The USDA have come out with a new report that says that healthy food is less expensive than fast or processed foods. No great surprise as far as I’m concerned. It’s what I’ve been harping on about for years. You can easily make an delicious organic meal for way less than a dollar per person, if you’re willing to cook from scratch.
The beauty of cooking from scratch is that it’s not only less expensive, but obviously way healthier. I also have to say that is that it doesn’t have to be time-consuming either. My husband was away last week and I was working nearly every hour of the day, so I did something I rarely do and decided to buy pre-prepared food for the entire week – either pre-prepared and cooked from Wholefoods or frozen from Trader Joe’s. The time-saving novelty wore off pretty quickly when I realized how much packaging I had to get rid off. It was scary how fast my recycling bin filled and had to be carted out to my giant curbside recycling thingy. The meals were also way less satisfying both my daughter and I, and it cost me a small fortune.
So this week, I’m back to my usual cooking-from-scratch. (So check out my food blog because I often post the recipes that work out best.) The least expensive staples that I’m never without, are the following – you can make a plethora of healthy, inexpensive dishes if you keep these on hand:
- Dried Beans: (Garbanzo, Pinto, White Navy, Black) – I also keep cans in case I’m seriously time-challenged: From these I make soups, stews, chilis, dips and more.
- Tofu: Less expensive than meat and can be used extensively.
- Cans of organic tomatoes: pasta/pizza sauce, soups and stews.
- Organic garlic and onions (need these for everything!)
- Pasta & Rice (Paella and Risotto are my two new gluten-free fave’s)
- Oats
- Quinoa ( much cheaper from bulk bins)
- Lentils: Soups, stews, cassaroles
- Nuts (raw almonds and cashews)
- Sweet Potatoes: I like to bake or steam them, make soups, stews and use them as a binder for veggie burgers
- Greens (spinach, kale, a variety of lettuce, chard): I try to buy them from the farmer’s market as they’re cheaper.
- Broccoli & Carrots: I always keep broccoli and carrots in my fridge for steaming, salads, soups and plenty more!
- Fruit: Fruit is more expensive than veggies, so I only buy what’s in season and am very judicious about how much I buy. Given that I buy expensive organic fruit, I sometimes buy just one or two apples because I can’t bear to waste them.
