Healthy Food on a Budget

Most families are cutting costs on everything these days, including groceries. But be careful not to buy the less expensive foods which are usually pre-packaged and almost always loaded with empty calories, just because it’s on sale. Buying groceries on a budget does not mean that you can’t provide healthy, lean, and nutrient rich foods for your family.



TIPS TO EATING HEALTHY ON A BUDGET:

Plan your meals
Eating healthy, in good economic times and in bad, takes planning…preferably planning meals you prepare yourself at home. When trying to trim your waistline, you must plan so you avoid quick, calorie loaded temptations. And when you’re trimming your budget, planning is essential in order to shop during sales and ensure that there’s time and food in the pantry to cook meals at home instead of eating out.

Chicken on sale? Buy in bulk!
Chicken breasts are a clean eating staple, but can get pretty expensive. Buy your chicken breasts in bulk when it goes on sale. Put what you can’t immediately use in the freezer for later. I shop at Publix . They have weekly sales on chicken breasts, usually starting on Tuesdays and I’ll buy 4 or 5 packages of chicken breasts during these sales and grill up at least 8 breasts at a time for quick, lean meals and snacks. Check your grocery store to see when their chicken breasts go on sale and be sure to shop on that day!

Don’t snub the frozen produce.
You can almost always bet that frozen produce will be substantially less than fresh. And don’t worry about losing any nutrients. Freezing fruits and veggies protects the vitamins and nutrients they contain. In fact, studies show that often times the frozen variety contain more nutrients than the fresh because of the time the fresh produce has sat on the shelf. Frozen also allow you to have access to produce that isn’t in season. Tip: Choose the store brand to save the most!

Hydrate with water!
Limit or eliminate all together all sodas, sugary juices, and alcohol and hydrate your body with water. Save money and go green by investing in a reusable water bottle instead of buying water in disposable plastic containers.

Whole gain carbs = quick, healthy, crowd pleasing meal
I always keep my pantry stocked with several boxes of whole grain pastas of all shapes and sizes and quick brown rice such as Success Boil-n-Bag . They turn left overs into new meals and it’s less expensive to feed a crowd with. After eating grilled or baked chicken and vegetables for a couple of days…a bowl of whole grain pasta is a cheap and healthy comfort.

Print or clip coupons…duh!
Buy your local newspaper and clip or visit sites such as Coupons.com and print coupons before going to the store. It’s all in the planning…