CHEAP-HOODIA.COM

Well, actually, this will last you a week plus a couple of days. Just in case you don’t have time to go to the grocery store when the seven days run out.

By popular demand, we’ve whipped up the list, the menu (snacks included) and the recipes. Of course, you don’t have to buy a tiny little package of, say, whole or slivered almonds. Get yours in bulk foods and you won’t have to go waste time and money buying a little at a time every time you go to the grocery store. Feel free to substitute low-fat, skim, non-fat, low-sodium and low cholesterol wherever you like, and when we say “bottle” or “jar”, we mean small since this is for one person, and for about one week. And yes, you should go about getting your groceries in this order; all around the perimeter of the store first, that is.

Ready? Take the plunge.

Eggs/Dairy Section

2 L carton milk

1 block butter

1 dozen eggs

1 small package Cheddar cheese

1 small package mozzarella cheese

8 ounce container cream cheese

8 to 16 ounce container plain yogurt

6 ounces low-fat fruit-flavored yogurt

1 small container light whipped cream

2 L carton calcium-fortified or plain orange juice

2 L sweetened soy milk

Meat/Fish/Poultry Section

4 fresh skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 fresh or frozen halibut steaks

1 fresh salmon ‘steak’

Frozen Foods

2 small bags frozen berries, your fave

1 bag frozen corn

1 bag frozen mixed veggies, carrots, peas, cauliflower

1 bag frozen broccoli

2 L frozen vanilla yogurt

1 box frozen whole wheat waffles

1 box frozen puff pastry

2 frozen graham cracker crusts

2 tins frozen orange concentrate

Bulk/Seasonings/Nuts/Baking Goods

Salt and pepper

sugar

Dill

Sesame seeds

Garlic powder

Red pepper flakes/cayenne/paprika

1 bottle vanilla extract

Ground nutmeg

Ground cinnamon

Ground cumin

1 jar honey

ground saffron

slivered almonds

pecans

walnuts

dried cranberries/raspberries

dried dates

dried apricots

granola

Bulk/Grain/Miscellaneous

Chocolate chips

Instant oatmeal/rolled oats

Couscous

Brown rice

Air-popped popcorn

Puffed whole wheat

Tea

Coffee

Chocolate syrup

Cocoa powder

Bottles/Cans/Jars

1 bottle apricot puree/apricots canned in own juice

1 jar cinnamon applesauce

1 jar mandarin oranges/2 eleven-ounce cans mandarin oranges in juice

1 jar peanut butter

1 jar jam, your choice

3 cans water-packed tuna

2 cans oil-packed tuna

8 six-ounce cans vegetable soup

3 cans vegetable/chicken/beef broth

1 can escargots, water-packed

2 cans kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can white beans, like cannelloni

2 cans chickpeas/pre-made hummus in bulk foods/deli

1 bottle vinaigrette dressing

1 bottle olive oil

1 bottle sesame oil

1 bottle red wine vinegar

1 jar Dijon mustard

1 bottle whipped topping

1 bottle soy sauce

1 jar salsa

1 jar chilies, like chipotle in adobo

Bakery/Deli

1 loaf whole-wheat bread

1 pack whole-wheat tortillas/pitas

2 whole-wheat bagels

1 handful whole-wheat bread sticks

2 whole-wheat muffins, your choice

Produce

3 apples

1 bunch/12 spears asparagus

1 bag baby salad greens

1 bunch bananas

1 small bundle basil leaves

half cup mung bean sprouts

1 cantaloupe

1 medium bag baby carrots

2 bunches cilantro

5 celery stalks

1 cucumber

1 bulb garlic

1 ginger root

1 small jicama/pre-sectioned jicama, wrapped

3 kiwis

3 lemons

1 lime

2 mangos

1 honeydew melon

20 or so mushrooms

2 pears

1 medium onion

1 papaya

1 red bell pepper

15 red potatoes or 20 golf-ball size new potatoes

1 small red cabbage

1 pound snow peas

6 bunches baby spinach/7 bags baby salad green leaves

1 small squash

1 sweet potato

2 oranges

1 bunch fresh thyme

2 packages (8 cubes) tofu

2 to 4 tomatoes

Meal Plan for One Week:

Saturday

Breakfast

1 cup orange juice

half melon drizzled with 1 teaspoon lemon juice and/or honey

tea

1 slice apple-berry cake

Midmorning snack

Peanut butter-jam sandwich

1 cup milk

Lunch

Vegetable soup

In a saucepan, saute’ 10 diced baby carrots in quarter cup of broth until tender crisp. Add 20 mushrooms and all cans of veggie soup you’ve got. Simmer 10 minutes. Add 2 cups canned drained kidney beans and 2 bunches rinsed baby spinach leaves. Simmer 5 minutes. Eat two cups, chill leftovers, covered.

1 slice whole wheat bread

1 cup soy milk

Midafternoon snack

Chocolate chips mixed with nuts and dried cranberries

1 cup orange juice with a squirt of lemon

Dinner

Herby Chicken one-pot

Rub 4 chicken breasts with fresh herbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder. Add fresh herbs to roasting pan, along with 10 baby carrots and 25 golf-ball sized red potatoes. Roast at 400 F for 30 minutes. Chill leftovers, covered.

Tangy-crunchy salad

Toss 1 handful of pecans with 2 handfuls baby salad greens. Add a couple of canned mandarin oranges, and add some of orange juice to dried raspberries and 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette.

orange juice, tea or soy milk

Sunday

Breakfast

Potatoes with leftovers

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet. Saute half cup sliced onions, handful of frozen broccoli, 1 teaspoon minced garlic and leftover chicken, carrots and potatoes, for 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from pan. Fry egg.

1 scrambled egg

1 cup orange juice

Midmorning snack

Half a cantaloupe filled with 6 ounces plain yogurt with lemon zest.

Water with frozen juice concentrate

Lunch

Chickadee Pockets

Heat half a cup of last night’s chicken breasts, cubed with 2 tablespoons of frozen corn and 3 tablespoons canned black beans, drained, in microwave for 3 minutes. Heat 1 tortilla/pita in microwave for 1 minute. Top tortilla/pita with chicken mixture, add 2 tablespoons salsa.

1 cup milk

quarter of cantaloupe

1 orange

Midafternoon snack

1 whole-wheat bagel with peanut butter, dried dates and jam (extra chewy)

water flavored with frozen juice concentrate

Dinner

1 halibut steak rubbed with 1 teaspoon olive oil, salt and pepper. Roasted at 400F for 25 minutes. 1 serving Squashy Noodles.

Half cup sliced cucumbers drizzled with lemon juice and red pepper flakes

1 cup milk

Prep Berry Pie for Monday Night and rest of week

Let vanilla yogurt soften and gently fold in 1 and half cups thawed berries. Scoop into thawed graham cracker crust. Refreeze.

Monday

Breakfast

1 cup oatmeal, cooked with 1/3 cup milk, topped with dried fruit and nuts and 1 tablespoon sugar

1 banana

1 cup orange juice

Midmorning snack

1 slice leftover apple-berry cake

1 cup soy milk

Lunch

1 serving leftover Squashy Noodles

1 tofu cube, heated in microwave for 2 minutes on High after marinating in soy sauce for 1 minute each side, topped with tomato slices, red onion, red pepper flakes, dill and lemon juice.

1 mango, sliced

water with a squirt of lemon

Midafternoon snack

1 cup hummus

handful baby carrots

1 cup orange juice

Dinner

Spiced salmon one-pot

Mix 1 tablespoon soy sauce with 1 chili (chopped), 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, dill, 1 teaspoon minced ginger, 1 teaspoon cumin, and rub into salmon steak. Roast till cooked through, about 25 minutes at 400F. Cook 2 cups brown rice in water, adding spinach at last minute. Squirt lemon juice on half cup rice and all of salmon. Chill leftovers in separate containers.

Water with frozen juice concentrate.

Berry Pie: Cut into 8 segments, top with whipped cream if desired. Eat 1 slice.

Tuesday

Breakfast

Rice and oat pudding

In a saucepan, simmer 1 cup of last night’s rice with half cup milk and instant oatmeal, half teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 tablespoon almond slivers and 3 tablespoons chopped dates for 10 minutes. Top with 1 tablespoon sugar and honey.

Quarter cantaloupe drizzled with lemon juice.

Tea

Midmorning snack

Half cup frozen berries with 1 orange

1 slice bread with peanut butter and jam

Water or tea

Lunch

Seafood Salad

Toss all remaining baby greens and half red cabbage, shredded, with 5 ounces leftover salmon and 3 tablespoons lemon juice.

3 to 5 whole wheat bread sticks

1 apple, sliced

1 cup soy milk

Midafternoon Snack

2 kiwis

fruit-flavored yogurt

tea

Dinner

2 cups leftover vegetable soup, reheated

3 to 5 whole wheat bread sticks

sliced Cheddar cheese

water with lemon

Wednesday

Breakfast

1 cup instant oatmeal simmer for 10 minutes with half cup milk, cocoa powder and cinnamon and dried cranberries sprinkled on top.

1 cup tropical fruit salad

Combine enough sliced kiwi, mango, papaya and mandarin oranges to total 3 cups and a bit.

Midmorning snack

1 muffin

handful almonds

soy milk

Lunch

Lazy Day Wrap

Reheat leftover black beans with 2 tablespoons salsa. Warm 2 pitas and stuff with black beans and salsa, 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro, cheddar cheese slices and 2 tablespoons plain yogurt.

10 baby carrots

water with frozen juice concentrate

Midafternoon snack

Half papaya with lemon juice

Iced coffee with whipped cream

Dinner

1 serving Yellow pasta with garlicky sauce

1 tomato with mozzarella cheese, basil and vinaigrette

Popeye Booster Salad

2 bunches baby spinach, half of a pear, sliced, 2 thinly sliced mushrooms and 2 tablespoons vinaigrette

1 slice Berry Pie topped with whipped cream and mixed nuts.

Water with frozen juice concentrate or tea

Thursday

Breakfast

1 whole wheat bagel with peanut butter and jam

1 pear

1 cup soy milk

Midmorning snack

2 banana dipped in chocolate syrup

water with frozen juice concentrate

Lunch

1 serving Yellow pasta with garlicky sauce

2 cups Tropical fruit salad

water or tea

Midafternoon snack

10 baby carrots

2 cubes tofu with Tropical fruit salad

hot chocolate

Dinner

Salad in a Can

Half cup finely chopped onions and half cup diced red bell pepper saute’ed in olive 2 tablespoons olive oil until tender. Add 1 can drained white beans and 2 tablespoons dried fruits and handful of nuts. Add sprinkle of cumin. Cook, stirring for 3 minutes, remove from heat. Stir in 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons fresh thyme and salt and pepper to taste.

1 cup couscous cooked in 1 and half cups boiling-hot broth, used to cook 1 cup asparagus. Drizzle asparagus with lemon juice and zest.

Water

Friday

TGIF Breakfast

Banana-Berry Protein Pack

All remaining bananas cut to chunks and pureed with 1 cup frozen berries, 4 tofu squares, 1 cup plain yogurt and icy water or ice cubes.

1 sliced pear

1 slice whole wheat bread

Midmorning snack

1 whole wheat muffin

1 celery stalk with cheddar cheese melted on top

orange juice

Lunch

Made-in-your-sleep Tuna Pita

Combine one can drained, water-packed tuna with 2 tablespoons diced onion, 2 stalks diced celery, 5 tablespoons plain yogurt mixed with 2 tablespoons olive oil and half teaspoon dill. Fill 1 and half pitas.

1 apple

1 cup jicama, cut to strips

water

Midafternoon snack

Peanut butter and jam sandwich

Tea or coffee

Dinner

Black and White dinner

Let water drain from remaining tofu cubes and slice to half-inch strips. Saute in skillet with 2 teaspoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons minced ginger, 2 teaspoons minced garlic and cumin until golden brown, turning once. Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce when removing from heat. Reheat 1 cup leftover brown rice with 1 tablespoon almond slivers. Sprinkle rice and tofu with sesame seeds.

Tossed red salad

All remaining red cabbage, shredded with handful of dried cranberries, thinly sliced red onion, and 3 tablespoons vinaigrette with red pepper flakes.

1 slice Altered Fruit Cake

Saturday

Post-TGIF Breakfast

2 frozen whole-wheat waffles heated in microwave according to directions, sprinkled with honey and cinnamon.

Half cup apricot puree with 2 tablespoons whipped cream

Milk, heated, sprinkled with nutmeg

Midmorning snack

1 cup cocoa with remaining milk

Lunch

Hot tuna salad

Add frozen mixed vegetables to boiling water. Combine 2 cans oil-packed tuna, with the oil, with cooked veggies. Add pepper, soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Eat one cup, chill leftovers, covered.

2 remaining whole wheat bread slices.

Water with frozen juice concentrate

Prep Altered Fruit Cake. Let cream cheese soften, then add remaining whipped topping, 2 cups frozen berries, folding in gently, and remaining canned mandarin oranges with juice. Fill a graham cracker crust and freeze.

Midafternoon snack

Hot tuna salad stuffed into whole wheat pita, then heated in microwave on High, 90 seconds.

Tea

Dinner

3 cups popcorn

quarter cup hummus

1 tomato

Cut the Altered Fruit Cake into 8 sections, eat 1 or 2 slices, topped with more fruit and whipped topping from new grocery shopping.

The Necessity Recipes

Apple-Berry Cake

2 cups flour

three-quarters cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup cinnamon applesauce

half cup milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup frozen berries (do not thaw)

handful almond slivers

2 tablespoons cinnamon and sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat an 11 x 7 inch baking pan with vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Makea well in the center and set aside. Whisk together applesauce, milk, butter, egg and vanilla. Fold into dry ingredients until just blended, then gently fold in berries. Pour into pan. Sprinkle almonds on batter. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 10 minutes, cut to 12 pieces. Cool to room temperature before wrapping in plastic and placing in sealed plastic Tupperware in the fridge. Makes 12 servings.

Squashy Noodles

1 medium squash, halved and seeded

1 and half cups vegetable/other broth

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoons sesame oil

2 cups snow peas

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons cilantro

baby carrots, diced

half cup bean sprouts

Wrap squash halves in plastic wrap and place skin side down in microwave. Cook on High setting for 10 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes, wrap opened. Using a fork or zester, scrape out flesh, making long, spaghetti-like strands. Makes about 8 cups. Set aside. In a saucepan, simmer soy sauce, peanut butter, broth and sesame oil, stirring. Add snow peas, simmer 2 minutes to heat through. Remove from heat and stir in bean sprouts, carrots, cilantro and lemon juice. Add cooked squash. Makes 8 servings.

Yellow pasta with garlicky sauce

6 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups broth

1 teaspoon saffron powder

24 ounces uncooked linguine or spaghetti

1 can escargots, drained

2 cups frozen broccoli

quarter cup fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

In a deep pot, saute’ garlic in 1 tablespoon broth for 2 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Add remaining broth and saffron. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions. Drain and add to broth mixture with escargots and broccoli. Simmer 3 minutes, or until escargots are wilted and cooked through. Stir in cilantro and soy sauce. Season to taste with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes if desired. Makes 8 servings.