A healthy, wholesome meal doesn’t have to mean a whole paycheck. In fact, eating healthy doesn’t have to be a huge lifestyle change at all. But when budgets are tight, it can be really difficult to prepare healthy meals without proper planning and a place to start. Here at Pure Living, we have put together a few hints to help you achieve a healthy life and happy tummy for you and your family.
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Fresh or Frozen?
When planning healthy meals, it’s important to be thinking about the time of year. Whether it’s strawberries, blueberries, or asparagus, being conscious about when certain foods are in season can really help you save money. Buying seasoned foods in bulk can also help you save, as they can be frozen and have a shelf life of about 18 months. If specific fruits and veggies are not in season, consider purchasing them pre-frozen. Frozen berries can be heated in the microwave and served over nonfat yogurt or cottage cheese for a great, healthy dessert idea.
Broaden your Culinary Cuisine
Many cultures yield culinary personalities that can be healthy for the whole family, and easy on the wallet. Indian and Mexican cuisine centers on inexpensive ingredients such as whole grain rice and beans. Not only that, but when coupled with fresh ingredients like tomatoes, quinoa, corn and lime, you can add lots of quality flavor with a low cost. If you want meat with your meals, try substituting different cuts of meat. Trading in chicken breasts for chicken thighs means the same flavor at a fraction of the price.
Love the Leftovers
The word “leftovers” in itself is an unappetizing word, but we’re going to repurpose this word and make it an opportunity to save money and reduce waste. With leftover chicken and beans you can easily make soups, sandwiches and wraps that go great with wheat bread. When working with leftovers, sometimes you only have a few ingredients on hand. Bettycrocker.com offers an online cookbook that provides recipes catered to the ingredients you already have.
Props to Probiotics
Lastly, there have been many studies done on the benefits of apple cider vinegar and your health. Putting one to two tablespoons of unfiltered apple cider vinegar in a big glass of water can aid in digestion, immune system health, and quite possibly weight loss as it hold lots of powerful probiotics.
Healthy meals do not have to break the bank. In fact, eating healthy can help you save money in the long run. By freezing seasoned produce, broadening cuisine horizons, redefining leftovers, and trying additives in your water water, you can provide healthy, wholesome meals without spending a whole paycheck.
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