Most moms want to feed their families healthy food—but healthy cooking can be quite costly! The primary costs for healthy eating seem to primarily come from meats and produce. Here are some ways you can get the most out of your money while still cooking with those healthy lean meats, fruits, and veggies! We’ve also included some recipes to help get you started!
1. Re-think how you use your meat.
For starters, try to use meat twice—once for a “main course” and once for a soup or other dish. For example, roast a chicken (or turkey breast or even a pot roast), pair it with a side of roasted potatoes and carrots (*see recipe further down) and a salad, and then later in the week, use the leftover meat to make soup. Here are some recipes to try.
Roasted Chicken
- Buy a whole oven-roaster chicken (if you find some on sale buy roasters and freeze them - you can often find them buy one get one free). To feed a family of four, a five pound bird should do nicely.
- Take the bag out from inside the bird, rinse the inside and out, and then pat try.
- Place in a roasting pan breast-side up. Stick half of a lemon inside the chicken, along with some herbs (sage, thyme, and/or rosemary are tasty with chicken!). You can also add in a peeled onion if you’d like. Take a few skinny slabs of butter and stick them inside the skin of the chicken where the breasts are (cut the skin away from the breast with a knife). You can add some more herbs in here as well. Salt and pepper the outside of the bird.
- Put the bird in a preheated oven (350 degrees F), and roast about 20 minutes per pound and then about 15 minutes more. If you have a meat thermometer, make sure it is inserted into the inner thigh (close to, but not touching, the thigh bone) and when it reads at least 180 degrees F, the bird will be done. - When it’s finished, take it out of the oven and cover it loosely with aluminum foil. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
*Keep the leftover bones and meat to use in soups. Add in a few cooked chicken breasts if you need some additional meat. Here’s some soups to try:
Classic Chicken Noodle Soup - Place your leftover meat and bones in a slow cooker. Cover with water and add a few Tbsp of chicken bullion, some onion salt and a dash of curry powder. - Sautee some chopped up carrots and celery in some oil on the stove for about five minutes. Then add them to the chicken mixture and cook on low for a few hours (until vegetables are tender). Turkey Barley Soup (this is another delicious option for using leftover roast meat) - In a large pot, heat a few tsp. of oil and add in a few sliced stalks of celery and carrots, and two diced onions. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onions are softened. Add in two cups of diced mushrooms and cook, stirring, about 5 minutes (until mushrooms release their liquid.) - Add in the leftovers from your turkey (or use one pound of turkey legs or thighs). - Add in 3 oz. Pearled barley, 2 tsp. Thyme, 2 bay leaves, and ½ tsp. salt, and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered, one hour (until barley is tender). - Stir in 2 Tbsp. Minced fresh parsley and serve!
- Half an hour before you’re ready to eat, cook your egg noodles. While they are cooking, take the chicken out, take off any meat and add it back into the broth mixture. When noodles are done, add them into the chicken broth mixture as well and serve hot!
Another way to “rethink meat” is to go meatless at least once a week. Make black bean burgers or a bean or lentil soup. High in fiber and protein, beans are inexpensive and nutrious.
Lentil Soup
- Rinse and drain 16 oz. of lentils
- In a pot, sautee in olive oil the following: one cup chopped celery, one cup chopped carrot, half a cup chopped onion, and 3 cloves of minced garlic.
- Add in two quarts of broth (any kind), 2 Bay leaves, and one small can of tomato sauce.
- Simmer two hours and serve.
Another nutritious alternative to meat is a power grain like quinoa (keen-wah) or try a pasta dish using the “Plus” pastas, which have a higher fiber content and more protein than conventional pasta.
Consider making “Breakfast for Dinner” once a week. Eggs are an inexpensive quality source of protein and, good news, they are no longer considered a negative source of cholesterol.
One final low-cost idea to help you “rethink meat” is to buy canned fish. We’ve all heard about the benefits of salmon, especially, but to buy fresh Alaskan Salmon for a family of four can cost around $15! Try purchasing canned Alaskan Salmon (if it says “Atlantic” that means it is most likely been farm-raised and won’t have the same amazing nutrients that the wild-caught Alaskan will). Here’s one of my family’s favorite ways to eat canned salmon:
Salmon Patties
- For a family of four, take two cans of boneless/skinless salmon, mix in an egg, some salt, pepper, and dry mustard, 2 Tbsp of mayo, and a third cup of bread crumbs.
- Heat some oil on a skillet. Shape the salmon mixture into four patties and place them in the skillet. Cook until brown on the bottom, then turn and cook until brown on opposite side.
2. Buy frozen. Frozen berries make delicious smoothies, when blended in with some almond milk and a banana or two. Check out this recipe for a quick, healthy and kid-friendly breakfast fruit burrito. 3. Make it from scratch! Instead of buying pre-packaged items, which are often high in calories and sodium, make it yourself. Bake your own cookies instead of buying them at the store. This helps you to monitor and subsitute ingredients to suit your families taste and health needs (for example, I always cut the sugar in half). As for dinners, a simple rule of thumb (for nights of the week when a meatless dish or soup is not scheduled) when making homemade dinners is to have 1 Meat and 2 sides. Your sides could be as simple as a baked sweet potato and some sauteed frozen green beans, frozen cooked corn or a salad. Roasted veggies with homemade bread are another healthy option: Roasted Veggies To feed a family of four: - Preheat oven to 350 (*you can cook these right alongside the chicken!) - Quarter 1.5 to 2 lbs of red potatoes - Peel and slice six carrots - Spread in a single layer in a 9 x 13 pan and toss with some oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary until evenly coated. - Bake in preheated oven until tender, stirring occasionally. This can take anywhere from 45 minutes to a little over an hour. If you want to speed things up (or make sure they’re done at the same time as the chicken), par-boil the veggies first and then bake for just half an hour. Making your own bread is much less expensive and not as difficult as you may think. If you don't own a bread machine you try this simple recipe: Whole Wheat Bread 2/3 c. canola oil - Mix milk and water, add yeast and honey and mix. - Add other wet ingredients and mix. - Then add 4 c. of the flour and other dry ingredients and mix well. - Add remaining flour until able to knead. Knead 10 minutes (this is easy if you have a kitchen aide with a bread hook!) - Place in a warm spot and cover with wet towel. Allow to rise 30 min. till double - Divide into four loaves and let each rise another 30 minutes. - Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Let us know if you have any other ideas to feed your family healthy foods — without breaking the budget!
Another way to help save your budget while still eating healthy is to buy frozen fruits and veggies. They are just as nutritious as fresh but are often quite a bit cheaper. Purchase frozen pre-cut carrots or mixed vegetables to use in soup. Or simply cook them on your stove or in your microwave, season, and enjoy!
Roasted potatoes and carrots make a delicious, easy side dish.
(Makes four loaves)
2 scant tsp. salt
2/3 c. honey
½ c. flaxseed meal
2 c. milk, scalded
½ c. gluten
2 c. cold water
4 Tbsp. yeast
2 eggs
8 c. white whole wheat flour, divided
Shannon is a youth pastor's wife and full-time mommy to two little girls. In addition to writing for ATFM, she works as a part-time children’s ministry director, teaches piano, and writes for her own blog (Key MOMents).
