20 Cheap and Healthy Foods

 I read an interesting article on msn fitbe. I thought I would share it with you guys.

20 Cheap and Healthy Foods

Spaghetti! Family Spaghetti night = cheaper monthly food costs

Spaghetti is an awesome meal for the food budget conscious.  It is low cost, filling, and can feel like a nice family meal.  (something hot dogs and ramen lack)

It is easy to get 4 or 5 meals out of just a single pack of noodles and a single can of sauce. 

You can cut up veggies or add mushrooms or meat to make the sauce even more nutritious. ( Adding extras brings the price up significantly)


As for the noodles and sauce themselves they can sit in your cupboard for months before you prepare them. It is a great meal to have sitting around in case of an emergency meal.

By having a family spaghetti night you can significantly reduce the cost of monthly groceries. Feeding 5 people for two dollars!  You can add a simple side salad or frozen vegetables for more variety.


When adding meat to spaghetti remember that it is usually the most expensive part. Instead of using a whole pound of beef in the spaghetti try using only half a pound. You will still be able to taste the beef but you will be cutting your costs significantly.

Nutrition Information: Spaghetti
Nutrition Info : Hunts Spaghetti sauce


Calories (Noodles+ Sauce) = approx. 260
Price (per serving)= Approx $ 0.50

Poporn! Low calorie AND low Cost!

About to pop in a movie with the boyfriend? Looking for a cheap snack for the kids? Need to budget a bit tighter this month and don't want to spend all your money on cookies, candies, and chips? What about POPCORN?

Popcorn doesn't have to be that buttery salty gooy microwave popcorn you buy (although it can be if you like that). There are many cost effective ways to get light fluffy air popped popcorn which you can add toppings to yourself if you choose. Or munch on plain for a low calorie and low cost snack!

You can buy air popping microwave bowls at stores such as Target and Walmart for a low price. All you add are the seeds and watch it pop in the microwave! No need to buy an air popper, no need to have all the salt and butter (unless you like it).

I own a  Nordic Wear popcorn popper bowl which you can buy on Amazon for 8.89. It has worked for me many years without problems. All you do is add the seeds and microwave! The best part about this is that popcorn kernels are insanely cheap. A two dollar bag of popcorn seeds can last you a very very long time. This makes each serving of this snack mere pennies! You can snack to your hearts content without feeling too bad about price or even calories. 31 calories a cup!!! 




Next time you are budgeting your food costs if you are looking for a fun low calorie snack alternative look no further. :)

First Post

Hello!

My goal with this blog is to help others find low cost meal alternatives in this economy. Groceries can be a major household expense and by doing a little extra planning before heading to the store a person can save themselves hundreds.

My theory is that buy finding low cost meals to eat some days will free up money to have a really nice meal once and a while too, or may be help free up some spending cash.

Make sure when planning your meal you follow the basic food pyramid and include something from each food group whenever possible. Fruits and veggies are good for you!