Wife of an Atkin's Dieter

[Discount_Hero_Alicia]

Hi, my name is Alicia and my husband is on the Atkins Diet. He is still in the induction phase. He has been doing this since January '09 and he has lost a total of 50 lbs. He is not having a hard time with it but I am. I am the one who does all of the cooking (NOT complaining, that's how I want it) and the grocery shopping. I have found different websites that have recipes on them but I am spending more on groceries than before. I need some help with the "cheaper" recipes.

I am very proud of my husband for all that he has done. Is there any other wife or husband of a dieter that can help?? Or anyone for that matter!!

[Chicklady]

Hi Your husband is a lucky man....I hope you tell him that often
I gotta ask....what are you feeding him that your costs have gone up? I'm the Atkineer in my family, but it generally ends up that I make a meat dish, 2 vegetable dishes or 1 veg 1 salad that we both eat, and then I make a carby side dish for my hubby. the only time I really spend extra money is when i buy a specialty low carb item, such as carbquik or shiratake noodles or artificial sweeteners. Of course the price of groceries in general have gone through the roof lately....

[Discount_Hero_Alicia]

I have bought more meat then normal and that's really what is making it go up. I haven't bought a lot of specialty stuff just one pack of shakes a week. I make more breakfast which is more expensive then cereal which is what he used to eat. I found the recipes on here AFTER I posted that and I think some of those won't be as bad on my wallet. I have been buying more steaks but I am trying to switch everything up so he doesn't get bored.

[momtomany1]

The trick to meat is to buy in bulk and freeze. NEVER buy a small package of chops. Buy chicken in bags of 5 lb leg quarters. He will be thrilled if you bake up the whole package, just season and bake them up, as there is no more perfect Atkins snack in my opinion than a cold baked chicken leg. Try to catch the times when the close-dated meats are put out half price, that is usually in the early part of the day. You might snag bacon for $.99 a package, hams half prices are a great deal, chops, sausage, but you have to know when your store puts those things out. Eggs. Can't go wrong with eggs. Stock up on mayo and such when it is on sale, buy ahead so that you don't have to pay full price, the pantry and your freezer are your hubby's best friend. For example, this week our store had the Green Giant 'nuke in the bag' veggies for $1. I stocked up on those! Yes, cereal was a cheap way to go.. but milk is expensive really, and eggs can be had cheap. By the way, cheese can be frozen, many folks don't realize that. If there is shredded cheese or even block cheese as the store's loss leader, buy several and freeze them, same with butter.

[Chicklady]

Well chicken and burger are definitely cheaper than steak.....but since you're cooking steaks, I'll be right over Her's another site with tons of recipes: LowCarbFriends Recipes - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost just watch that the ingredients are in line with what rung he is on. Maybe a boost to rung 1 would help cheapen things up? That's a extra 5 gram net carbs of veggies. A good one is cauliflower.....it's like the low carbers starch replacement.....makes everything from "potato" salad to faux rice. I buy it frozen, very convenient, fairly cheap as groceries go, but if you're ambitious, gresh is a better value for the buck.

[Discount_Hero_Alicia]

Thank you to both of you.

Momtomany1, I am a major couponer so I do get EVERYTHING on sale and at their lowest price. Which makes this even harder for me because I don't like to pay full price for anything. I do buy my meat when it is marked down close to date. I do know about cheese being frozen, that is my best friend!! I love my freezer, I just need a deep freezer!! He drinks soy milk which is not very cheap, even with coupons! I have not found it on a good sale plus coupons like other items.


Chicklady, he doesn't really like chicken so I can only fix so much of that in a week. I try to pretty it up with flavor and that only works for so long. He knows how lucky he is to have me doing this. HE tells everyone he could not do this without me. I don't have to tell anyone that!! He is very grateful to me about doing it. I'll just tell you the next night I cook steaks and I will expect you over!! I will look at that site and see what else I can do for him. I am finding a lot of PRACTICAL recipes on this site.

[imagood1]

Hi Alicia -- does your husband like buffalo wings? There is a great recipe for them here (it's a Youtube video), also there is a great stuffed green pepper recipe (I hated them before I started Atkins, now...I crave them!).

Here are a couple menu sites to try:

Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Daily Menus
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...n-recipes.html (Never ending induction recipes)

I made swiss steak tonight -- bought a cheap round steak at the store, fried it (no breading) slowly in oil, when it was brown on both sides I added a can of tomatoes and 1 medium onion thin sliced, put a lid on it and let it simmer for about 20 minutes...then I put it in the oven for about an hour at 300 - it was so tender there was no need for knives on the table. I measured 1/2 cup of the tomato/onion mixture and put it over my round steak -- it was just as good as when I made it before Atkins.

I find a lot of times when I'm buying groceries that store brands are cheaper than the name brands I have a coupon for...but I'm sure you know that trick also.

Are you following this WOE or just your husband? He's done a great job this far - good luck to him

[Discount_Hero_Alicia]

imagood1, he is the only one doing it. I don't do couponing like that, I do stockpiling of things. I will look at both of those sites, too!! Thank you for the recipe and I didn't think tomatoes were ok for him to have, not that he likes them. He has done very well and I am so proud of him!!

[chinadoll]

How about buying cheap cuts of pork or beef chuck and cutting them into thin julienned strips or small cubes for stir fry or stewing. Chili without beans is also a stretcher using ground beef. Tuna salad on a bed of lettuce is a cheap lunch.

[Miss Phode]

Before I lost my job, I never paid attention to how much I spent on groceries. Now I'm unemployed, and we eat just as well, but I shop much differently.

I buy meat & cheese on sale. In fact, if it's not on sale, I don't buy it. I keep a spreadsheet of the rock bottom prices for the grocery stores in my area, and check the ciruculars each week. My Publix has BOGO sales or 2/for sales, so when their bacon goes on sale BOGO, I stock up. I also coupon, but that's not for everyone. I don't buy domestic cheese anymore unless I'm getting at least 8 ounces for $1.50. Sometimes I get lucky and can match a store sale with a coupon and get 8 ounces of domestic cheese for a buck. When meat goes on sale (rock bottom price here for Ribeyes, our fav, is $5.99) I stock up. I grind my own meat for burgers and anything that uses ground beef using a cheap food processor I picked up at a garage sale. It's not cheaper to grind my own meat, but it sure tastes better. I buy beef chuck roasts on sale for $1.99 per pound, cut them into 1 pound chunks, and wrap and freeze them. I know the best price on chicken in this area is 99 cents for bone in chicken breasts, 79 cents for bone in legs and thighs, and $1.69 for boneless skinless chiken. I shop for veggies at the farmers market. I find the best price and value there. I'd say we're saving about 50% on average on our grocery bill.