Where Can I Find Healthy and Budget-Friendly Recipes?

[jcsmilez]

I'm trying to find a source for healthy and inexpensive recipes and/or tips. Any suggestions?

I have searched the web without much luck aside from starving college student type cookbooks. Often it seems like you have to choose between what is healthy and what is not as expensive - a hard choice with so many struggling financially right now.

TIA

 

[CookingwithMary]

What about vegetarian recipes? or the chicken (on sale) in the DCB?

 

[Stephaniecafe]

As a vegetarian, as long as you go whole grain, home cooked legumes, whole grain pastas it is a great way to stretch that food dollar.:thumbup: I am blessed to have a great farmers market really inexpensive but beautiful produce close! Otherwise I would grow my own-- in pots on my patio. I have a great source-- my favorite is Everyday Cooking with Dr. Dean Ornish. It is 150 recipes for low fat very high flavor and wonderful tips for adding depth and flavor without adding fat. I have tried a ton of the recipes and loved them all! Also, they are not too gourmet so your family can recognize something and be happy you are cooking healthy. He also wrote Eat More, Weigh Less; Stress Diet and Your Heart My other very all time favorite healthy cooking book is "The Best Light Recipes" by the authors of cooks illistrated magazine. Must have that one! ; BTW... I am known for my extreme penny pinching abilities in my circles. I did a lot of home made scratch cooking to be able to stretch the money and be at home for my little guys young years. I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything and feel really blessed we could do it-- but it was work!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I'm trying to find a source for healthy and inexpensive recipes and/or tips. Any suggestions? I have searched the web without much luck aside from starving college student type cookbooks. Often it seems like you have to choose between what is healthy and what is not as expensive - a hard choice with so many struggling financially right now.TIA

I have found that by using less processed foods, I can cook not only healthier, but also less expensively. You can buy brown rice, barley,and other whole grains cheaply - and use those to help stretch meals. We are not vegetarians, but I do believe that lessening the consumption of meat (red meat especially) is good for our health, and our budget - so we eat it less often, and use meat more as a side dish than a main dish. One of our favorite meals (even for my almost 4 yr old) is a brown & wild rice mix, sauteed with a little butter/olive oil along with mushrooms and onions, and then cooked in a chicken broth - along with some Italian dressing baked chicken, and steamed veggies. For the 3 of us, I will bake 4 chicken legs, or 4 thighs, or 2 breasts (then DS and I share a breast) and make the main dish the sauteed rice and veggies.Another way that I cut costs is to serve breakfast for dinner. I know that eggs, milk, and bread have gone up in price - but you still get a good bang for your buck when cooking with them. Eggs are a protein powerhouse, even though they have been given an unfair bad rap in recent years (which is now being disproven). We love Scrambled Eggs, or Omelets w/ mushrooms, onions, spinach and a little cheese. The Spicy Broccoli Frittata in the 29 Minutes Cookbook is wonderful, as are the Breakfast Tacos.
I will often make Smoothies to go with something like this - Whenever bananas start getting too ripe, I peel them, wrap them in foil, and throw them in the freezer. Then, when we want smoothies, I pull out a couple bananas, and some liquid (sometimes milk, sometimes juice, sometimes both) a couple handfuls of other fruit - frozen or fresh, whatever we have on hand - a couple scoops of yogurt, and a splash of vanilla extract. Blend this up - and you have a wonderful, healthy, fiber-filled drink that everyone loves!I also make a lot of soups! I love making soups - and I usually uitilize my crock-pot for this. I don't use recipes much, because I throw in what I have in the refrigerator/freezer - one that we love though is a vegetable, beef & barley soup. Barley is a wonderful, chewy whole grain, full of fiber and very filling. I'm actually planning on making a big batch of this today or tomorrow - so I'll try to write down what I add in and post it for you.Okay - I think this is the longest post I've ever written - I am very passionate about cooking - and especially cooking in a healthy manner, using fresh ingredients. Everyone is feeling the squeeze at the grocery store these days - so I think this is a great topic to discuss - here and also at our shows!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I wanted to add that one cookbook that I use as a "springboard" - and I think it is a good start for basic recipes is the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.

If you are looking for a cookbook that uses everyday ingredients and also gives you nutritional info on every recipe - this is a great place to start. It has a lot of basic recipes with variations - and you wouldn't have to go searching for a lot of ingredients that you may not usually have on hand. It's just a great place to start.

 

[dianevill]

I wanted to add that one cookbook that I use as a "springboard" - and I think it is a good start for basic recipes is the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.

If you are looking for a cookbook that uses everyday ingredients and also gives you nutritional info on every recipe - this is a great place to start. It has a lot of basic recipes with variations - and you wouldn't have to go searching for a lot of ingredients that you may not usually have on hand. It's just a great place to start.

Of the literally HUNDREDS of cookbooks/magazines I have, this is my go to cookbook. I LOVE IT!! I have notes written all over it, and I call it my Scratch and Sniff cookbook because there are so many stains. It is so well-loved!

Becky, thanks for your posts in this thread - you gave some wonderful ideas, and now you have me wanting to make soup!!