Affordable and cheap healthy food

Rice and beans are super cheap. Eggs are awesome. Frozen veggies aren't bad. Learn to cook cheaper cuts of meat well (learn to love the crockpot)

Buy frozen vegetables, especially when they are on sale.

Can you clarify or give an example? Cooking from scratch is almost always going to be "healthier" and less expensive than buying packaged. Your question isn't really answerable without knowing what your definition of "healthy" is and what you're eating now.

Lidl or Aldi?

I buy my meats in large quantities (10 lbs of chicken, beef and pork) then put them in serving size Food Saver bags and freeze them. Sometimes I toss in a marinade to when it thaws, the meat gets marinaded.

Check Good Will for a Food Saver -- the last time I was there, they had about six of them.

Staples...

- dried beans (I prefer pinto)...I get them in bulk for $1.43 per pound
- Brown rice (in bulk less than $2/Lb)
- Potatoes
- Hardy fresh veggies that will keep like broccoli and cabbage
- frozen veggies (especially on sale)
- eggs
- cheese
- meat and poultry on sale
- whole chickens and chicken parts rather than breasts
- tougher cuts of meat than require longer cooking times

Raw chicken thighs and legs, eggs, greek yogurt, in season fruits and veggies, beans, rice, bulk oatmeal and some other grains, frozen veggies, canned tuna and salmon. You can sometimes find frozen fish fillets on sale. Buy lemons or oranges for citrus juice to dress veggies, chicken, and fish. Just some ideas!

I'm spending less money buying vegetables, meats, beans, etc. and cooking it myself.

Dried beans are very cheap and one 1lb bag makes the equivalent to several cans. A 1 lb bag costs almost the same as one can of beans. Meat I buy on sale and stock up in bulk. Separate portions and freeze.


Sometimes, the frozen veggies and fruits are cheaper - not the "steam in bag" or ones with sauce, just plain veggies. They jack the prices on the specialty ones - I totally don't get the steam in bag thing. I wasn't aware steaming veggies in the microwave was so inconvenient before....and to pay twice as much for those just makes me shake my head.

Onions, carrots, celery, potatoes. Those four ingredients cost less than $10.00 for enough veggies for four people for a week. Add eggs, chicken, and a pot roast, another $15.00 and a few cans of beans. You have ingredients for several healthy meals.

Whatever you can grow yourself. If there's a will, there's a way.

26 foods you should learn to cook in your 20's. I swear by the chicken thighs.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/361132463843521611/

Synderbella0611 wrote: »

I shop at Kroger, so what I do each week is go online and make me a grocery list of all the healthy item they have on sell that I like and purchase them and upload coupons. I also buy healthy item that has been marked down or discontined. You just have to look and bargain shop.

I love Kroger's online coupons. And with your plus card they track what you buy most and send you fun coupons. I hit Kroger sales for most of my food and then visit Aldi for produce and a few things I can get cheaper there (they have the best prices on string cheese!)

I told some family members recently that I feed my fiancé & myself for about $200 a month and they just stared at me. I cook at home most nights. Simple meals of protein & vegetables (a mix of frozen & fresh depending on what's on sale) and maybe a starch like quinoa or rice. I keep an eye out for less expensive cuts of meat, managers specials on seafood, and flip through the circular each week to see what produce is on sale.

We blew a pipe in our kitchen last week and it was partially out of commission so I was browsing the frozen prepared food aisle for something that I could stick in the oven. Everything was SO expensive, full of calories & sodium and frankly, not very appetizing to me at all.

I'm in a remote rural area in a country that I've never seen a food coupon in... soooo wishing we had them!

Here's what I do to keep costs down:

-Eat the foods in season (they are generally much less expensive, particularly veggies)
-Buy meat/fish/poultry/cheese when it is on special, separate into smaller portions and freeze
-Look for store specials on staples (tinned tomatoes, tinned tuna, flour, spices) and stock up for later use
-During seasons when farmer's markets are open, snap up fresh fruits and veg from local growers who charge less than grocery prices
-Grow whatever food I can (I have limited space, so keep a few raised beds with lettuces tomatoes, peppers and herbs--simple to grow!)

Staples for me are similar to others on this thread:

-Bags of brown rice (I pre-cook a cup on Sundays that I use with meals throughout the week)
-Eggs (If you have eggs, you can make a meal!)
-Cabbage (you'd be surprised the number of things cabbage can be used for... lately I've been finely shredding, then steaming it; and I use it for a pasta substitute with my homemade pasta sauces)
-Bread on special... (I freeze half the loaf as I live alone and can never finish a whole loaf before it begins to go off)
-Oatmeal
-Onions and garlic (one or both of these go into almost every meal)
-Sweet Potatoes or Carrots (both add a sweetness to meals when baked/roasted)
-Greens (whatever is least expensive... great to bulk up meals and add nutrients without many cals... I also like to grab a lettuce to chop, wash and drain to make quick salads throughout the week)
-Beans/legumes-- dried lentils are easy to find here, but the tinned beans often go on special
-Zip top baggies for portioning meals (I do a lot of bulk cooking, then freeze the meal in individual portions for quick, homemade "frozen dinners")
-Seasonings; curry powder, cajun spice (Goya makes great inexpensive ones), etc.
-Small bags (from the cooking section) of nuts to throw into my oatmeal of into recipes
-Apples (two or three a week) to chop up into my oats or use in salads, or just to eat as snacks

One thing I do in general is avoid pre-made foods/frozen dinners in the shops as they have so much more sodium than when I make food fresh.

I also second those who recommend buying less expensive cuts of meat and using the Crock Pot to turn them into delectable dishes. The Crock Pot is my new best friend!

Porridge with Banana and milk. Sorted. Seriously!