I am new here. I just quit my job to go to school full time and finish my degree. Anyway, I am looking for cheap and healthy meal plans. My husband and I work out a lot, so the healthy part is important. Would love any advice. Thanks!
By Jessica from UT
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One side dish would be sweet potato fries. Cook them in the oven instead of deep frying them. I don't know how good they are but I think they sound good for something different. Several years ago I had a young boss that mentioned having them for supper one night, she cooked them in the oven instead of deep frying them.
At the moment I am using quinoa as a substitute for pasta, rice and potatoes.
It is the ultimate superfoood,containing far more protein and less carbs than all the above, it also has some really important amino acids and other trace elements that apparently can help prevent conditions like cancer. There are plenty recipes on the net and on Thriftyfun. There was a great one last week.
I think the cheapest things I make are soups. A chicken noodle soup that I just made used $1.21 piece of chicken. It made 5 large servings. You can use leftover chicken too. Any vegetable scraps you have (save little bits in a container in the freezer until you make your soup) can be added. I used green beans, onions and kidney beans in my last soup, but any vegetables are good. I make a good hamburger soup that has the same basic ingredients as any vegetable soup but add some canned tomatoes.
I think it is easy to eat a lot of starchy food when you are trying to save money, but I personally don't think that is healthy. Sure pasta is cheap, but as a diabetic I limit carbs.
A chicken can stretch a long way.
First night: baked chicken
2nd night: chicken in salad, sandwiches, etc.
3rd night: soup
Freeze the rest of the soup.
I also find that the less food is processed, the cheaper it is. No soda, limit junk, & buy a few treats.
Good for you for going back to school. Good luck.
Hi Jessica,
There are plenty of ways to make cheap meals and keep it on the healthy side. Right off the bat, oatmeal with cinnamon, beans and rice with red wine vinegar, use brown rice and applesauce as staples with your dinners; and of course whole wheat pasta if very economical.
Denise
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