How to eat healthy on a budget?!

AlwaysWanderer

I have a very limited food budget for the next few months, so I need cheap healthy recipes. And I dont like beans & pulses, I just cant stand them... and no salads either... bleh
Any sugestions? Please?

HannahPendrigh

baked sweet potato with topping of your choice (i use tuna and sweetcorn)

gingeriner

tuna is super cheap! as are potatoes. tuna you can put on bread with some italian dressing. that is good.
oatmeal is also cheap, apples etc. you just have to shop sales and that really helps too.

marquesajen

Sweet corn, tomatoes, pretty much anything that is in season should hopefully be less expensive.

Cherishanne

It's time consuming, but I really rely on coupons and matching them up with what's on sale. Sweet baked potatos are the best, very filling and healthy for us.

shootoutx3

I'm not sure where you live but perhaps going to a cheaper store like Aldi's or Save-A-Lot? They have healthy stuff just like regular grocery stores, but much cheaper.

losethechalupa

Hi,

Purchase meat in bulk if you can. I buy bags of individual frozen boneless skinless chicken breast. Its only me and hubby and one breast is rather large so one chicken breast makes dinner. I usually marinate in the morning and throw on the grill after work. Its done in less than 5 minutes on the George Foreman. I steam a bag of frozen mixed veggies and some brown rice and thats whats for dinner.

You can do so much with chicken.

Chicken Parm - I lightly bread the raw chicken with bread crumbs and fry a bit on each side with evoo and then top with a little sauce and part skim mozzarella adn poip in the oven to finish off then depending on how hungry I am, I will just eat the chicken with a side salad or with a little whole wheat angel hair pasta.

Here is one more for you

sautee onions, peppers and chopped chicken breast in a little evoo with seasonings of your choice, roll into a tortilla with a lil light plain yogurt or sour cream, diced tomato and viola! to add in some more veggies, you can throw in some mixed veggies to sautee at the end when the chicken is almost done.

Hope this helps

fionarama

I've never understood why people think you can't eat healthily on a budget. For a start - no bought takeaways etc saves a fortune. Chicken is cheap. Fresh salmon is cheap. apples are cheap. low fat budget yoghurt is cheap. Buy plain oatmeal as cereal instead of prepared cereals. rice. potatoes. frozen vegies. Personally I don't do recipes, just the plain cheap meals, cereal for breakfast, a simple sandwich and fruit for lunch and grilled meat and veges for dinner. Oh and baked beans are a cheap staple too.

AlwaysWanderer

Thanks guys! Def going to try sweet potato, havent had one of these yet... and tortilla, thats a good one!
I live in the UK, and shop in Tesco... I tried to plan my meals for the week, and its so much easier to eat unhealthy stuff! I need to cook twice, for me and hubby, as he wont eat anything if there's a slight risk it might be healthy... Grilled chicken and fresh veg are quite expensive these days... I dont want to slip back into old habits and have spag bol for dinner 3 times a week! :grumble:

AlwaysWanderer

Chicken is cheap. Fresh salmon is cheap.

Please will you tell me where you live so I can come and do my shopping there? I pay £13/kilo of chicken breast!!! And its £6 for 2 salmon fillets!

pedagopractice

Ground turkey burgers -- mix in wilted spinach, a little lemon zest, mashed up garlic, and S&P. Grill them and serve on a whole wheat bun!

sunnyrunner23

Thanks guys! Def going to try sweet potato, havent had one of these yet... and tortilla, thats a good one!
I live in the UK, and shop in Tesco... I tried to plan my meals for the week, and its so much easier to eat unhealthy stuff! I need to cook twice, for me and hubby, as he wont eat anything if there's a slight risk it might be healthy... Grilled chicken and fresh veg are quite expensive these days... I dont want to slip back into old habits and have spag bol for dinner 3 times a week! :grumble:

UGH! HUSBANDS!!!!

AlwaysWanderer

Thanks guys! Def going to try sweet potato, havent had one of these yet... and tortilla, thats a good one!
I live in the UK, and shop in Tesco... I tried to plan my meals for the week, and its so much easier to eat unhealthy stuff! I need to cook twice, for me and hubby, as he wont eat anything if there's a slight risk it might be healthy... Grilled chicken and fresh veg are quite expensive these days... I dont want to slip back into old habits and have spag bol for dinner 3 times a week! :grumble:

UGH! HUSBANDS!!!!

Tell me about it!!!

tararocks

although they do not pack quite the same nutrients, frozen and canned vegetables are still low calorie and still better for you than fast food. As far as sweet potatoes, i highly recommend doing oven roasted sweet potatoes, especially if you have never had them, they can be a little overpowering at first but to do oven roasted, wash them peel and cube them, boil them for a few minutes until fork tender, then put on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray, then season-i use salt pepper and rosemary but you can use whatever seasonings you want. bake-they are amazing. Not sure about where you are but here i can buy a bag of mixed fruit, apples and oranges for significantly cheaper than buying them individually.

rmancha

I don't know if this will help but it has helped me. Before I tried losing weight I would buy clothes all the time trying to "hide" my gaining weight problem. But when I had to buy a 16 a tight one at that I decided that was it. So at that point I stopped buying clothes and told myself I wasn't going to buy more clothes until I could fit in to my 12's again. This helped because now I had extra money to spend on food. I am back in 12's and part of me doesn't want to buy anymore clothes until I get to 10 only because I want to keep going (I am getting greedy here hehe). Either way an ugly size 12 pants makes me feel way better than a brand new size 16 did.
As for my shopping I try to cook different things but my staples are egg beaters, shredded cheese (goes a long way), frozen veggies, brown rice, chicken breasts, pork (its cheaper than beef), baby carrots, tuna, wheat bread, and cooking spray oh and coffee it always does the trick! But at times when I don't have time to cook or can't afford it I buy smart ones or lean cuisines, I love the feeling of eating pizza for around 300 calories.
Hope this helps!...Good Luck!

janeite1990

Boiled eggs are cheap, good protein. Easy to boil several, refrigerate, and have ready to go.

amybrauch

Cabbage. I have been shredding it & stir frying it w/ some soy sauce & a little olive oil & garlic & spices & it is good. Just like the inside of an eggroll!

jeffhop75

try going shopping at tesco`s after 5pm as they usually reduce a lot of the food by then thats close to its sell by date which is a con anyway, you can pick up plenty of fresh fruit and veg at a quarter of the price, its what we do and have probably saved a fortune over the years, as for tuna being cheap?? someone is having a laugh!

gmhvin

Thanks guys! Def going to try sweet potato, havent had one of these yet... and tortilla, thats a good one!
I live in the UK, and shop in Tesco... I tried to plan my meals for the week, and its so much easier to eat unhealthy stuff! I need to cook twice, for me and hubby, as he wont eat anything if there's a slight risk it might be healthy... Grilled chicken and fresh veg are quite expensive these days... I dont want to slip back into old habits and have spag bol for dinner 3 times a week! :grumble:

UGH! HUSBANDS!!!!

Tell me about it!!!

I've got one of those too! I am trying to come up with recipes that he will eat and I will want to eat!

mndbbr

-baked potato with "I can't believe its not butter" SPRAY
-tuna with mustard, pepper, & pickle juice wrapped in lettuce leaves

Filling and cheap : )

You can also make you own black bean burgers

MrsJax11

Try a whole chicken -- here it is about a dollar a lb. We can roast a chicken and both eat it for two days.
We also get rolled oats and rice in bulk. Don't think you have to cut out pasta entirely-- just measure out portions and fill up with veggies in it. If you take 2 oz of pasta, 4 oz of chicken and 2 cups of veggies like tomato, broccoli and onion, you would be surprised how filling it is, and low on the cals for one dinner
Make sure you are measuring your portions and be open to trying new things! We also make our own salad dressings that are way better than anything you can buy in a store!

whiskey9890

if you have a morrisons near you try them for fresh meats and fish, their fish is really good value and the meat is on a par with other places but they often do different cuts or pre marinaded pieces for a bit of a difference, plus they also do a lot of the fruit and veg loose rather than pre packed i used to always shop at tesco but have started to switch to morrisons and asda is getting a look in now as well

fitnessjch

Where abouts in the UK do you live? If there is a Wing Yip near you or a chinese supermarket, they do frozen chicken really cheap, as well as other meats, and you can just take 1 per day out of the freezer the night before and boil or grill

jmikels67

I'm not sure where you live but perhaps going to a cheaper store like Aldi's or Save-A-Lot? They have healthy stuff just like regular grocery stores, but much cheaper.

Amen to that! Our Save A Lot closed recently (so sad), but love them and Aldi! I can leave Aldi with an overflowing cart (including meat) for $100.00!

Sarahdangerfox

Eggs are a great, cheap protein. Cabbage is nutritious, filling and super flexible. I love making veggie soups with chicken or beef boullion (extra cheap), lots of cabbage, whatever veggies are on sale (squash, broccoli and cauliflower are great in here) or a packet of frozen veg, which is almost always cheaper. Quick and inexpensive. Cabbage is also great when mixed in with tuna to stretch it and give a bit of crunch.

katee_x

Quorn! Its really good for you, low in calories and saturated fat! Also its not very exspensive...

jmgj27

I eat a lot of baked potatoes with bacon, onion, mushrooms, cheese, tuna etc. Although pasta is cheap I generally steer clear of it because I find it difficult not to make too much! I also do peppers stuffed with rice and tomatoes and anything else you have in the fridge. Same goes for mushrooms.

I buy packs of chicken drumsticks from Sainsburys and Waitrose so they must have them in Tesco too. You can get 8/9 drumsticks for about £3.00 which can last 2 or 3 meals depending on how piggy you're feeling! Also, buying offcuts of meat from a local butcher is often much cheaper than going to the supermarket if you have the option. I also buy stuff from the local fruit and veg stall because it's also much cheaper than the supermarket. Good luck though! (Oh - and Iceland is perfectly fine for basics like milk and tinned stuff and is very cheap).

Thamantha

I have a friend who will buy a whole chicken, and then she cuts into into the portion sizes needed for different meals and freezes the portions. She uses what is left for making stock and soups. I'm vegetarian, so i have never tried it, but it is said to be much cheaper than buying individual bits of chicken.

My main tips for eating on a budget:
- Cook vast quantities and freeze a few portions for later
- Check out the supermarkets late in the evening for reduced price veg
- Make a (weekly) meal plan, so you know exactly how much you need to buy and then use that as your shopping list and stick to it!
- Try to use the supermarkets own brand where possible. It is trial and error to find out which of these are just as good, and which are not, but i was pleasantly surprised how much cheaper it made my shopping.
- Compare the price per gram on everything. Sometime the packet of 6 tomatoes are more expensive than buying 6 tomatoes loose and vice versa.
- Some things are easier to make from scratch, but not actually cheaper. A simple calculation will tell you the cost of the ingredients combined. I will make bread and muffins from scratch but biscuits can be bought more cheaply than i could make them


If you are really keen and you have a few meals you eat regularly then calculate the cost of those meals and see if you can substitute in cheaper ingredients or smaller amounts of some ingredients.

PandaFit450

I live in the UK, and shop in Tesco... I tried to plan my meals for the week, and its so much easier to eat unhealthy stuff!

I swapped from shopping in Tesco's to Lidl & Aldi. My shopping bills went down immediately and the quality of the food went up too. They always have great offers, especially on fruit & veg.