How to Eat Well on a Budget
So, you are convinced. Eating a diet rich in whole plant-based foods makes brilliant sense for your personal health, the welfare of animals and for the future of our planet.
It’s time to dive in, but where do you start? How can you make meal preparation easy and delicious? And how in the world can you shop for groceries without straining your wallet?
It can be simpler than you may expect.
In fact, armed with a few clever strategies you might just be surprised that you can eat more delectably than ever on a very modest budget.
Selecting Budget-Friendly Ingredients
Let’s consider eating plant-based on a budget two ways. How to get the most nutrition for your dollar and how to get more satisfaction from your nutrition.
Which plant-based foods are jam-packed full of micronutrients per calorie and per pound?
Which foods will help you create the healthiest and most satisfying meals, per serving and per dollar?
The answer to both questions can be found in a meal made with both greens and starches. Since greens provide the most nutrients per calorie, they’re the ideal addition to a meal based on satisfying, fiber-rich whole grains, beans and starchy vegetables.
How to Budget and Shop Smart
Once you’ve created a useful list of plant-based grocery items, make copies to use each week. Save yourself the time it takes to write that same list again and again.
Aim to spend at least 50% of your grocery budget on vegetables and fruits, and make sure everything you select looks colorful, enticing and delicious.
Plan to spend up to 20% on important staples, like grains, beans and canned tomatoes. These will last a long time in your pantry, so you may not need to spend this amount each week, once you have a nice supply on hand.
Use up to 10% for organic tofu, tempeh, or nondairy milks.
This leaves around 20% for discretionary items, like small amounts of nuts, seeds, spices, dried fruit or kitchen items and utensils.
Shopping List
Leafy GreensOther Vegetables
Beans & LegumesWhole Grains
FruitsNuts & Seeds
Fruit: Look for quality and value, such as apples, pears, oranges and bananas.
Salad greens: Check out all varieties! Try romaine or leaf lettuce, baby spinach, mixed spring greens, arugala or baby kale.
Leafy greens: Select one or two bunches of greens to steam or dry sauté, such as collard greens, kale, or Swiss chard. Comb the produce section and select the freshest greens available. Often the most abundant greens are the best value. Experiment with less familiar varieties, too. Make buying and eating plenty of fiber-rich greens non-negotiable!
Cruciferous vegetables: Scout for the best value in cruciferous vegetables to add to your grocery cart, like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage. If you believe you are not a fan, be sure to give these another try and include them in your diet.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes: From fingerlings, to russets, to Japanese sweet potatoes, the varieties are endless. Grab a larger bag for better value.
Soups and stews: Don’t forget celery, carrots, garlic and onions.
Herbs and spices: Cilantro, basil, parsley and other herbs are highly flavorful additions to your recipes. Growing herbs at home can be very satisfying too.
Consider organic vegetables and fruits when possible
Explore: As your comfort level increases, promise to try lots of new vegetables and fruits in the weeks ahead.
Turning Your Healthy Ingredients Into Satisfying Meals
Which foods are both health-promoting and extremely satisfying?
Spoiler alert! The answer is starches like whole grains, beans, and starchy vegetables.
They’re more than just good for you…they’re actually the perfect source of energy for humans. The fact that they also happen to be among the least expensive foods in the world is a tremendous bonus.
Consider that a one-pound bag of rice makes at least six or seven cups cooked, often for under $2. A ten-pound bag of potatoes costs about $4, and two cups of dried lentils will yield approximately six cups after cooking, for around $1.
Of course, you won’t be eating these foods by themselves everyday, but you can see that with 10 pounds of baked potatoes, along with 3 quarts of nourishing cooked lentils and rice (for example) a small grocery tab of $7 can convert into lots of family meals.
Be sure to stock up on rice, beans, potatoes, oats, barley and other wonderful starchy vegetables. Satisfying and affordable – starches are a great way to watch the pennies while stretching healthy ingredients into nutritious, delicious meals.
Familiar and comforting, whole plant starch-based foods are probably already your favorites. This is great news, since this category includes whole grains, like barley, brown rice, quinoa, oats and bulgur wheat; legumes, including chickpeas, black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, and lentils; and starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, sweet peas, corn, sweet potatoes and butternut squash.
This Easy Buddha Bowl is one great way to throw together an easy lunch full of nutritious greens and satisfying starches.
Tips For Stretching Your Grocery Dollars
Shop in the Frozen Foods Section
Choosing frozen vegetables and fruits is a great way to build meals on a budget. In case you’re wondering, the nutritional profile is almost identical to fresh and it can also be easier.
The timesaving convenience of frozen vegetables and fruits is hard to overstate, since all trimming, washing, and chopping has been done for you. Plus, there’s virtually no waste.
Keep your freezer well-stocked with unsweetened
berrie
s (and other fruit) to use in breakfast oatmeal and to bake into beautiful muffins.
Packages of frozen single or mixed vegetable combinations, like broccoli, corn, peas, and carrots are often around $1 each. Keep a nice a variety on hand to quickly transform a simple pot of brown rice or an oven-baked potato into an easy meal.
Keep a well-rounded supply of greens in the freezer, such as spinach, kale, collards, or chard. They’re perfect to sneak into soups, curries and stews.
Prepare Meals at Home
Plan to prepare meals at home whenever possible.
Pack lunches for work with leftovers from the night before and bring plenty of snacks from home so that you can control what you eat from morning ‘til night.
If restaurants are where you gather with friends, this may be a big change, but it’s an important one. Restaurants are hard on your budget, and the worst for controlling the quality on your plate.
Instead of meeting at a restaurant, how about inviting friends over to your kitchen? Try making something scrumptious to share, as you expose your friends to the virtues of healthy eating.
However, when you must patronize a restaurant, ask your server plenty of appropriate questions and order judiciously. Be certain that what you order is something that meets your whole food, plant-based requirements.
Don’t allow anyone (including family and friends) to derail your resolve, sacrifice your waistline, your budget or compromise your health.
Cook in Batches
Even if you aren’t typically big on meal planning, preparing a few ingredients ahead can be very helpful. It’s one of the secrets to being happily plant-based, controlling the quality of each meal and accomplishing both affordably.
Having the right food on hand can make the difference between struggle and success. The answer for many people is to simply set aside some in-the-kitchen time when you can (for many this is on the weekend) to ensure that you will be ready for the week ahead.
For example, allot a couple hours or so on a Saturday or Sunday. Many meals can cook simultaneously and with very little supervision. Whenever you cook, make enough for an extra meal or two. After preparing a few ingredients or recipes, you’ll be ready to mix and match for quick, healthy meals all week long.
7 Ways to Prepare For Your Week
#1 Make a large batch of oatmeal, like this Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal, for an easy answer to breakfast all week long.
#2 Roast a pan full of vegetables, like these delicious Roasted Carrots, Potatoes, and Onions.
#3 Prepare a batch of brown rice (or other grain) in either a rice cooker or on the stove.
#4 Boil, roast, or bake several potatoes or sweet potatoes.
#5 Steam a bunch of chopped leafy greens, like spinach, kale or collards.
#6 Clean and chop lettuce and other salad ingredients to grab for easy lunches.