cheap healthy food

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breakingthecycle722
breakingthecycle722 Posts: 163
in Food and Nutrition
I did not search the forum for a topic like this so if I am repeating this I apologize.
I need ideas on what I can feed my family, that is actually healthy, on an extremely tight budget.
My daughters and I went shopping today for the week, I had fifty dollars, and we came home with crap.
I ended up buying food for meals that can last, with leftovers (like spaghetti, hamburger helper etc).
I need some meal ideas? Thanks guys!

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  • Phoenix_Warrior
    Phoenix_Warrior Posts: 1,633 Member
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    I think you can make anything healthy if you balance it properly. I eat hamburger helper, frozen lasagna, fast food. I just focus on getting decent nutrients throughout my whole day. There are no healthy or unhealthy. ;) Here's a helpful link to maybe clarify

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • Mangopickle
    Mangopickle Posts: 1,509 Member
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    Long grain brown basmati rice. Buy a big bag at an Asian mkt, Dried beans are always a good deal , many will cook nicely in crockpot overnight, but don't add salt til they are cooked. Eggs bought in bulk, whole chickens, frozen mixed veg blends.
  • leviclampitt
    leviclampitt Posts: 67
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    Nothing is inherently healthy, but its how you eat it.

    That said, there are some foods that provide better nutrition.

    Here is some of those (that are also super cheap):

    Brocolli
    Celery
    Onions
    Yams (sometimes)
    Oats
    Rice
    Dried Beans
    Dried Lentils
    Eggs
  • mandiana
    mandiana Posts: 19 Member
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    You've gotten great suggestions. I only wanted to add oatmeal and the hillbilly housewife has great ideas: http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/40dollarmenu.htm ... I will warn you though that the menu is old, so I've found her emergency menu costs a little more now.
  • PunkyRachel
    PunkyRachel Posts: 1,959 Member
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    frozen veggies instead of canned. fresh veggies can be pricey, and canned contain too much sodium.
  • GOINSTD12
    GOINSTD12 Posts: 331 Member
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    I think you can make anything healthy if you balance it properly. I eat hamburger helper, frozen lasagna, fast food. I just focus on getting decent nutrients throughout my whole day. There are no healthy or unhealthy. ;) Here's a helpful link to maybe clarify

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    Thanks for this link, the article was very helpful.
  • BlubbinBlubber
    BlubbinBlubber Posts: 32 Member
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    chicken
    eggs
    bananas
    lettuce
    carrots
    beans
    bread
  • sami_83
    sami_83 Posts: 161
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    Legumes are your friend. Bulk things out with lentils, chickpeas, any kinds of beans you prefer... they can stretch many a meal.
    Make stews, soups, curries and casseroles.
    Buy fruit and veg that are in season- they'll always be cheaper than off-season varieties.

    Plan, plan, plan. Planning = less waste = savings.
  • Namian
    Namian Posts: 2
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    I've found, especially this time of year, that soups are a wonderful way to stretch your dollar. I'll roast a whole chicken the first night and my family will eat that with rice and salad. The next night I pick all the meat off of the bones and put it in a crock pot. I'll fill the pot with as many veggies, beans, potatoes, turnips, etc. as I can, then add water and let it cook all day. This is usually enough for three meals, we'll have it that night, maybe for lunch the next day and then freeze enough for one more meal later on. This gets three or four meals out of one chicken. I buy the cheapest veggies I can if you can't find/afford fresh then add frozen about an hour before you are ready to eat. Potatoes are cheap and filling, especially in soups. They are nutritious too when you haven't added all the salt, butter, and other fattening toppings people like to add.

    I also love butternut squash and carrot soup. The name says it all. Both are cheap and the soup is easy to make. Once again it can make several meals.
  • dancephysics
    dancephysics Posts: 53
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    I just posted this on another thread, but check out www.budgetbytes.com. It's a blog where all the meals are designed to be cheap, and they are almost always healthy as well. I make a lot of food from that blog.

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