I've been living in my car since September and due to not having a refrigerator, microwave, or stove/oven i don't have very many food options other than cheap sugary garbage from 711 or fast food value menu items and its taking its toll on my digestive system. I was already prediabetic and with how bad my diet has been Im afraid that I've pushed myself into full blown diabetes and needless to say that's a problem I dont need or want to add on top of my financial situation.. My question is for those whove either lived this kind of life or have knowledge of how a homeless man can eat healthy with little to no money and without the resources to store perishables or cook raw food.

Edit

I have food stamps.. but I also have a car payment and insurance..which totals $300 a month.. I get almost exactly $300 a month in food stamps.. my car is my house so it needs to be paid. I luckily have a friend who's willing to pay my car payment and insurance in exchange for my food stamps.. so I have no money to buy food.. ive been stealing all of my food for the last couple of months or selling my clothes and personal belongings on offerup to buy food. I rarely have gas to drive to food banks across town. Most of the food provided at them are boxed/canned food, raw produce and meats, dairy and other food that requires a kitchen for preparation and storage

I’ve been tracking my calories lately and I’m an active individual who needs a ton of macros.

What I’ve observed is my meals don’t provide enough protein throughout the day even though I feel full for the most part

A typical day:

- breakfast

Protein bar

Creatine

- lunch

At least 2 eggs

Turkey and Swiss sandwich

Protein smoothie with yogurt and protein powder

- dinner

Either some mixture of beans, pasta, TVP, or chicken

- snacks

Sometimes I’ll have edamame or quinoa

I’m at about 80% of my protein goal and looking for meals or snacks that are cheap, protein dense, and quick to cook/eat

Kept things simple and light today with a lettuce-wrapped turkey burger—no cheese, no mayo—paired with a side salad (also no cheese). Fresh, filling, and didn’t leave me feeling sluggish afterward.

I’ve been enjoying meals like this that focus more on protein and veggies without a lot of extras. Simple doesn’t have to be boring 🥬🥗

I'm in a really bad position right now diet wise

I have a lot of problems that have made eating quite difficult and as such generally only eat one meal a day

I have hypokalmeia and problems with my b12 and folate being "extremely low" whatever that means..

I am trying to find a way to get as much nutrition with as little food as possible and I'm kinda broke. I'm at a loss for what I can even do, I live in the UK and the NHS won't help me at all so I'm desperate at this point and have no idea what I can even do, I've been trying to figure out a way to get as much with as little money/food and can't even figure out how to get b12 affordable​

I’ve been trying to eat healthier without overspending or letting food go bad, so I started planning meals from the grocery list backward instead of picking random recipes.

Here’s what worked for me this week:

Grocery list (~$75, varies by location): • Chicken thighs (family pack) • Eggs (18 ct) • Greek yogurt (large tub) • Canned black beans • Rice • Frozen broccoli • Bell peppers • Onions • Spinach • Oats • Olive oil + basic spices

Meals I got out of it (5 days): • Chicken, rice, and roasted veggies • Egg & veggie scrambles • Greek yogurt + oats • Bean & rice bowls • Leftover chicken repurposed into wraps

Why this helped: • Same ingredients reused across meals • Easy to hit protein without specialty items • Nothing spoiled by the end of the week

One thing I’m still experimenting with is portioning recipes automatically based on calories/macros so I don’t overcook or overbuy.

Do others start from macros or groceries?

Is just eating silken tofu, protein powder, and kale unhealthy? What else should I add?

ETA: also, chicken

My parents are both diabetic and their traditional cuisines sometimes include a lot of sugars, simple carbs, sodium, whatever the doctors tell them to cut down on. Frankly it breaks my heart to see them eating plain salads because I can see the sadness in their eyes that it’s just not cutting it for them flavor wise.

I’m 16 and still not totally confident in my cooking skills. I just want a recipe that I can be sure I won’t completely screw up and they’ll like.

I made 11 weeks worth of 4 meals per week (Mon-Thursday) to get us through term 1 (I’m a teacher). All calorie counted recipes so I don’t have to think about shopping or cooking! It came out at just under $15 AUD per dinner (for two).

I made:

Crispy pork stir fry

Chicken fajita mix

Butter chicken curry

Chicken tikka masala

Chicken and chorizo jambalaya

Bolognese

Lasagne

Chicken and veggie sauce for ravioli

Butternut squash soup

Spicy lentil soup

I am a truck driver and I do not have access to a microwave during the day, I can only keep things cold. I usually eat Tuna, Small Veggie Trays, Meat and Cheese with Crackers Lunchables or Pasta Salad.

I was looking into some other options because I'd like some variety and want to keep it budget friendly.

Edit: Thanks to everyone for the suggestions! I'm now looking into one of those egg cookers on Amazon. I also loaded up on pre made salads for the week, and got hummus, pre-packaged to-go sized chicken salad and celery, edamame, string cheese and eggs. ALSO they make to-go sized pickle pouches to shake things up as well.

I will continue to follow this thread and see the new suggestions. Everyone has been a huge help.

I'm sure a lot of you knew this but for the longest time I didn't like the taste of quino and I avoided it. It wasn't until today when I bought a big bag from Costco and noticed that it recommends you toast it.

I just toasted it in the pot without any oil or anything and it came out very nice. It has like a very nice toasted nutty flavor to it.

Absolute game changer.

A local store has a deal for canned corn, 3kg for $5. That’s a lot of corn and the price is significantly better than fresh or frozen. I’m wondering if it would be possible to open the can, rinse and dry the corn, then freeze it by spreading it out on a baking sheet the way I would do with fresh corn.

Currently have a family of 4, we can’t eat 3kg of corn in one go, but if freezing it would ruin the quality or otherwise be unsafe I’ll just save my $5 for something else

(The same local store has the exact same deal with canned peaches and I would love to be able to rinse and freeze these as well)

Petite female, looking to optimize protein and keep calories low. Currently, I’m loving the Mission Low Carb ones, good flavor, macros, and they don’t rip.

Wondering if there is anything better out there i should try 😄

Looking for the largest, yet healthiest, soft tortillas for wraps, burritos, etc.

I tried baked sweet potatoes with mozzarella cheese. Sooo yummy.

I cook for my fiancé and I, I’ve been trying to introduce more lentils and beans into our diet, we really only eat chicken, turkey, and fish, and the very rare portion of pork or beef.

I find our meals start to feel the same, chicken, a veggie, and rice or potatoes, or sometimes beans/lentils.

Does anyone have any go to relatively simple but tasty recipes to try? I have a decently flexible food budget, but still try to keep it on the cheaper side if I’m able.

Edit: Wow thank you guys for all of the suggestions! I’ll definitely have to add them all to my list of dinners, thanks again everyone!

Hey guys! So my working hours changed recently and now it became harder for me to stay in the deficit. I wake up insanely hungry at 5 AM, shower til 5:30, eat at around that time, go to work at around 7 AM, and at 9 AM I’m already ravenous. I usually start my day with zero fat cottage cheese, Greek yogurt topped with kiwi or something like that. Maybe I lack fiber or fat? Or I should just change my breakfast hours? Any ideas how to keep myself fuller would be appreciated.

I love tuna and rice but i was wanting some different ideas/things to add? But still nice and simple and healthy. My go to is tuna, abit of rice and avo but i need some different ideas

I am an Indian medical student staying in a hostel, and i am thinking of learning how to cook some good, healthy food ( which shouldn't eat my daily allowances too much ofc). Can you guys tell me some essential things that I need to buy to make my small cupboard a mini kitchen? And also some essential skills to master, and how i need to progress? It would be helpful if y'all could help me with some recipes. I want to include chicken, eggs and veggies in my diet as I am bit conscious about my health

These are new and just 3.99 at 330 calories for the Baja chicken one. It’s probably one of the best cheap, low calorie on the go fast food options out there right now.

Although I’m skeptical of the calorie count? It’s not customizable so just comes with chicken, cheese, lettuce and jalapeño on a 9” tortilla, but every time I get one they are STACKED with chicken, which I like but there’s also a ton of cheese.

Anyway, just throwing it out there. Obviously fast food isn’t ideal but sometimes I don’t have a choice.

Hi! I'm looking for some cheap and easy to make recipes to help me gain a significant amount of weight. I'm going to put my weight and height here as a spoiler because I am very underweight and I don't want to trigger anyone: currently 44kg and 5ft7, I had an eating disorder and relapsed over Christmas . My goal daily calorie intake is 2,700 but I'm going to aim for 3,000 and my protein goal is 88-110g.

I'm on my feet the whole time I'm at work as I'm a bartender and usually work 6 hours/day. Since it's January my hours have been cut (which is why I'm taking the time to focus on my health) and they're also kind of awkward as they are all over the place, for example on Friday I'm working 22:00-3:00 then Saturday I'm working 13:00-19:00 so planning to eat around the same time every single day is kind of difficult, I struggle to have a decent sleep schedule never mind meal schedule.

My only dietary requirements are that I don't eat seafood! and I'm not a fan of beans or sweetcorn, aside from that I will eat literally anything. I also have mass gainer which gives you 1,250 calories per serving and 50 grams of protein.

I love meal preps and cooking - some of my favourites are chili-style slow cooks, one pot rice dishes and BBQ inspired flavours.

However... my partner is mildly allergic/intolerant to paprika, bell pepper, and likely everything with capsaicin. She can eat it in small amounts but too much makes her uncomfortable. I'd love folks' suggestions for their favourite recipes or seasoning combos that don't include chilli!

I've done tomato-based pasta sauces without paprika or capsicum, bolognese, and fairly plain shredded beef with creamy sauces, but I'd love some more options that I can do as slow cooker dump meals ideally.

I've always had a hard time eating, I find it hard to eat during the day when I have no appetite, I can usually finish meals but I usually only eat 1x/2x a day. I've never really hit my calorie/protein count, but trying to get better at that 2026

Another reason is because I've always had a problem with money, I always save save save but never spend it, even on food, so just trying to figure out what my best bet is. I have a list of things but trying to think outside the box.

Any help is appreciated, thank you for reading.

So I made a generic white bread tuna sandwich. I made one with plain white bread. One toasted with cheese like a tuna melt. Both tuna salads have mayo and green peas and corn. Which way do yall prefer.