If you are like me, your mindset of eating healthy comes with $$$ attached to every item. However, this does not have to be the case. I have discovered multiple tips throughout my lifetime to eat healthy on a budget. It can be done. First, I have found that learning to make foods from scratch is often the cheapest and healthiest start to any menu. Second, I am able to substitute ingredients of lower nutritive value for those with more nutrition.
Make From Scratch and Save
§ Learn to use spices and herbs in your cooking-it will cut back on the need to buy soup and dressing packages or prepared mixes.
§ Clean vegetable trimmings like broccoli stems or celery leaves can be used in cooking-don’t trash them! Broccoli stems are really good steamed and dipped in lemon butter! J
§ When you cook chicken-save the broth and freeze it for a later use.
§ If you have a baby-breastfeed as long as possible-don’t use purchased baby foods of formulas-make your own.
§ Only buy bacon for company or soup recipes. Make your own sausage.
§ Learn how to make things from scratch-pie crusts, cookies, yogurt, chili and taco mixes, salad dressings, whipped cream, tortillas, Select.
§ A loaf of home-made whole wheat bread is usually half the price of a store bought brand of the same nutritive value
§ Cream of chicken, mushroom, or celery soups usually have MSG and other additives that can be avoided by making them yourself
§ Avoid prepared foods-especially frozen meals like lasagna and pizza. One frozen pizza can cost as much as 2# of meat. A pizza is gone in one meal-#2 of meat can be stretched into 3 meals by making chili, soup, or stew.
§ Use leftovers-freeze old bread, and heals they can be used to make bread pudding. Freeze pancakes, waffles-they can be popped into a toaster oven and freshened up like new.
§ Plan to serve unmixed meals the first time-mixing spaghetti sauce with the pasta should be done on the plate-you can use the leftover spaghetti sauce in meatloaf and the pasta in a pasta salad or soup.
§ Purchase whole stalks of lettuce not the pre-bagged salads. You can cut up your vegetables for free, but the manufacturer will charge you for it.
§ Make your own salad dressings-even purchased mixed with oil and vinegar added is cheaper and more nutritious than pre-made dressings.
§ Shred your own cheese for free-the manufacturer charges you to shred it.
Substitute
§ Learn to serve meals without meat: Meat is your number 1 food expense-I try to plan one meal a week without meat-eggs, mac and cheese, or breakfast items or sandwiches are my staples for those days.
§ Substitute ground turkey with ground beef-white meat is usually cheaper that red meat
§ Purchase stronger cheeses like extra sharp cheddar. Less cheese is needed to get the desired flavor.
§ Eat oatmeal for breakfast not the pricy boxed cereal. You can add all sorts of flavorings to plain oatmeal-bananas, vanilla and sugar, dried fruit, cinnamon-don’t pay for it to be done for you with who knows what else added to it.
§ This sounds terrible, but don’t be afraid to purchase natural margarine and use it. Although real butter tastes better than margarine, real butter should be reserved for special recopies-it is terribly expensive in comparison, higher in fat content and not necessarily better for you than some of the natural butter spreads.
§ Snacks like chips can be rather pricy-and are extremely unhealthy-learn more nutritious snacks that can be enjoyed. Pop-corn is very cheap and low-calorie, it can be made into caramel corn, kettle corn, or sprayed with butter and salt. Other nutritious alternatives include celery and peanut butter, cheese and crackers, un-cracked nuts, peanuts, raisins, freshly cut fruits or home-made cereal mixes like Chex mix or puppy chow.
§ Use honey to sweeten instead of white sugar-it may be a little more expensive at first, but it takes less of it to get the desired sweetness and it is much better for you. I have also found that it adds more moisture in baked goods and keeps them soft longer.
§ Purchase concentrated, frozen, fruit juices rather than the bottled juice-it is cheaper and they can be stored in the freezer indefinably.
§ Don’t buy soda. Keep fresh lemon water available and make teas or mix concentrated juices.
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