Fixing healthy and low-calorie meals can be challenging on a tight budget. However, by basing your meals around inexpensive and nutritious staples, you can eat well, cut calories and save money. Beans, rice and pasta are among the least expensive foods on your supermarket shelves. They are nutritious, low in calories and are satisfying when eaten alone or when combined with other foods.
Beans
Beans are a good source of protein, fiber, B-vitamins and minerals, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. Beans are a low-calorie food, containing approximately 200 to 270 calories per serving, depending on the variety. Use cooked beans as a side dish, add them to a salad or mash them with chopped vegetables, egg and cracker crumbs for veggie burgers. Use them to make chili, bean soup, burritos or mix them with rice. You can even add cooked, cold beans to a smoothie for a flavorful protein boost.
Rice
Rice is a staple food for much of the world's population thanks to its low cost and nutritional value. Choose brown rice over white for increased fiber. Rice contains over 15 vitamins and minerals including B-vitamins, iron and zinc. It's gluten-free, making it an ideal grain if you have a wheat allergy or celiac disease. It's also low-cal, containing approximately 200 calories in one cup. Combine rice with beans, add it to soup, mix it with vegetables in casseroles, add it to ground meat as an extender or simply serve it as a side dish. Rice even makes a delicious dessert as anyone who is a fan of rice pudding can attest.
Pasta
Pasta is another inexpensive staple, but choose whole grain pasta for maximum nutrition. The bran and germ are intact in whole grains, making them a good source of B-vitamins, vitamin E, selenium, zinc, copper, magnesium and fiber. A 1-cup serving contains approximately 200 calories. Whole wheat pasta is the cheapest, but thanks to a growing awareness of celiac disease, rice, quinoa, soy and other whole grain pastas are available in most supermarkets. Hot pasta with steamed vegetables and a tomato-based sauce or cold pasta salad both make a nutritious and inexpensive main dish. Add pasta to soup, mix it with beans or serve it as a side dish.
Vegetables, Meat, Chicken and Fish
Choose inexpensive but nutritious vegetables to add to your staples. Carrots, onions, sweet potatoes and broccoli are usually affordable at any time and all are low calorie. More expensive vegetables can drop considerably in price when in season. Use animal-based foods sparingly to save money. For example, extend ground meat for burgers or meat loafs by combining it with mashed beans or rice. One shredded chicken breast can be enough for a pot of soup, while one chicken breast or salmon fillet can provide a shredded topping for several salads. While you want to limit cost by emphasizing inexpensive foods and minimizing costly ones, don't skimp on nutrition. It's better to buy one nutritious lean cut of meat and parcel it out in small portions than a lot of fatty cheaper meat.
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