I am trying to get in shape to apply for the local police department.  I am taking a weight training class at the university two days a week, but the biggest problem is eating healthy.  I would like to drop around 10 lbs. (Currently 5'7", 165) but all the healthy food, ie boneless skinless chicken, etc. is expensive.  I also don't eat many fruits/veggies because before I can eat them they spoil.  Any advice on this?  Also is there a good tasting but cheap (have you noticed the CHEAP theme?) protien I can use?  Thanks for any help in this matter.

Egg whites are the best low cost/high quality protein around.

the sad truth is that it does cost more to be healthy in this country, junk food is cheap and plentiful.

salads are cheap, as is canned tuna, also canned fruit.
there is a lot of turkey based food now -- turkey in burgers, bacon, chili, hot dogs.

Make frequint trips to the fruit market 2 twice a week. For about $2 you can get a head of lettuce, a tomato and Cuccumber and have your self a nice big salad.  Learn to make Chili. Get Hambuger and break it up while browning it, and scoop out the grease that forms. You can get Hamburger pretty lean buy doing this. Some times adding a little water while its cooking help with this. Once its browned up add some can stewed tomatoes, a can of of pork and beans, a can of Kidney beans and some chili powder for flavor. You can have your self a nice pot of chili pretty cheap. And Beans are very good for you. Get a jar of Ragu or you favorite speghetti suace and brown up the meat like mentioned earlier and serve it over whole grain noodles. Look for cans of tuna like some one said. I sometimes see them for 3 for a dollar. Make sure its in spring water. Cook brown rice put it in a bowl and dump a can of tuna on top. (thats one of my favorite but I prefer white rice but brown is better for you). Sardines are good too. a good source of omega 3 fatty acids. Get a meal replacement shake. I like Spirutein (I think thats how it is spelled). a good source of protien and it ussually less than a dollar a day. (just dont buy it at GNC) I think protien bars are a bit expensive compared to shakes. Cube steak is not a bad deal either. Yogourt, cottage cheese peanut butter on wheat bread are decent sources of protien. Make your self an eggwhite omellet for dinner. Even it you do 2 whites and 2 whole eggs. The yolk of the eggs have the vitamins Just dont stick to one kind protien mix it up. You get different Amino acids from each one.

Make sure you get some cardio in during the week, whether its running, biking or swimming or someother machine like a stain climber or eliptical. Running would be a good habit to get into considering your going to try for the police dept.  Say 3 days a a week of 30 minutes of running and one day or some other form of cardio.

Thanks for the suggestions.  Guess I will have to start choking down some tuna, I hate that stuff.  I thought eggs were pretty high in cholesterol?  Do you just have to eat the white or eat them in moderation?

As far as the running, I do intend to start running soon.  To bad it is getting really cold in my neck of the woods right now.  Also I don't have that much time between classes and work but I have to make time somewhere.

I can pick up Optimum nutrition whey protein in the 10lb. bags for cheap at the local protein shop. When I cranked out the g of protein/dollar ratio it beat out anything else I could find. including bulk tuna from the club stores. Other than that the gigundus tubs of fat free cottage cheese are a pretty good buy, along w/ tuna.

Vegies can be picked up for cheap at the club stores. Fruit cant be beat there.

Rice, in a 50lb. bag is the cheapest form of carbs you can get without buying pure sugar.

Yeah hey, You just want to eat the whites , throw the yoke away. Tuna can of course be mixed with things to make it taste etter. Mustard is good if you are looking for a no fat type of dinner. You'll also want the tuna in water, not oil. Rice is pretty inexpensive and beans go with rice very well. A good bit of protien/carbohydrates in that dish and it is also inexpensive. Macaroni goes pretty good with tuna. What is your food budget? You may have to get creative and lower your tastes some. Use the hell out of coupons and go to the "discount" grocery stores. I don't know if you "Aldi's" up there but there is probably a related store that you can get some stuff from. Hope this helps. Take care and good luck.

Go hunting and fishing. Wild game is much better for you than processed. If you don't live in an area where that is possible, then I refer to other replys.

If you're going to eat healthy, you're going to have to shop more and spend more.  You cannot stock up on fruits and veggies like you can frozen TV dinners because they don't keep.  Just go to the grocery store twice a week, and buy smaller quantities.

Eating healthy is more expensive and more difficult, but you will be better off in the long run.  You'll feel better, you'll get sick less often, and it willl extend your life.

Quoted: Go hunting and fishing. Wild game is much better for you than processed. If you don't live in an area where that is possible, then I refer to other replys.

There is always a garden.

As far as my food budget, I don't know what it is.  I still live with my mother because I'm still in college but hopefully will be moving out next year.  I just want to start eating better to get on the local PD.

I like the idea of hunting and fishing but I don't have the equipment needed (a rifle) for hunting.  I love elk meat though.  I have also tried a garden in years past but I don't have the time for up keep and the soil around here is nothing but clay.

I don't eat that bad now, quite a bit of beef and chicken but not many fruits/veggies.  It is a little hard to keep a salad cold in a backpack all day to.

Thanks again for all the suggestions.  Now I have some options.

Tomato's are pretty easy to grow in a large pot and they are low maintance. Just buy a bag of potting soil and a few tomato plants. One or two plants per big pot. I have two half wine barrels. Couple bags of potting soil in each one. The only thing I did to them this summer was water them a few times. I keep throwing gras clippings in them after and before I plant the tomato plants. Home grown tomatos are the best. Maybe its not something you can do now but one day you can and it will be worth your time.