Skip to main content

Tips To Healthy Eating On A Budget

Eating healthy on a strict budget has been challenging these past several months and I am always looking for new ideas to stretch our dollar.  We've always shopped clearance items, but more recently we've been stocking up on reduced perishables.  And to reduce wastage and get the most out of our bargain finds we use these steps:

  1. Decide what will be used in this week's meals and set aside.
  2. Wash chop, slice, and dice everything else.  Then package them up in reusable containers and zip lock freezer bags and toss them in the freezer.  We find it best to do them up in portion sizes.
  3. Pull them out of the freezer as needed.

Right now we have a good stock of Smoothie Fruits portioned and frozen, ready to make a quick 1-serving smoothie for Christian before school each morning.  There's pineapple, banana, peach, pear, and cantaloupe.  They freeze great and taste just as delicious in a smoothie. 

I'm very excited because I just read a new tip... "Yogurt close to expiration can be frozen to use in smoothies."   I always see the individual yogurts at 50% off.  They will be the perfect size for Christian's morning smoothie!!


Our newest food bargains came yesterday when we ran up on a clearance shelf.  We got 2 bags jalapeno peppers, zucchini, celery and ginger root all at 50% off.   Millard is going to make some stuffed jalapeno peppers and freeze them.  They're the perfect little side.  The fresh ginger I will peel and freeze so that when I need it I can pull it out, grate a little off, then stick it back in the freezer.  We like to make a lot of asian sauces from scratch and the stash of ginger in the freezer will work out perfectly.  The zucchini and celery will be used up in meals this week.  We also found shredded Asiago cheese in the cooler that was near expiration and also reduced to 50% off.  We stuffed that in the freezer and will be just fine when we need it later.  We've frozen cheese several times before and it tastes just fine in our meals.

I'm always on the hunt for new tips.  Please share any money-saving tips for healthy eating that you may have.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What is a healthy breakfast?

Ok so I have to admit that breakfast at our household during school days had been very rushed and not so healthy. I would always let Christian pick out the oh so common cereal box that we all see advertised on TV. I'd pour a heap of sugary cereal with 2% milk into a bowl and set it on the table. I've obviously been slacking and taking the easy, unhealthy way out. Breakfast is referred to as the most important meal of the day, but somehow I don't think that a bowl full of sugar is what they are talking about. Breakfast is supposed to refuel my child and help boost his brain power for a busy day at school. Recently I've been making a better attempt to start Christian's day out with a healthier meal. I am keeping on my track of incorporating more fruits and because we have a super-sized box of cornflakes in the pantry I figured we'd have to use them up first. At a closer look at the labeling though I realized that the cornflakes aren't so bad compared to...

Tortellini, Tortellini

Christian and his dad are both fans of soup. Me, not so much. I have decided to start making soup because it can be a low-cal meal and to feed my family what they like. Although I am nearing my mid-30's I only consider myself a beginner cook and made my first pot of soup just a few weeks ago. I used to think that soup was difficult, but learned quickly that chicken stock is my new best friend. Yesterday I made a tortellini soup with my trusty chicken stock, minced garlic, onion, spinach, a little potato, can of tomatoes, and tortellini with a side of mini crab balls stuffed with mixed veggies. The tortellini were Christian's favorite part of the soup, of course. Christian has always had an afterschool snack, but it was never something planned. He'd just raid the pantry when he'd get home. More lately I'm preparing snacks to be ready & waiting for him. Last night I pulled some tortellini from the remaining soup, rinsed them & put them in a container wi...

Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken

Made the below recipe for chicken tonight. It was yummy! It has been a long day and I totally forgot to take pictures of the chicken, but I wanted to post the recipe so that I wouldn't loose it. Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Ingredients 1/4 c Dijon mustard 1/3 c Honey 2 tbs Light Mayo 1 tbs Steak Sauce 4 Chicken Breasts (4oz ea) Directions 1. Preheat the grill for medium heat. 2. In a shallow bowl, mix the mustard, honey, mayonnaise, and steak sauce. Set aside a small amount of the honey mustard sauce for basting, and dip the chicken into the remaining sauce to coat. 3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill chicken over indirect heat for 18 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally, or until juices run clear. Baste occasionally with the reserved sauce during the last 10 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning! Nutritional Info: Servings Per Recipe: 4 Amount per serving: Calories: 253.5, Total Fat: 3.9 g, Cholesterol: 68.4 mg, Sodium: 564.6 mg, Total Carbs: 24.4 g, Dietary F...