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Eating on a budget tips
When it comes to healthy eating. A question I get all time, and how to eat healthy on a budget. And always applies to everyone in the society. If you're single, married, a parent, a student, or retired. Because I think we would all gladly save some money.
The real truth is, delicious food doesn't to mean expensive. The key strategic, budget friendly picks always make sure you're stocked with the right kitchen menu and take steps not to minimize food waste then you're not literally throwing money away in the form of rappers. So today, I wanted to share my top ten tips to make healthy eating more affordable.
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When it comes to buying the healthiest meat, I always suggest buying organic, pastured, and grass fed options. These are better for the planet. Stocking up on the highest quality meat will seriously empty your bank account. So my suggestion here is to simply buy less meat.
When you do buy it, buy the good stuff, but then supplement your protein intake with budget friendly, plant based sources of protein like pulses, which include beans, chickpeas, peas and lentils.
I frequently recommend lentils. They're packed with protein and fiber and definitely will fill you up, so I often whip up a big batch on the weekend to add to salads, soups, and baked sweet potatoes throughout the week.
To further slash your meat budget, get familiar with the tougher cuts of meat. Often the tougher cuts like pork shoulder, beef chuck and stew meat will be the least expensive of the bunch. So how do you make these tougher cuts of meat delicious? It's easy. Just cook them low and slow in a crock pot until ultra tender. And if you need a recipe for my slow cooker, Pulled Pork is a reader favorite that's perfect for fall.
Eggs are pretty much the least expensive whole foods source of protein that you can buy. So even if you spend $6 on a dozen pasture raised eggs, that's just $0.50 per egg. And the best part is that eggs can definitely go beyond breakfast. You eat boiled eggs as a high protein snack throughout the month, or use leftover veggies.
The motives of which is eating in season. Not only is fresh and tasty, but the prices, making it more affordable.
Seasonal produce and trends will vary region to region, but you can do a little bit of research to find out what's in season in your area and start to plan your meals accordingly. If you want to maximize the abundance of in-season produce even more. Don't be afraid to cook and meal prep large in amount.
Making crockpot or casserole dishes such as my zucchini lasagna or chicken broccoli casserole is a great way to take advantage of cheaper, in-season produce pricing. Just, freeze it and you can reap the savings long in future.
Healthy lifestyle has snacking on lots of nuts, pound for pound, the price can vary dramatically. Walnuts are often several dollars less per pound than cashews, almonds, and pecans.
While containing the highest level of anti-inflammatory, brain friendly, plant based omega three fatty acids. So that makes walnuts a healthy, cost effective snack choice. Both organic and non-organic, frozen fruits and vegetables are less expensive than fresh.
Frozen is picked in terms of freshness, then immediately frozen to lock in all goodness. Frozen vegetables like peas and green beans make a great addition to curry, soups and stir fries, frozen fruits like blueberries and mango are best for smoothies, oatmeal and of course, my chia pudding.
Non-Dairy milks are mostly water, but cost a pretty penny, so I advise that you make your own, which is very easy to do. And no, a lot of time in the kitchen.
Two of the quickest kinds are cashew milk and hemp milk.
Cashew milk, simply soak one cup of raw cashews all night, then blend four cups of water until smooth and creamy. For hemp milk, blend one half a cup of hemp seeds, which are also known as hemp hearts with four cups of water.
Those recipes are easy, affordable that you may have in store. And bonus, I just added the hemp milk recipe to my website as well. One of the biggest budgetary downfalls for people starting to revamp their eating are the packaged healthy treats and snacks. Now you know what I'm talking about here.
These are grain free cookies and granola protein bars, those bite sized macaroons and dairy free ice cream. These can be enjoyed in moderation in healthy lifestyle, but keep in mind that you're paying a premium for these products. So instead, make whole fresh foods your main priority.
And when it comes to treats, make your own. Mostly my dessert and treat recipes, made easily and more cheaply from ingredients in a well-stocked, healthy pantry. All right.
How many of you have stocked up on fresh produce only to have half of it wilt or spoil before you've had a chance to use it? Food waste is a huge drain on your bank account, and one of the ways I minimize that is by using my freezer for. Because you can freeze almost anything if you have bananas going brown and mushy, slice them up and store them in the freezer for smoothies and banana bread. If you can't use up those grain free tortillas fast enough, store them in the freezer and remove each one individually as needed.
If you can't go through a large bag of organic spinach for smoothies put into the freezer after you buy it and grab a handful whenever you need it. If you've got way too many avocados that are perfectly ripe, dice them, toss them with lemon juice, and store them in a freezer safe bag. You can even prep, then freeze chia pudding with fresh fruit that's on the verge of going bad. I think it is a good idea.
The freezer is absolutely your friend when it comes to minimizing food waste. Grocery stores have speciality in healthy food, grocery store sometimes be pricey, and doesn't always have the variety and the ingredients that you need. A membership to Costco and Amazon Prime comes in extremely best.
Surprisingly, Costco carries a different variety of organic products, organic meats, and healthy packaged foods, that I buy most oftenly. A yearly membership to Costco will run you about $60, but when you look at the cost savings of buying in bulk, it's certainly worth it when it comes to online shopping. If you don't have an Amazon membership, you should attempt it. You can save on the ingredients you buy most often with subscriptions, and this is perfect for all of your pantry staples, things like nuts and seeds and flowers.
I always use Amazon with my Prime membership, and saving the gas because I have not drive to the grocery store. But if you do drive to the store and shop at Whole Foods, there's a bonus, because with your Amazon Prime membership, you can save 10% on sale items and get access to special deals, coupons, and savings throughout the store. I hope you found my article helpful.
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