LOW COST HEALTHY EATING PLANS?

[RamblingJenny]

Hi all!
Finding healthy eating an absolute minefield and was wondering if you lovely lot would care to share your plans that work?

The problem I’m finding is that it needs to be cost effective but also to be able to share a family tea/supper that’s healthy for me and family.
I’m also not looking to put on weight or loose weight but to keep a steady healthy weight.

Meal plans or advice I’m coming across is to loose weight or the cost once you factor in different ingredients soon mounts up for the healthier items for me. Things like Greek yoghurt etc.

Also seem to take a while to prepare.
*So needs to be quick to cook.
*So things I’m looking for is cost effective
*super healthy
*maintains weight (not loss or gain)
*and a tea/supper to share with everyone else... we have some fussy eaters!

So far I’ve narrowed it to a...
weetabix breakfast with nuts and raisins (nuts are expensive!)
Tuna with chickpeas/pulses and an egg, piece of fruit
Family Tea/supper is a struggle
Snacks are a struggle!

Feeling very overwhelmed! 😅 Any help would be VERY appreciated x

www.asweetpeachef.com/how-to-portion-control/

Hi Galassia, not sure if you saw but I’m not looking for anything that encourages/supports weight loss. But to maintain a healthy low costing general diet. But thanks for replying

Can you get to a Lidl? They're the least expensive for nuts, but you don't really need a lot of nuts in a portion so that should help limit the cost. They also sell a bucket of full fat Greek yogurt for about £1-£1.50.

Eggs are very good for a cheap healthy filling breakfast.

Very few adults naturally lose weight without making at least some effort, so I'd just eat normal food with plenty of unprocessed food, limit processed food and listen to your appetite and you should maintain your weight and have a healthy diet.

I don't really think it needs any more than that but you'll get lots of opinions about what is healthy/unhealthy, cheap/expensive and suitable/unsuitable for all.

It sounds like you can't see the wood for the trees and this is causing you to overthink and overcomplicate things.

A traditional Mediterranean diet is cheap and healthy, now it's coming up to Autumn you could make milestone type soups for lunch, or pasta with chickpeas, and also frittata with any leftovers to make it more tasty.

My gran always used to say ‘eat produce, not products!’ I think it’s a good theory (but leaves you on dodgy ground when it comes to bread and pasta!)

I can’t say I follow her advice religiously but try to avoid products where I don’t recognise the ingredients on the packing (i’m talking of all the chemical sounding preservatives and stuff).

In general I think it’s better to focus on what you should be eating rather than what you should avoid. Simple things like getting your 5(+) a day and meeting your rda of minerals, omega 3 etc.

I've been using a site called WellEasy to get most of the food I eat because of how much cheaper it is on there. Great place to find healthy snacks too

Eggs and chicken are both inexpensive and healthy. So are pulses

Traybakes with chicken thighs and seasonal veg, flavoured with herbs or spices

Vegetable egg tortilla (omlette with potatoes, onions, peppers and peas, flavoured with herbs and garlic) served with salad

Chickpea or lentil and veg curry

Pasta pomodoro or spag bol.

Chilli con carne or veg chilli with brown or white rice or in baked potatoes or with crusty/garlic bread.

Fish fillets e.g. sea bream (you can get a bag for about £2.50 from frozen section of most supermarkets) dusted in seasoned cornflour and shallow fried to crispy with sweet potato oven fries and steamed veg or salad. Or chunky fish fillets (cod or salmon) drizzled with sweet chilli and soy and baked in the oven with potato wedges and veg.

What about oatmeal or overnight oats with chopped fruit at breakfast? I buy chopped nuts from the bakinig section at Aldi for it to be more cost effective.

Lots of normal, affordable family meals can be very healthy if you foucs on portion control and ensuring balanced macros and plenty of plants on the plate.

Could you post some examples of what you normally eat for dinner? People may be able to suggest ways to make it more healthy.

I love chickpea curries. We bulk out mince with lentils. We always have 2-3 veg servings in a meal. Buy seasonalfruit/veg wherever possible. Buy brown rice/pasta as it's more filling. It's less a case of healthy meeal ideas, more a case of how you approach making meals/eating.

Wow thank you everyone, lots of great ideas!
Going to note your suggestions down.
Some great tips, may start a thread about best supermarkets for certain items... see if there’s any interest.
Thank you so much :)