Food that keeps you healthy, full and frugal
There was a time when I would mock a topic such as this. Scornfully, I would laugh and say I could eat whatever I wanted. But that was back in the day. Nineteen year olds can eat any amount of junk, and stay fit and healthy. Alright, I never could. I just did it and suffered the consequences. But apparently there are people out there who can eat Hungry Jacks for a month and get skinnier. This article is not for you Blessed People.
It seems like there’s a lot of misinformation out there about what food is really good for you. I can’t say I have much patience for diets, unless they’re the kind that suggests you eat three healthy meals a day and go jogging occasionally.
But we all know that buying healthy food is getting increasingly burdensome on the wallet. So what can food should we eat that’s both healthy and cheap? Let’s do a tour of the Wide World of the Cuisine of the Cheapskate.
Firstly, to the blogs
There is actually a website called Cheap Healthy Good dedicated to this issue. They have an entire post dedicated to cheap meals that are suitable for leftovers. Potentially that is the greatest thing I’ve found this month. This experiment in particular was amazing. A week’s worth of food on $US25. Forgive me if I seem cowardly, but that challenge feels somewhat beyond me. The woman who writes this blog must be a terminator of food frugality. Or a sadist.
Money Saving Mum also has a nice little round up of cheap recipes On top of that, this fine example to the rest of us layabouts does a Baking Day once every couple of weeks. It’s inspirational and apparently a big saver
And now to the food groups that are guaranteed to fill you up every time.
I’m going to group the Brown Section together here, I hope no one disapproves. This is where I mention brown bread, brown rice and brown pasta. Get into the wholegrain action. It’s not a scam; brown things (you have to love my scientific terminology) are low GI, which means you feel full for longer. White bread and pasta doesn’t keep you feeling satisfied for very long. Hence, you eat (and spend) more.
Recommended Recipe
Penne Arrabiatta with Brown Rice Pasta
It’s cheap, it’s healthy and if any of you are gluten-intolerant you’ll have to bookmark the website as apparently this lady is a Gluten Free Goddess.
Beans. Don’t cringe, I know how people feel about beans. Personally I love them. Lentils are genuinely one of my favourite foods. I’m also a sucker for the standard can of tomatoes. I know. It’s sad.
Recommended Recipe
Hummus is not a meal. I know that, I do. But it is devilishly cheap to make, can be stored in your fridge for ages and served as lunch time delight or dress up cutlets for dinner. And homemade hummus is so easy and tastes so delicious. This is a good recipe, but I like to add some Greek yogurt when I put it together.
In season: Veggies are so important, but they’re also expensive. The best way to navigate this is to eat what veggies are in season, they’ll generally be cheaper (and less patently frozen). A good guide to what’s in season is HERE.
What do you cook to keep yourself healthy, wealthy and wise?
Share your healthy cooking tips that help you save money.
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