Eating Healthy On A Budget

I have had several people bring up this topic lately. Any tips on eating healthy on a budget? One individual was a college grad student (and trust me, I could TOTALLY relate to him, as I was a grad student just a few years ago- and now, I am a broke Social Worker drowning in student loans, so I am not sure it got any better- heheheh :) ).

After brainstorming, and reading a few articles, here is what we came up with: (Of course, depending on how you try to eat, for example, low carb, low calorie, a combo of the two, etc, you should personalize this for your own nutritional needs)...

1. Oatmeal (not the individual packs)- the big tubes. Inexpensive, and they go a long way, and very healthy. Add some banana's, or your favorite fresh fruit. Great, filling meal!




2. Anything you can save, refridgerate, and eat later would be helpful... maybe some healthy soups in the crock pot.




3. Chopping up some fruit, throw it in freezer bags, and save for fresh smoothies (will make the fruit last longer, especially if you live alone, or are the only healthy eater in the home).




4. I Love the egg whites in the large cartons (any generic brand). Low calorie, and great protien. Add some salsa to spice it up, or low fat cheese.




5. Multi Grain arnold rounds are great for sandwiches- low sodium turkey is great for a filling sandwich. Also, try this egg salad recipe: (Double it, throw in the fridge and use twice in the week).

1/4 cup chopped celery

1 boiled egg

1 boiled egg (use the white only with this egg)

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

dash of pepper

2 Tablespoons of Light Miracle Whip

dash of dijon mustard

(Add just a bit more of the miracle whip if it is too dry).

6. One article I read, it suggested to grow your own garden. Realistically, who has time for that!? I know I don't, and especially if you are in college, you will not have the time, or the land for this. What I would suggest is this: Tap into any community resources that you know of! In my local community we have something called, "Community Garden Project". You can become a volunteer, and they show you how to till, weed, and care for a garden, and you help out with the garden when you can. You get to keep some of the product you grow, and some of the product goes to the local food pantry. I see this as a HUGE win/ win! # 1- You are giving back to your community. #2- You are learning how to have a garden. #3- You get free food that is healthy and fresh! #4- You don't have the hassle of having it at your own house, and don't have to put in as much time, since there are other volunteers helping!

7. Finally, I found a cookbook on amazon.com called, "The Healthy College Cookbook". Check it out!