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    Healthy on a Budget - Groceries you discovered

    Posts: 90 Member
    edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
    q92byz5mou1g.jpeg I've been buying Oikos Triple zero and Danone Light and fit because I was under the impression that there is no lower calorie vanilla Greek yogurt until one day I picked up this one!! omg 90 calories per cup and it's super delicious and way cheaper! I am now on hunt for other products that are healthy , cheap and low calorie


    If you have discovered any products that aren't advertised but are much more budget friendly and just as healthy let me know

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    • Posts: 1,584 Member
      any store-brand oats. healthy, cheap and you can usually get a huge container.
    • Posts: 1,119 Member
      By far, it is cheapest just to make Greek yogurt yourself. Takes like 5 minutes of your active time. Get an Instant Pot, be blown away.

    • Posts: 2,054 Member
      Chicken thighs. Usually a little less expensive than chicken breast, and much more tasty. Also agreeing with bulk items, even if it's just the larger container of seeds/nuts. If you or someone you know has a warehouse membership (Sam's, Costco, etc) they can be great places for some items.
    • Posts: 131 Member
      Celery! About $1/bag.
    • Posts: 1,411 Member
      fresh vegetables at Aldi. I love Aldi. Well, I love their prices anyway. They have cheap everything.
    • Posts: 1,701 Member
      MommyL2015 wrote: »
      fresh vegetables at Aldi. I love Aldi. Well, I love their prices anyway. They have cheap everything.

      I agree 100%. Aldi cuts $20 off of my grocery bill and they have so many great healthy options
    • Posts: 52 Member
      csillabrimer978 wrote: »
      q92byz5mou1g.jpeg I've been buying Oikos Triple zero and Danone Light and fit because I was under the impression that there is no lower calorie vanilla Greek yogurt until one day I picked up this one!! omg 90 calories per cup and it's super delicious and way cheaper! I am now on hunt for other products that are healthy , cheap and low calorie


      If you have discovered any products that aren't advertised but are much more budget friendly and just as healthy let me know

    • Posts: 52 Member
      Dannon yougurt light and fit greek yougurt is 80 calories
    • Posts: 308 Member
      Start a vegetable & or herb garden! There's so many ways to make it work even in the smallest of apartments
    • Posts: 1,082 Member
      Truth about making your own greek yogurt. However, I didn't buy any equipment, I just use a pot on the stove.
    • Posts: 90 Member
      Homemade yogurt sounds lovely, what culture do you use ? Where can I buy the culture? I never done it ... I like the Vanilla Greek Yogurt, do you just add vanilla and sweetener ? Also do you use non fat or skim milk and how many calories is the yogurt? Sorry I know many questions but I'd love to know
    • Posts: 90 Member
      coalz wrote: »
      Start a vegetable & or herb garden! There's so many ways to make it work even in the smallest of apartments
      I am growing Hungarian was peppers lol it's a good start and once the weather gets hot will buy some Basil, Oregano, Parsley as well for the balcony dp60vn8kqjci.jpeg

    • Posts: 43 Member
      I always go for Fage Greek yogurt, low in calories and sugar and high in protein.

      I always by things like oats, quinoa, lentils and beans ☺️ as they can be kept for quite a while and can help bulk out meals
    • Posts: 650 Member
      Pretty much any of the products I find at Aldi. I love them!
    • Posts: 48 Member
      Dry beans! You rehydrate them at home. Super delicious, can use for almost any recipe. Cheap! I rehydrate on Sunday and eat for the whole week.
    • Posts: 28,055 Member
      The farmers markets near me that do not specialize in organic have great prices. The ones that do specialize in organic tend to be pricey, IME.

      I'm already harvesting chives from my garden and look forward to kale soon. I also have spearmint, peppermint, and sage that is perennial (comes back every year.) This winter, my rosemary survived as well. I have a mini greenhouse now and am going to try to push the season for basil this year - I can count on some locations to sell it earlier than is safe unprotected.
    • Posts: 43 Member
      Frozen food is also a god send, like meat, fish, fruit and veg
    • Posts: 769 Member
      I eat a lot of pasta (wheat, corn, whole wheat, any will do!), white rice and baguettes. I came to find that these have been extremely cheap foods to buy. Also I've made tomato sauce and frozen veggie mixes staples of mine! So cheap and yummy.
    • Posts: 8,423 Member
      Store brands or generic are generally cheaper.
      Buying things whole and cutting, skinning, shredding, peeling them yourselves is cheaper.
      A whole chicken or chicken thighs can be cheaper than chicken breast or wings.
      Plain oatmeal instead of individual flavored packets.
      Dry beans and lentils are super cheap.
      Eggs, tuna, peanut butter, rice, pasta are usually inexpensive.
      Buy fruits and vegetables in season.
      Reduce waste. Buy foods with a longer shelf life. Frozen vegetables are nice because you can take out only what you need.
    • Posts: 2,430 Member
      I was buying spinach and it would always ALWAYS go bad before I could finish the bag. Now I buy romaine hearts for my salads and it stays good for over a week!
    • Posts: 10,137 Member
      csillabrimer978 wrote: »
      q92byz5mou1g.jpeg I've been buying Oikos Triple zero and Danone Light and fit because I was under the impression that there is no lower calorie vanilla Greek yogurt until one day I picked up this one!! omg 90 calories per cup and it's super delicious and way cheaper! I am now on hunt for other products that are healthy , cheap and low calorie


      If you have discovered any products that aren't advertised but are much more budget friendly and just as healthy let me know

      Uhh, the product pictured is not vanilla.
    • Posts: 342 Member
      CrabNebula wrote: »
      By far, it is cheapest just to make Greek yogurt yourself. Takes like 5 minutes of your active time. Get an Instant Pot, be blown away.
      gravity filtration is a fun way to add "ethnicity" to regular yogurt, but the unknown nutrition content of what you lose from the filtration can be bothersome if precision nutrient tracking is needed.
      Cabbage = cheapest go to fresh vegetable, with kale coming in second; all others have to be in season or frozen to be budget friendly
    • Posts: 292 Member
      If you have an Aldi near you, I will always recommend shopping there for healthy buys! SO cheap!
    • Posts: 292 Member
      One head of cabbage goes a long way. I like to cook it with an onion and carrots in olive oil. It's very cheap and makes me feel like my Polish great grandmother! You can play with different seasonings too- cumin and chili powder for a Mexican flavor or paprika, salt and pepper for Eastern Europe :)
    • Posts: 90 Member
      quinndeborde wrote: »
      If you have an Aldi near you, I will always recommend shopping there for healthy buys! SO cheap!
      yes - there is no Aldi here in Colorado Springs

    • Posts: 14,464 Member
      csillabrimer978 wrote: »
      Homemade yogurt sounds lovely, what culture do you use ? Where can I buy the culture? I never done it ... I like the Vanilla Greek Yogurt, do you just add vanilla and sweetener ? Also do you use non fat or skim milk and how many calories is the yogurt? Sorry I know many questions but I'd love to know

      Easiest starter in the world, add your store bought yogurt, a few tablespoons to your milk that has been scalded and cooled to lukewarm. Yogurt is its own starter.

      You pick the kind of milk that fits your goals. If you are going low fat, then use low fat milk.

      Greek yogurt is strained regular yogurt.

      Yes you can add your own vanilla and sweetener.

    • Posts: 5 Member
      I agree, Aldi's is great for low prices. Especially for produce!
    • Posts: 164 Member
      Cauliflower for so many things!
    • Posts: 90 Member
      Some
      Of you suggested I should make homemade kefir, since this post I got some grains and started my kefir making journey. This was my 3rd batch and I can't seem to get creamy consistency, it's more like thin like milk with small cheese curds - tastes good but I would like it to be more like buttermilk. I use 3 tablespoons for 2 cups for 24 h and temp is 78. My question, when it's done and you strain do you mix it up with the whey again or you just strain the kefir part? Is that the problem? What am I doing wrong?
    • Posts: 1,064 Member
      csillabrimer978 wrote: »
      Some
      Of you suggested I should make homemade kefir, since this post I got some grains and started my kefir making journey. This was my 3rd batch and I can't seem to get creamy consistency, it's more like thin like milk with small cheese curds - tastes good but I would like it to be more like buttermilk. I use 3 tablespoons for 2 cups for 24 h and temp is 78. My question, when it's done and you strain do you mix it up with the whey again or you just strain the kefir part? Is that the problem? What am I doing wrong?

      I can't do dairy so I don't know how to do dairy kefir but water kefir is fantastic and is like a flavored soda or wine cooler if you like those (depending how long you ferment it). It's also much easier to make then dairy kefir.
    This discussion has been closed.

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