Need cheap healthy food advice :)

alaska11

Steele oats for breakfast and smotthies with frozen fruit no sugar aded (walmart)....not tthat this is all you should eat but they are cheap and healthy!

Oatmeal is cheap, healthy and filling. I love to have oatmeal for dinner or lunch. I don't buy the Steel Oats although I know they are supposed to be better for you. My store doesn't carry them.

Also smoothies are great and filling as well. If you buy Vanilla you can add a lot of different items to vary the taste. My daughter will be a College Freshman in a dorm and will be taking her shake mix with her. She already has one every morning for breakfast and it keeps her full until lunch. Unsweetened almond milk - a little pricier than regular milk but it lasts longer and has less calories. Don't have to worry about it going bad. Can also be mixed with light cranberry juice, orange juice, V-8 juice, etc.
One of my favs - 2 scoops protein mix, 1/2 tsp. coconut extract, 1/2 tsp. coco powder, 8 oz. almond milk, 4 or 5 almonds and ice - blend - YUM!!!

Lots of smoothie recipes here and also on Pinterest.

Lots of luck!

alaska11

I started freezing my yogurt before it went bad in icecube trays. Now I always have yogurt on hand to make smoothies. A fun idea I found on pinterest (my new addiction).

Great idea!!! I freeze milk in ice cube trays so I don't have to use ice in my smoothies but never thought about freezing yogurt. Sorry a little off topic but also saw a post about freezing leftover wine one pinterest for those of you that like to cook with wine.

salsera_barbie

I don't usually shop at national retailers. I always go to the Mexican grocery stores. They have great prices on produce. Sometimes the quality is not the best, so it might take a little more time to pick the good one. But that doesn't matter if the price is right. For instance, just last week they had oranges 7lbs for $1.

You can make your own salsa very cheap. Diced tomates, onions, jalapeno (optional) Lime juice and salt. I use it on all sort of things to kick it up. You can put on roasted chicken, or an a turkey-burger, or top of some greens instead of salad dressing.

Costco -
1. Quaker Oatmeal 10lb for +/- $7. This is the first time I buy it, but it's a ton of oatmeal. I'm thinking it could easily last 3 months worth of breakfast for both me and my boyfriend eating it every day. I usually add cinnamon and some fruit.
2. Fage 0% Greek Yogur. The big tub is about $5. The serving size is 1cup, but I usually only 1/2 because of the protein it really fill me up. Add some fruit (fresh or frozen) and some honey and it's a great filling snack.

JenniferInNY

I've been thinking of investing in a slow cooker, since I'm also a frugal healthy eater. Any tips on a good, inexpensive model to try?

PS -- I thought I was the only one on MFP hitting up the Mexican grocery stores for the deals. :-) It baffles me how they could be so much cheaper than everywhere else, but somehow they are and they're still in business, so they clearly have a good business model.

msracefan

Jennifer, I have a 6 qt. Hamilton Beach crockpot that's the travel style that I got at Walmart for like $20. I believe they have 4 qt. ones for like $15.

rosarenee1

Make stews, soups, casseroles etc in large batches in weeks where you have extra money and freeze in 1 portion containers for weeks when you don't have as much money or are too busy to cook.
I used to eat heaps of eggs as well, omelettes, frittatas, scrambled on toast.
Buy beans (such as chickpeas) in bulk to add to stews etc above.

I totally agree with the above! I always make a double batch and freeze half! Soups freeze really easily. Eggs are super cheap and you can do so much. Quiches are a great way to use the veggies from the farmer's market she mentioned. Farmer's markets definitely have some good deals.

Eating less meat is also a great way to save money.

anna_b1

Hi there.

How about these sites:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/cheap_eats

http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/

http://www.delish.com/saving-coupons/easy-healthy-family-dinner-recipes



Hope these help!

RillSoji

I second eatingwell.com It's one of my favorites. I also use brokeandhealthy.com. It's pretty awesome and it's got tips other than just food too. If you're interested you can check out my own site. I post my menus and recipes too. Most are really cheap though I admit to experimentation a lot. It's at rillsmenu.blogspot.com.

I wouldn't worry about buying meats unless they're on sale, then buy in bulk and freeze it. You can get plenty of protein in other ways. Dried beans are cheap and really good for you. Rice is cheap. Old Fashioned oats are cheap. Carrots, celery, salad greens (not bagged/pre chopped) also run on the cheap side. Frozen veggies/fruits are also an excellent bargain. Buy fruits/veggies that are on sale/in season and if they're cheaper than pre-frozen, stock up and freeze them yourself. Hmm....that's all I can think of atm. You just gotta open your brain to the possibilities. Stay away from packaged/processed as much as possible. Plan ahead and schedule so you have time to cook foods for yourself. Good luck!

tiffloy

Eating at home is ALWAYS cheaper than going out. It just takes time, patience and planning. Also, I use the couponsense website to save over 30% on my groceries every week - sometimes more!

BoxOfficeTroll

bump

Goal_Seeker_1988

canned tuna, buy bulk whenever possible, big bag of oats for oatmeal, buy bagged beans instead of canned beans... cheaper and can make alot more....Make foods in a crock pot then freeze leftovers so you have them for awhile. that's all I can think of. Good luck!

wftiger

I agree with the slow cooker. They are so handy to have and work great for cheaper cuts of meat, beans, or anything else that uses a longer slower cook time.

If you know someone with a Sam's membership they have chicken breasts usually under $2 pound and veggies are super cheap. You can also get the industrial size bag of beans (or rice) for usually under $5 and tuna much cheaper than most stores.

oferell1964

My best advice is to "eat real food." When we cut out the processed food, it slashed our grocery bill (chips and frozen pizza and cookies are EXPENSIVE). And, yeah, your crock pot is your friend.

cbh142

You may or may not have time, but I found couponmom.com. It does tell you everything that is on sale in the different stores in your area. It also matches up coupons that have been released to the sale items. Its pretty cool and I end up getting food and non food items cheap, and its easy to compare prices.

LivingByDay

This is all really helpful! As a poor grad student I will definitely be utilizing these tips! I already buy eggs and potatoes bc they are cheap, versatile, and yummy! I really like the suggestion of planning out meals, price matching at Walmart, sweet potatoes, crockpot recipes (I can finally put my crockpot to good use), and freezing homemade prepared meals or freezing in general. I think there is an Aldi's within 20 minutes of me. I have a Walmart, giant eagle, and bulk food supply store run by some Amish folk.

Hbazzell

Frozen veggies are a better alternative than canned when you cant afford fresh. They have less sodium and more nutrients left in them. Dont but the premade broccoli cheese or butter broccoli crap. It is full of bad stuff. Buy plain and season it yourself. Whole grain pasta is cheap usually.

Hbazzell

bulk oatmeal instead of individual packs.

lisadiane41

Walmart and Target have good prices on cereal, also look for coupons which will save you money. Vegetables cooked in olive oil and garlic is so good and healthy. I buy a lot of vegetables in my house and if you go on the chobani website if you like that kind of yogurt they have coupons. Also in the Sunday paper a lot of coupons for yogurt and cottage cheese. Also, tuna is cheap. Also, is chicken and healthy too. Shop-rite if there is one by you always has specials and even Foodtown and stop-n-shop. You just have to check the paper. Also if you have a computer go onto coupons.com and they have many printable coupons. It is worth it. Believe me I once saves $65.00 on a shopping order..