Eating healthy on a budget!

I am in a similar situation myself and I find that lunch is the hardest meal of the day for me, because i am at work therefore want something yummy to look forward to but don't want to be hungry mid-afternoon.

I don't know where you live but can you shop at a market? I give myself a weekly budget and physically take the cash out of the cash point so I can't spend more and the some weeks it will roll over. For lunches, I like having salads but i always bulk them out with giant wholewheat couscous/wheatberries/pasta- you don't need a lot so i've bought large packets of them and they really fill out a salad and are super healthy.

I think the another thing is not wasting any food, for example, today i made roasted butternut squash risotto and i'll have the rest of the squash tomorrow in my salad with leaves, beetroot (so cheap), and wheatberries and that's only half a squash (!). I would say tins of beans, jacket potatos and cottage cheese are a must- so cheap and very filling!

I would also advise, buying large packs of the basics which is an initial outlay but they would last ages- lentils, pasta, wheatberries, quinoa, bulgar wheat etc. Also, buy good quality soup because even though it's a little more expensive it will fill you up and give you more health benefits than cheapo soup- you can also bulk it out with vermicelli or other pasta which is a good tip.

Hope that helps a little and good luck!!

Hey

I am student so cash is sometimes tight. When I find meat on Special I buy it and then freeze in the correct portion sizes. Not only does it save me money but it also means I can just pull out one portion to control size it works for me.

Beans are cheap, filling, and relatively high in fiber and protein. Try making a big batch of bean salad, lentil dahl, or chili at the beginning of the week and portioning it out into tupperware to easily grab and bring with you. Allrecipes.com is nice for it's ingredient finder feature- you can type in which ingredients you have and need to use up (letting fresh fruit and veg go bad in the fridge is a waste of money) and it will bring up recipes with those ingredients. I usually just make up my bean salad and chili recipes. For example, a bean salad might include a can of rinsed garbanzo beans, red bell pepper, tomato, broccoli, parsley, onion, and any other veggies you have with olive oil and lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. And always fresh ground pepper.

I keep beans in stock. I make them in a crock pot, fresh black beans, pinto beans and red beans. I cook each separately. Then I freeze them into serving size bags. An easy go to beans and rice, tacos, wraps... cheap and quick.

at lunch I eat the same thing every day. lettuce wraps. add cucumber tomato mustard turkey and avocado. its so good I look forward to it every day. then I eat a side of pretzels (portioned) with it. prefect lunch. cheap.

One way to save is to buy larger sizes and portion them out (for some things- not my trigger foods!)- ex: greek yogurt- I buy the non fat plain 32 oz - (store brand or whatever is on sale) (or largest size) then portion out to a smaller 8 oz bowl when ready to eat- I use the individual sizes for only when I am out running around - will throw a little cooler bag in the car w/ snacks.

The small yogurts are over a $1.00 each - just this savings alone helps....

Breakfast: Oatmeal (don't get quaker oats pay a little more and get stoneground/rough oats) $3.00

Lunch: If you need you can get PB $2.50 Jelly $1.00 Bread $1.00 (use one slice of bread if low carb)

Dinners/Lunch:
I purchase a bag of (5-6) frozen tilapia $3.00, container of (6) chicken breast $4.00 (typically can get buy one /get one free)
Bag of Rice $1.00 (typically at least 4 servings if not closer to 5-6)
Frozen Vegetables (brocolli, cauliflower,etc) $1 dollar each (each bag has 2 servings)

So for under $20 dollars you can eat at least 3 meals a day and still have a little for snacks (apples, crackers, etc)

Other's have mentioned beans which is a great source of protein and is cheap as well.

dry beans are ridiculously cheap compared to tinned!

i generally spend $160 a month on a large shop, and every week $10-15 on restock of produce or bread/eggs/milk.

i go to save a lot (not sure if you have that) or an aldis, they have great deals (especially milk, 2.99 a gallon!).

staple items i buy are dried beans, canned tomatoes (to make sauce), rice, pasta, 5lb bag potatoes (i make soups with the canned tomatoes, potatoes, other veg - can last me a weekk and much cheaper to make with better ingredients). quinoa and spinach to make my own patties (cheaper than buying veg burgers). eggs can be used in many forms. frozen veg can be cheaper as well, in season fresh produce is cheaper and local of course at a farm stand is cheaper with better quality. if you eat meat, a while chicken can be cooked in slow cooker, freeze portions to make it last longer without spoiling. canister of oats for breakfast, cereal (name brand at save a lot is no more than 2.99 for a large box). i buy cheese when it is on sale and freeze it

with this stuff i make:

veggie soup in slow cooker
enchilada casserole
egg dishes like breakfast burrito, egg sandwiches, omelettes, firttata with veg
stir fry
roasted garlic potatoes
mashed potatoes
spinach quinoa patties
various pasta dishes (baked ziti, spinach artichoke dip pasta, stroganoff, angel hair with roasted veg and olive oil, stuffed shells/manicotti, tortellini salad)
homemade seitan (sweet n sour seitan, seitan cheese steaks) - can use chicken instead
meatless ball hoagies
sausage when it is on sale (for my boo) - sausage peppers and onions on a roll (kaiser roll 70 cents each at a deli)
shepherds pie
baked cheesy spaghetti squash
eggplant dishes (eggplant curry over rice, eggplant parm, eggplant and mushrooms sautee tossed with homemade red sauce over pasta)
oatmeal for breakfast with things like pb and syrup mixed in, fruit mixed in (freeze it to last longer), applesauce and cinnamon
homemade chilli
other bean dishes (enchilada, quesadillas, tacos)

message me if you want any of these recipes, was not sure if you would like them so i didn't want to list them all and take up more space than i already am.

i also coupon a lot from the newspaper and from coupons.com. i feel like i am being ripped off if i shop without coupons. also compare local store flyers to get best deals.

eta: $160 a month plus the restock of produce egg milk bread is for 2 people, not sure how many in your household?

Breakfast: Oatmeal (don't get quaker oats pay a little more and get stoneground/rough oats) $3.00

Lunch: If you need you can get PB $2.50 Jelly $1.00 Bread $1.00 (use one slice of bread if low carb)

Dinners/Lunch:
I purchase a bag of (5-6) frozen tilapia $3.00, container of (6) chicken breast $4.00 (typically can get buy one /get one free)
Bag of Rice $1.00 (typically at least 4 servings if not closer to 5-6)
Frozen Vegetables (brocolli, cauliflower,etc) $1 dollar each (each bag has 2 servings)

So for under $20 dollars you can eat at least 3 meals a day and still have a little for snacks (apples, crackers, etc)

Other's have mentioned beans which is a great source of protein and is cheap as well.

Where do you live? These prices are so low! :-/

Agreed. Frozen veg here for a small bag is over $5

lol you must not live in ny!

I am a huge crockpot fan and a devout brown-bagger. With black-eyed peas, I cook ham, which I eat for lunch and dinner all week. It is great with a little okra, crushed red pepper, onion, and vinegar. With black beans, I crock chicken (any part, fat spooned off) and add jalapeños, spinach or mustard greens (whichever is cheapest), onion, and a ton of Tabasco and Louisiana hot sauce. I buy the onions in bulk as well as whatever meat is on sale.

For healthy breakfasts, I make corn tortilla tostadas. Take 2 Mission thin style tortillas (around 90 cals) and pile onto each: chopped tomatoes, chopped green bell pepper, chopped onion, and one slice of turkey bacon (30 cal each) per tortilla. I then place a teaspoonful of mozarella onto each tortilla over all the veggies. (To hold the concoction together.) then broil in the oven or toaster oven till crispy golden brown. I cover them in lemon pepper. That breakfast is very filling, around 210 calories total, and the ingredients are pretty inexpensive but make a lot of meals.

It also helps me budget when I plan my meals the weekend ahead of time.

http://studentrecipes.com

i know i was always broke when i was in college (**** i still am out of college), this site has a lot of recipes

Interesting. So different from what we make in this part of the country.[


quote]
I am a huge crockpot fan and a devout brown-bagger. With black-eyed peas, I cook ham, which I eat for lunch and dinner all week. It is great with a little okra, crushed red pepper, onion, and vinegar. With black beans, I crock chicken (any part, fat spooned off) and add jalapeños, spinach or mustard greens (whichever is cheapest), onion, and a ton of Tabasco and Louisiana hot sauce. I buy the onions in bulk as well as whatever meat is on sale.

For healthy breakfasts, I make corn tortilla tostadas. Take 2 Mission thin style tortillas (around 90 cals) and pile onto each: chopped tomatoes, chopped green bell pepper, chopped onion, and one slice of turkey bacon (30 cal each) per tortilla. I then place a teaspoonful of mozarella onto each tortilla over all the veggies. (To hold the concoction together.) then broil in the oven or toaster oven till crispy golden brown. I cover them in lemon pepper. That breakfast is very filling, around 210 calories total, and the ingredients are pretty inexpensive but make a lot of meals.

It also helps me budget when I plan my meals the weekend ahead of time.
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Do you have an Asian super market at your disposal? I have one up town from me and they have a ridiculous variety of things that are affordable and healthy or low calorie or BOTH!

I like seaweed, so I have that for snacks.

Yogurt parfaits with almonds and dried cranberries or blueberries or raisins - whichever was on sale at Bulk Barn when I went.

Quinoa/Rice/Past can all be bought in large portions for a relatively decent price here and you can make them into all sorts of dishes which makes lunch a variety and therefore something I look forward too.

My grocer also has amazingly priced tofu which I have learned to love.

I buy whatever veggies are on sale during the week, cook some pasta and tofu, then mix it all together in a stir fry. I don't even add oil most days, just a little teriyaki sauce or something.

I don't know if it's available in your area, but Checkout 51 is an app that gives you cash (well, they mail you a check) when you take pictures of receipts with products they're advertising and send it to them. Most weeks I have coupons for the products so I save quite a bit that way.

If I shop at a regular grocery like Loblaws, I always price match and use coupons. It saves me having to go to multiple stores.