With the economy just starting to pick back up, people are still looking for an inexpensive way to eat healthy. There are numerous options for eating healthy and more often than not, it is less expensive to fix a healthy meal at home rather than eat one out. When preparing that fantastic healthy meal at home, it helps to know what kinds of foods that are high quality for not-so-high prices.

Quinoa

For the group of people who must have pasta at least three times a day, quinoa is a great alternative without all of the carbs and for a fraction of the price. Finding quinoa in the bulk isle is a steal; it is easy to prepare, completely healthy and cheap as all get-out. Quinoa is more like a grain than pasta, but can double in some of the same ways that pasta does, plus it is a great addition to salads.

Oats

Oats are one of the most, if not THE most, versatile foods around. They taste like whatever you cook them with, they can be creamy or crunchy, baked, fried, sautéed; you name it, oats can probably do it. The bigger the container, the cheaper it will be. Oats are loaded with fiber and contain a decent amount of calories for the serving size.

Frozen Fruits and Veggies

Many people have the misconception that fresh fruits and vegetables are the best way to go. It turns out that many of the fresh produce you see in the store, is actually around a week old by the time you pick it up and give it a squeeze. Once picked, produce begins to lose its nutrients, so by the time it gets to the store, there aren’t much of the original nutrients left.

Frozen produce is typically flash-frozen 24-48 hours after picking, locking in the highest concentration of nutrients available. Since they come in packages, they tend to be cheaper by the pound than their plump partners and can store for longer periods of time. The next time you go to the store, take a look at the price of frozen spinach versus fresh spinach. Even if they are priced around the same mark, think about how long the fresh spinach has been sitting there

Brown Rice

Not only is brown rice healthy, with around 4 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber and only 170 calories per serving, it is dirt-cheap. The great thing about rice is the servings are measured by dry volume, which means, when the rice is cooked, your serving size nearly doubles. Brown rice can be used in burritos, casseroles, fried rice and is even hearty enough to stand up in many stews.

Beans

No matter if you buy bean from the bulk isle or get them in a can, they are cheap and packed with protein. Out of the hundreds of varieties, there are countless numbers of ways to utilize beans in your cooking.

Eating healthy does not have to break the bank. Just look for nutritional food that is fresh and vibrant and you can’t go wrong. Another idea for healthy eating on a dime is to keep the meal simple. Keeping a meal simple is usually the best way to make sure all of the nutrients are there and it allows you to taste everything in the dish. Make a quick trip to the store, pick up a few of the healthy items listed above and see what you and your family can create.

Eating healthy foods is an important tool to keep your body healthy and to maintain well-being. It means being aware of what your body needs rather than what you just want to eat. In the earlier times, eating healthy foods was easy because most consumption is produced naturally. Unfortunately, nowadays, everything is fast – fast pace, fast services, fast food.

Juggling a busy schedule makes it easier to feed your body with fast food. However, having an unhealthy diet can cause harm to your body. It might not manifest yet, but in the long run, the price you have to pay for it is expensive.

Here are some ways to stay healthy and eat healthily:

•    According to studies, to maintain good health, your body needs about 40 different nutrients. These nutrients are found from many different sources such as fruits, vegetables, whole grain foods and more. Try to include them in your diet to keep a healthy body.

•    Healthy eating doesn’t mean eliminating certain foods. Instead, cut back on the foods with too much sugar, salt or fat in it. You don’t have to sacrifice the foods you love to eat. You just need to eat them in reasonable portions and acceptable frequency so that you can stay healthy.

•    Do not skip meals. This often results to uncontrollable hunger which, then, results to uncontrollable eating. If you cannot control eating, it becomes easier to lose track of your healthy diet. It is more advisable to have regular meals, instead.

•    Eating healthily also means weighing healthily. There is a right weight for each body type. Measure the weight that’s right for you by checking out on factors such as your age, height, sex, and heredity. Remember, too much of everything won’t do you any good; whether too thin or too fat is not right.

•    Eating healthy foods should be fun, too! Try to spend time with your family or friends by eating with them. You do not only catch up with them but also enjoy your meal slowly. Eating slowly will give your body time to feel full before you blow up from overeating.

•    You can allow yourself some cheat meals. If you love sugary foods, for example, you can still have them as long as it is done moderately. You don’t have to pig out; you just have to enjoy your favourite food once in a while. If you forgive yourself once in a while, your healthy diet change would not feel so bad.

•    Don’t push yourself too hard. If you’re used to eating sugary, fatty or salty foods, the changes you have to make doesn’t have to happen overnight. Give yourself enough time to adjust by cutting modestly and slowly on your excesses. Further, it won’t hurt if you patiently wait until your efforts pay off.

•    Drinking plenty of water will also help you maintain a healthy body. Invest on it instead of filling your body with flavoured drinks or soda.

•    They say that the best way to beat your enemy is to know its weaknesses. Improve on your meal plans by identifying if there’s something wrong with them. You can make a list of what you’re eating. Monitor your diet and learn what to eat more if you’re having less of it or what to cut back on if it’s too much.

Changes can be difficult sometimes but you can begin by wanting this change for yourself. If you want it, then, you can have it. Nothing beats positive attitude towards eating healthy.

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You are beginning to get hungry. Your usual time for dinner approaches. However, there is no cook tonight. She is gone for the evening. Whatever the reason, you find yourself alone and no obvious meals are coming. You can sit quietly at the dining room furniture set and dream about eating. You could go to a fast food restaurant. Maybe you want a healthier meal. Perhaps you are out of funds for a takeout meal. It is time to forage for a meal. A good place to start is the kitchen pantry.

As you look through the pantry, you may find some things for a meal. Is there any rice? How about canned vegetables? Do you have some potatoes that are just sitting in there? Do you see saltine crackers? Do you have spices? You may have a meal at your disposal. Homemade potato soup can be very filling. It also tastes good. The price is very reasonable, too.

Take three or four medium potatoes from the pantry. Try to find some onions. If not, try onion powder or onion salt. Check the refrigerator for celery. You can also substitute celery seed or celery salt, if necessary. Peel the potatoes and cut them in to small pieces. Place them in some water. You may be wondering how much water.

You water requirements will be determined by your hunger. A medium pot is for hungry. A larger pot is for ravenous. You do not have to use your stove. Get out your wife’s Sanyo rice cooker. It will work for this recipe. Add the celery and onions to the water. Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into small pieces. Place the potatoes in the water. Cook until the potatoes are soft. They should smash with a spoon, easily. Your potatoes should take about ten or fifteen minutes to cook.

Would you like thick soup? Add instant potatoes to the pot, when the potatoes are soft. Turn off the heat. Add about one cup or 240 cc of milk. You can add any type of milk. Put in about one tablespoon of butter.

You can add saltine crackers and some celery salt to your bowl of soup. This will help to thicken it. Clean up all messes. You want your significant other to think that you are capable of taking care of yourself.

Final thoughts

A man can survive without a woman. At least he can for a weekend. He may need to get creative. There are many meals, sitting in your kitchen pantry. Use your stove, microwave, or electric rice cooker to help you. You will not need to go to bed hungry.

It’s unfortunate but true that we tend to look for the quick way to do just about anything. Always looking for the shortcuts.

We lead busy lives, I guess that’s what causes us to want to be on the fast track for most things in our lives. And it seems that even our cooking and meals are being drawn under this philosophy.

We often prefer quick and easy recipes that we disregard the health values of the food we eat. Quick and easy recipes need not be unhealthy. Everything can be healthy with the right combination of ingredients and a proper way of preparing them.

I lived like that for the first 40 years of life until I had added on 60 pounds and had a heart attack. Now I grow a vegetable garden and do things for my health so I can stay with my family and friends a little longer.

One of the downside of quick and easy ways of cooking is that we often substitute fresh products with processed ones. This is so we can prepare our meals faster. We go to bottled and canned ingredients just to keep up with the time element of preparing and cooking the meals. Although, some products would claim that no preservatives have been added to their products. Prioritize these product lines when doing your weekly groceries.

So the best thing really is to rely on only fresh ingredients. What you can do is shop and prepare the ingredients beforehand. This will cut a load off your cooking time. You can now cook meals faster and have more time enjoying your meal.

Another way is convert an existing recipe into something healthier. Learn to substitute unhealthy ingredients with healthier ones. If the recipe is going to cook noodles, go with wheat noodles. Replace meat with high grade varieties that have less fat in them. The substitution can even be a little drastic. You can go with the vegetables you like instead of sticking with that the recipe tells you.

Also, learn to minimize or reduce the amount of the unhealthy parts of the meal you are preparing. Salt, for example, can be bad if you use too much. Just keep the salt to a minimum, don’t go adding excessive amounts to what you’re cooking. The same goes with butter, cheese, cream, and sugar. The taste will be affected, naturally, but in the long run you can have a healthier meal plus you will appreciate more the natural tastes of the ingredients during a meal. The vegetables are crisper and the tastes are fuller. .

Look for better ways to prepare your meal. If the recipe tells you to fry your chicken, why not broil it or grill it instead. There will always be some healthy options that you can use to prepare your meals. The kitchen and the recipe book should not tie you down with convention. Sure there are standards, but learn to think and experiment with your cooking. Now if your objective would be preparing a fast and easy meal, experimentation may not be the good way to go. Nevertheless, using different ways to cook your meals can get quite satisfying and at times surprising results.

Quick and easy recipes can be quite healthy if you just put your mind and put some extra effort into your cooking. Sure, the easy and quick ways are very tempting but not having the right nutrients is just not worth sacrificing over speed and convenience. But why sacrifice the other when you can have both.

A healthy way of cooking meals faster and simpler than before should be your new approach in cooking your meals.

It’s mid February  and I am getting my vegetable gardening seed starting station ready in the basement. I want to make sure I am a bit more prepared than last year. I kind of let things get a head of me and before I realized it I was about a month behind and ended up buying all my vegetable plants already started.

I don’t mind spending money, when I have to, but just getting too busy on other things isn’t a good excuse. I would rather spend my money on the gardening tools that will help us work smarter not harder.

We still produced a lot of great produce and tried so many new recipes. Man they were tasty using fresh vegetables. This year we plan to increase our vegetable garden to double, maybe even triple, the size.

We have already started a herb garden indoors so we have fresh herbs year round but we plan to grow enough herbs to dry our own for the winter months.

Right now we tend to use our indoor herbs faster than we can grow them, so I am starting twice as much as we did on this first time around. The aroma from the fresh herb and the taste they offer makes us want fresh over dried.

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