Everything you need for rice and beans - feel free to adjust according to taste and ingredients
"Much ingenuity with a little money is vastly more profitable and amusing than much money without ingenuity." ~Arnold Bennett
MarketWatch recently wrote about a 29-year old woman who lost her job recently asked for cheap healthy meals in a Reddit post. She got hundreds of great tips and ideas. You can find her post here.
How can you be mindful on the cheap? You have to buy things on the cheap and use them all (zero food waste is ideal). To do so, start with a weekly menu plan. If there is produce on sale in the grocery store, it means that it is in season. Load up. Dried and canned beans, frozen vegetables, brown rice, canned tomatoes and fish - these are the cornerstones of affordable, healthy meals. If you find them on sale, buy in bulk as these can all go straight in the pantry and last. Vegetarian meals are cheaper than meat, but be mindful of getting protein through cheap sources like beans, legumes and eggs.
When you make meals, feel free to make extra portions that you can refrigerate and eat throughout the day, or freeze them for even more longevity. Use produce that won't spoil quickly - cabbage, collard greens, kale, squash, carrots, turnips (any root vegetables).
What to do - 3 Easy Steps to Eating Cheap and Healthy
- Get inspired and find some meals that you would like to cook. You can look at the Reddit post, review our Mindful recipes, or do your own search.
- Create your weekly menu plan that allows you to use all your food. You will be less likely to buy expensive last minute food if you have all your meals planned out as well. This is very important!
- Take your menu plan and do your weekly grocery shopping. Voila! You've maximized your wallet and your health. Pat yourself on the back!
What I ate: slice Ezekiel 4:9 bread +1.5 T cream cheese + avocado mash + hard boiled egg, 2T Welleco Elixir, Paleo popcorn, 2 Trader Joe dark chocolate mini peanut butter cups, 14 oz coffee + milk, slice cheese pizza, cookie, 5 grape leaves, Welleco vanilla protein drink, pear, Paleo popcorn, pistachios, raisin oatmeal cookie, Mariebelle hot chocolate, 40 oz water
Exercise: 60 min boot camp
