eating healthy on a dime!

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Fallon0413
Fallon0413 Posts: 8 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What are some good and healthy snackfood items to eat when you are on a budget? My husband and I are both students so we don't make that much to begin with. Its just to expensive to buy organic right now. I make a lot of food from scratch, but snacking is a huge problem for me. Help!

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  • tanja77
    tanja77 Posts: 18 Member
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    I snack on fruits... Many of my colleagues eat whole carrot or cucumber.
    And when I feel like having a snack I often have a cup of homemade chicken soup with some carrots in it - works wonders.
  • jasonp_ritzert
    jasonp_ritzert Posts: 357 Member
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    Seasonal fresh fruits and veggies. By using what is in season and cheap you adapt your cooking.
    Eggs, a good source of protein and some fats.
    Peanut butter, a good source of healthy fats, protein, and fiber.
    Cottage cheese.
    Canned Tuna in water.

    Also, try a different place to shop. I do the bulk of my shopping at Aldi (not sure if you have one), but I can usually get similar/identical items nutritionally to other grocery stores.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    PB and ritz crackers/saltines
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    Rice and beans are very cheap, and provide pretty solid nutrition. Vegetables in season also tend to be inexpensive.
  • HotAshMess
    HotAshMess Posts: 382 Member
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    http://midwestkitchenwitch.blogspot.com/2013/06/get-smart-in-kitchen.html
  • Fallon0413
    Fallon0413 Posts: 8 Member
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    Thanks for the suggestions! What are some good ways to clean your fruits and veggies instead of just rinsing...
  • toaster6
    toaster6 Posts: 703 Member
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    If you live by a 99 Cents superstore, they usually have groceries for cheap. Check to see if any dollar store types around you sell groceries or see if any markets by you sell locally grown foods since they may sell those for less.
  • djshari
    djshari Posts: 513 Member
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    One of my favorites is pretzel crisps with laughing cow cheese wedges. The trick is getting them on sale - Walmart usually has the cheapest price on both but I've seen them on sale at other stores for a little less.

    Also get a big cucumber and slice it up.
  • DeeBrownBaker
    DeeBrownBaker Posts: 145
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    rinse your fruits & veggieswith white vinegar when you purchase... then a thourough rinse with cold water and dry... store in the fridge!
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    Beans
    Rice
    Eggs
    Frozen veggies
    Frozen chicken
    Buy meat on sale and freeze it
    Bananas
    Apples
    Tortillas
    Bread
    Pasta


    Shop at Aldi's - great discounts and deals there. They regularly have strawberries for 99 cents a carton. The trick is to only buy what you're going to eat right away, since their produce is closer to expiration.
  • ladycitadelle
    ladycitadelle Posts: 1
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    For healthy cheap snacks I like: sliced cucumbers (lightly salted), making my own NON-Microwave popcorn on the stove only takes a minute, fruit like grapes or peaches are on sale and in season, healthy non chemical peanut butter and celery, try something new... keep it fun!
  • bethfartman
    bethfartman Posts: 363 Member
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    Thanks for the suggestions! What are some good ways to clean your fruits and veggies instead of just rinsing...

    Rinse them in 3 parts water, 1 part vinegar (and then another clear rinse) and make sure you make a scrubbing motion with your hand, don't just run it through the water. Organic doesn't really mean healthier, but that argument is overdone around here.
  • stef_monster
    stef_monster Posts: 205 Member
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    I can't afford organic stuff, either. I try to buy all my produce where and when it's cheapest- Aldi is a good place to start, and I've found some really good deals on non-organic produce at Trader Joe's. I bag up my snacks (carrots, nuts, pita chips, grapes, etc) into 100-gram ziplocks so I can keep track of how much I'm eating. I like to put a dab of wasabi in fat-free ranch and have it with baby carrots or celery.

    More quick and low-cal snack ideas:
    -boiled eggs (70 cals/egg)
    -salsa and raw veggies (about 50 cals for 1 cup/100g veggies plus 10 for salsa)
    -string cheese (sargento has it for 50 or 60 cals per serving)
    -kroger's lite greek yogurt (90 cals, plus it's $0.99/cup)
    -raw veggies with light or low-cal dressing (depends on the amount of each)
    -PB2 and literally anything else- it's a little expensive and you have to mix it with water, but has less than half the cals of regular peanut butter.
    -melon balls
  • iDare87
    iDare87 Posts: 9
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    Stick to the basics bagged fruit and veg will see you through! I stick to the simply range when it comes to basic fruits n veg not because of being cash-strapped but out of principle...fruit is fruit...veg is veg...snack on them and mini pots of peanuts...if you have to buy salted you can rinse them off.
  • EvelynBfly78
    EvelynBfly78 Posts: 240 Member
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    I buy seasonal fresh fruits on sale & cut them into bite sizes. I keep them in the fridge in bowls ready for a snack. Summertime is my favorite fruit time of the year. I just love summer fruits. There is watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, etc. Blueberries too. It's so easy to grab a handful of blueberries & mix with a half cup diced watermelon, a half cup sliced strawberries, a few grapes & a half peach. Low calorie healthy snack. And filling too. YumYum!
  • whouwannab
    whouwannab Posts: 350 Member
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    snack on dry cereal, like multi grain cheerios or generic version
  • zenalasca
    zenalasca Posts: 563 Member
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    Buy fruit that is on special, slice and dry in a fan-forced oven. Apricots, peaches, nectarines and bananas taste delicious when cut in half and dried (not too thin, unless you want banana chips that is)
  • allshebe
    allshebe Posts: 423 Member
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    Dry beans and lentils are cheap and cook up nicely while you sleep in a slow cooker/crock pot. A pound or two of beans will supplement protein for a week or so. You can cook with rice and your favorite salsa to make an easy to microwave snack/light lunch meal. Add some fresh vegetable or fruit to complete the meal. Corn tortillas are pretty cheap - pan "fry" and fold, fill with bean mix to make a kind of eat on the run sandwich (better than boxed "taco" shells..
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
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    I'm a student on a budget and I make everything from scratch - I eat a lot of fish (canned and fresh), buy dried beans and lentils (rather than canned), and things like rice, quinoa, and nuts I usually buy from the bulk section. I don't always buy organic (I try when I can afford it, but sometimes I just can't), but for the most part I try to follow the "dirty dozen" and "clean 15" list. Sometimes I buy frozen veggies (they're great in the winter time when things just aren't in season and for making soups). Recently, I signed up for an organic fruit and veggie delivery service - they deliver every two weeks from a local farm. It seems to be more economical than buying it from the grocery store or even local farmers markets (which I find are usually more expensive anyway).

    My one suggestion is to shop around - don't only rely on one grocery store or farmers market, etc. I live in an urban area and I don't own a car, so for me, shopping within a close radius to my home is important. After comparing prices, I found a health food store near me that is 20% less than everywhere else (including regular grocery stores and other health food stores), and a local organic butcher that sells organic eggs for less than regular eggs from my local grocery store. Eating organic for me is important, so I rarely buy meat just because of the price. Just plan ahead and it can be done. It can also be a lot of fun if you enjoy getting creative with food!

    Fruit/veggie wash: I use a mixture of water, vinegar, and lemon in a spray bottle. Not sure if it actually helps, but it makes me feel better. Haha.
  • Fallon0413
    Fallon0413 Posts: 8 Member
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    Thank you all.. everyone has wonderful advice! but its making me hungry lol

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