Affordable and cheap healthy food

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scentless_apprentice12
scentless_apprentice12 Posts: 10
in Food and Nutrition
What are affordable healthy foods? My family doesn't eat healthy at all because of the high prices. So any tips?
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  • een2016
    een2016 Posts: 13 Member
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    If I have to pick one , it will definitely be plain greek yogurt. Its a nutritional powerhouse. Protein, Calcium and Probiotics, all packed in one.
  • freqzinbigd
    freqzinbigd Posts: 56 Member
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    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)
  • Habropoda843
    Habropoda843 Posts: 2 Member
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    You can download a cookbook called Good Cheap Eats for free from http://www.leannebrown.com/, she has dozens of recipes based on a $4 per person per day SNAP budget.
  • ginny92802
    ginny92802 Posts: 66 Member
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    Buy frozen vegetables, especially when they are on sale.
  • ap9133a
    ap9133a Posts: 3 Member
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    Healthy food is very affordable. Get a big bag of brown rice, a big bag of dry beans, frozen veggies (I usually get a bag of frozen broccoli for $1 or less), and eggs. You can get all that for less than $10.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    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.
  • mzjenn2u
    mzjenn2u Posts: 78 Member
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    buy in bulk and cook ahead of time....portion control will most likely help you save money as well....realizing what a portion is versus just loading up your plate....at least for myself and my family
    also there is no reason to my name brand food items in my opinion....i buy alot of walmart brand stuff and have no problem using coupons as well to save money
  • greenfirearm
    greenfirearm Posts: 120 Member
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    Lidl or Aldi?
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Yes, cooking from scratch is healthier and cheaper. Dried beans and legumes are inexpensive. I made a white chili yesterday, very inexpensive, from chicken thighs and white beans. Even the stock was home-made, in the freezer from the Christmas turkey. It was a hit.

    Buy your fruits and veggies very fresh on sale and in season and find recipes to work around them. Have frozen veggies around just in case.
  • DeWoSa
    DeWoSa Posts: 496 Member
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    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.
  • Green_eyed_beauty
    Green_eyed_beauty Posts: 101 Member
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    If you break it down by real actual servings sizes, healthy food is much more affordable. Oatmeal, sweet potatoes, chicken, rice, beans, canned/fresh/frozen veggies... they are just not a convenient as unhealthy food (fast food).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    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
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
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    ap9133a wrote: »
    Healthy food is very affordable. Get a big bag of brown rice, a big bag of dry beans, frozen veggies (I usually get a bag of frozen broccoli for $1 or less), and eggs. You can get all that for less than $10.

    ^^All of this. You can get very creative with this "core" of food staples. Healthy eating can actually be cheaper than all the convenience foods (Hamburger Helper, frozen family entrees, fast food--although I eat all of those too, just smaller portions of them).

    But, keep your ingredients simple to make balanced meals. Here's an example of the things I make that are inexpensive, but well balanced and nutritious:

    Pick a starch--pasta, potato, or rice
    Pick a veggie--usually frozen during the winter here--mixed veggies/broccoli/etc. there's some quite interesting varieties in the frozen department
    Pick a protein--beans, chicken (I buy fresh bulk packs of breasts for ~$2/lb), tofu, fish--all inexpensive and good protein sources (not and all inclusive list, of course)
    Pick a seasoning--I'm non-creative, so I buy bottle marinades, Asian sauces, Mexican or Indian sauces or curries, etc. and use sparingly if it's a high calorie thing

    Boom! Instant dinner for less than $2/serving.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    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!
  • liekewheeless
    liekewheeless Posts: 416 Member
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    Cabbage, frozen veggies, canned veggies if you can't get frozen (any veggie is better than no veggie, rinse to get some of the salt off or buy the no added salt cans) Eggs (LOVE eggs). Dried beans, brown rice. Oat meal (the big cardboard tube of it). Carrots, they are just as cheap "fresh" as canned. Potatoes, Sweet potatoes.

    The "healthy" is all in how you prepare it, and how big your servings are.
  • AmazonMayan
    AmazonMayan Posts: 1,168 Member
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    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.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    scentless_apprentice12 wrote: »
    What are affordable healthy foods? My family doesn't eat healthy at all because of the high prices. So any tips?

    Frozen fruits and vegetables.
    Dried beans
    Rice
    eggs
    Buy fresh produce and meat when on sale
    Stock up on anything that can be stored when on sale
    If you have room, consider growing some of your own food
    Check with local game processors to see if they sell unclaimed meat. You would be surprised how many people take deer to processors then don't have the money to pick up the meat, even though it usually is only about $2 - $3 per lb.
  • softblondechick
    softblondechick Posts: 1,275 Member
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    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.
  • BrianHageman
    BrianHageman Posts: 15 Member
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    I cook multiple proteins on Sunday afternoon (chicken breasts, chicken thighs, pork loin, etc...). Then I pair them with either fresh or frozen veg and pre-made brown rice or beans for meals during the week. Since the protein is already fully cooked, the meals take 10 minutes to prepare. I use a wide range of spice combinations (Middle Eastern, French, etc...) to vary the style of the food although I am using the same core ingredients.

    Advanced tip: I use an immersion circulator to cook my proteins. It allows me to cook them to an exact temp, so I know they are a.) food safe b.) not over cooked, so browning or reheating them doesn't impact the quality.

  • MaternalCopulator
    MaternalCopulator Posts: 125 Member
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    Whatever you can grow yourself. If there's a will, there's a way.

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