Saving Money on Meals While Eating a Nutritious Diet
This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through links on my site, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.
This is about saving money on meals while eating a nutritious diet. Despite what you might have heard or read, you can eat a nutritious diet without breaking the bank.
For instance, protein can be found in eggs or beans, which are cheap. I grew up eating beans at least three times a week.
I’ll eat scrambled eggs at any time of day. Add sliced mushrooms and other veggies like bell peppers and onions, a little cheese, and some herbs, and you’ve got a delicious meal.
Eating eggs makes for an easy, nutritious meal, morning, noon, or night. Did you know that eggs are among the most nutritious foods on earth?
Eggs: The Perfect Protein
The protein in eggs has the highest biological value. This is a measure of how well any food supports your body’s protein needs, including our beloved beef.
Calorie-for-calorie, you need less protein from eggs than from other sources. But you’ll need to eat the yolk to get that jolt of protein.
It also contains Vitamin B12, which is necessary for fat breakdown and muscle contraction.
How Eggs Keep You Healthy:
Eggs are packed with riboflavin, folate, Vitamins B6, B12, D, E, iron, phosphorus, and zinc.
For the vitamins eggs supply, they are actually a really good deal.
A hard-boiled egg offers many benefits because it contains carotenoids, riboflavin, vitamin B12, and selenium.
Beans & Legumes:
Beans and legumes are inexpensive, heart-healthy foods popular around the world. In addition to being high in protein, beans and legumes are also a good source of fiber, iron, and potassium.
The current daily value for protein is 50 grams, a target for most people. Most beans provide between 29-36% of the DV for protein per cup cooked. Boiled soybeans (or edamame) provide a whopping 63% DV.
What Is %DV:
The %DV is how much a nutrient in a single serving of an individual packaged food or dietary supplement contributes to your daily diet.
Most beans are also low in fat. Legumes are similar to meat in terms of nutrients, but have lower iron levels and no saturated fat.
Beans are loaded with fiber, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and vitamins.
A boiled egg and beans diet supplemented with fruits, vegetables, dairy, nuts, and seeds provides a healthy and well-balanced diet. But consult with a physician before making any dietary changes.
Beans have more fiber than eggs. But eggs are richer in copper, choline, selenium, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, vitamin A RAE, and vitamin D.
Foods Higher In Protein Than Eggs:
There are foods higher in protein than eggs if you would like to substitute them.
- Quinoa (1 cup cooked quinoa = 8 grams of protein )
- Tofu (3 ounces = 8 grams of protein)
- Cheddar cheese (1 ounce = 6.5 grams of protein)
- Almonds (1/4 cup = 7 grams of protein)
- Black beans (1/2 cup = 8 grams of protein)
- Chickpea pasta (2 ounces = 14 grams of protein)
- Greek yogurt (1 cup = 23 grams of protein)
- Peanut butter (2 Tbsp. = 7 grams of protein)
- Sprouted-grain bread (2 slices = 8 grams of protein)
- Pumpkin seeds (1 ounce = 9 grams of protein)
Highest Protein Beans:
- Soybeans (1 cup = 30.2 grams of protein)
- Lentils (1 cup = 17.9 grams of protein)
- Large White Beans (1 cup = 16.9 grams of protein)
- Borlotti Beans (1 cup = 16.5 grams of protein)
- Split Peas (1 cup = 16.3 grams of protein)
- Pinto Beans (1 cup = 15.4 grams of protein)
- Kidney Beans (1 cup = 15.3 grams of protein)
- Black Beans (1 cup = 15.2 grams of protein)
- Navy Beans (1 cup = 15.0 grams of protein)
- Butter Beans (1 cup = 14.7 grams of protein)
So if you need to save money while still meeting your daily protein requirements, you might try cooking recipes with eggs or beans.
Saving on meals while eating a nutritional diet takes a little more creativity and thought. But in the long run, it’s well worth it. You’ll feel better for taking care of your nutritional needs.
I am the last person to give advice on cooking for sure. I don't like to spend much time in the kitchen. I have to be gluten free and that's expensive. My stapes are frozen chicken breasts, ground beef but only the better quality and grass feed if I can find it, eggs, cheese, bread, Cocconut milk or almond milk. I can use the meats in soups and GF pasta dishes. We like to have eggs and some kind of meat for dinner sometimes. Also you can have spaghetti without meat. I like to have packages of frozen vegetables…..the steam kind, that you can pop in the microwave. I will sometimes just eat a package of that for lunch with a little cheese. We like grilled cheese with good cheese not those slices. I try to add fruits as much as I can as well. I am overweight but I have maintained my weight for a long time. I know it would be better to loose weight. Well, actually I have lost about 20 pounds in the last year and a half. Not sure how, just maybe eating better. I know I need to move to loose the weight. The best I felt was when I used to physical therapy in a pool. It's such a hassle because of the changing of clothes and wet hair. I hope to start walking when all this snow and ice go away. So you can tell, basics here….quick and easy. I really don't spend tons on groceries.
It was warm here today. I'm seeing green shoots come up. I'm not crazy about being in the kitchen. Maybe when I move in mid-April and have an electric stove again I will feel more like cooking.
Brenda
I do put some sprinkles of cheese on my baked potato. I did use the flax seed in nightly fruit smoothies with protein powder when I was in TX. But haven't found the flax seed for a decent price. That stuff is high!
You can order the Flax Seed from http://www.mountainroseherbs.com for a very good price and its organic.
Hi Brenda. I'm going to try to offer some ideas for protein that you can work in to the meals you already make. You could add some protein to your potato and veggie meal by sprinkling some cheese on top, or having some cottage cheese with it. (We rarely eat cottage cheese anymore because the brands carried in our area have a sodium content that is too high for my husband's diet, unfortunately.) We use a parmesan cheese with a low sodium content called Private Selection Shredded Parmesan that we get at Kroger. We also eat a Kroger brand of swiss cheese with a low sodium content. But, we eat small portions of cheese because of the fat content.
Another way to add some protein to your potato meal is to sprinkle it with nutritional yeast. It's a yellow, flaky powder generally found at health food stores. It has lots of protein. Some people are down on nutritional yeast, saying it contains Monosodium glutamate and gives them headaches and such, but, other people say that's bunk. You can do some internet research on it and decide for yourself. We used to eat a lot of it on veggies along with soy sauce, but when we cut soy sauce out of our diet because of the high sodium, we quit eating as much nutritional yeast. But, we do like it sprinkled on steamed broccoli or other steamed veggies.
Here is a link to a list of cheeses ranked according to protein:
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/36-cheeses-highest-in-protein.php
Another way to add protein to dishes you already fix is to add in some wheat germ, wheat bran, oat bran, or flaxseed meal. Bob's Red Mill is a brand that sells all of these products, and we find them at health food stores, Kroger, and even Big Lots. We mix these foods into such things as oatmeal, muffins, coffee cakes, and breads, and have even tossed in a bit into casseroles. You could sprinkle them right on top of a salad or veggies, but I think they are a bit dry for that. So, we tend to mix them into things we will be cooking or baking.
Another way to protein to meals is with texturized vegetable protein, or TVP. Bob's Red Mill sells it too. You can take a portion of TVP, mix it with an equal portion of water, and let it sit a few minutes to expand. Drain off any excess water. Then, toss it into spaghetti sauce and eat it over some noodles, or put it in casseroles, or soup, just like gound beef. We mix the soaked TVP in with ground turkey to stretch the meat and turn it into meatballs, patties, or in casseroles and so on.
One more way to add in some protein is with nuts. We eat some almonds, pecans, or walnuts every morning at breakfast. Nuts are expensive, I know, but, we eat a dozen or so apiece each morning and don't go overboard on them, so they last awhile. You could maybe eat a few nuts in the morning with your cereal, or eat a few for a snack.
We rarely eat beef, but do eat chicken and fish, including canned chicken, tuna, and salmon. We don't eat a lot of canned fish and chicken because of the sodium content, however, but if sodium isn't an issue for you, then that's a plus. An easy meal is to make a quick version of the French salad Nicoise, and put some canned tuna and cooked sliced potatoes and cooked green beans on top of lettuce, along with an oil and vinegar dressing.
Some veggies do contain a bit of protein. Here is a list of veggies ranked according to protein:
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/vegetables-high-in-protein.php
I hope some of those ideas are helpful.
I'm sorry it is Miz Helen's Country Cottage not Kitchen. Her recipes are wonderful.
Thank you for the update!
I retired a year ago and discovered that I really do like to cook and I cook almost 7 days a week. I used to make a lot of dishes with beans but my hubby is diabetic and the beans raised his potassium level so I stopped. I use chicken thighs and the night before I cook them, I soak them in a big container of cold water and about a cup of vinegar. If you do this, you will never have dry chicken again. I also buy the thighs with the bone in and de-bone them. I use the bones and make broth to be used in other dishes. I NEVER eat eggs and very little red meat except for meatballs and I use a combination of ground meat and ground pork and I double the recipe and freeze half for a night I don't want to cook. I also get a lot of recipes from the internet especially Miz Helen's Country Kitchen. I also make a lot of soup and use things that would go bad if I didn't use them. We also stopped eating processed foods and our test results have been wonderful. Take care of yourself Brenda, we need more people like you in our world.
Patty
Aw, thank you, Patty, for the sweet words! I've GOT to stop eating processed foods. I've got to figure out this no gluten thing. I've got to do a lot of stuff, but first I've got to get moved!
Brenda I wish you lived closer I would feed you too and help you move. I'm used to cooking for at least 5 and now there are only 3 at home so I always have leftovers and our two dogs (pit bulls) eat well. I should have also said I don't eat eggs because I don't like them. Use the computer to research some healthy things – no processed food!!!!
Hi Brenda: Lots of great ideas for adding protein to the diet here. I will make pinto beans in the crock pot–I get them dry in a big bag from Costco, so fairly cheap, and then I can season them as I like. I will freeze them up in pints so they're ready to go in recipes. Also do the same thing with dried garbanzo beans–these are great in green salads to add a little extra protein. Tofu, as long as it is non-GMO–can often be found on sale pretty cheap, and it's a great source of protein because it takes to different seasonings very well. I like it as scrambled tofu, like scrambled eggs, or like egg-less salad. My favorite breakfast is a smoothie. I use a generous 2 cups of unsweetened, organic soy milk–I find mine at the best price at Trader Joes, but available elsewhere, 1 cup of blueberries, half a chopped-up banana–I buy them on sale and freeze them in chunks, and I add 2 tablespoons of wheat bran, and just blend it up. For me, it has the perfect amount of protein from the soy milk, plus the soy is great if your body is considering going into menopause, fiber from the wheat bran and berries, anti-oxidants from the berries and potassium from the banana. I add no sugar or sweeteners to it, as the fruit is already sweet enough. I'll have that with a cup of herbal tea, and I am good to go until dinnertime usually. Soy milk is great–low in calorie–70 calories per cup, and super high in protein and low in carbs, and comparable in price to regular cow's milk. Just make sure it is organic, unsweetened, and non-GMO, which the Trader Joe's is–in the refrigerated foods section. I usually workout first thing before breakfast, so no excuses not to get my workout in–I walk on the treadmill for 45 minutes and watch videos from the library, and then I do half an hour of Pilates and arm exercises with lightweight free weights. Then after I workout, breakfast is my reward! I've dropped 25 pounds about 5 years ago and kept it off (mostly–my weight fluctuates 5 pounds up or down depending on the season). I still would like to lose 7-10 pounds. We pick berries at u-pick berry farms when they are in season in summer, and freeze them–that's the best price, but otherwise we find good berries and bananas at Costco for the best price. Hope this helps.
Well girl, you are fit and healthy and walking the walk!
Hi, Brenda! I haven't read all of the posts, so hope I don't duplicate too much. Have you tried to roast vegetables? Oh, my! Once roasted, they are SO sweet!! Carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, onions, brussel sprouts, peppers, asparagus….. Just on a jelly roll pan with some olive oil and s&p and they are wonderful! I have made rice w/ those and you could certainly cut up some chicken or pork or something. I have also put the roasted veggies in a tortilla and wrapped and warmed it w/ just a bit of cheese. Also, scrambled eggs w/ salsa in them are SO good and not so bland. I have done chicken breasts in the crock pot or the oven w/ some taco seasoning and salsa over them. You can do so many things with that and extend to several meals and pack them in freezer bags for the freezer, too. Keeping hard boiled eggs on hand to add to salads or to have w/ an English muffin w/ some peanut butter is easy. Many mornings I just have an English muffin w/ peanut butter w/ my coffee. Just a small smear of peanut butter is all you need. It really melts into those crannies when the muffin is warm. Yeah, those frozen meals are so laden with sodium. They are useful once in a while, but so many other things are really just about as easy. Have you tried meal planning for a week or two to see how/if that helps you? It is when we get to the point of "hangry" ~ so hungry we are almost angry ~ that we grab whatever we find/ or order out. If you have a plan of sorts written down, it helps you to not have to think too much about it, because it is planned ahead. Just a few thoughts. Great topic!!!!!!
I never know when I'm going to have a "bad ankle" day. So I need to get food prepared so I have something already fixed to eat on those days. Sounds good! I know when I have an electric stove again I will be cooking more.
The stir fry idea is a great one. You can use one pan to brown cut up chicken breast. then add in any and all the fresh veggies you want. I marinate the chicken in soy, sesame oil, ground ginger and garlic. You can use broth and a little cornstarch to thicken it, to make a sauce. I like to top with sesame seeds or cashews on top, as nuts and seeds are great for you. You could serve over brown rice. All healthy for you and yummy!!!!!
It does indeed sound yummy!
Good Morning,
Mix rice (which is an incomplete protein) with beans (another incomplete protein) and whalaa you now have a complete protein. And rice and dried beans, even purchased at a food co-op are VERY economical.
Have a great move!
Lisa
Lisa, that is good to know! 1+1=complete protein! I shall remember that.
Beans and corn are another combination that makes a complete protein. Bean soup and cornbread is a great combination.
Wow. Lots of information and inspiration here – not only in your post, but in the thoughtful comments! I am trying to stay away from eating meat. Mostly for humanitarian reasons, but the health issue is a real one. My vegan daughter has cholesterol numbers that are "off the charts terrific!"
Just want to add that I really, really, REALLY love your blog and am so glad that Debra at Frugal Little Bungalow steered me here! She knew I'd be a fan!
Oh, the best info here is always in the comments! Such diverse info from all over the globe. I'm so glad to have you as a reader and I shall have to thank Ms. Debra!
You'all do know that today is National Chocolate & Caramel Day, don't you?
Judy
Oh, you are B-A-D. You're paying me back for my comment on your blog last night, aren't you?
Gotta love cheap! I could try the chili during the day. But I could never have that at night. I'd be refluxing it all night long.
Since you love your baked potato, and don't really like to cook, try turkey chili in the can (Hormel, I think??) and pour it over your potato. This would be a great and inexpensive source of protein. I used to pour it over a green salad when I was dieting. We have recently gotten into stir frying again….. I use a bag of frozen mixed veggies, add whatever other veggie I may have lying around in the fridge (zucchini, cabbage, etc). Stir fry in a little olive oil, sprinkle with low sodium soy sauce, then push the veggies to the side of the pan, and scramble two eggs in the pan. Mix it all together and serve over a small portion of whole wheat linguine. (that also has low sodium soy sauce added) This is pretty inexpensive and delicious to us these days! (you could probably eat two meals, easily, from this) I actually saw a recipe recently for ramen noodles, made more like soup , with an egg added to the bowl for protein. The picture looked yummy, and hey! it's cheap!!