Eating healthy on a very tight budget.....

You can buy bags of frozen veggies for $1 and frozen veggies are good.

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Fresh vegetables can get expensive. Frozen is one option and they're just as nutritious because they are frozen at their peak. This might not help you this year, but if you have room for a garden or even just a few plants on a patio you could grow some tomatoes, peppers, lettuce etc. I find this helps out a lot, in the summer anyways. Buying whatever fresh vegetables are on sale that week and working them into your meal plans rather than choosing the vegetables ahead of time can save money too.

You can get healthy, unprocessed carbs just as cheap as pasta and noodles. Things like dried beans, rice etc are very cheap, they just take a little more planning than cooking out of a box. These things are good to make batches so they're convenient to serve during the week.

Yes, this is a real problem for many folks and it's why we see some families coming into the food bank who are obese. They are getting by on cheap carbs. Also, at the food bank we hand out lots of bread because its what we get a lot of many weeks. The supermarket bakeries, Panera, etc., give us all their day old bread. We'd rather give folks healthier baskets but that requires healthier donations. Luckily, as the summer wears on, the farms will be brings in more produce.

Meanwhile, aim toward dry beans and the cheaper (but very healthy) veggies like cabbage, kale, etc. To make them more potable for the kids, buy some country ham scraps or other strong tasting ham and use it as flavoring. Kids crave salty things and the ham taste will fool them into eating healthy.

When you do see something like chicken on sale, save every bone -- even the ones the kids have chewed on -- and start a bag of chicken bones, backs, necks, etc. in the freezer. When you get enough, make soup. Add beans, brown rice, and veggies like carrots, onions, and cabbage to the soup and you have good, hearty food.

Now, the kids may squabble but they'll get over it and grow up to be better eaters.

I can brainstorm ideas if you want. Just message me.

I love cheapo meals. I have 4 kids, so we have to be frugal.

Buy your own flour and yeast. 6$ investment in a large yeast container and a couple bags of flour and you can make a ton of pizza dough. Pizza is a cheap, healthy meal. I use 100% whole wheat flour. You can make it cheaper by making your own sauce-- make a huge pot for about 7$ and freeze a lot of it. I worked it out once, and, for like 20$ I can make 16 pizzas (but more expensive if you don't buy the cheese in bulk and if you don't make your own sauce...but still...99 cents for store brand so its not bad)

Pasta-- again, cheap! make variations to the sauce. Oil, garlic and greens. make your own marinara and add veggies. Buy a thing of ground meat and make meatballs homemade, freeze a bunch.

Rice-- bag of brown rice is like 2$ around here, huge bag for maybe 5? frozen veggie stir fry, soups with rice as the starch, any meat with rice as the side. Spice up the rice with garlic and butter/oil/etc, or spices or make ti sticky and and do sweet n sour chicken over it.

I second the frozen veggies. Also look into canned no salt added corn. Canned tomatoes are also cheaper. BEANS!!!

grab some wraps and you have a thousand meal ideas right there. Wraps are cheap and you can stuff them with tons of things. canned corn + canned beans + canned diced tomatoes + homemade taco seasoning (or store bought) + some onion and garlic + cheese to top = awesome, cheap veggies tacos. change it up one night, add meat.

Grab some chicken breasts and pesto...serve over pasta or in wraps or over rice. make your own pesto for cheaper, switch in boneless, skinless thighs for even cheaper recipe (with a bit more fat).

I live alone, and I still have trouble eating well on my budget! Some of the things I rely on:

Rice (I find one serving of rice fills me up more than one serving of pasta)
Eggs: I buy three or four dozen when they go on sale for a buck- eggs last longer than most people think. And I eat them pretty quickly
Frozen veg: broc/cauliflower/carrots, stir fry mixes, sometimes peas. 1-2 bucks, last several meals
Canned veg: higher in sodium, but still a decent choice, and way cheaper than fresh. Usually green beans and corn, simply because I prefer the canned variety.
Canned beans! My faves are black and kidney. Admittedly, dry would be cheaper, but I've never used them, so I can't recommend them.

Finally, look into food banks in your area- there is no shame in taking a little extra help! There are two in my town: one that's church-run and mostly dry and canned good. The other is run by Second Harvest/Feeding America, and I've gotten tons of frozen meats, fresh produce, dairy etc. at that one.

My Mum told me you can eat anything you want as long as its in moderation. Try lowering the amount of pasta and increase the amount of veg. Frozen veg is cheaper and lasts longer than fresh also if you eat meat then frozen chicken breast is good as it is cheaper than fresh, high in protein and low in calories just make sure its skinless.

Lots of great advice given here, can't add to it really, but frozen veg, fruit and canned are staples in this house as have to budget to make ends meet here too!
We live in a quiet suburb and whilst grow some of our own, there are plenty of growers who sell their excess wares! Currently rhubarb for 50p a large portion, so crumbles and cakes to be baked! So, I suppose I am saying, try to buy the in season stuff.....usually cheaper!

As a by the by, In the Uk, the government is implementing a sugar reduced diet for our kids. My son's school is doing a health campaign and my son has said he doesn't think we ought to have pop and squash anymore...he is drinking cooled water and loving it!. That is saving me a packet and has given me a kick as a parent.....why did I allow these sugar loaded drinks in the house anyway?

It can be really hard. I really do understand. Frozen veggies are cheap. Bananas, kiwi, cantaloupe are cheap. Pasta, whole grain can be found for the same price in my area.

If you can't find a way to make what you feel is healthier options work on your budget.. just eat what you can afford.. and count your calories and portion control until you can work things into your budget.

Also, portion control... The smaller (or more normal) the portion size is the more your saving.

Bump for ideas

The pdf is free.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/490865454/good-and-cheap

I know I've already posted several times but as I read other responses I really hope you do consider a food bank if you have one in your area my dad used to go there, you can score a good amount of canned beans and veggies to start you on the right path

And remember to give to your local food bank! The one I volunteer at serves 20 counties, over 300 local food pantries, several local senior citizen pantries, and hundreds of weekend backpacks for kids who are food insecure at home.

Only 14% of the food this food pantry receives is government supplied and 86% is from donors (individuals, grocery stores, farms, etc.) We give away everything we get but that doesn't mean every basket is well balanced. We are limited by what we receive.

So GIVE to your local food bank! You never know if you may need it. Many of the folks we serve are hard working people who have suffered an illness, become disabled, or had a family tragedy that drove them to hunger. Many are employed in retail and restaurant situations where they sell food but are not paid a living wage that enables them to buy it. It could happen to any of us!! So GIVE!!

See if you have any good ethnic grocers in the area - we have a large Chinese grocer here (and several down in the RTP area) that is stocked with lots of fresh vegetables for very low prices. Asian greens are very tasty and easy to prepare. A pack of Tofu there is $1, versus $4 at my usual grocer. It's also great for fish as well, which is still swimming up until the point you buy it.

Eggs are a great choice. Also, bags of beans in bulk are extremely cost effective and you can do a lot with beans, rice and a bit of meat for flavoring (and some spicy pickled relish really helps). I'd personally stay away from just throwing pasta and sauce on the table - it's easy and pretty tasty, but it's not very satiating whatsoever and makes it extremely easy to overeat. Legumes, rice, chicken, and lots of vegetables (fresh, frozen and sometimes canned) are the way to go.