What are some tasty, healthy, affordable foods?

Answer 1

Finding affordable food is as easy as taking a walk in your grocery store, but of course that doesn't always mean what you find will be tasty or healthy. To make matters more difficult, a lot of health food right now is more expensive than sugary snacks and all the stuff we're sort of "used to". Don't lose hope, though, because you CAN find healthy, tasty, affordable food, and it shouldn't be much work at all ;)

First of all, finding healthy food is just the beginning. Once you get that food home, how you prepare it will determine how much you enjoy it. Now of course, some things need no work at all. Fruits and vegetables are good all by themselves...raw, plain, and delicious. But you can tire quickly of having the same thing prepared the same way everyday, so it's good to mix things up a little bit. An easy way to start off would be making a big portion of something - like a simple marinara sauce - and freezing the leftovers to be used later on. One dish can be used in so many ways, and what you make doesn't have to be expensive.

I mentioned that "health food" is usually more costly than everything else. This is true for brands that specialize in that category of food, but check out what your grocery store's generic brand is starting to come up with. Manufacturers realize that more and more Americans are looking for ways to improve their diet, and these manufacturers have to keep up with that demand. I now find healthier food, that was once limited to being sold by one or two brands, sold by my grocery store's generic brand. In many cases even the food that is not brand-name tastes pretty much the same, and it's much cheaper.

Staying away from already-prepared food can cut costs. Plus, by cooking your own meals, you are controlling what goes into your food, which can make it much better for you health-wise. Here are some ideas you may want to try...

Simple Tomato Sauce (& Chicken Parmesan)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_26913,00.html?rsrc=search
Make a double batch of this tomato sauce, and then freeze the rest for use in another dish. You can use it in so many ways once it's made, from the chicken Parmesan recipe on the same page to a dipping sauce for bread sticks to a flavor boost for pasta.

Speaking of pasta....
It's something cheap (a one pound box usually costs about $1). It tastes good. There are so many possibilities when cooking it. Also, there are many whole-grain pastas available today, so you can try one of those for something a bit more healthy.

Soup is another great dish that you can use more than once in a week. If you make a nice sized batch on Sunday, you can have some for dinner that night, and then have it for lunch another day or even have some again as a side or something at dinner.
Chicken Provencal "Stoup" (thicker than soup, thinner than stew)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_28907,00.html?rsrc=search

Don't forget dessert! Some healthy ideas that won't cost much include...

-yogurt parfaits or yogurt & granola
For a parfait, layer some yogurt with your choice of pieces of fruit, granola, light whipped topping, and/or crushed low-fat cookies. Or just enjoy some yogurt with a sprinkle of granola. My favorite is organic Stonyfield cream-on-top Strawberries & Cream yogurt with Kashi Go-Lean Crunch cereal. I also like a really tasty cinnamon granola cereal that's just my grocery store's generic brand.

- Berries & cream - wash a handful of berries and put a dollop of light whipped topping or fresh whipped cream on top. So easy, and sooo delicious :) Berries can be a little expensive when not in season, so look for whatever you can find at a good price and always enjoy what's in season.

-Frozen Yogurt

-Sorbet
Lemon Sorbet:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_23745,00.html?rsrc=search
Very affordable. A little sugary, but something sweet every now and then is just fine :) Plus this particular recipe yields about 2 cups of sorbet, so you have about 4 servings in there.

If you need more ideas, I suggest checking the Food Network website. There are 2 great shows you might enjoy on their television network - Good Deal with Dave Leiberman & Quick-Fix Meals with Robin miller. Dave cooks for crowds, but always keeps things affordable. Robin uses a bit of preparation to turn a few simple ingredients into 3 different meals for the week.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_da
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_rm/text/0,2757,FOOD_23676_47418,00.html


Hope I helped :)

Answer 2

I agree that fruits and vegetables are your best bet, but don't look for produce at the supermarket. Try finding a produce store that sells local goods or a farmer's market. I find non-supermarket produce is usually cheaper and is much higher in quality!

Thing is, you kind of have to roll up your sleeves for healthy, affordable foods by making them yourself. Homemade soups are a good place to start; instead of buying canned soup, try making it from scratch. It's not difficult, and you can control things like sodium and sugar levels. Same goes for stirfrys, salads, sandwiches, grilled food and even desserts! There are a ton of healthy recipes online - a quick Google search will get you started. Good luck!

Answer 3

Buy pastas and lots of veggies and different types of dressing to pour over them. Also, keep rice with that and mix it up. Try a wrap instead of bread, and add fresh veggies will dill dip and anything healthy you want on it.

Make stocks at home and make your own soups, nothing better than soup!

Answer 4

Apples, Healthy choice and Smart ones meals, carrots, I guess everything below the junk on the food pyramid.

Answer 5

1. oodles an noodles with cheese(ramen)
2. spaghetti o's
3. p nut butter an jelly
4. bologna an cheese
5.

Answer 6

chicken. veg. bread. (pretty much as much as you can eat without going over calories, sugar, or (ESPECIALLY) sodium. those three could be your biggest enemies. just look on the Nutrition Fact label. That will answer your question.

Answer 7

Peanut butter, for one....Fruit, veggies, Really just eat what you like, & want. Healthy?.......Hey, it's not healthy to breath the outside air!!!..............

Answer 8

Fruit and vegetables, depending of course of the time of the year.

Soups can also be both delicious and nutritious, depending of the ingredients you use.

Answer 9

Umm, bananas, apples, raisins, all the stuff your mom said was good for you, or almost anything on the fresh produce aisle.

Answer 10

Have you had banana chips? You should also try eating wraps and stuff