Ask the Experts Blog

When money gets tight, it can be hard to eat healthy. Heather Rudnik, a Registered Dietitian at Lakeland Health, shares some helpful advice for cooking on a budget. 

When following the steps to prepare your meals for the week, make sure to remember the three P’s:

Plan your menu before you go to the store:

• Check local sales for deals on foods that you normally purchase
• Collect coupons for foods that you normally purchase – Bonus points if you can find coupons that line up with sales
• Check what you have in the pantry, freezer, and fridge
• Look for recipes that include foods you already have and foods that are on sale 
• Choose multiple recipes that use some of the same ingredients in order to reduce food waste
• Create a shopping list based on the recipes that you choose and stick to your list when shopping
• Plan to eat a snack before you go grocery shopping. This can help prevent impulse purchases

 Purchase your groceries:

• Buy the most “whole” version of a food. For example, purchase a whole cabbage rather than a slaw mix. By chopping up the cabbage for you, the producers mark up the price by about $1.00 per pound
• Check unit prices
• Make sure that the generic brand isn't cheaper than the name brand foods that are on sale

Prepare your meals:

• Cook double batches of foods that are easily frozen like beans and casseroles – that way, you have low-cost “convenience foods” when you don’t have time to cook
• Make recipes that require fresh produce or foods that are easily perishable early in the week to reduce food waste

If you want to learn more about cooking healthy recipes while on a budget, attend one of our upcoming “Cooking on a Budget” classes.