What are YOUR #1 cheap, healthy foods?

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  • lizchristine
    lizchristine Posts: 42 Member
    I make homemade pizza dough with wheat flour and flax meal -- it's way cheaper than takeout. Chili is a favorite inexpensive meal, as well. I also love eggs, onions, potatos, canned beans, canned tomatos and sauce, brown rice, pasta (just watch your portions), frozen veggies, etc. They are great cheap staples in my kitchen.
  • jabrussl
    jabrussl Posts: 13 Member
    I agree Aldi is a great place for fruits and veggies. They also publish next weeks ad so you can plan ahead.
  • stephaniec78
    stephaniec78 Posts: 76 Member
    Bell peppers are expensive here :/ A rainbow pack (only 3 peppers!) is usually about 6.99. Sometimes (not very often) It'll be on sale for 3.99. Sometimes green peppers go on sale for 99 cents a pound and I stock up, but usually I think it's around 2 dollars a pound, red, yellow or orange is 4 dollars a pound.
    Chicken is also CRAZY expensive, which sucks cuz I LOVE chicken lol.
    Also can't eat bread, gluten intolerant, but it's great for the kiddoes, they like PB sandwhiches, very cheap!

    You mentioned that fresh veggies are expensive. I suggest you try the frozen ones. They tend to be frozen as soon as they harvested so you aren't really loosing any nutrition.
  • handeye
    handeye Posts: 52 Member
    apples and bananas
    SWEET POTATOES (talk about cheap and healthy)
    eggs
    soup (i like getting the soups at trader joe's, pretty reasonable price for 4 cups (about 2 servings) and flavors like carrot & ginger or butternut squash
    cauliflower
    blueberries when they're on sale for 99cents
  • angelicasmommy
    angelicasmommy Posts: 303 Member
    Bell peppers are expensive here :/ A rainbow pack (only 3 peppers!) is usually about 6.99. Sometimes (not very often) It'll be on sale for 3.99. Sometimes green peppers go on sale for 99 cents a pound and I stock up, but usually I think it's around 2 dollars a pound, red, yellow or orange is 4 dollars a pound.
    Chicken is also CRAZY expensive, which sucks cuz I LOVE chicken lol.
    Also can't eat bread, gluten intolerant, but it's great for the kiddoes, they like PB sandwhiches, very cheap!

    You mentioned that fresh veggies are expensive. I suggest you try the frozen ones. They tend to be frozen as soon as they harvested so you aren't really loosing any nutrition.

    Yup, that's on my list. :)
  • tripod271
    tripod271 Posts: 112 Member
    Chicken, oats (preferably the less processed steel cut) and eggs.
  • sujenwujen
    sujenwujen Posts: 43 Member
    I notice people are posting "Eggs -- whites only!" The yolk is only bad for you if you have a *known* cholesterol *problem.* If you've had your cholesterol checked, and your *doctor* says that you're good to go, there's no reason you shouldn't eat the whole egg.

    My cholesterol has never been a problem for me, so my go-to (and cheap!) breakfast is a hard-boiled egg & a banana. When you look at it in front of you, you think, "That's never going to fill me up!" but all that protein combined with the (good) carbs from the banana make for a quite filling, low-cost breakfast. I boil a half-dozen eggs on Sunday & buy a bunch of bananas, and I'm good for the week! (don't keep cooked eggs longer than a week; they'll go bad).

    I'm also a fan of mushrooms. They bulk up a meal without adding calories. Of course, gourmet mushrooms can be expensive, but regular ol' white mushrooms work, too. You can also get them canned, but they're not nearly as good or as filling as fresh.

    So,
    Bananas
    Hard-boiled eggs
    Mushrooms
  • salcha76
    salcha76 Posts: 287 Member
    lentils! with beef broth & hamburger, yum!
    eggs! add an egg to anything!
    salsa! and surprise, you can have that w/lentils or eggs!
  • tripod271
    tripod271 Posts: 112 Member
    >greens
    >too expensive

    Where the hell are you shopping, woman? Whole Payche--- I mean, Whole Foods?
    It's expensive for her because where she lives (New Brunswick) there isn't a lot of land that can be farmed - mostly potatoes. So fresh vegetables are expensive.
  • angelicasmommy
    angelicasmommy Posts: 303 Member
    >greens
    >too expensive

    Where the hell are you shopping, woman? Whole Payche--- I mean, Whole Foods?
    It's expensive for her because where she lives (New Brunswick) there isn't a lot of land that can be farmed - mostly potatoes. So fresh vegetables are expensive.

    I didn't know that was why lol but yea...broccoli is 3 for a small bunch, cauliflower is about 3.50, spinach is 3, which isn't bad actually because it'll last a few days. Cucumber is pretty expensive. I don't like field cukes, because of the soggy gross middle, and english ones and about 3 dollars per cucumber. Celery is 2.69 I believe. It doesn't sound expensive but when you add it all up, it can get expensive especially if it only lasts a few days. I don't know why produce doesn't last as long as it should in my fridge!
  • flechero
    flechero Posts: 260 Member
    Good answers so far. Chicken should also be high on your list... usually you can find bulk breasts on sale (sometimes fresh and sometimes frozen). Also, there are usually a type or two of fish on sale if you eat fish.
  • mdbs2004
    mdbs2004 Posts: 220 Member
    Chicken tacos
  • DaughterOfTheMostHighKing
    DaughterOfTheMostHighKing Posts: 1,436 Member
    I get my bananas free... :) and I only buy what's on sale. I can live on the same fare for days and still like the taste! lol!!! buy what's on sale and drink lots of water!!!
  • paleirishmother
    paleirishmother Posts: 242
    Frozen vegetables. That way they don't go bad if I don't use them in a couple days. Saves money that way. I buy the asparagus stir- fry vegetables, steam them and I throw in some chicken. Very good. Lots of the stir fry blends offer big variety in vegetables. LOTS of food, little price. I believe they run about 2-3dollars a bag.
  • Catryan73
    Catryan73 Posts: 1 Member
    Dried beans. Super cheap. Soak them overnight. Rinse and throw them in the slow cooker with fresh water or broth/spices/veggies/whatever in the morning before you leave the house. They taste a thousand times better than canned and you can use them in many recipes for a good source of protein and fiber.
  • livaneah
    livaneah Posts: 34 Member
    Bountiful Baskets is a co-op I occasionally use to buy my fruits and vegitables more cost effectively than at the store. They are a national organization with local groups that do the ordering. On the Ideal Protein protocal I am eating 4 cups of vegis a day, so this was a real cost saver - bountifulbaskets.org
  • Kelly_Runs_NC
    Kelly_Runs_NC Posts: 474 Member
    I am trying to cut the food budget a bit but still eat healthy foods. I made a list of healthy foods that are also cheap, but I am looking for more suggestions. I think it would also help to remind people that it really doesn't always cost more to eat healthy. Yes, it costs more for some things in different places, for example rice. I pay 7 dollars a box for brown rice, which from what I have read is a lot more than other people pay, but it will last me 2-3 weeks of eating it probably daily. So yea, it may seem like it costs a lot but if you think about how much it is per serving, it's probably only a few cents.

    So here is my list:

    Bananas
    Apples
    Carrots
    Rice
    Beans
    hamburger
    Frozen veggies
    Peanut butter
    Oats
    Eggs
    Nuts
    Potatoes

    Unfortunately, most veggies here are too expensive (except frozen) so carrots are really the only ones that are affordable when you are watching your budget.

    Oats, Eggs, bananas and quinoa were my main staples on this tight budget week.
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
    I saw a blog once that would work if you have a group of friends; go to the Farmers Market and buy bulk amounts of vegetables and then divide the produce evenly. Works out much cheaper for everyone that way, plus you'll be getting fresher food and supporting local farmers!

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