Thanks to the economy and the tough times a lot of us are facing, families are putting price ahead of nutrition at the grocery store at an alarming rate. It’s so tempting to pass on organics or think that all those fresh ingredients surely must add up to much more than something that comes in the frozen meal section. I can’t tell you how many times I thought I was building a low-cost meal plan and shopping list, only to be totally surprised at the market with a bill twice as high as I expected. It’s frustrating and deflating.
We try to stay on budget, but there’s also meals that we splurge a little on. Meats are one thing that I’d rather go without than cut corners on since we spend more on grass fed meats. Produce that is in season is always less expensive than buying blueberries in January so my kids know all about growing seasons and that, unless they’re from our frozen inventory from last summer, we’re not enjoying berries in the winter. These little things help us trim down our food bill here and there.
Our Mushroom Bacon Bacon Buffalo Burger isn't a "value meal" but we all agree it's worth the splurge!
I’ve also learned that there’s a lot of inexpensive, nutrient-dense choices we can make so that we still eat well on a tight budget. Here’s a few choices that I’m going to call my Healthy Dollar Menu (not sure if they actually cost $1 per serving, but you get the idea, right?):
- Almond butter and jelly sandwiches on whole wheat bread (peanut butter prices are rising quickly so we use other nut butters – and grinding them ourselves in the store usually saves the most money)
- Bean and cheese burritos (we like to put red bell peppers in ours for a little extra taste and nutrients)
- Scrambled eggs with spinach
- Oatmeal with chopped nuts and dried fruit (buy oatmeal in bulk to save $$)
- Apples dipped in almond butter
- Yogurt mixed with granola and real fruit (buying fruit in season always helps us save)
- Whole wheat pasta tossed with broccoli and chickpeas (with some olive oil and spices)
- Stir-fry with bright-color veggies and lean meat like turkey or chicken (go light on the meat and heavy on veggies on sale this week to really save )
- Tortellini tossed with chopped veggies (we serve this warm or cold, tossed with flax oil and some herbs – my kids devour it!)
- Some of our low-cost recipes: Birds Nests, Silly Dogs, Mexi Bowls and Mummy’s Ramen Noodles
Keeping a few staples in our pantry, and looking for fruits and vegetables full of nutrients on sale has really helped us meet our family’s nutritional needs while spending less.
What are you doing to eat healthy and cut back?
Birds Nest: Use whole wheat pasta and add some veggies on the side for lots of nutrients
Our kids need to eat, whether we're prepared to feed them or not. Some days it would be great if meals just created themselves, but let's get real. At Feed Our Families we'll share new ideas, recipes and inspiration to help make meals happen in your home. 
Thanks for posting this. It’s important to keep the conversation about the real costs of food going. The more I think about, the more I think that there’s a fine line (even a tension) between real food that is affordable and choosing to allocate more of our personal money on real food.
Absolutely Jay! Watch for our blog post coming soon with some ideas on managing the balance between real food and your budget soon!
We eat many of these same kind of “simple” meals.
Favorite inexpensive meals in our house include:
* pasta noodles w/ parmesan cheese
* veggie tostadas
* cheese quesadillas
* scrambled eggs
* main dish salads
I think it’s so important for all families to have a handful of “go to” meals when life happens and things don’t go unplanned. And you’ve certainly found some healthy ones!