Eat Better, Eat Healthier, Month on a Budget

[Tish]

It doesn’t take much to notice that we are all feeling the financial crunch lately. You can eat cheaper and still have money - search for alternatives to stay on budget and healthy. I’ve always been a frugal person but even I am stretched. I’m looking for alternative and I’m guessing I’m not alone. Here are the some ideas I’ve come up with through research and asking around.

1. Drink water – Water is good for you and free. I don’t like spending money on water but if you have it in your budget go for it. Water is still cheaper than juice or soda.
2. Buy vegetables and fruit only in season. Freeze them if you can while you can get a good price.
3. Buy canned or frozen vegetables and fruits if they are cheaper! Sometimes it’s crazy but you get cheaper this way than fresh.
4. Buy generic. Look at the store brands and compare. Try and see if you can live with the alternative. Brand names are not always better.
5. Buy eggs. At the price they are still a great source of protein at a small cost per serving.
6. Cook from dried beans. The prices are climbing but I confirmed again this week that they are still much less than the canned alternative.
7. Make food from scratch. Don’t use the prepackaged stuff unless you have to. Most prepackaged ingredients can be recreated from recipes already posted on Recipezaar. If they aren’t, ask. Someone here will try to come up with it for you.
8. Make one meal a week meat free
9. Make a grocery list and stick to it. Don’t take you kids or your husband if they help you bend away from that list!
10. Use coupons but only on things that you would normally buy. Also look in the discount bins and sales areas.
11. Consider freezing some meals ahead when you find good deals.
12. Consider keeping a refrigerator and freezer inventory list in order to keep track of what you have and use it!

Ingredients I’m still finding fairly inexpensive in my area for the nutritional plus. They may be different for you but I thought I'd share what items I might work around for healthy recipes.
•Beans
•Brown Rice (almost the same pricing as white rice with more minerals)
•Eggs
•Canned Tuna
•Sweet Potatoes
•Quinoa
•Canned chickpeas
•Lentils
•Oatmeal
•Babyfood (use in place of liquids in muffins and breads for extra nutrition)
•Peanut Butter
•Local produce
•Local fruit

I'm sure there are many more items that can be added to this list. I luck into bargains from time to time and you have to be willing to change direction on your menu plan in order to take advantage of them.

So this is what I'm looking for. I need you to share your ideas...how can we help each other to stay in budget and eat healthy! I'm especially looking for specific recipes that you would consider budget friendly and healthy so that we can create a cookbook for everyone to go back to as needed
Eat Better, Eat Healthier, Month on a Budget Cookbook

[Moor Driver]

Great idea

I'm a bean fan myself. DH and I eat fish but no other meat so beans are a great way for us to cut the budget and fill up, especially in the autumn and winter.

Some of the recipes below contain spices that might not be in everyone's pantry, but I highly recommend a trip to your local asian, etc. food shops to stock up. You can get much larger portions of spices and condiments for much cheaper than a large grocery chain.

Anyway, here are some of my favs:

Beans & Legumes

Indian Chana Masala (Garbanzo Beans) You can use canned tomato in this just fine.

TGI Friday's Black Bean Soup I've used frozen peppers in this, no problem.

Garbanzos in Coconut Milk

Drunken Beans

Cuban Black Beans

Black Bean and Tortilla Bake

And some Noodles:

I really love these noodles, and you don't even need to add the shrimp or chicken really, just use what veggies you have on hand.
Singapore Noodles

And a couple from my "Larder Lovelies" cookbook, which has recipes with tinned fish and other things I usually have on hand:
Spaghetti Alla Siracusana

Red Salmon Pie


And don't forget the soups!

[Tish]

Ohh....those look so good! I need to start the cookbook to start adding to it! In fact I'll do it right now Eat Better, Eat Healthier, Month on a Budget

[anne in apex]

This is something I made the other night, and I intended to figure out the cost. You inspired me! I started with the red and white Betty Crocker cookbook, with the recipe for Chicken Potpies. Since we don't eat meat, I
substituted chickpeas for the chicken. Otherwise, I made it per the recipe. A quick search didn't find the recipe here, so I've typed it out. Wow this typing is hard! I hope you can read it.

Pastry for double crust pie used 1 c baking mix, 1 egg, ½ c milk 0.44
10 oz frozen peas and carrots Aldi's 0.79
½ c chopped onion (1 medium) Walmart 1.98/3lb 8 onions 0.25
½ c chopped fresh mushrooms Aldi's 0.37
¼ c butter or margarine used olive oil and only 2T 0.20
1/3 c all purpose flour 0.06
½ t salt 0.00
½ t dried sage, marjoram, or thyme, crushed 0.00
1/8 t pepper 0.00
2 c chicken broth used chicken bullion, 2t 0.00
¾ c milk 0.18
3 c chicken, turkey used 1 15oz can chickpeas, 0.99
¼ c fresh parsley omit
¼ c diced pimento omit

Total 3.28


I've used a mix of prices, the ones I'm sure of from Aldi's, and some from the local grocery store website. I'm betting it might come out a little cheaper, but I'm not sure. It would definitely be cheaper if you used dried chickpeas instead of canned. This recipe should be 4 servings, although we were both ravenous and ate it all. Also, I didn't use the double crust pie. Instead I mixed up the baking mix, egg and milk and poured it on top of the goop. It bakes up like biscuits.

[Tish]

anne in apex wrote:
This is something I made the other night, and I intended to figure out the cost. You inspired me! I started with the red and white Betty Crocker cookbook, with the recipe for Chicken Potpies. Since we don't eat meat, I
substituted chickpeas for the chicken. Otherwise, I made it per the recipe. A quick search didn't find the recipe here, so I've typed it out. Wow this typing is hard! I hope you can read it.

Pastry for double crust pie used 1 c baking mix, 1 egg, ½ c milk 0.44
10 oz frozen peas and carrots Aldi's 0.79
½ c chopped onion (1 medium) Walmart 1.98/3lb 8 onions 0.25
½ c chopped fresh mushrooms Aldi's 0.37
¼ c butter or margarine used olive oil and only 2T 0.20
1/3 c all purpose flour 0.06
½ t salt 0.00
½ t dried sage, marjoram, or thyme, crushed 0.00
1/8 t pepper 0.00
2 c chicken broth used chicken bullion, 2t 0.00
¾ c milk 0.18
3 c chicken, turkey used 1 15oz can chickpeas, 0.99
¼ c fresh parsley omit
¼ c diced pimento omit

Total 3.28


I've used a mix of prices, the ones I'm sure of from Aldi's, and some from the local grocery store website. I'm betting it might come out a little cheaper, but I'm not sure. It would definitely be cheaper if you used dried chickpeas instead of canned. This recipe should be 4 servings, although we were both ravenous and ate it all. Also, I didn't use the double crust pie. Instead I mixed up the baking mix, egg and milk and poured it on top of the goop. It bakes up like biscuits.

Wow, thanks for the work! That just goes to show you that we can definitely make up meals that are healthy and cheap!

[CraftScout]

Right now I am noticing that eating anything but a standard American diet is both healthier and cheaper!

For instance, last week I made Easy, Inexpensive Lentil Tacos (which was DELICIOUS!) and used it to top nachos, with all the trimmings: guacamole (and we know how expensive avocados are right now), cheese, and sour cream. It cost $1.19 per serving. If I went with tacos, with minimum toppings (some lettuce, a little diced tomato, a pinch of cheese), it would have been about a quarter per serving.

Also Asian food is really cheap and healthy for us. Wasabi Salmon Cakes made with canned tuna was 29 cents per serving, served with Japanese Vinegared Cucumbers for 20 cents per serving, and Green Onion Pancakes for 38 cents per serving. YUM! All for less than a dollar, even adding a big bowl of rice. I also like that for Japanese food, for the most part, you don't open your spice cabinet (and therefore don't have to buy expensive spices). Unless that is where you keep your rice vinegar, mirin, and soy sauce.

On the topic of meat, it is generally recommended that adult women get 4-6 oz. of protein per day, not per meal. So keeping that in mind, and trying to eat more veggies is one of my ways of keeping costs down and nutrition up. I haven't gotten myself down to that portion size, but I have gotten myself and my family to the point where a quarter pound of meat is acceptable for one meal, and our days of 8-16 oz. steaks for everyone are pretty much over.

[Erindipity]

Cheap recipes I want to add are:
Unfried Refried Beans
Texas Goulash
Slow-Cooked Tuscan Pork With White Beans
Low-Fat Chocolate Creamer
Chili Con Carne


Another great suggestion for eating healthy on a budget. You should eat on a 10 inch plate and avoid warm colors like red or yellow as they make you eat more. Also, divide your plate into quarters, 1/4 each protein and starch with 1/2 being vegetables and fruit. Even at the higher cost of everything fruits and vegetables still tend to be pound for pound cheaper than meat.

[Tish]

The cookbook is updated...keep them coming! I'm going to love having this to come back on later

[jonesies]

Terrific thread! I'd like to add a link to my cookbook: Money Stretchers With Very Few Ingredients! . Each recipe has 5 or less ingredients and many of them are very good for you.

My favorite budget stretcher meal is quesadillas like in Quesadilla Combos . You use whatever leftover meat, cheese, veggie, etc you have on hand. Great to clean out the fridge of those odds and ends.

We also have New England Pierogi Dinner about once a month. Total cost is usually around $5.00 and we always have leftovers. My store has Buy One, Get One sales a lot that include kielbasa and pierogies, so even better!

I'll be checking this thread often, keep 'em coming, I love to cook on a budget!

[Kzim4]

Kielbasa and Tater Tot Casserole can be pretty cheap. I buy the Kielbasa when it's on sale for $2.50, and the tater tots when they're $1.99. Add a little cheese (or omit, if needed), probably about $1 worth (we love cheese), and the minimal cost for seasoned salt. Another $1 for veggies, and I have a meal for my family of 6 for about $6.50 with leftovers for lunch the next day. Not the most healthy, but better than take-out grease.
No Fat Added "refried" Beans (Oamc) is a great budget stretcher. I usually add to tacos/taco salad.
For breakfast, try Wheat and Oat Waffles (Oamc). Make a bunch and freeze the leftovers.

[JillAZ]

Here are some of our favorites:
Never Fail Tuna Patties (Salmon Works Too)
Non-Fat Middle Eastern Greens and Lentil Soup
Ham a La King
Three Bean Mexistrone W/ Cornmeal Dumplings
Chipotle Pinto Beans
Black Bean and Tortilla Bake
Poor Man's Cookies
Carrots and Ham in Gingered Chicken Broth Pasta Sauce

Great thread Tish!

[Tish]

I need to add some of our family favorites to this cookbook so I can put them all in one place! Here are ours:
Treebeard's Red Beans (And Rice)
Navy Bean Soup-Pressure Cooker
Garbage Soup
Andy's Spicy Potato Soup
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Leftover Meatloaf Parmesan
Easy Ham Carbonara
Basic Dried Beans
Esau's Pottage
Yummy Mushroom Barley Soup
Tamale Lentil Casserole
Barley Chicken and Onions
Chicken Thigh Parmigiana

[Cinisajoy]

Tish,
Hi! I saw you mentioned drink water. Well in some areas, without filters the water is about undrinkable. I got into a discussion one day over which is cheaper R/O bottled water ($1/5 gallons) (the kind you get at water stores or water machines) or a water filtering system on the kitchen sink.
Turns out that the filtering system(about 25 for entire system the first time) is cheaper (even when you have to pay retail (around 12 dollars a filter) than going and buying bottled water.
With buying the water for that 12 dollars you only get 60 gallons, not counting the original bottle (about 6.50) of which you need to and the water holder(about 80).
I can get about 200-300 gallons of water from one filter.
And I do not have to spend anything in gas to go get the water either or worry about running out.

[Tish]

Cinisajoy wrote:
Tish,
Hi! I saw you mentioned drink water. Well in some areas, without filters the water is about undrinkable. I got into a discussion one day over which is cheaper R/O bottled water ($1/5 gallons) (the kind you get at water stores or water machines) or a water filtering system on the kitchen sink.
Turns out that the filtering system(about 25 for entire system the first time) is cheaper (even when you have to pay retail (around 12 dollars a filter) than going and buying bottled water.
With buying the water for that 12 dollars you only get 60 gallons, not counting the original bottle (about 6.50) of which you need to and the water holder(about 80).
I can get about 200-300 gallons of water from one filter.
And I do not have to spend anything in gas to go get the water either or worry about running out.

Thanks for the info!

[tasb]

My way of eating better, healthier and on a budget is to freeze/can/dehydrated fruits and veggies when they are in-season. Even if they have to come from the grocery store instead of the farm market. Yesterday I had to go and try to re-arrange my 7 cu.ft freezer to try and make some room for the deer we are getting next week.