Biggest nutritional "bangs for your buck." What are yours?

[Cindy in C-ville]

After several years of really just surviving (adoption, church crisis, husband resigning, me working, kids in public school), we are beginning to get back into our groove. This week I made bread and yogurt for the first time in two years. While I've sporadically made green smoothies throughout this period, we're back to making them daily.

 

But, we are on a VERY limited budget. So, what I want to know is what you have found to be the most value-friendly nutritional strategies for your family.

 

Can't wait to hear what you do to stretch the dollar and feed your family well!

[Scarymelon]

Taco Bowls; Once a week I mix up a lb of ground beef with brown rice and home cooked beans and I add homemade taco seasoning. The kids can make some taco related meal out of it; they can make burritos, nachos, or taco salad out of it.

[livingnlearning]

spinach (not prewashed) and frozen blueberries, I add them to lots of things for a big nutritional boost. Also flax seeds or oil (put that in your bread) a little packs a punch. Celery actually has a lot of nutritional value and it's inexpensive. Broccoli in everything, I'll shred it and add it to pasta dishes or salads or just rough chop it and roast it. Carrots too for that matter. Or cabbage. When grocery costs went sky high last year I stopped with the prepacked spinach and fennel and went back to good old carrots, broccoli and cabbage. Grow your own herbs too-they're very easy to grow and so expensive to buy!

[Carol in Cal.]

Tomatoes:

Grow them--it's easy and they are prolific.

They are very high in vitamins A AND C, which is kind of unusual, and they have lots of lutein as well.

We eat mini-cherries in huge quantities, just as they come off the vine. We slice or quarter others and drizzle with vinegar and a little olive oil and eat them as a salad. We put big slices onto pizza. We also use cherries in pasta salads and hot pasta dishes.

 

Basil:

Also very easy to grow. Very tasty with all the tomato dishes above, and much more nutritious then plain lettuce. I thinly slice the leaves and put them into salads as well.

 

Spinach:

Eat fresh in a salad.

Eat lightly steamed with lemon juice and/or olive oil.

Use in casseroles or dips.

Extraordinarily high in both vitamins and minerals

[melissel]

Wow, I was just thinking yesterday about posting a thread like this but wasn't quite sure how I would word it. I'm totally :bigear:.

[FaithManor]

Here, everyone eats a salad and usually every day. It doesn't have to have huge amount of veggies on those butter lettuce leaves. Just a sprinkle of red pepper, celery, shredded carrot, and broccoli goes a long ways. A nice vitamin/mineral bowl and for children, it doesn't take a lot to be two or three servings of veggies.

 

I do a lot of mexican. I make my own salsa every year (so home grown tomatoes, red peppers, onions, etc. all chopped and cooked together along with spices) and then run it through the blender and mix with beans and shredded chicken, pork, or ground beef. I then add some brown rice. Those filled tortillas are very filling and quite nutritional. It actually turns out to be a cheap way to feed the boys considering how much they like to eat. :D - A considerable amount I can tell you!

 

I also use a half box of shredded frozen spinach and run it through the blender with my pasta sauce for vegetarian lasagna that has lots of nutrients. My boys would reject it if they saw big piles of spinach in the layers, but blended, they just think it's a whole bunch of organic and basil. It's a good way to sneak it in.:lol:

 

Also, when I make a stew, since one of the boys can be quite picky about green veggies in his soup, I cook the veggies until tender first and blend with a little broth. Then I add this back to the stock pot with more broth, a little bit of stew meat or chicken (just enough to be a light serving of protein and add flavor, but not enough to drive the cost up) and also add a little rice. They chug it down and don't know that peas are hidden in the "sauce". :D

 

Additionally, berries of any kind but especially blueberries and raspberries pack a nutritional whollop. The kids and pick every year, wild or at the local "we are certified organic but we don't spray either" you-pick place. It's pretty cheap at the you-pick and I freeze them. I make a wonderful berry pie (our own strawberry patch goes towards this) make with an organic crust and honey instead of sugar. The kids love it. I also add berries to pancake batter and whole grain muffins. This end up being cheap, nutrient dense, fillers for the boys who would otherwise eat us into bankruptcy.

 

Faith

[Jamauk]

My first thought was green smoothies! My kids don't regularly eat veggies, but I know I can get at least two green smoothies in them everyday.

 

I use fresh spinach, one banana and a handful of frozen fruit. When the frozen fruit goes on sale I stock up and fill up my freezer.

 

Since we're coming into the colder season, soups & chilis are great ways to stretch out your meat and sneak in some additional nutrition.

 

I love to make chili and by the time we're all sick of eating it (usually a few servings left), I throw in a box of Mac & cheese. It's not the most nutritious thing, but it stretches the chili into one more meal, but makes it different enough that everyone is ok with it.

 

There are so many things you can do with beans. I buy them dry and cook up a batch in my crockpot. Then I freezer them in Ziploc bags (quart size holds about the same as a can of beans).

[happygrrl]

Probiotics- It doesn't matter how good we eat if we aren't digesting the food well. The cheapest is homemade sauerkraut and kimchi, a little with each meal.

 

Fat- Eating fattier cuts of meat help us feel satisfied and nourished (even with smaller portions). It also has raised my Vit.D levels like crazy, allowing me to stop taking expensive Vit. D injections. It can also be cheaper (we prefer to eat a chicken thigh over a chicken breast any day!).

 

CSA basket for the things we don't grow- This has made a huge dent in the budget, as well as introducing us to veg we have never tried.

 

Buying meat in bulk from the farmer- A huge cash outlay up front, but cost effective in the long run. I had not had a steak for years as we could not afford it. Now we are getting those very expensive cuts of meat for the same price per pound as hamburger!

[Jennifer3141]

Beans!! I add at least one bean to every soup. I've got chili out on the fire pit cooking right now.

 

Grass fed buffalo. More nutritious than chicken and FAR better than beef.

 

And I heart whomever said soup. You can pack so much nutrition into homemade chicken soup. I cook my carcasses with kale, spinach, and whatever greens I can cram into the pot.

 

Garlic too. :)

[WeeBeaks]

Gardening: Kale, collards, chard and such are prolific here, fairly drought tolerant where I am and perennial pretty much in So. Cal., at least the collards and kale. I put them in smoothies, sauted, in soups.

 

Tomatoes: Someone already mentioned. LOTS of tomatoes here, homemade pasta sauce, and the noodles are cheap. Homemade sauce with other garden items is budget and health friendly. Even the organic whole wheat pasta at Costco is quite economical.

 

Homemade breads for sure. Even muffins as a treat can be made healthier than store purchased - whole wheat, honey or alternative sweetener, veggie them up.

 

Dried beans to do your own cooking and dried garbanzo for hummus for a nice dip for your garden produce.

 

Oatmeal, quinoa and alternative grain breakfasts. We do this more in the winter, when we shiver with our green smoothie. A hot breakfast works.

[Aggie]

When our hens are laying well, we have eggs every day. Even store-bought eggs are pretty cheap.

 

Lentils and other legumes. Lots of protein and fiber. Very cheap. :)

 

Spinach. Ime, this is a great time to plant it. It doesn't take much room and it's so easy to grow. Throw in green onions, an apple, cukes, grapes, sunflower seeds, etc for a great salad.

 

I buy from the sale meat bin. When I cook lunch, I'll make extra for supper and tomorrow's meals. It's not unusual to have roast for breakfast.

 

Our grocery store puts veggies and fruits on sale the day before their shipment is due in, so I buy produce then.

 

This summer I bought 10 gallons of milk for $1/gal and made yogurt out of it. We froze the yogurt in ice cube trays and use it for smoothies.

 

We have very few grain products, although I do buy oatmeal at Costco, though.:001_smile: I rarely buy cheese.

 

hth!

[Cindy in C-ville]

Probiotics- It doesn't matter how good we eat if we aren't digesting the food well. The cheapest is homemade sauerkraut and kimchi, a little with each meal.

 

Fat- Eating fattier cuts of meat help us feel satisfied and nourished (even with smaller portions). It also has raised my Vit.D levels like crazy, allowing me to stop taking expensive Vit. D injections. It can also be cheaper (we prefer to eat a chicken thigh over a chicken breast any day!).

 

CSA basket for the things we don't grow- This has made a huge dent in the budget, as well as introducing us to veg we have never tried.

 

Buying meat in bulk from the farmer- A huge cash outlay up front, but cost effective in the long run. I had not had a steak for years as we could not afford it. Now we are getting those very expensive cuts of meat for the same price per pound as hamburger!

 

Sounds like you're a Nourishing Traditions fan. Am I right? I have read it, but so much of seems SO time/energy intensive. Thoughts?

[KungFuPanda]

Homemade hummus served with whole wheat pita (also homemade) is cheap, filling, and a complete protien. Ditto for any beans and rice dish.

[Jyniffrec]

Homemade chicken stock. It is very, very good for you in endless ways and it helps with not eating as much eat.

 

Good fats. Coconut oil (in smoothies for us), cod liver oil (huge!), and good meat that has fat (the bad stuff is stored in the fat of the animal so eating grass fed beef, or free range chicken, is a good idea)

 

Fermentation, as another person said, is extremely healthy for you. We make homemade sauerkraut (kimchi is easy to make, too), and we soak our beans in apple cider vinegar (raw, Bragg's brand) - you can't taste it at all and it makes them more digestible and doesn't cause the stomach problems. We also soak brown rice in vinegar, which gives it a nice taste and it is much softer than just cooking it in water out of the bag.

 

Kombucha is a natural, fermented (not alcoholic, though) drink that is a superfood and tastes very good. It takes away my craving for sweets and sodas.

 

Local, free range eggs. You can tell how good they are by how yellow (or orange!) the yolk is.

 

Milk. Raw milk from a farmer should cost you around $5 a gallon. You can make loads of good foods from it that are far cheaper to make at home than to buy (and far healthier). We make yogurt, butter and, on occasion, cheese. Mozzarella is really easy to make. The cream is also very, very good in coffee. There are other things you can make but we don't.

 

It has taken us a long time to get to the point where we can do many of these things naturally and some of them we just do in spurts.

 

Now I need to go finish my Wendy's lunch... :rolleyes:

[Momto3indians]

...and really the 'snack foods' are expensive so we cut those out. No more soda, etc.

 

A rice cooker is handy and a great healthy filler

Homemade chili is the best and goes a long way

Homemade soups with that homemade bread of yours

Wraps...having the 'fixings' ready to go so anyone can fix their own

Homemade hummus...it's easy...much less expensive, too

We don't drink milk here...water, water, water...but we do drink almond milk or hemp milk...just not 'in' a glass. We add it to everything instead of 'milk'.

We don't buy ice-cream anymore - you can either make your own or have that as a 'treat' occasionally. We use to always buy that to have on hand...and it adds up after awhile!

[Cindy in C-ville]

Thanks, Gals! Great ideas and you're helping me remember stuff we already do:

 

1. Salads with homemade dressing - berries, nuts, a variety of greens

2. Soups. I LOVE to make soups when the weather is cooler.

3. Homemade hummus - love this AND it's so easy in my Blendtec.

 

I haven't done so well with cooking dried beans. What are the easiest ways to cook them and then what are your favorite ways of using them?

 

Probiotics. So, are fermented foods really the best way to get them?

 

I should look into finding a local source of beef/chicken. We do have a man in our church who is going to start supplying me with farm eggs.

 

We looked into kombucha at one point, but never bought the shroom. The kids love it, but it seemed a bit intensive. Thoughts?

 

Would love to be doing raw milk, but $5.00/gallon is steep for as much milk as we drink.

 

Other thoughts? Ideas?

[Jyniffrec]

Thanks, Gals! Great ideas and you're helping me remember stuff we already do:

 

1. Salads with homemade dressing - berries, nuts, a variety of greens

2. Soups. I LOVE to make soups when the weather is cooler.

3. Homemade hummus - love this AND it's so easy in my Blendtec.

 

I haven't done so well with cooking dried beans. What are the easiest ways to cook them and then what are your favorite ways of using them?

 

Probiotics. So, are fermented foods really the best way to get them?

 

I should look into finding a local source of beef/chicken. We do have a man in our church who is going to start supplying me with farm eggs.

 

We looked into kombucha at one point, but never bought the shroom. The kids love it, but it seemed a bit intensive. Thoughts?

 

Would love to be doing raw milk, but $5.00/gallon is steep for as much milk as we drink.

 

Other thoughts? Ideas?

 

Beans: soak them overnight in the vinegar and then cook them in either a crock pot for several hours or just in a pot for an hour or two. Don't add any seasoning until they are at the tenderness that you prefer. Once you get better at cooking them you can start adding in seasonings. We really like pinto beans and corn bread and it is a really cheap meal.

 

Kombucha: cut it with lots of water, or as much as you feel is good for your family.

 

Milk: $5 is a little high, but the health benefits are huge. Start looking into the milk on the market, even the "organic" stuff and you may change your mind about the cost. One of the reasons we buy locally is because the farmer has to face us every week so he makes sure his product is good. Not so on the big farms.

 

We love homemade hummus as well. I soak the chickpeas the same as with the other beans and then cook the hound out of them. I use sesame seeds that I grind up instead of buying tahini (expensive!).

[FaithManor]

OH, a couple of things I forgot to add...I make a nifty granola of oats, a little honey, chocolate chips (just a few for fun), sunflower seeds, and chopped, dried apple. It's crumbly - they don't like dry bars. They eat it as cereal and as a snack.

 

We do a lot of popcorn with sprinkled butter and parmesan which is popular and filling.

 

Also, I bought an ice cream maker at a garage sale for $5.00, they'd never used it! What a bargain? We use Mabel's milk though I'm certain that store bought milk plus a 1/2 pint of heavy cream would do the trick as well. We get almost a whole gallon out of every batch. Considering that ice cream with lots of artificial flavoring is $4.00 for 1.75 quarts, this is twice a much for the same price or a little less. We let the boys have it 8 oz. (1 cup scoop) at a time with chocolate chips or berries on top. It helps fill their bottomless pit stomachs.

 

I'm so glad they aren't interested in training heavily for any sport. They like to work out at the church gym and ride their bikes, but what I'd do if they were in serious training for football, basketball, soccer, etc. I don't know! They eat so much now and are skinny as rails. If they had to eat even more high caloric foods and proteins in order to build muscle to some coach's specification, we'd be in the poor house for certain.

 

Faith

[melissel]

Beans: soak them overnight in the vinegar and then cook them in either a crock pot for several hours or just in a pot for an hour or two. Don't add any seasoning until they are at the tenderness that you prefer. Once you get better at cooking them you can start adding in seasonings. We really like pinto beans and corn bread and it is a really cheap meal.

 

This is a hijack, but Jyniffrec, do you use straight vinegar to soak the beans/chickpeas you eat, or do you add water too? Can I use regular ACV, or does it have to be Bragg's? We love beans here, but I simply cannot digest them (legumes of any kind, really), no matter how often we eat them or how I've tried to prepare them. I've never tried ACV though!

[Snickerdoodle]

We looked into kombucha at one point, but never bought the shroom. The kids love it, but it seemed a bit intensive. Thoughts?

 

Extremely easy to prepare. You can grow your own scoby if you have access to one bottle of unpasteurized kombucha.

[happygrrl]

Sounds like you're a Nourishing Traditions fan. Am I right? I have read it, but so much of seems SO time/energy intensive. Thoughts?

 

Well, I own a copy, but have to confess that I have not read it.:D

 

I do think that the "traditional diet" folks are on to something. The thing that bugs me about NT, though, is that people seem so.... religious about it. Now, last year we did do an energy/time intensive regimen to heal serious health issues. But once we followed that for 6 weeks (and then a lighter version for a year), we seem to be able to eat more Paleo-style, which is easier on us all.

 

For example- dinner last night was meat on the grill, salad, and roasted veggies. That takes about 30-45 minutes, which is about how long I needed to make dinner before cleaning up my diet. We don't do anything that takes me forever to make (unless we eat it on a Saturday when I feel like playing around in the kitchen). We also take a relaxed approach... yesterday was ds' birthday, and we had a cake. I figure that for us, as long as we keep within a 90% "good food" range, we can have fun with the other 10%. (Exception: I have more serious issues, so am going to have to lose that 10% for a while. Sigh.)

 

So I guess I follow the Paleo style more now, simply because it is easier. I would rather not eat bread than spend 3 days making it :D. Nutritionally, emotionally and financially this seems to work well for us.

 

(By Paleo I mean the stuff I read in "Paleo-Diet" by Rob Wolff, with the exception that we also love fermented and raw dairy).

[melissel]

A few people have mentioned ice cream and berries. This is something we've made that we love (and I don't even really like bananas--when it's first made and freezing cold, you don't even taste them). I made it in a small, 4-cup food processor, and that was hard on the motor. A big processor would make it in a snap. A friend of mine serves it to her kids in cones for breakfast. They think it's a huge treat :lol:

 

http://www.mothering.com/recipes/better-ice-cream

[Mergath]

Avocados, hands down. We love sandwiches made with whole grain bread, a bit of mayo, slices of avocado, swiss cheese, and sprouts. They taste amazing, and avocado is one of the best foods you can eat.

 

I've read Nourishing Traditions. There is a lot of good advice in it, but I don't agree with all of it. Yes, there are many cultures in the world who have a high fat, high protein diet, but having studied anthropology in college, I also know that most of those people get more exercise in a day that the average American gets in a week, and it's probably that which keeps them so healthy, not a diet high in fat. It's a good read, but don't blindly accept everything in it. Fat can be an important part of a healthy diet, but it shouldn't be the foundation of it.

[amyinva]

Next time you or G are coming to town, let me know and I will send you a kombucha scoby.

 

I also need step-by-step instructions on how to cook dry beans without them being either underdone or mushy. For me, there is no in between.

Edited September 14, 2011 by Amy in VA

[melissel]

I like! I love teriyaki chicken bowls.

 

Recipe please! It's the rule, you know... :D

[Ria]

Real foods. Not too much meat. Homemade breads and homemade pasta (whole grain).

 

Soup and sandwiches once a week.

Vegetarian one a week (it's actually more; the boys just know about "meatless Monday" but don't realize that some of their other favorites have no meat!)

Homemade salade dressings

Make my own yogurt (lots of uses from making cornbread to breakfasts to salad dressings...just use mason jars, no need for a fancy machine)

[Cindy in C-ville]

Next time you or G are coming to town, let me know and I will send you a kombucha scoby.

 

I also need step-by-step instructions on how to cook dry beans without them being either underdone or mushy. For me, there is no in between.

 

Thanks, Amy! Will do. Didn't know you were scoby-ing. :) Do you know the McCaskills? That's how we were introduced to kombucha.

[Cindy in C-ville]

Real foods. Not too much meat. Homemade breads and homemade pasta (whole grain).

 

Soup and sandwiches once a week.

Vegetarian one a week (it's actually more; the boys just know about "meatless Monday" but don't realize that some of their other favorites have no meat!)

Homemade salade dressings

Make my own yogurt (lots of uses from making cornbread to breakfasts to salad dressings...just use mason jars, no need for a fancy machine)

 

What are your favorite salad dressings? This is a silly question, but do you put them in a jar in the fridge and then pour out of the jar? I've looked for the perfect salad dressing dispenser and can't find one I like.

[Cindy in C-ville]

Avocados, hands down. We love sandwiches made with whole grain bread, a bit of mayo, slices of avocado, swiss cheese, and sprouts. They taste amazing, and avocado is one of the best foods you can eat.

.

 

We LOVE avocado too. Great idea with the sandwiches!

[Cindy in C-ville]

Beans: soak them overnight in the vinegar and then cook them in either a crock pot for several hours or just in a pot for an hour or two. Don't add any seasoning until they are at the tenderness that you prefer. Once you get better at cooking them you can start adding in seasonings. We really like pinto beans and corn bread and it is a really cheap meal.

 

Thanks for the bean tips! I"m going to soak some tonight. Amy, I'll let you know how they come out. Beans and cornbread sounds like a great combo for dinner tomorrow night.

[ebunny]

We're vegetarians and my high nutrition favs are

1- Chickpeas and black beans (or any other kind of dried beans)

2-avocado

3- Red, yellow and green bell peppers

4-yogurt (homemade, plain)

5-pomegranates (They're grown almost through the year in India)

6- Lentils

7- Pumpkin (we use it in a curry, not in a dessert)

[Cindy in C-ville]

We're vegetarians and my high nutrition favs are

1- Chickpeas and black beans (or any other kind of dried beans)

2-avocado

3- Red, yellow and green bell peppers

4-yogurt (homemade, plain)

5-pomegranates (They're grown almost through the year in India)

6- Lentils

7- Pumpkin (we use it in a curry, not in a dessert)

 

 

Pumpkin. Talk to me about pumpkin. I don't know how to do anything with it other than put it in muffins.

[Parker Martin]

Now:

Eggs scrambled with cheese.

Ground chuck (burgers, tacos, etc.)

 

Back when we ate more carbs:

Dry beans and lentils. I think there was a year where we ate a different kind of bean for dinner every night.

[butterflymommy]

Strictly speaking, the biggest nutritional "bang" is found in leafy greens. But they are not necessarily economical, though frozen spinach and collards can be cheap. Second to greens in terms of nutrition would be beans/ legumes, which are very cheap if bought dried and aren't even that expensive canned. The much maligned potato is also a good source of nutrition assuming you eat the skins and not just the flesh.

 

I am very surprised to see people mentioning avocados-- yes they are good for you, but they are pricey! Same goes for berries-- healthy yes, cheap no. I also wouldn't necessarily consider meat a good source of nutrients-- a source of protein yes, but very limited in terms of nutrients and totally devoid of antioxidants/ phytochemicals. And it can be difficult to find dirt cheap.

[ebunny]

Pumpkin. Talk to me about pumpkin. I don't know how to do anything with it other than put it in muffins.

I make a "Paratha" (among many other things) with pumpkin. A kind of flatbread that's roasted on the griddle.

My DD loves it. I had Indian spices to it and it's just the right sweetness.

 

But here's a few recipes with pumpkin that I use...they're yummy.

http://www.foodieshope.org/2006/09/butternut-squash-waffles-and-indian.html

 

http://www.sailusfood.com/2005/11/15/yerra-gummadikaya-kura-pumpkin-curry/

 

http://www.indianfoodrocks.com/2007/11/curry-that-pumpkin.html

[Cindy in C-ville]

I make a "Paratha" (among many other things) with pumpkin. A kind of flatbread that's roasted on the griddle.

My DD loves it. I had Indian spices to it and it's just the right sweetness.

 

But here's a few recipes with pumpkin that I use...they're yummy.

http://www.foodieshope.org/2006/09/butternut-squash-waffles-and-indian.html

 

http://www.sailusfood.com/2005/11/15/yerra-gummadikaya-kura-pumpkin-curry/

 

http://www.indianfoodrocks.com/2007/11/curry-that-pumpkin.html

 

Thanks! I'll check them out tomorrow. :)

[Peela]

Green Smoothies. (eg banana, baby spinach, water or fresh OJ)

 

Spirulina powder- in tablet form if you dont like the taste.

 

Basically, most people dont eat enough greens but they are really important nutritionally.

[K&Rs Mom]

Pumpkin. Talk to me about pumpkin. I don't know how to do anything with it other than put it in muffins.

 

Any kind of fall squash (pumpkin, acorn, butternut, etc), I bake, puree, and freeze in cubes. It's my "secret ingredient" in things like macaroni & cheese - the yellow color blends in, and it makes it creamier. The kids love that they know the secret and dh doesn't. ;)

[helena]

I've been really into making broths on Sundays with the weeks scraps and looked-over veggies.

 

A penny saved is a penny earned! It's good for you, and it makes the best Minestrone.

[myfunnybunch]

Any kind of fall squash (pumpkin, acorn, butternut, etc), I bake, puree, and freeze in cubes.

 

We do this too. I add the puree to baked goods and pasta sauce.

 

Pumpkin and other orange winter squashes (butternut, delicata) are also good cubed and roasted. I either toss the cubes in butter and a little cinnamon & sugar, or in olive oil with a little salt & pepper.

 

Squash/pumpkin soup. Sometimes instead of adding cream for a creamy soup, I'll add coconut milk and curry and cumin and a little chipoltle powder for a coconut curry squash soup.

 

Winter squash (which includes pumpkins--we always grow or buy the pie/sugar variety) are really nutritious, easy to grow if you're interested in trying to garden, and you get a lot of bang for your buck. One butternut squash makes our faimly enough soup for dinner and the next day's lunch, or cubed roasted squash with enough leftover to mash and add to scones or muffins or pancakes.

 

Cat

[missmoe]

Potatoes are quite cheap and nutritional. At 20 cents a pound I can't beat the price. And there are a million ways to prepare them.

 

hashbrowns

baked

soup

ect

[Annie Laurie]

 

I am very surprised to see people mentioning avocados-- yes they are good for you, but they are pricey! Same goes for berries-- healthy yes, cheap no. I also wouldn't necessarily consider meat a good source of nutrients-- a source of protein yes, but very limited in terms of nutrients and totally devoid of antioxidants/ phytochemicals. And it can be difficult to find dirt cheap.

 

Agreed. Our grocery bills our huge because we do buy those things. Berries are on the dirty dozen so I only buy organic which is really expensive. Same for meat, I don't want the cheapest, I want free range, grass-fed. That is super expensive, so we just try not to eat much meat. I didn't see anyone mention fish, but I'd rather eat wild salmon than meat, as far as nutrition goes. It's not cheap either, but Costco has it sometimes for a good price, at least in my part of the country. (You have to watch though, sometimes they have farmed salmon which I wouldn't eat).

[ElizaG]

Beans + soup = bean soup :)

 

It's one of our favorite ways to eat beans, and there's no need to calculate how much water to add when you cook them. Just soak the dried beans, drain them, and add them to the pot with the other ingredients. There are lots of recipes online for:

 

Minestrone

Bean soup with sausage and kale

Senate bean soup

Black bean soup

Split pea soup

Lentil soup

 

yum yum :)

[KungFuPanda]

We LOVE avocado too. Great idea with the sandwiches!

 

I'm jealous of people who live where avacados are affordable. You have to take outa mortgage to buy them in MD.

[Renee in NC]

Potatoes are quite cheap and nutritional. At 20 cents a pound I can't beat the price. And there are a million ways to prepare them.

 

hashbrowns

baked

soup

ect

 

We love potatoes here, but even on sale I can't find them cheaper than 40 cents a pound and that is rare. They are more likely to be found at 60 cents a pound!

 

I make mashed potatoes with the skin on to make them healthier.

[Joyofsixreboot]

Brown rice, beans, frozen spinach and broccoli. I use one or more of those 4 things in most lunches or dinners. I tend to " hide" the spinach. I use carrots a lot too. Soups, sauces, casseroles, skillet meals take to these well.

[missmoe]

We love potatoes here, but even on sale I can't find them cheaper than 40 cents a pound and that is rare. They are more likely to be found at 60 cents a pound!

 

I make mashed potatoes with the skin on to make them healthier.

 

I can often get a 10 lb bag for $2.00 here in Southern CA. And yes the skins are a must! Also, growing potatoes is really easy and makes them even cheaper.

[raceNzanesmom]

I haven't done so well with cooking dried beans. What are the easiest ways to cook them and then what are your favorite ways of using them?

 

 

Always soak and rinse. Never add salt until the end. We like pinto with a piece of beef, northern with ham, or any with a little stock and veggies.

 

A big savings for us has been buying tortillas at a Mexican store vs the regular grocers. Dh gets corn tortillas 3pk/$1 and excellent flour ones for .79. Not necessarily a health benefit, but when you go through as many as we do the savings as been huge.

 

Save bread ends in the freezer. Make your own bread crumbs when needed. Healthier and cheaper than store bought.

 

Add a little ground flax to everything.

 

I also make our elderberry syrup for cold season. Super cheap to make, lots of health benefits. I buy the berries in bulk from Frontier co-op. Same with tooth powder, cod liver oil, etc. Saves a ton.

 

Make sure everyone gets some daily sunshine.

 

Freeze bananas and blend with a little milk for a delicious ice cream like treat.

 

Toss veggies in everything. Even ends- leave whole, spoon out before serving.

 

Bone broth!

[Cindy in C-ville]

 

Save bread ends in the freezer. Make your own bread crumbs when needed. Healthier and cheaper than store bought.

 

Add a little ground flax to everything.

 

 

Great and EASY ideas!