Eating Healthy on a Budget
We all know that getting enough fruits and veggies is important, but sometimes making a healthy meal seems so daunting. It’s so easy to whip out a frozen pizza or grab some Ramen, especially when you’re on a tight budget. However, making a healthy meals can actually be easy, cheap and yummy with very little effort. Here are a few tips I’ve picked up in search of a way to make nutritional meals without hurting my wallet.
1. Buy local
I know Walmart seems easy, but trust me it’s not the best place to buy your produce. Buying fresh, local fruits and veggies can be much better and cheaper than what you find at your average supermarket. I try to only buy what’s in season because it’s usually cheaper. If squash is in season, then I make lots of meals with squash and so on. I used to think that it would be so hard to find a local farmer’s market. Once I actually looked for one I was astonished to find some great stands less than 2 minutes from my house. There’s probably one not too far from you either.
2. Eat less meat
Meat is pricey, so cutting out a little bit will free up more of your budget for produce. I know, you’re thinking that you’re hubby and kids will never go for this, but it’s not really bad at all. You don’t have to cut out meat entirely, just eat less of it. On average, most Americans eat 20 percent more meat than they need anyway. Just substitute veggies for half the meat in your spaghetti or chili and other in meals. My meat-loving husband hasn’t even noticed. I promise you won’t miss it much.
3. Beans, beans and more beans
You know what they say, “Beans, beans. They’re good for your heart. The more you eat, the more you…” well, you know! Not only are legumes good for you, they’re cheap too! You can buy a big bag of beans for next to nothing. They keep well too. Try out some cajun style rice and beans for a hearty meat-less meal.
4. Make Soup
Making a healthy soup is so easy. Just take a fresh veggie (like fresh broccoli) add milk, a little cheese and voila! You now have a broccoli and cheese soup! I love to take all of my veggie leftovers from the week and put them in a pot with some chicken broth for a quick veggie stew. The possibilities are really endless.
One of the best tips for easy, healthy meals is to double up recipes when you’re cooking and freeze half for later. It’s a huge time saver and makes it possible to have a healthy meal on busy nights. I try to keep several frozen meals in the freezer at a time. It makes a nutritional dinner just at easy as popping a pizza in the oven. So don’t think it’s too hard to eat well on a budget! It’s really very do-able.
17 Comments on "how to eat well on a budget"
Hear hear! Love this.
I totally agree with these ideas. We’ve been eating less meat to make our groceries last longer for the past few months. Soups and beans are the way to go to stretch it out!
Could you share some recipes, please ! :)
Thank you for sharing some great tips! :)
Great tips! I’ve been eating less meat for the past couple years (mainly since watching Food, Inc.), and I’ve never looked back!
I love these tips. I’d love to see some recipes.
I love the idea of making twice as much as you need and freezing half. And, I had no idea it was that easy to make soup! We shop at a local farmer’s market and a Sara Lee bread outlet store, and it saves us so much money! Thanks for the excellent tips Jen!
Love this! So practical!
Great post-I signed up for a service through a Groupon-type deal where once a week I can get a grocery list (based on local stores w/ sales) & recipes sent to me. They even have a vegetarian option. I need to get in a good routine, b/c I’ve found no matter how busy you are, a routine helps you get what you need to done.
The version I know is “Beans, beans, the magical fruit. The more you eat, the more you toot!” Both funny. :)
PS: Beautiful photos -I just realized you must have styled/taken them!
Reducing meat has made the most noticeable impact on our grocery bill. And I love to use beans & lentils!!
Fun and useful tips! Its so easy to think that eating well on a budget just can’t be done, but when you get creative and stay close to home, its amazing the deals & nutritious eats you can find.
Great post and beautiful pics!
Great post! We are on a super tight grocery budget, and have started buying meat in bulk. We divide it up for different meals and freeze for future use. We try to stick with mostly the same meats but create lots of different meals and recipes they could be used for (that my toddlers would also enjoy). That’s helped a lot, along with freezing bread, freezing veggies, and even freezing old fruit for later use in sauces or smoothies, etc.
(Aghhh, frozen pizza is too easy!)
Great post.
It’s good to realize that eating healthy on a budget doesn’t mean fork over all of your money for one stalk of broccoli to share.
Plus, eating in season means cheaper + better quality (can’t beat that!)
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