Z. Johnson
By now, I guess you are wondering, how to make more healthy, delicious meals that are also friendly with your budget. Somehow, there’s still a concept in people’s minds that eating healthy can become boring and expensive. But, you know what? That’s a lie! Having a healthy lifestyle that includes a variety of delicious foods is certainly possible. I’ve been a living proof of it!! And, I’ll tell you what, I’m loving it. Everyday, you can come up with thousands of different tasty combinations and save on your budget. Today, I’m sharing with you some hacks on how to make the best healthy budget friendly meals.
Creating healthy budget friendly meals
Healthy budget friendly meals: It all starts with planning
Yes! I know you may be thinking that planning can be a hassle and take time out of your busy work schedule. But, here’s the truth: As a matter of fact, healthy meal planning, including meal prep, is one of the smartest ways to not only save on time, but also money. It’s a cost effective strategy that can help make your life so much easier. And I mean, you don’t have to get sophisticated here and come up with an excel spreadsheet to plan your budget and meals, lol! It’s totally up to you, but at least you should regularly be managing your food budget in an way that allows you to do smart shopping. Check out more about my last review here.
When you plan your meals is so much easier for your daily activities and it takes that stress off about thinking what to cook or how to make impromptu decisions. I mean, for the most part, you’ll avoid overspending last minute, or making poor choices that you may not like at the end. Therefore, planning your meals ahead of time, especially when you are about to do grocery shopping or meal prep is the key to making healthy budget friendly meals.
I’m not a chef! How can I come up with tasty nutritious recipes? Healthy budget friendly meals
It all goes down to making those smart food choices my dear friend! Yep, let’s start getting rid of the idea that eating healthy is expensive and boring. It’s not. As a matter of fact, maybe we just need to experiment with the foods we already know are what our bodies need. Then, start creating different combinations and preparations. You’ll be surprised of how tasty and nutritious your food can be. Therefore, you can definitely make healthy budget friendly meals that taste like heaven!
When you are learning more about balanced eating and intuitively, it’s easier to gauge what are the foods you enjoy the most. That’s why I always recommend practicing more intuitive eating. It helps you to develop that sense of not only how hungry and full you are, but also how you enjoy different food tastes. Also, a healthy relationship with food is the key to becoming creative in a natural way with making healthy dishes.
I’m always in a rush! What about saving time when making my meals?
Another great advantage of learning how to make healthy budget friendly meals is time saving. These are quick meals you can literally make in less than an hour, some even take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes. This is just exactly what anyone under a tight schedule needs. Especially if you are at work, or maybe you don’t have time to be around in the kitchen for 3 hours.
Here is where meal prepping comes into place as well. I mentioned before that meal prep is the smartest and safest way to get your food prepared for an entire week, without worrying about what you need to cook each day. Learning this skill, plus putting your time management into practice become a big time saver! Trust me!
Another thing that I’ve done for myself and even coached my clients with is the fact that you can use left overs wisely and and put them together into a different dish. For example, I can easily turn a chicken burrito into a salad and vice versa. Also, you can use the left overs of a dish such and turn it into a bowl of soup or a casserole for the dinner time or next day. Therefore, there are many creative ways in which you can save time by making these healthy budget friendly meals.
How should I make my meals packed with nutrition value?
Very important fact here. You know how as a dietitian, I have to emphasize on nutrition value. And with this, I’m not referring about counting calories, or weighing food. It’s as simple as choosing the foods with the highest nutrition value for your body. Every meal (especially the main three ones) should be packed with the most important macros:
- Protein: Your plate of food should contain a good source of protein. There are many options here, even plant-based sources, but in general, aim for lean protein such as poultry, eggs, fish and seafood, and low fat dairy foods. You can also add meat, depending on the cuts, you may find lean choices.
- Quality carbs (fiber): Yeah, can’t miss out on the healthy fiber foods! Go for whole grains, leafy greens, veggies, colorful veggies and even fruits.
- Healthy fats: Fats are also an important part of our daily eating routine. Because of this, I always recommend going for good healthy choices like vegetable oils, avocado, homemade vinaigrettes, healthy nuts, seeds, nut oils and butters.
All these foods also give tons of nutrition value as far as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. In terms of proportions and your daily needs, always see your nutritionist. I also left a guide of some healthy snacks to choose from for work and anywhere.
Healthy budget friendly meals: What are the best inexpensive healthy foods out there?
Here is my favorite list of foods that are relatively cheap and that you can get anywhere. Pro tip: I get them at my local farmer’s market!
- Fruits of all kinds
- Veggies: Especially the greens, such as spinach, celery, lettuce, broccoli, etc. Also, don’t miss out on bright color veggies like tomatoes, squash, pumpkin, carrots, starchy veggies like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and the list goes on…
- Whole grains, nuts and seeds: Beans, lentils, rice or brown rice, seeds like linseed and nuts.
- Eggs
- Dairy products: Low fat cheese (I like buying the fresh cheese), yogurt, low fat milk.
- If you live in a place where you locally get fish, seafood and poultry (chicken), then these items can be inexpensive and in promotions. You must include them in your diet daily!
3 best healthy budget friendly meals
I left some of my favorite quick healthy budget friendly recipes here for you. These can also work well for a quick lunch or even for dinner. As a matter of fact, you may vary some ingredients as you wish. But! before diving into some of these delicious recipes, I also got some superfood recipes for weight loss and fitness I had created. Make sure you check them out!
Below are some of those healthy budget friendly meals, that are delicious and quick to do! Also, remember that sharing is caring! Try them out and let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Here you go:
Zesty chicken-veggie wrap
- Time: 15-20 minutes
- Serving size: 1 wrap
- Yields: 2 servings
- 400 calories per serving
Ingredients:
- 2 big tortilla wraps (you can use the brown or whole wheat wraps).
- ½ cup of grilled chicken***
- ½ cup fresh spinach
- one tomato (chopped in dices)
- ½ cucumber (chopped)
- chopped onions and bell pepper (1 each)
- dash of salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
- ½ avocado (mashed with a fork)
- Optional: ¼ cup of grated cottage cheese, instead of the avocado
- *** For a vegan version, you may replace the chicken with soy patties.
Instructions:
- On a non-stick pan, on low simmering heat, add onions, bell pepper and celery. Let sit for a couple of minutes. Add chicken pieces and stir-fry or grill (chicken can also be previously cooked, to save time).
- Spice with salt and pepper.
- Mix up all remaining ingredients in a bowl.
- Then, arrange into the tortillas, forming the wraps.
Enjoy!
Pro tip!: You can also easily turn these wraps into a salad by swapping the tortillas for croutons, high fiber crackers or chips, and adding lettuce.
Tomato soup with broccoli and grilled cheese croutons
- Time: 30 minutes
- Serving size: 1 bowl
- Yields: 4 servings
- 350 calories per serving
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- one stalk celery (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic, (chopped)
- 4 large tomatoes (chopped)
- 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- ¼ cup heavy cream (optional)
- 1 broccoli
- 2 ounces sliced sharp white cheese
- dash of salt and pepper
- 2 large slices whole-wheat or pita bread
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil or oregano
Instructions:
- Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring for 4 to 6 minutes. Then, add garlic; cook, stirring, about 10 seconds.
- Blend tomatoes until puree.
- Stir in tomatoes (with juice). Add broth and simmer over high heat. Then, reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir in cream, salt and pepper.
- Boil broccoli apart with a dash of salt. (4 mins)
- Meanwhile, preheat a panini maker or pan. Spread one side of each slice of bread with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. After that, turn the slices over and top one with cheese. Add the other slice. Heat the sandwich until golden brown and the cheese has melted, 4 to 5 minutes. Cut the sandwich into bite-size pieces.
- Serve soup in 4 bowls. Then, top each serving with grilled cheese croutons, the broccoli pieces and a sprinkle of basil.
Delicious spicy egg salad!
- Time: 20 minutes
- Serving size: 1 bowl
- Yields: 4 servings
- 380 calories per serving
Ingredients:
Salad:
- 4 hard boiled eggs, diced
- 12 ounces chicken (chopped) or shrimps
- 2 avocados, diced
- 1 cup corn
- 8 slices of low fat ham
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- lettuce leaves
Dressing:
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions:
- Add all the salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Combine and set aside.
- Then, in a mixing bowl, combine the salad dressing ingredients.
- Served immediately or refrigerate.
Enjoy!
