Let's Talk Health & Wealth -Miriam Acosta

Does being on a budget stop you from eating healthy?
What if I told you that you can create healthy and tasty meals even while being on a budget?

​Below are three easy and healthy meal ideas that won’t make a huge dent in your wallet! Each meal is also customizable, so feel free to opt out some ingredients or change some out as you’d please!   

OATS ‘N MORE
Market Pantry Quick Oats - $2.99
Trader Joe’s Unsalted Crunchy Peanut Butter - $1.99
Bananas - .19¢ each
Strawberries - ~$2.99 per contain

Photo by: Molly Krebs @spicesinmydna

Oatmeal serves as a great source of fiber and protein - According to the Harvard T.H. Chan: School of Public Health, "The soluble fiber content and the high water content assists in controlling hunger levels" which can be a good option when shopping on a budget. One will receive nutritional value and a bang for their buck! I personally love to add Trader Joe’s crunchy unsalted peanut butter to mine, but you can go ahead and add any sort of nut butter you’d like for some healthy fats! Instead of using sweeteners such as sugar or maple syrup, I like to sweeten my oatmeal with fruit. My personal favorite combo is banana and strawberries - but frozen blueberries or raspberries from Trader Joe's ($1.99 per bag) are also an affordable option to choose from. Not only do berries contain natural antioxidants such as vitamins C and E (Sang, 2018), but they are naturally sweet to avoid extra buying of sweeteners. 

BOWL OF GREENS
Brown Long Grain Rice - .89¢ for 1 lb. bag
Can of black beans - .79¢ 
Bag of baby spinach - $1.99
Zucchini (4 pack) - $2.49
Bell pepper - .99¢

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Sun Basket. (2019). Photo. https://sunbasket.com/recipe/turkey-taco-bowls-with-brown-rice-black-beans-and-pico-de-gallo

​What better way to consume all your macronutrients- protein, carbohydrates, and fat- than by throwing them all together in 1 bowl? Above is a basic base for a veggie bowl - Rice can easily become a staple for those on a budget since it is fairly cheap and has a handful of health benefits, such as: lowering cholesterol and aiding in moving waste through the digestive tract. Second on the list is black beans which serves as our protein source in this bowl. In a 1/3 cup serving size of black beans there is 5 grams of protein (Robinson & Segal, 2019). When choosing which veggies to include in your bowl think about ‘eating the rainbow’ - each different colored vegetables will give you different vitamins and minerals, so feel free to be creative and customize that part of the base recipe!


 WHO GOT THE SAUCE?
Brown rice & quinoa pasta - $2.99
Trader Joe’s tomato basil pasta sauce - $2.49
Zucchini (4 pack) - $2.49
Bell pepper - .99¢ 

Denny, Kalayn. Second Initial. (2011). Penne Pasta with zucchini and basil pesto. https://kalynskitchen.com/recipe-for-easy-penne-pasta-with-2/

​Pasta is one of my favorite easy, healthy, and affordable meals to make 1. You can customize it to your liking from the type of pasta, sauce, and even the add-ins and 2. It’s an easy option to use if you are trying to meal prep to also save time with finals right around the corner! Choosing a pasta that is a blend of brown rice and quinoa helps in consuming more nutrient dense carbohydrates instead of regular pasta. Plus, "quinoa is classified as a whole grain and is a good source of plant protein and fiber. One cup cooked provides about 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber," (The Nutrition Source: Harvard T.H. Chan: School of Public Health, 2019). Trader Joe’s offers several other options such as black bean pasta or red lentil pasta for an affordable price as well! The Trader Joe’s tomato basil pasta sauce is a great option to stay within a low budget since you get a whole jar for less than three dollars. As far as veggies go, you can have creative freedom in this realm as well - Trader Joe’s offers a variety of vegetables at an affordable price. Below are some other great options to add: 
-Mushrooms    -Broccoli    


References:
Kim, J.-S. (2018, March). Antioxidant Activities of Selected Berries and Their Free, Esterified, and Insoluble-Bound Phenolic Acid Contents. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5894784/.

Robinson, L., & Segal, R. (2019, June 21). Choosing Healthy Protein. Retrieved November 5, 2019, from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/choosing-healthy-protein.htm.

Quinoa. (2019, October 21). Retrieved November 5, 2019, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/quinoa/.