Eating Healthy on a Affordable Budget

Written By: Deanna


There are a few things I'm very passionate about. Two of those things are saving money and living a healthy lifestyle - which includes eating healthy. It's been an interesting challenge to learn how to combine the two things and save the most money while eating healthy and being able to follow my fitness goals.


It's not an easy challenge, but I'm not one to turn down a challenge!


So, first things first, you need to decide how much money you're workin' with and what your fitness goals are. For this post, I'll just focus on actually eating healthy, as opposed to worrying about low calorie or high protein. When you eat healthy, those things should fall in line, and then you will just have to alter it towards what you feel will be best for you.


So, the staples to a healthy (but affordable) diet in my house are:
Beans


Beans are a staple in my house. I buy them when they are on sale and they are about $1 a can. Most days I have about 15-20 cans, a mix of chick peas and black beans. We add these to taco's, chili, hummus, and in the summer, I love to do a bean salad!


Frozen Veggies


I buy these when they are 2 for $5 or sometimes I get a $4 bag that is about twice the size of a Green Giant bag. We have at least one veggie with our meals. We also love doing pea soup or adding a little extra nutrients to our bean/potato salad or pasta.


Rice


This is a huge staple in our house. We have it about 5 days a week, maybe more. Because it is a slow oxidizing carb (meaning it keeps you fuller longer). It's also cheap and I can buy it in bulk. My local grocery store also has a 10 for $10 that includes the instant rice prepackaged bags like Uncle Beans.


Oats


Again, you can buy it in bulk, and it's another slow oxidizing carb. It also makes an awesome breakfast.


Home Grown Fruit


A great thing to add to that oatmeal! I grow rhubarb, strawberries, and blueberries. I don't manage to get many, so it doesn't last as long as I'd like - meaning I have to buy some during the rest of the year, but it does give me a chance to make lots of jam that I add to my oatmeal!


Growing fruit can be a little hard if you don't have much garden space, but remember all you really need is a pot. It's not ideal, but it will bring in some extra fruit for you to nibble on - and that's what counts!


Tuna


Again, like the beans that are about $1 a can, and we stock up. Tuna patties, tuna sandwiches, wraps, even cracker dip.


Eggs


Eggs are a staple in the house as well. Hard boiled or make into a salad/dip normally. Or on nights I don't feel like cooking, we just toss some eggs into a frying pan with some veggies and cheese and damn, a healthy dinner.


Potatoes


This is a staple in almost any household - ours, however, we have to have something other than rice for a couple of days out of the week! Potato and egg salad, baked potatoes, hash browns with eggs, etc. Typically speaking we don't eat bread, so we use friend potatoes instead. But, you can never beat a nice garlic mash.


Nuts


A little bit pricy, but they are well worth it - and filling! I buy mine uncooked and unseasoned - do that myself. Sometimes, I even add a little sugar and spice while I'm flavoring them - even though it's not super healthy, it is very tasty.


So, there you have it. A list of the basics that I keep around the house, so my husband and I can eat healthy without breaking the bank. I hope this post gave you some ideas, but I'd love to hear what healthy and cheap snacks everyone else keeps around!