Healthy meals on a budget

[eelo]

mmmmm. that sounds delicious!

I have used this website for the things we make at school. I have to stretch a ridiculously low classroom budget, so I'm all about the cheap stuff.

http://budget101.com/ramen_noodle_recipes.htm

These are a little fancier, but they're still good: http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Fo...e-Recipes.html

The only thing you have to watch with the ramen noodles is the sodium; it can be killer.

OH! Cabbage is also very inexpensive and you can really do a lot with it. Fresh gingerroot also gives good flavor and because you don't need to buy more than a toe of it at a time, it's pretty cheap. So is fresh garlic.

[SezzySue]

my favorite is stir fry. I cut up chicken, and use frozen veggies. Then I add some spices for flavor and put it over rice. Its so good and cheap to make.

[eelo]

Oh, and don't forget about coupons! However- lots of times, the store brand product is just as good as the brand-name product (heck, sometimes it's exactly the same stuff), so if the coupon price is still more than the store brand price, it's not always a good deal.

However- some stores will double or even triple coupons, and that can be amazing. For example- my grocery store was running a BOGO on certain Pillsbury biscuits. I had a coupon for 40 cents off if you buy three, plus it was triple coupon week. I bought four cans of biscuits for the price of two ($1.09 each), for a total of $2.18. Then I used a 40-cents-off coupon, which got tripled, for $1.20 off. So I got four cans of biscuits for 98 cents, making them less than a quarter each. The store brand for the same size was 89 cents each, so in this case I saved a LOT by buying the name brand and using the coupon.

[sweetvanity]

Also- learn to roast a good chicken. It's SO easy- I usually make a small bowl of 2-3 tablespoons olive oil and seasonings like thyme, sage, poultry seasoning. I drizzle the olive oil over the chicken and stick it in a preheated 425 oven for 15 minutes, then drop the temp to 325 and roast for about an hour. The initial high heat "seals" the chicken with a crispy skin, and the chicken itself will stay very juicy. Have the chicken for one meal, pull off as much meat as you can and save it to make enchiladas or nachos or something, and then make a soup with the chicken carcass. If you don't want to make the soup right away, put the carcass in a bag in the freezer.

i've done this and gotten 3-4 meals out of it at least! also i find that buying whole chickens and butchering myself is much more cost-effective than buying pre-butchered meals.

[LittleMsSunshine]

I recently switched to a vegan diet for health reasons... and I thought it was going to be SO expensive..... but, if you watch the sales..... and shop around.... and use coupons.... it's really not any more expensive to eat healthy.

One example (which probably won't mean much to you unless you're intending to go vegetarian or vegan ) is textured vegetable protein. It's commonly used as a meat substitute in meals..... comes in a little pack in the refrigerator area... costs $3-5.

The pack is tiny, compared to the same amount in hamburger or ground turkey that you'd normally use. I was freaked out when I bought it because it was so small compared to real meat.

However.... when I started cooking with it.... I found I was able to use one pack of the veggie fake meat in THREE different meals. It doesn't shrink down like real meat does

IDK.... my point is... healthy eating often seems a lot more expensive than it really is.

You can also try farmer's markets, local food co-ops, or even just the regular grocery store for produce. Another thing we do is buy in bulk and store. Yesterday I came home with nearly 30lbs in dry beans, lentils, soy beans, etc...... and spent less than $10 total. It was all on sale at the health food store so I stocked up That'll last all year.... if not longer

[Dez]

Oh, and don't forget about coupons! However- lots of times, the store brand product is just as good as the brand-name product (heck, sometimes it's exactly the same stuff), so if the coupon price is still more than the store brand price, it's not always a good deal.

However- some stores will double or even triple coupons, and that can be amazing. For example- my grocery store was running a BOGO on certain Pillsbury biscuits. I had a coupon for 40 cents off if you buy three, plus it was triple coupon week. I bought four cans of biscuits for the price of two ($1.09 each), for a total of $2.18. Then I used a 40-cents-off coupon, which got tripled, for $1.20 off. So I got four cans of biscuits for 98 cents, making them less than a quarter each. The store brand for the same size was 89 cents each, so in this case I saved a LOT by buying the name brand and using the coupon.

I love finding great deals with coupons...I once got a bottle of kraft ranch for 19 cents...I was pretty stoked

As far as budget recipes for dinners... this website has a few...my problem I run into when trying to find good recipes on a budget is when I find a website there are only a few I actually like or would use...and there aren't a whole lot to choose from..so make sure you are always keeping your eyes open for new ones. There are a couple on this website I like...http://family.go.com/food/pkg-cheap-eats/ The tortellini with the edamame is really yummy...

[Dez]

http://allrecipes.com/Info/Living/Bu...eals/Main.aspx

is awesome too

[Amy]

you'd be amazed what a little garlic, olive oil, salt, & pepper will do for so many meats and veggies!

I love asparagus with olive oil and sea salt.

[Brittany Rashel]

thanks so much everyone. I've gotten quite a few recipes from these websites. I'll be off to the store shortly to start stocking up.

[MS234755]

Thanks for posting this Brittany! I've been having this problem recently, now that I buy my own food and make my own meals. These suggestions are all awesome