Cheap food

britneybosshardt

I'm a VERY broke college student and I'm trying to eat healthier. If you have cheap, fast, and healthy meals I would LOVE to hear them!
Thanks

gatorginger

Do you have a publix if so when they have bogo sales you can use two coupons for the one you buy and the one you get free and they have store coupons you can also use with them making it up to 4 coupons to use on one bogo sale which is pretty darn cheap

Christiethorn1

Hummus and carrots.....less than $5 for several days worth
Oatmeal and toast
Eggs-actually any breakfast meals are usually cheaper
tacos-I add brown rice and black beans to my ground beef, it makes enough to last several days depending on how much you eat

spirit2nd

find a source of fresh fruit & vegetables (ie veggie stand, not supermarket if possible). Whole foods are healthy, reasonable and filling.

cupcake4u49

Bananas, Sweet Potato (these are both SO cheap), canned tuna, some greek yogurts (there is often 10/$10 at my grocery store).

n_rockey

I don't know that there is any one particular meal that I can reccomend for always being cheap, as much as I can give you tips for buying. For produce my family only eats whatever is on sale. Usually that means whatever is in season. We buy whole ftuits (watermellon, cantelope, pineapples, etc.), and cut them ourselves to save money. The small investment I made in semi-disposable plastic containers for my fridge (think dollar store) and a good knife has way more than paid for itself in the savings. The other thing I look for is a produce clearance rack. Usually the things on there are not going to be good for more than a couple of days, but if you go through produce as fast as my family does since we've started eating healthier it doesn't matter.

For meats I buy several packages when I find a good deal, and then put any I won't use right away in the freezer. I'm assuming as a college student you might not have access to a chest freezer like I have in my garage, but even the freezer with your refridgerator would be of some use. You can also buy big family size packages and freezer bags, and then package individual chicken breasts or steaks into smaller packages to freeze, thus saving more.

Bulk food stores are great for things like rice, beans, and other dry goods. If you cook these from scratch it will take more time, but you can really stretch your money and eat very healthy because you know exactly what is going into your food. Also, if you have an Aldi or Save-a-lot nearby check them out. We buy a lot of produce at both of those stores, and Aldi has really increased their Fit & Active line of products which is targeted at the healthy eaters. They even have a new organic line of products, that are really no more expensive than the regular brands in a normal grocery store. Aldi is the parent company of Trader Joe's so you will find some of the same products in a more generic package there for a slightly lower price. Trader Joe's is also a great store to shop at if you have one nearby- much cheaper than Whole Foods, and (in my humble opinion) most of the foods taste better.

My meal plan is then based on whatever I have on hand that sounds good. I pretty much plan and log the night before, and then just make tweaks throughout the day as my plans or portions change. Hope that helps you, and congratulations on trying to eat healthier.

KimberlyDCZ

If you have Aldi in your area, GO THERE!

Produce: Buy in season and on sale. Check your local ads. Each week, I plan my meals around whatever produce and meats are on sale.

Meats: I stock up on turkey breast, chicken, pork tenderloin, and steak when it's on sale. I always have these in my freezer. At Kroger, I get Stony Fork Farms ribeye steak, pack of 2 steaks for $5.99 (sometimes less). Each steak is 2 servings.
That comes to $1.50/serving! Canned tuna is pretty cheap.

Snacks: String cheese (I like Crystal Farms) about $3 for 12 pieces. I eat these with Emerald Natural Almonds and grapes or Wheat Thins (Savoritz from Aldi, $1.50/box)

Dried Beans: less than $2 for a bag, can eat on it all week. Lots of options here.

Frozen vegetables: Kroger has these on sale a lot. Keep on hand to throw in soups.

Since you are probably busy as a student, I recommend getting a slow-cooker. Throw your beans, seasonings, and some vegetables in and simmer all day for a healthy soup. Cook a turkey breast, a pork tenderloin, the steak I mentioned before for some other recipe starters. Leftover turkey and pork can be used in tons of ways. I use the steak to make my own healthy version of beef stroganoff.