparagus or $2 for a bag of broccoli. I've gotten the meal down to $5 per plate, which is what I usually shoot for in terms of cooking. For me, I think this is a good trade off between tasty, healthy, fast, and cheap.

Re: Ask HN: Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal.

#45

Post by jonmc12 »

staunch wrote: post #16
jonmc12 wrote: post #10

I go to whole foods every 3-4 days. Pick up just enough: - Tuna salad, Turkey, Pre-sliced peppers, Broccoli, Yogurt, walnuts, Green / white tea, prepped salads, walnuts, etc Trick is to make sure its ready to eat - even if its a little more expensive, that keeps me from eating out. Also, going every 3-4 days means that I eat everything, no waste.

Whole Foods is probably the least economical place to shop.

Thats what I used to think, but similar product brands it is generally not very different. For fresh, healthy food, there is no comparison.

Re: Ask HN: Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal.

#46

Post by cdr »

inklesspen wrote: post #23

Eat food (as opposed to processed food-like substances). Not too much. Mostly plants. Read Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food": http://www.amazon.com/dp/1594201455/ It's a whole different model from the shifting "red meat is bad" "no, carbs are bad" "avoid fat" "eat omega-3 fat!" madness that has ruled eating for decades.

I've been a fan of Tim Ferriss's 3-minute breakfast since he posted it awhile back: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/02/28/beating-the-...

Re: Ask HN: Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal.

#47

Post by bootload »

soundsop wrote: post #32
pg wrote: post #4

Rice and beans. There are 1000 variations.

And some vegetables too. Frozen or from a can is dead easy.

"... And some vegetables too. Frozen or from a can is dead easy ..."

Good point. You can get probably 1/2 your dietary fibre with a cup of green frozen peas, heated & mushed ~ http://www.opensourcefood.com/people/bootload/recipes/mushy-...

Re: Ask HN: Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal.

#48

Post by rkowalick »

Buy whole meat instead of individual cuts. Honestly, it takes maybe 45 seconds to cut up a whole chicken. Use the breast meat for dishes with tasty sauces and cook the thighs, legs, and wings whole. Keep all of the bones and giblets to make stock. Boil the stock down A LOT. It takes a while, but you honestly don't have to do anything while it's reducing. Take the stock and pour it into ice cube trays and place the tray in the freezer. Any time you want to make a dish and give your sauce an extra heartyness, just throw an ice cube of stock in there.

Great easy sauces include:

-Chicken stock, soy sauce, and a little cornstarch

-Heated oil mixed with minced scallions, ginger and a little salt

-Chicken stock, pan drippings, savory and a little flour for thickening.

If you want to get more sauce ideas, I highly recommend the cookbook "Sauces." Filled with tons of awesome sauces and a great basis for learning about sauce making to create your own!

Cheap cooking and healthy cooking go hand-in-hand if you know what to do!

Re: Ask HN: Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal.

#49

Post by Harkins »

ph0rque wrote: post #3

Not exactly on topic, but... one of my future startup ideas is a robotic garden: basically, some kind of a transparent container with a controlled atmosphere and temprature, watering system, and nutrient supply that would produce a supply of fruits/vegetables year-round in any location.

Someone's beat you to it: http://visualrecipes.com/51/aerogrow-aerogarden-review-read-...

It doesn't control atmosphere, but it doesn't need to.

Re: Ask HN: Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal.

#50

Post by hs »

noahlt wrote: post #26

The things poor people eat all around the world: - rice - beans - soy - potatoes - fish - veggies (anything dark but not too expensive) The real key to a good-tasting meal is freshness, even with simple foods. Seasoning is like makeup for food.

+1 for freshness

'real' food has 'bio-sensor' ... you can tell just by looking, that a fruit/veggie is bad

it's much harder to 'sense' that in processed food

i find that fruit/veg is harder to fool with, maybe having to do with its low price (not much incentive to cheat)

in my country we got rotten meats cleaned with formaldehyde and then soaked in fresh blood to be sold along with fresh meats ... such thing is unheard of in veg/fruit (groceries can wax to prevent, but once fruit/veg is rotten, it's hard to 'rejuvinate')

being vegetarian leads to simpler life, no worries about mad cow, avian flu, etc

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