Affordable Healthy Food Ideas?

SammyPacks
SammyPacks Posts: 697 Member
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys!

I'm about to head out to college in about... 2 months or so. I'm going to be dorming with 3 other roommates (I share a room with 1 and the other 2 are in another room).

And since I'm about to head out and have to grocery shop with MY money... I wanted to know any cheap/affordable healthy foods that can be supplied through my minimum wage income :P

Replies

  • hamsmash
    hamsmash Posts: 41 Member
    brown rice, oats, eggs, vegetables fresh and frozen and chicken are all relatively cheap. of course all this depending on the capability of your dorm for food storage and preparation.
  • dd_salas
    dd_salas Posts: 57 Member
    in season fresh fruits and veggies, in quinoa cooked with lean ground beef. You can survive off of those staples pretty cheaply for months!
  • Shaitan
    Shaitan Posts: 10
    Vegetables, Beans, fruit (Find a good store that sells alot of produce. Most chain stores charge way too much.)). If you avoid premade items generally it will cost you far less per meal.
  • onesfun
    onesfun Posts: 11
    rice cakes and cereal, cereal looks expensive but it goes a long way and can be used as a snack instead of chips or crackers. popcorn is another cheap treat

    remember you can always put a little peanut butter or some type of flavoring on the rice cakes and they make chocolate ones now that I love
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    Fresh vegetables and fruits, dried beans and rice, oats, also try a local farmer's market if you can. They generally have great deals on organic eggs that are soooo much better than the cheap grocery store eggs. If you want to be truly healthy you should buy organic as much as possible, especially organic dairy and meats, which are generally more expensive. But, you have to decide whether or not your health is more important than going out all the time, drinking, etc.
  • thisgirlcharlie
    thisgirlcharlie Posts: 1
    I make my own lunch for work frequently because it's cheaper. My favorite is Black Bean and Corn salad. I use 1 can of drained black beans, 1 box of frozen corn (cooked), Balsamic Vinegar & Salt (to taste)... it's so easy, healthy, & cheap. When I have them I also add avocado, tomatoes, & parsley or cilantro.

    Also another quicky is Whole Wheat toast w/ Smucker's natural peanut butter & a little honey or cinnamon!
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    Frozen veggies for sure, only a little over a dollar for a whole bag. I also like popcorn. If you get a bag of popcorn kernels for air popping and some brown lunch bags, you can make your own microwave popcorn! No salt, no butter, healthy!
  • SammyPacks
    SammyPacks Posts: 697 Member
    Vegetables, Beans, fruit (Find a good store that sells alot of produce. Most chain stores charge way too much.)). If you avoid premade items generally it will cost you far less per meal.

    Ugh they are expensive! I go to Mexican Markets usually :) super cheap and even better quality!
  • cng1117
    cng1117 Posts: 225 Member
    provided you have an oven you can make some simple, cheap casseroles that are healthy too, a bag of mixed veggies, some lean ground beef, browned with the drippings drained off and a can of low sodium mushroom soup mixed together and topped with just a little cheese for colour and flavour and baked at 350* till its done (45 min maybe?) is tasty and you can get several meals out of it.
  • SammyPacks
    SammyPacks Posts: 697 Member
    I make my own lunch for work frequently because it's cheaper. My favorite is Black Bean and Corn salad. I use 1 can of drained black beans, 1 box of frozen corn (cooked), Balsamic Vinegar & Salt (to taste)... it's so easy, healthy, & cheap. When I have them I also add avocado, tomatoes, & parsley or cilantro.

    Also another quicky is Whole Wheat toast w/ Smucker's natural peanut butter & a little honey or cinnamon!

    Mmm... this sounds really good actually! (both the salad and toast idea! I'll be sure to use that next time!) Thanks!
  • SammyPacks
    SammyPacks Posts: 697 Member
    Frozen veggies for sure, only a little over a dollar for a whole bag. I also like popcorn. If you get a bag of popcorn kernels for air popping and some brown lunch bags, you can make your own microwave popcorn! No salt, no butter, healthy!

    Ooo... I know what I'm getting next time at the store! :bigsmile:
  • SammyPacks
    SammyPacks Posts: 697 Member
    provided you have an oven you can make some simple, cheap casseroles that are healthy too, a bag of mixed veggies, some lean ground beef, browned with the drippings drained off and a can of low sodium mushroom soup mixed together and topped with just a little cheese for colour and flavour and baked at 350* till its done (45 min maybe?) is tasty and you can get several meals out of it.

    This is also another recipe I'll be saving... Thank you for the idea! I usually always make big meals like this to last me at least a day or two.
  • SammyPacks
    SammyPacks Posts: 697 Member
    Thank you everyone for the input thus far... :)

    The dorm is pretty much an apartment. I'll be attending The Art Institute of Los Angeles... and they have 2 room apartments for 4 students attending the school :) So I'll be supplied with a microwave and stove/oven :D
  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
    Are you living in dorms? I know my first year of college all we had was a mini fridge and a microwave. Tuna is cheap (I can usually get it on sale for about .60/can) and tuna salad is pretty easy to make without having to cook (use light mayo or plain greek yogurt), whatever fruits/veggies are in season are usually pretty cheap, or go with frozen veggies, yogurt is pretty cheap, peanut butter and jelly is always an affordable option (I know I ate plenty of that in college) just get natural peanut butter and jelly that is just fruit (no sugar added). Eating healthy can be just as affordable as eating non-healthy foods, it just takes a little planning. Good luck!
  • tinacrane
    tinacrane Posts: 134 Member
    I would also suggest some dairy products such as: lowfat yogurt and maybe some fat free string cheese. Both of these can easily be packed in a backpack along with fruit and a sandwich for an all day study marathon at the library. I'm all about portability and having readily available snacks so I won't be tempted by vending machines.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    Porridge (oatmeal if you are in the US) - just buy oats and cook it in the microwave, don't waste money on those little packets full of chemical flavours. You can add just about any fruit - half a banana, grated apple, berries - buy what is in season where you live.
    Or add some dried fruit, but not too much as it has a high concentration of sugar.

    Eggs make a great breakfast/lunch or dinner and you can turn left over veggies/meal/rice/pasta into a fritatta in a flash, there's breakfast and lunch for you.

    Make extra dinner and take it for lunch the next day to save you buying lunch out.

    Invest in a crockpot - so easy to toss in some meat, veggies and a tin of tomatoes and some spices and you have a yummy casserole waiting for dinner when you get home.

    Have fun :)
  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
    Thank you everyone for the input thus far... :)

    The dorm is pretty much an apartment. I'll be attending The Art Institute of Los Angeles... and they have 2 room apartments for 4 students attending the school :) So I'll be supplied with a microwave and stove/oven :D

    I transferred to an Art College my second year of college and we had student apartments, it is so much better than standard dorms :-)

    So since you can actually cook some other recommendations are buy chicken breasts in bulk: I cook it all at once and cut some into thin slices to use on sandwiches instead of lunch meat (much lower sodium) and it is cheaper as well and cut some up in cubes to add to salads for protein and to make them more filling! Eggs are always a good option I hard boil some of them as snacks or to add to salads. Brown rice, low sodium canned soups, cereal (I like Kashi Go Lean) it's a little pricey, but you can get a lot of meals out of a box.
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