<p>Costco also has very good and reasonably priced fish.</p>
<p>Suggestion for fish that’s ok but not amazing: curry.</p>
<p>Immigrant neighborhoods (Southeast Asian, South Asian, Hispanic) usually have excellent, dirt-cheap markets where you can buy international products. Get some prepared Thai curry paste and a can of coconut milk and cook the fish in the curry sauce till it’s just barely done – literally one minute or two. Then you put it over a big mound of rice (brown if you are health conscious). This is a much better way to deal with frozen fish than a simple dish that lets you taste each and every minute the filet spent in the freezer. Save mild preparations for the days you find excellent fresh fish on sale.</p>
<p>Putting frozen fish into tacos with a spicy Veracruzana sauce (tomato, onion, olive, chile) accomplishes the same goal.</p>
<p>Decent, inexpensive frozen fish: A bag of frozen tilapia from Target. Maybe someone here can tell us if these fish lived in the wrong place or ate the wrong thing.</p>
<p>^^^^ funny Gotopractice !</p>
<p>I was at the grocery store and they were selling basa (Vietnamese type catfish) for $3.99 a pound. I’d read a long article in the New York Times magazine about it so I was curious whether it tasted any good. I like American catfish better, but if you are looking for a bland white fish to put curry on it’s cheap. Unfortunately farmed fish come with their own set of issues.</p>
<p>Yes, Costco can eat up the money even if you stick to what you need. Buying some things in quantity does not save any money because it just disappears faster. Still I go about once a month and stick to a list, and try not to stock up on stuff that can be grabbed and eaten more often. I avoid snack foods anyways, as it is a never ending process at our house. </p>
<p>Trader Joes is a great place to shop for anyone with allergies in the families. That’s where my brother shops because of his kids’ allergies. TJ’s is terrific with their foods in labeling and having few or no additives. It certainly is less expensive than Whole Foods. That place eats up my bank account in no time.</p>
<p>I agree with Kelowna that meat is not expensive and should not be cut out of the menu. I often can get them onsale at Vons/Safeway for less than $8, a huge piece that can be divided into 3 meals. Besides kids love meat. We don’t like meat as much so I reduce the portion size for my husband and I.
However, we like fish a lot but the second kid does not like it as much, so we compromise, have fish 2 days and have meat the rest of the week.</p>
<p>Swordfish is not as expensive around here but the mercury content is a concern, so I only buy it when it goes on sale. Sometimes local Sprouts( [Welcome</a> to Sprouts Farmers Market](<a href=“http://sprouts.com/home.php]Welcome”>Healthy Grocery, Organic Food & Supplements | Sprouts Farmers Market)) has it onsale for $7.99/pound(Wild from Mexico). </p>
<p>I also rarely buy frozen fish nor meat. I only buy fresh veg, fish, and meat. </p>
<p>2 types of fish that my family like that are reasonable cheap.</p>
<p>Dover sole from Costco, I have it with green beans/peas and some type of wild rice, see recipe
[Dilled</a> Sole with Almonds Recipe](<a href=“http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=420428]Dilled”>http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=420428)</p>
<p>Rockcod, Asian recipe, like Rock cod with cantonese black bean sauce, eat with lot of white rice and some vegetables.</p>
<p>[Rock</a> cod with cantonese black bean sauce: Recipes: UKTV Food](<a href=“Homepage | UKTV”>Homepage | UKTV)</p>
<p>“Maybe someone here can tell us if these fish lived in the wrong place or ate the wrong thing.”</p>
<p>gotopractice—<strong>FOOD POLICE ALERT</strong>
MY GOD-----didnt you know that the Mexicans have stocked lake Xochimilco with Tilapia that are now eating the eggs of the rare Axolotl? AND we are now not to eat Tilapia??? (I imagine it doesnt do the Axolotl any good that they are made into tacos, but the guilt had to be spread on to somehow)</p>
<p>I KID YOU NOT</p>
<p>“farmed fish come with their own set of issues.”</p>
<p>Wow, even fish has issues!</p>
<p>And I was just going to recommend the Tilapia at Costco.</p>
<p>I don’t like farmed fish- texture is off.
My animal protein has to have it’s own blog and attorney.
You don’t have to cut it out, but you don’t have to eat a pound for dinner either.
Can use things to stretch the taste, like portabello mushrooms in beef stew.
most cultures use meat as a treat or flavor enhancer, not as " the main thing on your plate".
Shock to my MIL I know.
;)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Whew. That makes me feel better (we raise catfish). </p>
<p>We actually consume a lot of “homegrown” food. Besides the catfish, we have a garden and raise cattle.</p>
<p>I’ve been keeping track of our food spending since June, and it has gone down. I am making more meals from scratch and purchasing less junk food. I buy only select items at Costco (mainly broccoli, romaine lettuce, chicken thighs, eggs, bananas).</p>
<p>Wasn’t it a recent announcement that tilapia is full of fat?</p>
<p>So when do we start the challenge? Monday?</p>
<p>I like eating certain types of meals too much to go on a minimalist budget for food. I, thankfully do not have to do so. However, I remember times in my life when we had so little money that we really had to make do with what we had. I returned to my apartment totally broke once to a broke roommate. We had a a can of Campbell chunky soup and my big bag of rice for food. I made the rice and had the soup with it and stretched it to a couple of meals. I made those sort of “donburis” (a Japanese term for food served over a steaming bowl of rice) quite often and still do. My kids like them. Eggs and scallion can make a good donburi. Any kind of highly season garnish can do a lot for a good bowl of rice. That’s how a lot of the Japanese eat, rice and pickles with seasonings that pack a good punch. I don’t like ramen in soup much but enjoy a good fried noodle dish with ramen and that too is a staple at our house. </p>
<p>By slicing things attractively for a garnish, you can make some great cheap dishes that way. I have scrambled an egg, made an omlet out of it and then sliced into strips to make an attractive garnish with green onions and grated lightly sauted carrot. Meat sliced attractively into even strips looks pretty too. I do it with a couple slices of left over ham, and it makes a pretty garnish and is tasty too. A real favorite is slicing very thing strips of roast pork, letting it marinade in a teriyaki/ginger sauce for an intense flavor and serving it with scallions and a veggie attractively over a steaming bowl of rice. I love my rice maker for that reason.</p>
<p>If you’re worried about the sustainability of the fish you eat:</p>
<p>[Sustainable</a> Seafood](<a href=“http://www.eartheasy.com/eat_sustainable_seafoods.htm]Sustainable”>Sustainable Seafood | Eartheasy Guides & Articles)</p>
<p>I found a wonderful cookbook a few years ago “More-with-Less Cookbook” by Doris Janzen Longacre. “suggestions by Mennonites on how to eat better and consume less of the world’s limited food resources”. Lots of recipes from Mennonites around the world. Think Adele Davis but without brewer’s yeast and soy grits. The book includes meat and fish recipes. This book is a gem and available on line.</p>
<p>CPTofthehouse-I love donburi bowls. I really enjoyed my jury duty in downtown Los Angeles last year, just because lunch was two blocks away in the form of lovely little cheap donburi bowls. Every culture has its way of stretching leftovers —in Mexico put it in a taco, the British bake them in a pie, the Italians chop them up and toss with pasta, ----in my book a meal is a waste unless it can be stretched into something more. When I was an exchange student in Denmark, I lived on a farm. Nothing was ever wasted. Every Sunday afternoon my Danish Mum would take all the odds and ends left over from the weeks meals, and serve them as a cold buffet to be spread on small slices of buttered pumpernickle. It was heaven. I still do this occasionally myself.</p>
<p>One of my kids favorite meals when they were younger is when we had “dump out the refrig and freezer night” - when I would take all the odds and ends - leftover fish sticks, a few tater tots, stray hamburger patty, 2 hot dogs left in a package, random fruit and veggies…whatever we would find - warm it all up, and put it all out - they would “negotiate” to make sure they all got something they liked. </p>
<p>I liked how my refrig and freezer cleaned up afterwards!</p>
<p>Those donburi bowls sound great !
There is no way I would ever go on a minimalist budget for food - it means hot dogs and ramen noodles all the time. Yuck 
The challenge however is to cook wholesome, healthy meals on as little as possible.</p>
<p>[Recipes]Recipes</a>, Menus & Cooking Ideas from Epicurious.com](<a href=“http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/view/Chianti-Braised-Stuffed-Chicken-Thighs-on-Egg-Noodles-106217]Recipes]Recipes”>http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/view/Chianti-Braised-Stuffed-Chicken-Thighs-on-Egg-Noodles-106217), Menus & Cooking Ideas from Epicurious.com
I thought I would post this great recipe–ok to sub 2-buck-Chuck for the wine and make with 10-12 chicken thighs since there is plenty of stuffing for more. The leftovers freeze very well, and the leftover sauce is great on ziti.
Im making this weekend and will serve over polenta.
***the url will not allow direct access to the recipe.
go to epicurious and search on CHIANTI BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS</p>