Food Prices and Diet Changes

[FredM]

Also what do you mix protein powder with to make it bearable. I used to do smoothies with full fat greek yogurt and it was good, but sounds like a bad time with protein powders.

Overnight oats with greek yogurt or cottage cheese.

Smoothies -- my favorite is frozen strawberries, frozen spinach, chia seeds, a banana, and vanilla whey. If I'm cutting I'll use almond milk. If not, I'll use real milk. When I'm cutting this is my first meal of the day every day. ~400 calories, 30g of protein, and filling AF because of the fiber.

I also did cream of rice with vanilla protein powder and honey for a while. I got sick of it after a few months -- but initially thought it was pretty tasty. You need casein or a mix though, not pure whey. I was using Granite's protein powder which is casein/egg white/whey.

On topic, you legit can't shop at Whole Foods anymore (again). We almost never went but when Amazon took over and prices dropped paying a 10% premium over Market Basket was worth it for the convenience (we live next to one and can order online and pickup with no additional charge -- which is a life saver with 2 babies). The premium is back to something absurd. Our grocery bill goes up like $5/wk for the same items every week and now that it's hit almost $200 I'm pulling the plug.

Guess we're eating like we did in college again. Although in college I could have legit eaten out for every effing meal for less than we're spending on groceries now -- which includes such extravagance as vegetables, frozen chicken (which has gone from $7/lb to $12), and organic milk. Milk is actually one of the biggest killers. My family is basically on GOMAD between me, my wife, and two 90th percentile young sons who prefer 80% of their calories come from milk. Whole Foods brand milk has gone from like $4/gallon to $7 in a year. Organic Valley is $9/gallon rofl (which I purchased a few times as it was marked as a substitute before realizing what was happening).

[augeleven]

$12 a pound chicken is a sign of the apocalypse.
When chicken breasts are on sale ($2 a pound for conventional) are butterfly them, then freeze them lined with parchment paper so they are easy separate out servings.
I’m pissed that conventional thighs are $1.29 a pound.
We do a half gallon of organic milk a week.
I can’t wait to see if my local Hmart has canned eels!

[Renascent]

When chicken breasts are on sale ($2 a pound for conventional) are butterfly them, then freeze them lined with parchment paper so they are easy separate out servings.

I've been vacuum sealing shit wrong all this time!

[hector]

Also what do you mix protein powder with to make it bearable. I used to do smoothies with full fat greek yogurt and it was good, but sounds like a bad time with protein powders.

Overnight oats with greek yogurt or cottage cheese.

Smoothies -- my favorite is frozen strawberries, frozen spinach, chia seeds, a banana, and vanilla whey. If I'm cutting I'll use almond milk. If not, I'll use real milk. When I'm cutting this is my first meal of the day every day. ~400 calories, 30g of protein, and filling AF because of the fiber.

I also did cream of rice with vanilla protein powder and honey for a while. I got sick of it after a few months -- but initially thought it was pretty tasty. You need casein or a mix though, not pure whey. I was using Granite's protein powder which is casein/egg white/whey.

On topic, you legit can't shop at Whole Foods anymore (again). We almost never went but when Amazon took over and prices dropped paying a 10% premium over Market Basket was worth it for the convenience (we live next to one and can order online and pickup with no additional charge -- which is a life saver with 2 babies). The premium is back to something absurd. Our grocery bill goes up like $5/wk for the same items every week and now that it's hit almost $200 I'm pulling the plug.

Guess we're eating like we did in college again. Although in college I could have legit eaten out for every effing meal for less than we're spending on groceries now -- which includes such extravagance as vegetables, frozen chicken (which has gone from $7/lb to $12), and organic milk. Milk is actually one of the biggest killers. My family is basically on GOMAD between me, my wife, and two 90th percentile young sons who prefer 80% of their calories come from milk. Whole Foods brand milk has gone from like $4/gallon to $7 in a year. Organic Valley is $9/gallon rofl (which I purchased a few times as it was marked as a substitute before realizing what was happening).

Do you life in SF or Hawaii or some other high COLA type place?

I go to Costco and a local grocery store and a latino mercado and cannot imagine prices like these.

[hector]

I can’t wait to see if my local Hmart has canned eels!

You are a bad MF.

[augeleven]

There was no conventional 80/20 ground or chicken breast in the two stores I went to. Again.

[FredM]

Do you life in SF or Hawaii or some other high COLA type place?

I go to Costco and a local grocery store and a latino mercado and cannot imagine prices like these.

Boston suburbs. Prices are comparable to SF yeah. We have a Market Basket that' technically only 4 more miles away but because of traffic, lines, and the fact I have to get the groceries myself while squeezing by the 4000 illegal immigrants -- we stopped going right before COVID hit because we had a baby and no help from family. Now we have two babies and no hep from family so it's an even more ridiculous proposition but that's probably what I'll end up doing because prices are so outrageous now. At least until we move to NH. But, again, we have two babies, so that's not realistically happening this year so I need to figure out a way to not spend so much freaking money on groceries.

@augeleven it's pre-cooked. I can get skinless chicken breast from Whole Foods for $5.50/lb but $2/lb sounds like midwestern, non big city suburb prices. I can probably manage $3.50/lb shopping sales at the cheapest grocery stores in the area but I don't have time to put chicken in an oven and clean up the pan right now, let alone shop sales rofl (or grill, as I'd rather do). It's a temporary problem (being this time constrained) but, again, prices are so outrageous now I'm going to have to find a temporary solution so I don't have to start withdrawing from my savings account to pay for effing groceries.

[SnakePlissken]

There was no conventional 80/20 ground or chicken breast in the two stores I went to. Again.

Also this.

Last year I started making 2 separate grocery lists so that if the store had no ground beef, I'd make a chicken or sausage based recipe and vice versa. My store hasn't been out of both yet, but I'm also not paying 8 dollars for a pound of 93/7 ground beef when I just need 80/20

[alek]

For dinner tonight, I'm making a couple of turkey "tenderloins", marinated in a cracked pepper blend, about 2.5 pounds of mashed potatoes, and roasted Brussels sprouts, all of which came from Aldi. The turkey was around $6.49 for the 24 oz package; the potatoes are around $1/pound I think; and the sprouts were $2.89 for a pound--that's expensive. I'll probably add a few pennies in milk, butter, garlic, and spices, but the total is around $14--just say $15--for a meal for two adults and two small kids. There'll be some leftovers, but enough only for about one more adult meal, which brings that to about 5 meals for $15.

If I can remember to take a picture before I eat, I'll post that here.

One of our staples is spaghetti. Today at Aldi I bought a pound of organic, grass-fed 85/15 beef for $5.99/pound, one pound of organic 100% whole wheat spaghetti for $1.99, and one jar of organic tomato-basil sauce for $1.89. I'll add a few pennies to it in terms of spices, which brings that total to about $11 for dinner that'll feed two adults and two small kids. The only leftovers would be some pasta, but it still works out to about $3 per meal per person. Add a salad for 3 and that's another $2 or so.

[Allentown]

Dont know why I didn't think of it, but instead if buying chicken breast at $3.50/lb from Costco, grilling a bunch, and making a variety of meals out of it, I should have gotten a rotisserie chicken or two and chopped it up.

[SnakePlissken]

Went to Sams and got protein pancake mix and also found protein bars with 16g each bar for a dollar a bar. Also got a big pack of corned beef hash which I forgot I even used to eat, but it's awesome with eggs in a cast pan. Old College Special.

[mgil]

This thread is useful.

Warehouse club canned chicken is usually a decent mix in with simply rice and some sauce.

I’ve been buying canned veggies like stewed tomatoes and green bean along with frozen kale/spinach/collards/okra to mix with the tomatoes for a easy-to-make side with lots of health.

ETA:

I’m not paying premiums for organic meats anymore. I don’t think it’s worth it regardless. Shit tastes the same.

[mbasic]

My parents are obsessed with Aldis, but my n=1 is that most of the stuff I have had from there is kinda sub-par.

This is my wife and I's take on Aldis as well ...

[Renascent]

I’m not paying premiums for organic meats anymore. I don’t think it’s worth it regardless. Shit tastes the same.

I am slowly coming around to this way of thinking.

I've heard stories of bodybuilders making do with all but the absolute worst of poultry cuts and quality. As long as there's no slimy film or smell, I'm not really caring at this point if the cows and chickens get to hear lullabies before slaughter.

[dw]

Was there ever any health related argument in favor of organic meats?

For produce there's the matter herbicides and insecticides but I figured for meats it was all just about animal cruelty.

[EggMcMuffin]

Was there ever any health related argument in favor of organic meats?

For produce there's the matter herbicides and insecticides but I figured for meats it was all just about animal cruelty.

Non organic/non cruelty free tends to be bred in absolute horrorshow conditions with tons of weird antibiotics and other heavy chemical usage along with sometimes being fed god knows what. I'm not super well versed on it but I'd imagine cheapier/shittier meat will literally give you ass cancer, or at least give it to you far faster than better options

[mouse]

Was there ever any health related argument in favor of organic meats?

For produce there's the matter herbicides and insecticides but I figured for meats it was all just about animal cruelty.

Non organic/non cruelty free tends to be bred in absolute horrorshow conditions with tons of weird antibiotics and other heavy chemical usage along with sometimes being fed god knows what. I'm not super well versed on it but I'd imagine cheapier/shittier meat will literally give you ass cancer, or at least give it to you far faster than better options

I think how fast you get the cancer directly correlates with what Netflix documentary you just watched.

It's pretty awful if someone might have been mean to my chicken sandwich, but I'm glad to be living in a part of the world where I have ease of access to (relatively) cheap high quality meat compared to what some people are eating.


Unless they personally know the farmer who is slaughtering the cow (which is a great option btw), I have no interest in hearing someone preach to me about the "organic" sticker on their package of meat.

[mgil]

What regulations already exist for USDA meat acceptance are reasonably high. The threshold for free range is often nebulous and arbitrary. Organic is a bit stricter, but I’m suspect of that as well at times.

[Renascent]

Was there ever any health related argument in favor of organic meats?

For produce there's the matter herbicides and insecticides but I figured for meats it was all just about animal cruelty.

I don't remember exactly when I jumped on the organic meat train, or even the impetus for the conversion, but I do recall the little sticker graphics at the Whole Foods butcher's counter illustrating the circle of life and such.

If the cow's eating good, healthy grass, then the meat's going to benefit from the lack of artificial contaminants. And if the cow lives a relatively stress-free life in an invisible cage, then something something about the meat quality.

Good eatin' all around, or so they say.

Seems logical to me, even if the steward-of-the-earth ideal some of these large-scale processors are peddling seems a little heavy-handed (and dubious).

Non organic/non cruelty free tends to be bred in absolute horrorshow conditions with tons of weird antibiotics and other heavy chemical usage along with sometimes being fed god knows what. I'm not super well versed on it but I'd imagine cheapier/shittier meat will literally give you ass cancer, or at least give it to you far faster than better options.

This is what I've gathered from the few documentaries I've seen as well. Considering soil depletion, the likelihood that Cargill or Tyson would, uh, never tell a lie, and plastics basically leeching into the bloodstream and water sources, I figure I'm going to eat plenty of contaminants one way or the other.

If I don't kill the meat source myself -- or know the farmer who kills it -- it's a safe bet that I'm not eating as "clean" as I might want to think, despite what the organic meat taglines would seem to imply.

It's pretty awful if someone might have been mean to my chicken sandwich, but I'm glad to be living in a part of the world where I have ease of access to (relatively) cheap high quality meat compared to what some people are eating.


Unless they personally know the farmer who is slaughtering the cow (which is a great option btw), I have no interest in hearing someone preach to me about the "organic" sticker on their package of meat.

Pretty much how I look at it.

ETA: I've skipped a few visits to the local farmer's market in recent months because one of my favorite vendors hasn't had beef liver in a while, mostly because of general market and environmental (?) fuckery, according to him. I might just settle for cheaper liver elsewhere. This thread makes me realize how much I miss organ meat.

[mbasic]

Was there ever any health related argument in favor of organic meats?

For produce there's the matter herbicides and insecticides but I figured for meats it was all just about animal cruelty.

I don't remember exactly when I jumped on the organic meat train, or even the impetus for the conversion, but I do recall the little sticker graphics at the Whole Foods butcher's counter illustrating the circle of life and such.

If the cow's eating good, healthy grass, then the meat's going to benefit from the lack of artificial contaminants. And if the cow lives a relatively stress-free life in an invisible cage, then something something about the meat quality.

Good eatin' all around, or so they say.

Seems logical to me, even if the steward-of-the-earth ideal some of these large-scale processors are peddling seems a little heavy-handed (and dubious).

There's a difference between organic and grassfed.
Most of the health aspects from grass fed meat come from grass ...
"Organic" could still mean: eating mostly grain, and garbage, and no grass or green matter whatsoever.

I myself wouldn't mind A LITTLE BIT pesticides and/or SOME inorganic fertilizer use to grow GRASS and/or maintain pastures that a cow feeds on .... a cow that wouldn't be able to get the official 'Organic' label, but was completely grass fed. In fact, this is what "they" should be doing.
Would I prefer grassfed AND organic? Sure.

Likewise with chickens and eggs. They could be 'organic', but just fed organic certified commercially produced grain-mush, kept in boxes (instead of cages), and never see the light of day or eat a single bug.