Dalton - Blog Post 2

The healthy Budget Meal

    When it comes to eating on a budget there are different ways to buying food on a low budget. I prefer to eat clean and I stick to 4 main food groups; protein, fruits, vegetables, and grains. To eat clean and on a budget here are a few suggestions:

Buy in bulk

Stores such Costco and Winco sell food in massive quantities at a fairly low price. Overtime buying in bulk will save an individual money because a person is not buying as much food on a weekly basis.

Meal Prep

Prep food such as salads, bowls, and sandwiches and take those for lunch and/or dinner. Lettuce, rice, and bread are relatively cheap products that one can buy almost anywhere in small to extra large packages. Packing a lunch or dinner for a college students means that the student is most likely not going going out for lunch or dinner and spending money that could be saved for paying off school. As well, anding  some veggies and a protein or two makes the salad, sandwich, or bowl nutritious and easy to prep and cook.

Freeze

If one buys in bulk and cooks, freezing food will be a good way to preserve and length the life of fruits, vegetable, potatoes, and meat that that person buys. For example, If I buy a big bag of sweet potatoes I am not going to eat that whole 10-15 pound bags of sweet potatoes in 1-2 days. So I would chop up all of the potatoes into small chunks and fill ziplock bags with the sweet potato chunks. Then take about 4 of the filled bags and put them into a gallon ziploc bag and place the filled gallon ziploc bag into the freezer. When ready I can just take out a small bag of sweet potatoes out of the big ziplock bag, defrost, and cook the potatoes. And this can be applied to meats, fruits, veggies, and just about any other perishable food.

Experiment   

I one has a bunch of mismatch food items create a new dish. Explore with what you have in your fridge and cabinets. Not everyone is a top chef but it doesn't hurt to empty out the cupboards and try to invent a new dish and experiment with what you have.

Buy Bagged and Dried and Not Canned

Beans are cheap if if you know where to look in the grocery store. Skip the canned beans section of the isle and walk a bit more down the aisle and you will find bags of dried beans. It is not as convenient as canned beans but you will get more beans per pound in a bag at a cheap price then you will buying canned. After you cook the beans you can freeze them in small bags and add the beans later to salads, make chili, soup, and tons of other dishes.