Healthy eating on a budget... Any tips?

[sk_0615]

I'm a 24 year old college grad living in a metropolitan area which means I have some pretty hefty monthly bills (rent, school loans, etc). With that I have a pretty strict $30/week food budget that I can't budge on too much (I don't even drink coffee!). Does anyone have any ideas on healthy, yet inexpensive, meal ideas? I eat a whole lot of eggs, spinach, and apples right now and looking to mix it up. Thanks!

[Algenon]

Soup is always good and it is filling if you add a cup of water.    Stay away from the fatty soups and focus on the nutritious ones.  

[smhermione]

I like to make my own marinara sauce and freeze it in one serving portions. That way all I have to do is boil some pasta and throw in whatever protein I think will work. There is a very basic marinara recipe on the food network website called Perfect Marinara Sauce that I use as my base. Good luck!

[1linde · Accepted solution]

Do you like wraps, rice and beans or mexican type food?  You can make a tasty, nutritious and low cost mix of can of black beans and can of diced tomatoes (can use garlic, spicy, plain, whatever type), simmer over low heat until beans soften and can store leftovers in fridge. My suggestion is to add some onion and peppers to it  before cooking- you can buy them frozen and diced very inexpensively especially under the latino food labels, often called sofrito. If you have a Dollar Tree store nearby they now sell a three color frozen pepper and onion blend for only $1.00 a 12 oz bag. Dollar Tree has really expanded their food choices and some single people I know do shop there frequently for things. Depending on your taste, budget and what is on hand you can take that mix and add shredded cheese, chopped chicken or meat, tofu, avocado, olives, etc to it and wrap it like a burrito to eat or make some brown rice and serve it on top or add the rice into the burrito with the bean mix. You can buy a box of brown rice for 1.49 at most stores and that should last you a month.   I also agree soup is a good way to go and the combinations are endless, one of my fast and low calorie favorites when Im really counting calories is - canned diced tomatoes with chicken or beef broth and I used bagged frozen soup veggies and usually start by sauteeing a bag of frozen seasoning blend of onion, celery and peppers, you can also add in any leftover veggies you have, any spices you like and I usually add in a 1/2 c or so of soy crumbles. Really good to spice it up with garlic, hot sauce, etc. Another suggestion is if you can buddy up with someone and perhaps split some larger packages of fresh veggies/fruits when they go on sale. Remember that frozen veggies have just as many nutrients as fresh in most all cases and often they are on sale for a $1 or less a bag. Also if you go to the grocery aisle for ethic foods like Goya  their spices and canned foods are less money than comparable brands.  On sauce if you buy those $1 cans of Hunt sauce already prepared and add in canned diced tomatoes and a bit of stevia it can taste like fresh sauce, I have become a big fan of diced tomatoes and they have a lot of nutritional benefits. I love eggs myself and often will make a quiche which is something you can do with spinach and eggs as well. My college student child has a tight food budget and keeps frozen chicken breasts and veggies in her fridge for meals and friends rotate buying and cooking for each other so they have some variety. Taking  a job in a restaurant this past year and finds the benefit of free food really useful.

[angelscott]

Here is an excellent meal you can cook for $6-7 dollars and have several meals including soup!

Roasted Whole Chicken -

Check out whole chickens - when they are on sale for $.79/lb....they are a great deal.

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Liberally sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper. I also take a lemon which is optional and cut it up in 8ths and put several pieces inside and outside around the chicken.

Take an onion and slice then large dice. Place on the bottom of a pan. Cook the chicken in something that keeps its close together,,,like a rounded dish so it will keep moist. Place chicken on top of onions and use some vegetable oil and oil the outside of the chicken. Also, you can cut up some potatoes and carrots and put around the chicken. This will give you some nice vegetables.

Roast in a 425 degree oven. This is important to have a hot oven. That is what creates a nice, moist chicken with alot of juice/broth. Roast for 1 hr 15 mins. Let it rest for 10 mins before carving.

You can probably have 2-3 dinners. Enjoy the juice

Take the carcass with some chicken on it and make chicken soup. Place the chicken in a pot with 1-2 quarts of water. Add diced celery inclucing celery leaves, carrots and onion. For seasoning keep it simple. I add a couple of bay leaves, and salt/pepper to taste. Boil first then simmer for at least an hour.

Take the carcass out of the pot and take the chicken off the bones. Dice the chicken and put back in the pot. Now you have a delicious chicken soup.

Add rice or orzo pasta to one serving at a time and cook. Enjoy. You will probably have enough for several lunches or dinner.

So for under $10 dollars you have 4-5 dinners at least! Soup freezes well.

Good luck with your grad studies.

[HelenaFitbit]

Cooking on a budget is challenging but never boring! These are my basic ingredients:

• Rice
• Pasta
• Chicken breasts 
• Tomato Paste or tomato sauces
• Olive Oil
• Garlic
• Onions
• Tomatoes
• Italian dressing

There are a ton of combinations to do with them! 

[vallie5085]

I make a crock pot of lentil soup and it costs 4-6 dollars.  I probably get 8 meals out of it.  See below:

Layer in crockpot:

One bag lentils

4 cups water

chopped carrots, celery, peas, corn (whatever is in my fridget that is a veggie goes in)

salt, pepper, paprika to taste

2 bay leaves

1 can diced tomatoes (optional)

cook on low overnight, about 16 hours.

[trainer]

Some of it depends on your time and storage space. I make big pots of dried beans, add veggies, sometimes quinoa and freeze it in individual portion sizes. I can also make big pots of veg soup and add to it as I eat it. Potatoes are also very nutritious if you are careful with what you put on top of them. I bake a potato, add steamed or sauted veggies, maybe some salsa for a kick and add in a protein to make a complete meal (I'm veg so my proteins would be beans, tofu, seitan, quinoa, etc). My way of doing it takes up a lot of storage space so you have to have a good sized freezer.

[sk_0615]

All of these ideas are really great! I think my biggest set-back right now is I don't like soup (maybe I'll get around to liking it?). I'll have to check out the frozen food section, and even Dollar Tree. I never really perused that store for food items, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad!

[PamelaHazelton]

Lots of grocery stores put Healthy Choice dinners on sale - locally this week they're only $2 each. You can dress them up with simple spices, light sprinkles of paremesan cheese, etc. The key thing is the right spice - these can boost the flavor of just about anything.

[PamelaHazelton]

Also, don't forget to stack your coupons. Most store coupons are SEPARATE from manufacturer coupons, which means you can stack them. That means if a store has a $1 off as a "store" coupon (it will say valid only at that store) and you have a 50-cent one from the paper, you can use them both and save $1.50. I also find lots of savings when stores have BOGOs and I also have a coupon. 2- person household - $45/week for groceries here.

[AlexCC · Accepted solution]

I like to cook meals for the week.  One of my favorite proteins is pork tenderloin.  I can usually find it at the store from anywhere between $2.99/lb to $4.99/lb.  

I can usually strech it out for a number of meals.  Probably around 4 meals for me. 

I add brown rice and some vegetables, and for me that is usually a pretty lean filling meal.  

To mix it up I add different sauces, thai peanut, bbq, whatever you want.  Sometimes with a sauce, sometimes without.  Lots of options.  

I used to buy whole chickens, but I think the tenderloin is easier because there is no bones or anything to deal with.  There is a sliver of "silver skin" you have to cut off.  If you didn't that portion of the pork will simply be a bit tougher than the rest.

[med701]

I worked in the firehouse for 30 years and our saying was HOT, ALOT, and CHEAP.

We shopped daily for our meals and used coupons and watched for sales.  We always bought cheaper cuts of meat and ate rice, potatoes, and pasta with each meal.

You can buy in bulk and buy lesser known brands.  Go to recipes.com where they have ideas for using a crock pot.

You can make a meal from scratch and eat left-overs for a few days.   Chili and italian taste better a few days later.  LOL

Be careful, if you buy at the Dollar Store.  They sell some food from third world countries and their standards are lower.  If it's made in America, give it a shot, it may be good.

Eat as healthy as you can afford, healthy protein, healthy carbs, fruits, and veggies.

Avoid processed foods, white sugar, and white flour.

Good Luck and Happy New Year!!

[LowededWookie]

Grow your own garden. I don't know if you live in central city or in suburbs or what but even in a city or dorm you can grow in a planter box pretty easily.

You get fresh fruit and veges and you know exactly what's been used to grow them. Fruit and veges seem to be among the most expensive foods in the isles at supermarkets so if you don't have to pay for them why would you. 🙂

[Susan12345]

What are lentils?

[Susan12345]

so what is seitan and quinoa?

[sk_0615]

I really like the idea of growing a garden! I don't have the best track record with my plants (I've had three basil plants before and they all died pretty soon after buying them)... but I've always wanted to try to grow a successful garden. I'll look into a planter box and some easy vegetables to plant/grow inside. I assume onions and spinach can't be too hard? Maybe? Because the fresh fruit and vegetables are so expensive. And meat too! I gotta move to the country and start raising chickens!

[doutri2]

I remember those college days fondly.  I pretty much had a standard grocery list of bananas, apples, sweet potatoes, deli turkey, tuna, celery, mayo, pasta, peanut butter, jelly, bread, cereal, milk, eggs, green beans.  I think I used to spend about $40 per week on food.  Sometimes I would splurge on 2 chicken breasts.  One of my favorite filling snacks/ meals was kidney bean salad: red kidney beans, drained and rinsed with chopped celery, mayo, pickle relish and paprika.  Also, since I just had to feed myself, sometimes I would just eat a sandwich or bowl of cereal for dinner.  

[HelenaFitbit]

Hey there @Susan12345 ! Welcome to the Forums 

I wanted to show you what they were: 

First image are lentils, really noble grains that are really easy to cook and mix up with any flavorful meat; they are very easy to prepare in a crockpot or pressure cooker. Here is a link on how to cook them.

Second image is Seitan, which is a meat-like dough made from wheat gluten and it can be cooked and flavored in many different ways. Here is a link on how to cook it, as well as many recipes.

Last image is Quinoa, it's known as a super food and has a ton of protein, fiber, minerals and vitamins. Here are 27 recipes to give it a try. 

Hope this helps! 

[Lee_]

That sounds really good and low calorie. I haven't had lentils in a while so I will definetly be making this soon.