Healthful Bites

We’ve talked a bit in the past about ways to save money on fare, but today I want to dedicate an entire post to a few cost-saving tips that I’ve picked up living in and visiting various cities in the past year or so! As an individual living on a budget, it can seem daunting to eat healthfully and inexpensively at the same time. The truth is, it can be a bit difficult! (And at times, I convince myself that I’d rather splurge on good, nutritious food than a new skirt I really don’t need and won’t wear. Priorities! ;) )

But there are ways to save in ways that really add up. So here are my top four tips to save on good eats!

 (Image from Boston.com)

1. Get to know your city. Instead of hitting up the nearest grocery store for all of your purchases, take a walking (or, if necessary, driving) tour of your neighborhood. Pop in and check out all the stores your locale has to offer. Are there small outlets that have great deals on your “staples” such as whole wheat bread, peanut butter or produce? Sometimes the more limited stores offer great everyday prices too—Wal-Mart doesn’t have the only good deals or rollbacks! And the extra trek is worth the work for the savings (and a simple way to sneak in extra steps).

2. Hit up your area Farmers Market. It is a surefire way to get the freshest, tastiest food. Plus, you’re often able to meet the people who made or grew the food you’re going to eat. Neat! Less travel from growing, baking, etc. to your grocery bag means lower prices due to no transportation fees. Find one near you with this great directory.

I’ve been loving the Greenmarket in Union Square, the largest market of its kind in the U.S.! You can find fresh baked breads, lean meats, local dairy products and of course produce at the market.

3. Clip/click coupons and watch for store discounts. Prices change seasonally, plus certain manufacturers vary sticker prices widely over time. So glance at a store circular and seek out coupons for your frequent purchases. (However, don’t use a coupon as an “excuse” to buy something you normally wouldn’t that’s a nutritional nightmare!) And check out this fun fact I picked up in the July issue of REDBOOK: expired coupons up to six months past their use-by-date are often accepted overseas, so you can donate them to our service men and women! Check out the details here. 

And like you couldn’t have guessed…there’s an app for that! Here are five applications that will help you discover the lowest prices, according to social media site Mashable.

4. Buy in bulk, if possible, but be smart about it! When you buy a bag full of apples, you may grab a discount, compared to buying one or two. But only buy what you’ll eat, because otherwise the extras will go to waste and you won’t end up saving money at all! 

When you’re buying “treat” foods such as ice cream or cookies, buy in larger quantities only if you know that you’ll be able to stop yourself after a sensible serving. If buying a 1.5 quart container of ice cream or a dozen cookies makes the leftovers impossible to resist, it’s probably worth it to pay a bit of a premium for a smaller cup of frozen dessert or an individual cookie or two.

What is your best advice to share with the class about saving money on food…while saving your waistline?

Protein is a crucial macronutrient for all people, but especially for those who are physically active. In fact, very active individuals may be better served physically be consuming about 50 percent more protein, percentage-wise not calorie-wise, as their sedentary peers (for example, active people may recover from activity quicker by eating about 20 to 25 percent of their calories from protein, while sedentary people need about 15 percent of their calories from protein).

 (Image from Women’s Vitamins)

Providing your body with enough protein is beneficial in muscle repair and rebuilding after it breaks down—which happens normally when you stress your muscles through exercise. Eating properly after activity will not only help you recover quicker, but will also likely aid your efforts to make the muscles that grow back grow back stronger (as will training properly and challenging your muscles).

A good rule of thumb to follow if you are an adult and are moderately active: consume about 0.36 grams of protein for every pound you weigh. For example, a 125 pound person should eat about 45 grams of protein in a day. People who are very active will need a bit more.

There are countless ways to get your protein, but one of the most crowd-pleasing is beans. With many different varieties and colors, plus no animal protein to dissuade vegetarians and vegans, beans are a wonderful option for reaching your daily protein needs. One cup of most beans provides around 12 grams of protein.

Most traditional diets provide enough protein, but some vegetarians struggle to find non-meat sources. But try one cup of this recipe below for lunch, perhaps with baked tortilla chips and a side of fruit for about 12 grams of protein. Add two tablespoons of peanut butter to your morning whole wheat toast (eight grams of protein), one cup of lentils as a protein source with dinner (17 grams of protein) and an 8 oz. cup of low fat yogurt for a snack (11 grams of protein) and a vegetarian—or carnivore—will have a great amount of protein for the day! 

Don’t take this to mean that I think you should have a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. Carbohydrates, fat and protein are all essential and important in a nutritious eating plan.

Beans are affordable, fiber-packed, low in fat and high in antioxidants. Talk about a power food :)

 (Image from Food Network)

Southwestern Bean Salad (from my marvelous aunt Joan!)

• 1 can kidney beans (15.5 oz.)
• 1 can black beans (15.5 oz.)
• 1 can garbanzo beans AKA chickpeas (15.5 oz.)
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 1 medium red tomato, diced (optional*)
• 3/4 cup thick and chunky salsa
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. cumin

Rinse and drain all the varieties of beans in a colander. Mix these cleaned beans with the celery, onion, tomato and corn. Then combine the salsa, lime juice, chili powder and cumin in a separate bowl. Pour the salsa mixture over the bean mix and toss to coat. Cover and chill for two hours or so.

*The tomato is optional. Use all salsa if you plan to store the recipe in the refrigerator, as the tomato’s texture quickly deteriorates. But if you and a group plan to consume this all at once, feel free to use a fresh tomato.

What are your favorite protein sources? Do you find it difficult to get enough protein in your diet?