Healthy Eating on a Budget

The biggest complaint I hear from people about eating healthy is how expensive it is.  And yes, when you’re buying the same product in organic, it’s typically more expensive.  At my house, there are things we always buy organic and things we’re ok buying conventional.  Check out the dirty dozen list at http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214.  But there are some really healthy foods that are really cheap. 

I recently bought this bag of organic quinoa at Costco for $7.99.  It came out to $0.20 per serving.  It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten fast food, but I think this might beat a drive-thru burger.  But, you do have to actually cook it yourself.  Luckily, it only needs about 15-20 minutes to cook and there’s no pre-soaking like you are supposed to do with rice.  So quinoa is fast food at my house!  Another bonus is that you can make a big batch and use it all week.  Quinoa is called a “super grain” because it is a great source of protein. It contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. Quinoa is a good source of manganese, magnesium (which may help people who suffer from migraines), iron, copper and phosphorus. It has antioxidant properties, is high in fiber, and has a host of other health benefits.

Another thing that you get a great nutritional bang for your buck is dried beans and lentils.  You can typically buy these in bulk or bagged.  They are cheaper than canned this way, but there is some prep work here.  You have to either soak them overnight, which really doesn’t take any time at all it’s just a matter of thinking ahead, or you can do a “quick soak” which usually means boiling them for 2 minutes, then letting them soak for about 2 hours.  Again, it’s not much of your time, just planning ahead.  Then you have to cook them before using, usually somewhere around 45 minutes. When I’m planning on using beans for a dinner, I’ll try to “quick soak” and cook them in the morning or throughout the day whenever I’m home, then they’re ready to go by dinner time.  For example, I like to use garbanzo beans to make hummus and black or pinto beans for bean dips, so a few minutes in the blender or food processor with some seasoning and a little liquid, and then it’s in the fridge until we’re ready to use it.  Beans are high in protein and fiber, along with other vitamins and minerals that make it a superfood.

So if you’re saving money on healthy grains and dried beans (and maybe avoiding the snack aisle) you can make room in your budget for fresh fruits and vegetables.  It really does take some planning and dedication to cooking from scratch, but you can eat healthy on a budget.  Try making this quinoa salad on Sunday and eating it for lunch for the next few days.

Black-Eyed Quinoa Salad

2 cups cooked black-eyed peas, or 1 15-ounce can black-eyed peas, drained
2 cups cooked quinoa (1/2 cup dry quinoa to 1 cup water)

3 cups chopped fresh spinach
¹/₂ cup finely sliced leek (or green onions)
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
1 tomato, diced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
¹/₄ cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
¹/₄ teaspoon salt
1 - 2 garlic cloves, crushed

Combine black-eyed peas, quinoa, spinach, leek, celery, tomato, and parsley in a mixing bowl. In a small bowl, mix together lemon juice, oil, salt, and garlic and pour over the salad. Toss gently. Chill 1 to 2 hours if time permits. (Note: black-eyed peas are actually a bean)

I also enjoy eating quinoa for breakfast, similar to oatmeal or porridge.  If you’ve cooked a batch of plain quinoa for the week, it takes only a few minutes to prepare in the morning.  It’s a nice change, especially with the cool weather rolling in.

Breakfast Quinoa

1 cup cooked quinoa

heat with milk of choice

then add:  raisins, cinnamon, fruit and maybe a little honey or maple syrup.