Eating Healthy On The cheap

Good Morning Everyone.... Well...with the price of gas climbing and climbing, and the price of food increasing right along with it, I thought it might be a good for us to share our tips on how to eat healthy on the cheap.  I mean, why not...we all use to chat about how we could go to Wendy's (or any other fast food joint) and eat unhealthy on the cheap.  I mean, come on....Taco Bell and $5.00....you're in like Fynn! So...what tips do you have to eat healthy on the cheap??? For me....since I love fruit, but find that fresh spoils before I get to it, I buy frozen to use for my protein shakes and other uses.  Or, if I can find fruit on sale (like bananas), I will buy more and then freeze the excess.  I do the same with veggies. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I will shop at the local Farmer's Market.  Often times, you get better quality produce for a better price. When I make tacos, instead of using 1 pound of ground turkey, I use 1/2 pound of ground turkey, 1 can of black beans and 3/4 cup of roasted corn. I also eat Boca burgers often, saving ont he amount of meat that I buy/eat.  I can get a big box at Cosco for almost nothing in comparison to meat. I plan my meals for a week.  This keeps me from running tot he store and buying more than I need for that day.  Saves time in my day, too. I stock up when there is a sale....even on my vitamins. Ok...your turn!

Im only 3 weeks out but I have used kidney beans added to ground turkey as well. My mom used to make something she called "Frito salad". Kinda reminded me of a taco salad. She would cook ground meat, kidney beans and taco seasoning. Add it to a salad bowl with lettece, onion, tomato, black olives, shredded cheese and ranch. Topped off with frito's. I loved it as a kid and now I use the kidney beans to fill up the meat :) Lot's of protien too :) I too have bought frozen fruit to add to shakes. And another thing I have used is yougart, because it last longer and can somtimes be cheaper, then fresh fruit.

Good am! Great post! We plant a garden (started this past weekend) with veggies and fruits. We'll be having squash, bell peppers, maters, hopefully okra, cucumbers then fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe and maybe honeydew. Personally I LOVE this and we've done this since I was a child. It definitely saves on spending for veggies in the grocery store. You might consider growing herbs as well. I make a LOT of simple meals and crockpot quite a bit. Soups, chili's and more. I love to make soups and in large amounts. I'll make veggie soups, bean soups etc but I avoid the real creamy ones and go with lighter broths and add flavoring. I make chili in the crockpot and fill it to the brim. I usually make it meatless or with a bag of Morning Star meat. I'll add corn for color, beans, chili powder and maters. I make a lot of turkey and chicken salads and separate them into containers. Sometimes it'll be used in salads and other times I eat it out right. I also buy frozen fruits especially during the non garden seasons (late fall and winter) and use them in smoothies and salads and such. In addition, a benefit of the garden is we chop up and freeze veggies to have during the late fall/winter months. Definitely checking out Farmer's Markets is a way to go to find really great things. I too am a Costco shopper and pick up things there in large amounts as well. It saves a tremendous amount of time and money to plan. I also enjoy making meals and separating them out for the week. I separate out snacks as well. I take ziploc bags and put the exact amount of turkey pepperoni I want to eat in it and the same with carrots, cucumbers, dried fruits etc. That way I don't have to stop and measure etc I can grab and go. I'll think of more .... All best!

My mom always has a HUGE garden in the summer! I love it because I couldnt own a green thumb if they sold them at walmart! All summer long it's tomato sandwiches and garden pastas....YUM YUM!

I tend to watch for sales, buy in bulk & freeze meats.  Been trying a lot more new recipes lately trying to get some variety in this household.

Jill, This post is a great idea with the cost of food rising daily with the cost of transportation !  Here are some things I do:  Buy meat on sale and freeze what I can't use immediately. ie. extra lean hamburher at Costco, pork loin, I'll cut in half and freeze half. Steaks at Costco etc.  Cheeses also freeze well. Costco has the individual portions of Cabbot low fat cheddar! or I'll buy the Cracker Barrell 2%  12 OZ. blocks when groceries have the 2 for sale and freeze one. (My favorite on the go breakfast is an apple and 1 OZ. low fat cheddar!)  Another idea, the fruit at Costco is beautiful, but it's a very large portion if you have a small family, so ask a friend or neighbor if they want to split the flat of Strawberries etc. and freeze what you can't use immediately. Important make sure you know what all is in your freezer so you use it and it doesn't get frezer burnt! When you use fresh herbs freeze what you don't use on a cookie sheet in the freezer and then transfer them onto a ziplock. Oh yeah, Vitamins, Giant every so often has buy 1get 1free on Naturemade and the Vitamin shop gas a point system that sends you on line coupons when you buy there. Also another Vitamin store I shop in does the buy 1 get 1 free too!