Eating well on a tight budget

Now that the holidays are over, there are a lot of people out there who have gotten their credit card bills and gasped from the shock.  Add to that those people who have been adversely affected by the bad economy and you have a lot of people who are living v-e-r-y frugally.

Usually, one of the first changes people make during tough economic times is to cut back on their grocery bills.  This makes sense and the Eco Women are here to help.

First of all, read this post on eating organic on a budget.  For a list of the foods that it’s most important to eat organic, click here.

Next, here’s a list of nutritious foods that don’t cost a lot of money:

Potatoes — Potatoes are nutritious and inexpensive and oh-so-versatile.  A bag of them doesn’t cost very much money and will last a family of four for weeks. Baked potatoes are super easy and, when combined with a vegetable or two, make for a nice dinner.

Beans — Full of protein and other nutrients, beans should be a staple in your pantry.  A pound of dried beans costs less than $2 and will feed a family of four for several meals.  If you have a slow cooker, toss in the beans, water, and other ingredients and dinner will be ready for you when you get home from work.  If you don’t have a slow cooker and won’t be home during the day, Recycla suggests that you cook them the night before you want to eat them.  They should be done and cooled off before you go to bed and the next night’s dinner will just need to be reheated.  For more information, read this post on beans.

Rice — Beans and rice together make a complete protein, plus they taste really good.  Brown and wild rices are the healthiest and pair well with most meals.  You can also add rice to soups and casseroles for a little added bulk.

Oats — How to get your day started?  How about a delicious bowl of oatmeal?  Oatmeal is cheap and, if you buy quick oats, easy to make for breakfast.  For ideas about what to stir into your oatmeal, see this post.

Spinach and other greens — Believe it or not, you can get fresh green veggies for not very much money, especially this spring when they’ll be available in abundance at your local farmer’s market.  Greens are very nutritious and endlessly useful.  You can toss some spinach into your soup, eat it as a salad, and more.

Frozen vegetables — Fresh produce can be expensive, particularly during the winter, but you need to eat your veggies.  Recycla suggests that you stock up on the family-size bags of peas and other green stuff when it’s on sale.  Nutritionally, there’s almost no difference between fresh and frozen, and your body will thank you for the healthy addition to your meals.  Recycla adds frozen veggies to soups, casseroles, and more.

Eggs — Unfortunately, eggs have gone up in price and, if you buy free range organic eggs you’ll definitely pay more.  Even so, eggs are an economical and versatile protein source, so the cost difference factored out over several meals isn’t so bad.   You can scramble an egg for breakfast, serve chopped hard-boiled eggs over a bed of fresh spinach, or whip up a frittata for dinner.  Recycla and her husband like to take various leftovers and stick them into loaded omelettes for Sunday brunch.

Apples — Here is your easy source of vitamin C.  You can usually find the common varieties, like Granny Smith, for very little money. Add some chopped apple to your oatmeal at breakfast, mix with spinach for a lunch time salad, or add a little peanut butter for a mid-afternoon snack.  If you have an orchard near you, visit in the fall and stock up for not very much money.  If stored properly, apples keep for a while.

Canned pineapple and peaches — Yes, you read that correctly.  Canned fruit.  If you get the fruit that’s packed in water, not syrup, this is a good way to stave of scurvy during the winter months when fresh local fruit is not available.  Even better, it’s possible to get really great deals on canned fruit and stock up when the prices are so good — in recent months, one of Recycla’s local grocery stores has been selling pineapple for ten cans for $10.  Recycla’s daughters like to have a little pineapple with their breakfast because they say it wakes up their taste buds.

Soups — Homemade soup can be made from just about anything and is cheap and nutritious.  Click here for more information.

Finally, consider growing your own food.  Even apartment dwellers can grow herbs in a window sill or tomatoes in a pot on a balcony.  Even the smallest of herbs can save you money on your grocery bill.  Several of the Eco Women are experienced gardeners so, if you’re interested, they can write some posts on easy gardening.

Does anyone else have any other suggestions for eating well for not very much money?