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Healthy Food on a Tight Budget


Unless you’ve been living in a tree house with no electricity, no newspaper delivery service and no access to other human beings, you’ve probably heard of a little something called

“The Recession”
(a.k.a. “We need to cut the cable, and sweet Mary Moses what in the tarnation happened to my retirement fund?”)

Yes, yes, the economy is terrible, job security is shaky and the cost of everything is rising. If you are anything like me, you are feeling the pinch in your pocket, too. You may be wondering how to make the choices necessary for a healthy lifestyle without having to give up family vacations, your $4 lattes…or more than likely, your utilities.

Have no fear, Fitness Friday Girl is here!

Don’t look now, but she seems to have a few money-saving tips under that snazzy red cape of hers. But be forewarned!

To increase nutrition and decrease spending, you will need to reintroduce yourself to, none other than…

your kitchen.

So without furter adieu, may I present to you, Le Stove.

Les pots and pans.

Les Spoons and stuff.

That’s right. Good, old-fashioned home-cooking. It may seem like a major inconvenience at first, but once you put a little time into the planning portion of the meals, you’ll find the rest of the prep falls right into place. Not only that, but soon you will find that home cooking with fresh ingredients tastes so much better than processed, chemical-laden, fat-drenched foods from a package or a chain restaurant. (Fitness Friday Girl shudders at the thought of such things)

So here’s a list of nutritious and delicious foods that you can eat all week, use in a variety of dishes, and—best of all—won’t take a bite out of your budget. And get this! Most of these foods are available in generic or store-brand versions in your favorite grocery store.

Beans and lentils are very versatile and healthy. They’re good for your heart, low in calories, high in fiber, protein, and iron and they’re a great meat substitute! The fiber in beans can help lower your cholesterol, keep you regular, remove toxic, cancer-causing substances from your digestive tract, and help keep your blood sugar stable. You can buy them canned or dried to make soups, stews, burritos, bean salad, chili, beans and rice or simply as a side dish.

Brown Rice is a great addition to leftover meat and veggies, can be added to soup or burritos. or used as a side dish. My kids don’t love brown rice, so I mix it with white rice for them.

Whole grain Pasta Is a favorite around my house. Toss hot with veggies, tomato sauce, grilled chicken or fish. Make a delicious low fat veggie lasagna or serve cold in a fresh pasta salad.

Soups are not only healthy, but very convenient and versatile. You can make great soup with almost any veggie or meat, stovetop or in a crock pot. I like to make a big pot of soup on Tuesday, freeze some for later, or eat it for lunch through the weekend.

Meat and fish can be grilled, baked, stir-fried or simmered all day in the crock pot. Find organic, low fat cuts of meat when they are on sale and freeze for later. Or buy a whole chicken or turkey for roasting, then use the leftover meat for sandwiches and the bones for soup. That’s three meals from one purchase of meat!

Frozen produce is just as nutritious and often more nutritious than fresh produce because it is processed at peak ripeness, blanched (which causes minimal loss of soluble vitamins B and C), then flash-frozen within hours of being picked. I have found the Kroger Private Selection Organics brand of frozen produce to be extremely reasonable and delicious. Frozen veggies are great in soups, stir-fries, pasta dishes or as a side dish. Frozen fruit is great in muffins, pancakes, oatmeal, yogurt and smoothies.

Canned tuna and salmon are a high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the risk of heart disease, blood clots, arthritis, cancer, and high blood pressure. Add to a bed of greens for a delicious salad, make tuna or salmon salad sandwiches, or make your own fish cakes.

Eggs are an excellent source of protein. If you are watching your cholesterol, you will want to limit your intake of the yolk, but the whites are fabulous and versatile. If you can’t afford organic, at least try to get “free range, vegetarian fed” eggs. Eggs can be used to make omelets, egg salad, frittatas ,or can be sliced on a green salad or eaten hard-boiled as a snack. My kids love “breakfast for dinner”, so eggs fit nicely into our dinner budget.

Fresh vegetables and fruit should be consumed all day, every day. We serve them with nearly every snack and meal all week long. The best way to maximize nutrition and taste while minimizing cost is to buy produce locally and in season. Here is a list of in-season produce, by month:

January
oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, tangelos, lemons, papayas, cabbages: red, white and green; leeks, broccoli, cauliflower

February
oranges, tangelos, grapefruit, lemons, papayas, broccoli, cauliflower

Marchpineapples, mangoes, broccoli, lettuce

April
pineapples, mangoes, zucchini, rhubarb, artichokes, asparagus, spring peas, broccoli, lettuce

May
cherries, pineapples, apricots, okra, zucchini, rhubarb, artichokes, asparagus, spring peas, broccoli, lettuce

June
watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, cherries, blueberries, peaches, apricots, corn, lettuce

July
watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, peaches, apricots, kiwi, raspberries, plums, cucumbers, tomatoes, summer squash, corn, green beans, lettuce

August
watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, peaches, apricots, kiwi, raspberries, plums, cucumbers, corn, eggplant, tomatoes, summer squash, green beans, lettuce

September
grapes, pomegranates, persimmons, eggplants, pumpkins, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce

October
cranberries, apples, pomegranates, grapes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, winter squash, broccoli, spinach, lettuce

November
cranberries, oranges, tangerines, pears, pomegranates, persimmons, pumpkins, winter squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, spinach

December
pears, oranges, tangelos, grape fruit, tangerines, papayas, pomegranates, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower

Always a Good Deal
bananas, potatoes, celery

In the Cooper home, we view our healthy eating as an investment into our future. Like anything worthwhile in life, it takes some effort, some planning and some time. The way we see it, we’re going to pay one way or another—either now by way of a slightly increased grocery bill, or later by way of our failing health and outrageous medical bills.

Which reminds me…did y’all know there’s some kind of health-care crisis in America?????

Just wondering.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for never missing an adventure!

32 Comments

  3. My first reaction was "Oh No…the only reason I have a stove is because it came with the house." However, I realized upon further reading that these foods can be easily prepared. (even for a lousy cook like me) Now, if you'll just point me to the direction of the kitchen.
    P.S. When I say easily prepared, htere is one secret… a hubby that cooks;)

    Reply

  4. My first reaction was "Oh No…the only reason I have a stove is because it came with the house." However, I realized upon further reading that these foods can be easily prepared. (even for a lousy cook like me) Now, if you'll just point me to the direction of the kitchen.
    P.S. When I say easily prepared, htere is one secret… a hubby that cooks;)

    Reply

  5. Oops…did I check the wrong thing. That won't do…I'm proud of Italian hubby that excels in the kitchen.

    Reply

  6. Oops…did I check the wrong thing. That won't do…I'm proud of Italian hubby that excels in the kitchen.

    Reply

  7. I was just about to sit down and make my grocery list – glad I popped over to Fitness Friday first!

    Thanks so much for listing all the fruits and veggies by month – that really helps me!

    Enjoy your weekend!

    -Kate 🙂

    Reply

  8. I was just about to sit down and make my grocery list – glad I popped over to Fitness Friday first!

    Thanks so much for listing all the fruits and veggies by month – that really helps me!

    Enjoy your weekend!

    -Kate 🙂

    Reply

  9. Sandy, we are so on the same page. The key is taking the time to plan your meals for the week. If I don't plan and have the ingredients on hand, I get hungry and then the intent of good eating goes out the window. So, I try to always have fruits and vegetables in my fridge.

    One of the challenges that I have in my home is my husband. He loves spicey foods and prefers fun foods. So, I try to be imaginative and use chili and beans and make tortillas with hot sauce. He doesn't like veggies very much but when I roast vegetables he loves the taste.

    You really are making an investment in your future by the habits you chcose today. I've seen too many people who told me AFTER their heart attack, that they wished they had made healthier choices earlier in their lives. Why not prevent it in the first place, right?

    Reply

  10. Sandy, we are so on the same page. The key is taking the time to plan your meals for the week. If I don't plan and have the ingredients on hand, I get hungry and then the intent of good eating goes out the window. So, I try to always have fruits and vegetables in my fridge.

    One of the challenges that I have in my home is my husband. He loves spicey foods and prefers fun foods. So, I try to be imaginative and use chili and beans and make tortillas with hot sauce. He doesn't like veggies very much but when I roast vegetables he loves the taste.

    You really are making an investment in your future by the habits you chcose today. I've seen too many people who told me AFTER their heart attack, that they wished they had made healthier choices earlier in their lives. Why not prevent it in the first place, right?

    Reply

  13. Hi Sandy,

    I better put down my fork of Chinese food while reading this (smile).

    Seriously, this was a very good post and don't get me started on the nonsense of this government/nation. Anyway, I'm going to link your post to my fitness blog today. I really like the information you provided. A lot of it I already follow but I picked up a few tips. Thanks as always.

    Love you.

    Reply

  14. Hi Sandy,

    I better put down my fork of Chinese food while reading this (smile).

    Seriously, this was a very good post and don't get me started on the nonsense of this government/nation. Anyway, I'm going to link your post to my fitness blog today. I really like the information you provided. A lot of it I already follow but I picked up a few tips. Thanks as always.

    Love you.

    Reply

  15. I love it that you gave a list of fruits that are in season every month! I love trying new things.

    I had to laugh at the lentils. I make a few dishes with them and when I tell people that I get the funniest look like… "What in the world are lentils?" or "Are you serious?" You can't even taste them and they are SO nutritious for you!

    Reply

  16. I love it that you gave a list of fruits that are in season every month! I love trying new things.

    I had to laugh at the lentils. I make a few dishes with them and when I tell people that I get the funniest look like… "What in the world are lentils?" or "Are you serious?" You can't even taste them and they are SO nutritious for you!

    Reply

  21. My oh my, LisaShaw sent me over here and I am THANKFUL that she did. You have an amazing blog filled with helpful tips and I adore your clever humor 🙂 consider me a new reader!!

    I admit, until… hm…. a few days ago, I thought the microwave was the stove O_o. Alas, that's not the case. Your blog couldn't have come at a better time, thank you for taking the time to share this with your cooking-handicapped readers 😀 such as moi *sob*

    <3 Your new Fan, Martha

    Reply

  22. My oh my, LisaShaw sent me over here and I am THANKFUL that she did. You have an amazing blog filled with helpful tips and I adore your clever humor 🙂 consider me a new reader!!

    I admit, until… hm…. a few days ago, I thought the microwave was the stove O_o. Alas, that's not the case. Your blog couldn't have come at a better time, thank you for taking the time to share this with your cooking-handicapped readers 😀 such as moi *sob*

    <3 Your new Fan, Martha

    Reply

  23. Another great post, Sandy! I liked the list of fruits-in-season. My mom taught me that when I was a girl, but hardly anyone knows this stuff anymore because you can get some fruits all year round.

    Last week my daughter had to keep a food diary for one of her high school classes. I don't even remember what we ate that week, but when my daughter shared her list with the kids in her class they were amazed that I (her mom) actually COOKED! I asked my daughter what most kids in her class ate, and she said that they mostly went out–i.e. fast food. Ugh.

    You are doing a service to society here! 😉

    Reply

  24. Another great post, Sandy! I liked the list of fruits-in-season. My mom taught me that when I was a girl, but hardly anyone knows this stuff anymore because you can get some fruits all year round.

    Last week my daughter had to keep a food diary for one of her high school classes. I don't even remember what we ate that week, but when my daughter shared her list with the kids in her class they were amazed that I (her mom) actually COOKED! I asked my daughter what most kids in her class ate, and she said that they mostly went out–i.e. fast food. Ugh.

    You are doing a service to society here! 😉

    Reply

  25. I loved the cheapest fruits and veggies list. I printed it and it is hanging on my fridge next to the FIT FOR LIFE guidelines.
    Jennifer Burton

    Reply

  26. I loved the cheapest fruits and veggies list. I printed it and it is hanging on my fridge next to the FIT FOR LIFE guidelines.
    Jennifer Burton

    Reply

  27. Great Post! Great encouragement! and Fun all at the same time!
    I will be following and maybe some time do a Friday Fitness of my own. 🙂 I came to you from Lisa´s blog.
    I am workin at the weight loss. Been at it since the second week of Jan. and have lost a little more than 10 lbs.
    Great to find your blog!

    Reply

  28. Great Post! Great encouragement! and Fun all at the same time!
    I will be following and maybe some time do a Friday Fitness of my own. 🙂 I came to you from Lisa´s blog.
    I am workin at the weight loss. Been at it since the second week of Jan. and have lost a little more than 10 lbs.
    Great to find your blog!

    Reply

  31. I came over from Lisa Shaws blog today. I really like that you listed the fruits and veggies for each mother. That's really helpful! Thanks.

    Reply

  32. I came over from Lisa Shaws blog today. I really like that you listed the fruits and veggies for each mother. That's really helpful! Thanks.

    Reply

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