How To Make A Delicious Dinner For Under $3

Posted by Matt on January 22nd, 2010 at 01:02pm

Often, healthy eating is associated is fancy, more expensive products like tofu or quinoa. Just because you can’t fit seitan or wheat germ into your diet doesn’t mean you can’t eat healthy meals. Here are some tips to help you maintain your bottom line while still being healthy, plus 10 healthy delicious dinners for under three dollars a serving.

Go Frozen – When it comes to a healthy bang for your buck, frozen vegetables cannot be beat. Often frozen at the peak of freshness, frozen veggies are an affordable alternative to expensive out-of-season fresh vegetables.

Buy In Bulk – Sometimes, a bulk item costs less per pound than the item would cost in a smaller packaging. After all, you want to be paying for the product, not the packaging. Bulk deals are a great way to stock up on pantry staples that you know won’t go bad. Buying in bulk is a great affordable way to get healthy items that might be too expensive otherwise, items like brown rice and spices.

Use A List – Before you go shopping, plan out your meals for the next week and make a list of exactly what you need. A list helps you plan out your shopping budget and ensures you are less likely to spend more on impulse buys.

Go For The Deals – Let coupons and store deals influence what you buy. You can easily save at least $20 a week on the groceries for a family of four with coupons. One-time deals offered by supermarkets are a great way to expand your healthy cooking horizons without going over you budget.

Cook At Home – You have the opportunity and time to make a product yourself, do it. Instead of buying pre-made broth, just stick all of your leftover chicken bones and vegetable skins in a boiling pot for a few hours to make your own broth. Instead of going out for your favorite restaurant dish, buy the ingredients and make a delicious, and probably healthier, copycat recipe. Cooking at home is one of the easiest ways to eat healthy on a budget.

Grow Your Own – Stop wasting your hard-earned money buying herbs and veggies. Instead, try growing it yourself. For the initial price of seeds, you can enjoy fresh veggies from your garden during summer and fall and fresh herbs grown indoors year-round.

Here are our top ten healthy dinner recipe ideas for under $3:

Chicken Noodle Soup

TexMex Veggie Macaroni

Baked Vegetable Wedges

Roast Tomatoes and Peppers

Rice with Beans and Corn

Healthy Chicken and Noodles

Tuna Crunch Casserole

Slow Cooked Asian Chicken

Beef and Spinach Burritos

Icy Apricot Dessert

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Tags: food, healthy meals, Healthy Recipes, home cooking, meal planner, what to eat

Under Healthy Recipes Tags: food, healthy meals, Healthy Recipes, home cooking, meal planner, what to eat