Healthy and Affordable Meals?

MegE_N

So here's my difficulty: I'm a young professional just starting out in life and I picked up more pounds than I cared to throughout my young life. I want to eat healthy, I want to eat better. I have some great recipies - mediterranian chicken, vegetarian peppers, etc. - but a lot of this stuff involves costly fruits and veggies. The stuff I can afford - pasta, potatoes, no meats - are the things I think my body really needs. So what's the answer? How do I balance my budget and my scale?

eboley637

I keep a lookout for prices on fruits and veggies then buy when they are cheapest. I haven't noticed that big of a change in what I spend since I switched to buying healthier. I switched from ground beef to jenny-o lean ground turkey and it seems like my local grocery store always runs specials on those (or I buy in bulk at Sam's). If you are grocery shopping for only you, try not to stock up on a bunch of fruits and veggies all at once because then they will go bad and you will definitely be wasting money. Here's one way I look at it: I can spend $1 on a bag of baby carrots or $1.50 on a can of pringles. Or, I can buy about 5 apples for a bag of chips (which is mostly filled with air anyways!) so I guess it's just a matter of perspective. They are little choices that make a big difference without breaking the bank.

twilla367

I have the same problem but with a husband and 3 teenagers to feed all boys! Eating healthy is actually cheaper then eating out or junk food but you need to plan in advance. There are tons of free recipes on the internet with healthy options. Come up with 2 or three that you can make ahead and have ready when you come home and maybe change up for the next day. One of the family favorites is my version of Mexican Chicken. The first day we have it with brown rice and a salad and the next day in wraps.
chicken
black beans
can low sodium corn
salsa
Just cut up a chicken breast and cook in frying pan with olive oil. Add the black beans, corn and salsa until heated. You can serve with graded cheese if you want. Or even just cook a whole chicken breast in oven and add the other ingredients.

It's a easy healthy family favorite you can change to suit your taste. And great for lunches as well.

Hope it helps

jenniferhe

Hi Neffme,

I understand what your saying. here is a few tips I've learned from grocery shopping.

1) Watch your local grocery store for sales. There you can find frozen fruits and veggies for pretty reasonable price and be able to stock up. Example 16 oz of frozen veggies for $1 or 10 for 10 sales. Frozen fruit I don't see that as much but they can have decent sales too.
2) For fresh fruit buy what is in season. It will cost much less. Like right now apples and pears are in season so I picked them up for 88 cents per pound. Also if you buy week by week you waste less and are able to eat all the fresh stuff before it goes bad Also, you can freeze what ever you don't use such as strawberries, blue berries, peaches. Banana's you can freeze but then they usually need to go in something such as a shake or banana bread.
4) Fresh veggies try local farmers markets during the summer and then set aside a certain amount of grocery budget each week for fresh vegetables and watch sales.
5) For meats & cheeses which are the most expensive watch for sales and then stock up. Where I live we have a Hyvee that will put chicken on the bone for $1 a pound which is really good and they are in 10lb bags. I buy a couple of those. Split them into freezer bags and use it up as I need it Same with ground beef in 10lb tubes. Just measure it out into 1-2lbs and put into freezer bags so you can use as you need it.
6) Meal planning. I have found this to help me in many ways so I can also look a head to knowing what calories I will be eating. This also helps with budgeting for food too.

Processed foods may look cheaper but the ingredients are cheaper too. If you can get use to making your own food from scratch it will eventually work to costing less. Especially if it helps keep you healthier and out of the hospital and Dr's office. I hope this helps some. I wish you all the best as a young professional starting out. You can do it!

Maaz21

Good evening Neffme,

I've learned that keeping it simple may be key losing weight while saving money w/o eating fast foods off of the dollar menu. Studying fast/slow carbs, foods high in protein, high in fiber, low sodium is very useful as well. Just recently I started eating oatmeal with 1/2 cup of skim milk & coffee for breakfast. I read an article stating to eat the same simple meals over and over for lunch & dinner: One Meat, One Veggie, One Bean. For instance, Chicken or Salmon -Meat; Spinach or Broccoli-Veggie; Edamame or Black Beans. I've been trying this for two weeks (not on the weekends; although, I hope to be able to stick to it on some weekends as well) & I've been pretty full while not spending much and I've lost 10lbs. I did however buy some expensive pure protein bars and ate the whole box (18bars) from Sam's within those two weeks. The pure protein bars are maybe $18.00 or less which in fact is still much cheaper than most bars I've seen w/mega protein. I wish you the best..........This is my first entry on MFP...... I hope to lose 50 lbs more where I no longer fall in the obese category (My head is up & I'm going to take this thing day by day!!!)......Don't let the picture fool you..........I'm at least 15-20 lbs larger than that pic, but it's all I have. I refuse to take more fat pics. :drinker:

MegE_N

Thanks everyone for your replies! I do appreciate it. As it is I've never been huge on fast food (usually after a night on the town is the only time I MIGHT hit the 24/7 window) or snack foods. My biggest problem is meals, AKA dinner. For breakfast I usually have an oatmeal with a little granola, brown sugar and raisins while I always bring a soup for lunch, and an apple when I make it to the farmers' market. I drink unsweetened tea all throughout the day, switching to decaf around 10 in the morning.

No, my biggest problem has been finding affordable dinners to make. I'm a foodie - I live to eat, not eat to live. Probably part of my problem but I'll take a good dish over fast food most times. For me it's just a matter of getting out of my comfort zone and my crock pot to find things that are healthy!

I tried it today and picked up some mussels at the market - something I usually would never even have looked at because I was afraid of price. I paid 3.00 for a pound, found pesto at the store for 4.00, garlic for .75 and a bottle of sauv blanc for 9.00. Perfect! 16.75 for two meals.

While I love the ideas of doing chicken and veggies and whatnot I still want to be excited about dinner when I get home at night. Thanks so much for all of your responses!

xraychick77

costly fruits and veggies???

TrekkerCynthia

I shop for my produce at the hispanic and asian markets, much cheaper than Albertsons or the "normal" grocery chains. I can get bags and bags of wonderful fresh fruits and veggies for under $50 a week, including avocados. Better yet, they have their weekly specials on their websites so I can optimize the time I go (can only get there about once a week).

Another option is frozen veggies and fruit from Costco, or canned when on sale. Canned tomatoes are really good if you are going to be cooking with them - more flavor than most fresh and why use fresh if they are going to be mush anyway, lol?

cramernh

So here's my difficulty: I'm a young professional just starting out in life and I picked up more pounds than I cared to throughout my young life. I want to eat healthy, I want to eat better. I have some great recipies - mediterranian chicken, vegetarian peppers, etc. - but a lot of this stuff involves costly fruits and veggies. The stuff I can afford - pasta, potatoes, no meats - are the things I think my body really needs. So what's the answer? How do I balance my budget and my scale?

Frozen vegetables... they even have frozen fruits with zero added sugar (none!), cheap and quick to grab. Easy enough, right?