How to Eat Healthy but CHEAP!

Feeding a family or even just an individual on a budget can be a challenge. Feeding the food that is nutritious and delicious makes the challenge even more difficult. But, it can be done and it can be very simple to do!

The first thing you need to do is change the way that you think about food. Food is needed for energy and for nutrition. Thus, you want to get food that is the healthiest for your body and will pack a lot of punch. Many of these foods tend to be expensive but you can find bargains if you look in the right places and choose the right foods.

The first thing you want to consider when grocery shopping is the types of foods to buy. You do not want many (or even any!) processed foods in your shopping cart because they are full of things your body doesn’t need and they are generally quite expensive. Think of frozen dinner entrees as an example. They tend to be expensive, you don’t get a lot of food and its full of empty calories, sodium, and fat! Three strikes in my opinion! Instead, look for cuts of meat that are on sale or cheaper. Your store may even put some meat on “clearance.” While this doesn’t sound great, the meats on clearance still have not reached their “sell by” dates and are still perfectly good and safe! They can save you a lot of money but do remember to cook right away or put it right into the freezer! As for the cheaper cuts of meat, they are often best when you cook them in a slow cooker. They get tender and Delicious that way. Beef stew, soups or even “pulled” beef or pork are good options (a few recipes will follow at the end) You can find tons more recipes for the slow cooker with a search on the Internet.

Another cheap way to eat that is also healthy is to have a “Vegetarian Nite” at least once a month or even once a week. This sounds boring but there are many options. Here are some ideas. First of all, you can have a hearty soup with a variety of beans and vegetables and a loaf of homemade bread for your dinner meal, You’d be surprised at how filling and delicious this can be. Another option is to have breakfast for dinner. Eggs,”fried” potatoes, and pancakes with fruit toppings are all cheap and good for you (instead of actually frying the potatoes, however, I dice them, toss with a tablespoon of olive oil and some spices like onion powder and/or garlic and roast them in the oven for 45 minutes). Yet another option could be a pasta dinner such as a ziti casserole or even a cheese lasagna. Just remember to use lower fat cheeses which can be purchased on sale and frozen for when they are needed.

Vegetables and fruits are often expensive but there are ways around this obstacle as well. The first thing you can do is to plant a garden and freeze or can the bounties of your harvest for all year use. Barring this, you should pick the fruits and vegetables that are in season in your area because they will often be the cheapest choices. Frozen vegetables make a great substitute for fresh and I know many stores put these on sale frequently as well. Stock up when you can as they will last quite a while. Do remember to get just the vegetables however and not vegetables in sauce as they will contain added fat and sodium that you do not need or want

Beans make a great filler and can be put into almost anything if done right. The first thing you need to do is to buy the bags of dried beans. Canned beans not only cost more but, again, contain more sodium and other ingredients that you do not need. Dried beans are easy to make. Simply soak them overnight and drain the water off the next morning. Then, put them in a pot of water to boil for a few hours or simply put them in the crockpot and turn on for the day. Either method works. Do read the individual bags of beans for possible variations though. Once you have softened beans, you can add them to soups or salads or just season and serve as a side dish. They can also be mashed and added to dishes without much change of flavor but the beans will stretch your other foods. For example, when making a meatloaf, add a cup of mashed beans to the meat mixture before shaping and baking and you will have that much more “meatloaf” and NO ONE will know the difference. Trust me!! You can add mashed beans to sauces or soups as thickeners and even to breads and baked goods and as long as you don’t go overboard or add the wrong color (i.e. don’t add black beans to a white bread but you can add mashed up black beans to brownies!!! YES YOU CAN!!!).

One final idea will help you eat healthier meals and stay out of the drive through on busy weeknights. When you do cook, cook enough for two meals and freeze half of the cooked food. On a busy night, instead of eating greasy burgers and fries that will cost an arm and a leg, you can pull your healthy, nutritious meal right out of the freezer and be ready to eat in no time at all. You can use the same tactic for lunches as long as you have a source to reheat your food. It may not work for schoolchildren but if you work and have access to a microwave in your office, you can take individually frozen meals and heat them up for lunch. Using the “disposable” plastic containers on the market makes this an easier task.

I hope that these tips will prove useful in feeding your family nutritionally. Think about the foods you are serving . There are so many ways to do it cheaper and more nutritionally with just a little thought!

Here are just a few recipes to get you started:

Beef Stew or soup
Cheap cut of beef
veggies such as onions, potatoes, celery, carrots
tomato puree, sauce or diced tomatoes are an option
frozen mixed veggies if you choose
water to fill slow cooker to 3/4 full
spices or beef bouillon granules
Add everything to slow cooker and cook all day. Add spices to taste. To make this into a stew instead of a soup is easy. About 1/2 hour before you are ready to eat, take about 1 cup of liquid out of the pot and mix with a few teaspoons of corn starch. Mix well to get out lumps and add back to put. Put pot on high for 1/2 hour and it will all thicken up into a gravy!

Pulled Beef or Pork
Cook meet in crockpot on low for 8-10 hours adding only some spices (salt, pepper, onion, garlic, etc) and a small amount of water (a cup should do) About an hour before serving time (less is okay too), use a baster to get most of the liquid out of the pot. Shred meat with two forks (it should be very easy to do) and add a bottle of barbecue sauce. Cook until sauce is warmed through and serve on buns!