I may be cheap, but when it comes to the food I eat I’m not willing to sacrifice nutrition for a few bucks. Luckily grad school taught me many things, among them how to be frugal and still eat a healthy diet. There are a few guidelines you can follow in any grocery store to keep your costs down:

Stay here if you want to keep your costs down

• Buy in season. Produce that is in season tends to be cheaper and it tastes better. You may have to be flexible with the recipes you choose, though. For example, strawberry shortcake in the dead of winter is out. For recipe ideas and to find out what exactly is in season, check out Seasonal Recipes. Most recipe sites like Epicurious and Culinate have recipes and menus for seasonal eating, too.
• Buy in bulk. This may be more applicable at Whole Foods, which has a fantastic bulk section, though I have seen modest bulk sections in other grocery stores. Buying in bulk saves money because you buy only what you need and you aren’t paying for the packaging. This is helpful for expensive items like spices or nuts. And if you only buy what you need you lose less food to spoilage.
• Stay on the perimeter of the store. When eating on the cheap you will end up buying more whole foods (i.e. non-packaged foods) and doing the prep at home. The center aisles of most grocery stores are where the packaged foods and the high prices live. Think about it: the produce section, dairy and meat counters are all on the perimeter. Staying out of the aisles, with the occasional foray for pastas, rice and beans, will keep your costs down and will probably make you healthier in the long term.
• Bring a list and stick to it. It will take a few minutes before your trip to the store, but writing a list allows you to take inventory of what you have on hand and will help you with meal prep. If you force yourself to stick to the list you can thwart the seductively displayed impulse buys (Veggie Chips!!!) that rack up the total on your grocery bill.
• Become a vegetarian. Meat is expensive. If you can’t stand the thought of going meatless, try reducing your consumption by making several meatless meals a week. Your heart and your arteries will thank you.

If you have other ideas for healthy grocery shopping on the cheap, please leave them in the comments. I can always use the advice!

Photo credit kudzuplanet

What follows is only in the loosest sense a pizza. I thought about calling it a garden flatbread, but that sounded poncey. Plus my new favorite book, The Recipe Writer’s Handbook, discourages cryptic and silly recipe names. I’m so, so guilty of that.

If you don’t have all of the ingredients I list below, not a big deal. You can use a technique I like to call im-praaaaah-visation. As long as you can cut it into bite-sized pieces and it won’t be ick if you cook it, throw it on the pita. The combo I use below, however, is quite magical and has plenty of iron from the pumpkin seeds, which toast up in the oven. I love the bitterness of the radishes, the sweetness of the squash and pumpkin seeds, and the saltiness of the feta and olives all mingling together.

Garden Pita Pizza

Serves one
Total time: 10 minutes
Cost per serving: $3-5 depending on your toppings

1 whole wheat pita
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup (1 oz) fresh spinach
1/3 cup (1.5 oz) thinly sliced squash
1 radish, thinly sliced
4 green olives, quartered (I used some marinated olives from the olive bar)
2 tablespoons (0.5 oz) raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup (1 oz) feta cheese
Italian seasoning (optional)

1. If you are using a conventional oven, heat it to 350 degrees. I use a toaster oven so I skip this step. If you haven’t already prepped the veggies you could do that while the oven heats.
2. Drizzle the olive oil on the pita, and spread it around with your fingers. Sexy.
3. Spread the spinach out on the pita, then top with the squash and radish slices. Sprinkle on the olives, pumpkin seeds, and feta. Toss a few dashes of Italian seasoning on top, if using.
4. Place in the oven for about 5-8 minutes, or until the pumpkin seeds begin to brown. Serve cut into wedges.

Check out the nutrition information for this meal. The cholesterol should actually be 8%, but for some reason it keeps calculating to 33%. I think it’s just a glitch. More importantly, look at the fiber and vitamin content! You could do a lot worse

This recipe really couldn’t be easier. I even hesitate to call it a recipe.

Quinoa Qurispies

Adapted (barely) from this recipe
Makes 4 servings
Cost: pennies per serving
Total time: 10 minutes tops

1 cup uncooked quinoa (find it in the bulk bins at Whole Foods or boxed in the health food or pasta aisle)
1 Tablespoon agave nectar, syrup or honey
1 Tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and spread the mixture on a cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, or until the quinoa starts to turn golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.
3. Add the qurispies to your morning cereal or yogurt. I especially love the extra crunch and sweetness they give to yogurt.

I may experiment with the sweetener and use molasses for an even bigger dose of iron. I told y’all, I’m not messin’ around.

Photo Credit SweetBeetAndGreenBean

Wow, I rode the wheels off that metaphor, but dangit it was fun. This is a lovely salad that I modified from a recipe in Quick Vegetarian Pleasures. The rice will take 45-60 minute to cook depending on how you go about it. I like to cook rice in a steamer so it takes me closer to an hour. Most of that time is hands off because the rest of the recipe comes together quickly. I know the raisins sound freaky, but trust me they add a nice sweetness to the flavors. Skip them if you are being a wuss and I’m sure the salad will turn out fine. Wuss.

Broccoli and Rice Confetti Salad

Serves 2-3 as a main dish
Total time about 1 hour, though only 20 minutes is hands on
Cost per serving about $3

It's a veggie landscape!

For the salad:
1/2 cup brown rice
1 head of broccoli
1/3 cup raisins
2 carrots
1/4 of a small red onion
2 tablespoons basil

For the dressing:
1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste

1. Cook the rice as you normally would. If you cook it directly on the stove, combine the rice with 1.5 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook until all of the water is absorbed, about 45 minutes. I steam rice because it never burns or sticks to the bottom of the pan that way. It requires a steamer, though.
2. Chop the broccoli into florets. Cut the carrots into sticks then dice into small chunks. Place the broccoli in a saucepan with about 1/4 cup water, cover the pan, and heat over medium heat for a few minutes. The broccoli will be bright green and tender-crisp. Drain off any remaining water.
3. Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk for a minute or two. Set aside.
4. Mince the onion and basil. Set aside.
5. When the rice is done, combine it with the broccoli, raisins, carrots, onion and basil. Mix in the dressing and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature.

This salad is even better after it’s marinated in the fridge for a day. If you feel the need for more protein in your meal, maybe you could add some tofu…or just lick some peanut butter off a spoon

I got fancy with the garnish

Real Simple is a great place to troll for recipes. The name says what it does, the recipes are simple and usually healthy. I like that they put the nutrition information at the bottom, too.

No-Cook Couscous and Heirloom Tomato Salad

Serves 4 as a main dish
Total time: 20 minutes
Cost per serving $3-4
1/2 cup whole wheat couscous
1/2 cup bulgur
1 medium lemon
2 large Heirloom (or beefsteak) tomatoes
2-3 green onions
1/4 cup fresh mint
1/4 cup (2 ounces) roasted almonds, roughly chopped
1 – 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Microwave 1 1/2 cups water until almost boiling, about 2 minutes. Place the couscous and bulgur in a large bowl, pour the hot water over the top, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. The bulgur should be tender, and there is no need to drain. Fluff the mixture with a fork.
2. While the grains are soaking, grate the zest from the lemon and set aside. Chop the tomatoes into large chunks, slice the green onions, and chop the mint and almonds.
3. Dump everything into the grains. Slice the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl. Stir to combine.

Oh, did I mention it’s also a one bowl recipe? See how easy I make things for you?

I call this Hippie Salad because it contains two grains that hippies love: bulgur and quinoa. How am I privy to the culinary preferences of hippies? I used to be one, a friggin’ vegetarian even, and that’s when I learned how to cook both grains.

See? It's not so scary, is it?

If you aren’t a hippie it would do you good to give bulgur and quinoa a shot. Bulgur is more nutrient-dense than rice and contains wicked amounts of fiber. Quinoa is high in protein, which is why my former veggie self ate it. In fact, it’s one of the only grains that qualifies as a complete protein because it contains all the essential amino acids. That won’t stop me from adding chicken to this dish, though. If anything the chicken takes us down from “This stuff is totally foreign to me” to “Hey, I can recognize some of those ingredients!” Vegetarians can skip the chicken, cuz like I said the grains will provide plenty of protein.

You can buy both bulgur and quinoa in the bulk aisle of Whole Foods or in the health food section of most larger grocery stores.

Hippie Salad with Chicken

(adapted from this recipe)
Serves 2-3 as a main dish
Total time: 30 minutes
Cost per serving $4-5

I'm trying to be more artsy with my food photos

1. Heat the oil over med-high heat in a skillet. Add the chicken to the pan and cook 6-8 minutes per side, until the chicken is cooked through.
2. While the chicken cooks, combine the quinoa and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered about 20 minutes. The quinoa germ, which looks like a curly-Q, will start to separate from the grain when its done. Drain the quinoa in a sieve then dump in a big bowl.
3. While quinoa is doing it’s thing on the stove, nuke or heat about 3 cups of water to close to boiling. Place the bulgur in a separate bowl and cover with the heated water. Cover and let the bulgur soak for about 15 minutes, until it’s tender and chewy. Drain this too and mix in with the quinoa.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest a few minutes while you prepare the dressing.
5. For the dressing, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, cilantro or mint and pepper in a small bowl. Chop the cooled chicken into bite sized chunks. Stir that into the grains, then add the dressing, olives, radishes, and feta. Serve immediately.

Broccoli Omelet and Spicy Hash Browns

Serves 2
Total time: 30 minutes
Cost per person about $4

1-2 poblano peppers, depending on your heat tolerance
2 tsp olive oil
2 medium yellow or Yukon Gold potatoes (don’t use baking potatoes because they don’t stand up well to cooking in the pan)
salt
No-stick cooking spray
4 eggs
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen broccoli
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
pico de gallo
cherries or whatever fruit you like

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the poblano(s) in a baking dish and put in the oven. We are going to roast these suckers to bring out their flavor.
2. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a non-stick pan. Rinse off the potatoes and dry with a dish towel. Julienne the potatoes into matchsticks. The best way to do this is to use the shredder blade on a mandolin, like the one pictured. It makes short work of matchsticking potatoes. All you do it slide the potato up and down the blade, et voila, matchsticks. The other way to do this would be to use the large holes on a grater or you could chop them by hand. However I think everyone should own a mandolin because it makes short work of all kinds of slicing chores. You can find them in most houseware stores like Bed, Bath and Beyond. Place the potatoes in a bowl and sprinkle with salt, then stir them around to mix. Add them to the pan and let cook for 5 minutes without stirring.
3. Take the poblanos out of the oven, flip them over, and put them back in. The side touching the baking dish should be a little blistered and charred.
4. Heat a smaller pan over medium heat and spray with no-stick spray. Break the eggs into a bowl and scramble with a fork. Dump in the broccoli and feta and mix to combine. You can make two personal omelets or make one big one and cut it in half. I go for the one big one because I’m lazy. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cover with a lid. This is a little trick one of my friends taught me. If you cover the omelet with a lid the top will cook without having to flip the omelet. I always make a pig’s ear of my omelets when I flip them so I like this method. The trick is making sure the egg isn’t too thick, or you will burn the bottom before the top cooks through. You could also just flip it or make scrambled eggs and to hell with all this flipping business.
5. By now the potatoes on the bottom of the pan should be browning. Flip them over and stir them around a bit to get more browning, hence the name hash BROWNS. Let those cook for a few more minutes. Keep an eye on the omelet. You will be able to tell when the top is solid or when you can flip it without it slopping around everywhere.
6. Take the poblano out of the oven. The skin should be charred and blistered. Put the poblano in a plastic bag for a few minutes. This will steam and loosen the skin. After a few minutes you should be able to pull off most of the skin. Chop the poblano into small pieces.
7. Remove the potatoes from the heat and stir in the chopped poblano. If the omelet is done cooking, remove that from the heat as well. Plate the potatoes and top with some pico de gallo (of course). Serve with the omelet and some cherries.

Like I said, if you don’t feel like dealing with omelet making just scramble the eggs. I’ve done it before and it works great with the broccoli and feta. I bet next time I visit my boyfriend he will get me to make these hash browns for him. He loves him some hot peppers.

Frou Frou Franks and Beans

The beans will serve 3-4, and you can make as many hot dogs as mouths that want ‘em
Total time: 10 minutes
Cost per serving: $3-4

1 can white beans (cannellini they are sometimes called)
1 can chunky tomato soup
1 cup frozen spinach
1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar

low-fat, all-natural hot dogs
whole wheat hot dog buns
roasted corn and poblano salsa from Whole Foods, or pico de gallo
Lemonaise (I love this stuff. You can get it at Whole Foods or just use regular mayo or even mustard.)

1. Drain and rinse the beans under running water and put in a pot. Add the tomato soup and the spinach and heat over med-high heat.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with a little no-stick spray. Cut the hot dogs lengthwise down the center, but not all the way through. Flatten them out and place cut side down on the skillet. Heat for a few minutes.
3. While the dogs are cooking, open the buns and scoop out some of the bread on one side, like the picture shows. It will look like a boat. Fill the boat with salsa or pico de gallo. By removing some of the bread you can cram more salsa into the sandwich. Scrap a thin layer of lemonaise on the other side.
   
4. Flip the dogs over and let heat through on the other side. Turn the heat off the beans and add the balsamic vinegar. I like mine tangy so I go for 2 tsp, but you can add one first and see if you want more.
5. Put the dogs in the buns and serve with the beans and a peach for desert.

How’s that for fancy franks and beans? That salsa really makes the dog. It’s spicy and cumin scented and just delicious. If you don’t want to use the salsa or pico that’s cool, my feelings won’t be hurt. You just won’t know what you’re missing

I read somewhere recently that yogurt was the first ever health food. I feel totally vindicated. So what if you are not a huge fan of dairy, or if you’re vegan or you have an allergy? You can still eat yogurt, as there are plenty of non-dairy options. I rounded up the most popular brands to give you the low down on plant-based yogurts. Since by now I’m sure you’re eating it every day because I told you to (ha!), it will be fun to mix it up a bit even if you don’t have anything against dairy.

SO Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk Blueberry Yogurt

Hello! I saw this and could hardly contain my excitement. I friggin’ love coconut, so I’m thinking this stuff would be the marriage of two things that make me happy. I was willing to neglect that one 6 oz container contains 6 grams of fat just for the novelty. I’m sad to report that at least the blueberry flavor of SO Delicious was SO underwhelming. The consistency was runny, it was way too sweet, and it just didn’t have that coconut milk richness I was hoping for. One positive was the live and active cultures, so if that’s what you’re looking for then give it a shot. At $1.50 a pop, I think I’ll give this a pass next time.

Whole Soy & Co. Blueberry Soy Yogurt

I know what you’re thinking. This sounds about as appetizing as soy cheese. You should give it a chance, because this stuff is delicious. I was expecting more runny blandness, but Whole Soy makes a creamy and rich yogurt that isn’t too sweet and doesn’t have that soy taste I’m not terribly fond of. It’s a nutrition boon at 30% of the recommended daily value for calcium, and only contains 150 calories and 3.5 grams of fat per 6 oz cup. It’s also casein, whey and gluten free (Hey Lauran! I found you a yogurt!). For $1.19 a pop, I think I will be seeing more of this brand in my morning yogurt rotation.

Silk Live! Bluberry Soy Yogurt

With my mind open to soy yogurt, I happily picked up the Silk brand at $0.99 for a 6 ounce cup. They claim 6 live active cultures in their brand, something that wasn’t apparent on the Whole Soy & Co. label. The yogurt was little runnier and tasted like soy to me, but it did have huge whole blueberries mixed in. At 150 calories and only 2 grams of fat the Silk brand weighs in the skinniest so far, which explains why it seemed a little runnier. It’s cheap and not terrible, so I may buy it again.

Yes, that's a stack of work behind the cup

Ricera Blueberry Rice Yogurt

I saw this rice yogurt at Hubbell and Hudson, so for the sake of research I dropped the $1.69 for the 6 ounce cup. Ricera is enriched with vitamins A and D and has only 1 gram of fat in the 180 calorie serving. It also tastes like blueberry flavored Elmer’s glue. This stuff practically coated my tongue and is overly sweetened, probably to cover up the funky chemical taste. I couldn’t even finish the container, it was that nasty. No one should ever, ever eat this stuff, especially because it costs so much.

Yes, It IS That Easy Tomato Sauce

Look at the steam rising off of this!

4 ripe tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves (or more!) garlic
1 med. onion
2 cups whole wheat rotini or other chunky pasta

salad dressing of your choice
Bagged salad greens
hydroponic sprouts (my new favorite thing)
grape tomatoes

1. Set a pot of water deep enough to cover the tomatoes to boil. Score the bottom end (not the stem end) of the tomatoes with an ‘X’. You don’t have to cut deep, just enough to break the tomato skin. Once the water is boiling, put the tomatoes in for no longer than 60 seconds. Fish the tomatoes out with a spoon and let cool for a minute. Now this is important, turn off the burner but keep the water on the stove. You’ll use it in a sec for the pasta.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Peel and press (or chop) the garlic. You should be able to slip the skins off now the tomatoes are cool. Toss the skins in the rubbish bin, unless you feel like snacking on them (which I totally did). Cut each tomato in half and dig out the seeds (with your fingers) into the sink. This part is fun ‘cuz you get to get messy.
3. Scoot the garlic into the heated oil, stir for a few seconds, then place the tomatoes cut side down into the pan. Bring the heat up a few notches and let simmer for a sec. Now turn the heat back on the tomato water. Add more hot tap water if you need to so that you have enough to boil the pasta. Since it’s still pretty hot it should only take a second to boil.
4. Chop up half the onion in the mean time. My boyfriend likes HUGE chunks in his sauce, but you chop to the size you like. I suggest going no bigger than bite sized since we won’t be simmering as long as he does.
5. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook according to the package. Smush the tomatoes with the back of spoon, hacking them up into large chunks. Let them simmer a bit longer. If the sauce is getting a little dry just add some of the boiling pasta water to it. About a 1/4 cup at at time should do ya.
6. Toss all the ingredients for the salad together. I just love those hydroponic sprouts they sell at whole foods. They are so peppery and pack a big nutrition wallop.
7. Check on the tomato sauce, which by now should look as saucy as Tara Thornton on True Blood. Smush up the tomatoes again and add the chopped onions. Let simmer for a few more minutes, until the onions look translucent. Again, if you need to add water just get some from the boiling pasta water.
8. Check the pasta for done-ness, and drain. Put into a bowl and scrape the tomato sauce on top, tossing to coat. It won’t look like there is a whole lot of sauce because it’s not all thick with preservatives and food additives like that jarred crap. Trust, it’s coating the pasta. Serve along side the salad.

If you are really pressed for time just skip the part where you boil and peel the tomatoes and remove the seeds. My boyfriend doesn’t do it because he’s not as fussy as me, and his sauce comes out fine. You can also add all kinds of crap to this sauce, like olives or chicken or even herbs if you want to get all fancy. I like it simple, but go nuts if that’s your thing.