eating healthy on a budget

{Just a little weekend recap}  Once again the weekend just flew by and it was pretty packed!  Saturday I went with a friend to get pampered with a pedicure and lunch.  Then I went to a gardening class at my work (UNCE).  It was really interesting, and I hope to eventually start a little raised bed in our backyard, if not for the fall, hopefully next spring.  I’m just wondering when I would have the time to garden in addition to work, grad school and other life happenings.  Do any of you garden? 

Sunday we went for a nice bike ride to Boulder City.  It was only 21 miles but I tried to push myself pretty hard to see if I could keep up with the faster pack.  um, yeah.  I started a little behind and just couldn’t keep up!  At one point I almost gained some ground, but I was sucking air and figured I better take it easy since it was really hot outside.  I just have to keep at it!  I also got my first pair of bike shoes and clipless pedals.  Yep, I guess they are called clipless, not clip-in, like I thought.  I hope I can get out of them in time to stop or else I’ll be having a few crashes, oh dear.  I’m still trying to figure out how I can take pictures while I’m riding.  I can barely grab my water bottle without wobbling all over the place! 

For my adv sports nutrition class we have a project looking at a sports supplement/group of supplements and seeing if research supports its claims.  Anyone have a good idea for a supplement/ergogenic aid? There are just so many out there, I’m trying to decide.  {end weekend recap}   

I try to eat flexitarian most of the time, not only because it’s pretty darn healthy, but it’s also very budget-friendly.  I usually only eat meat 4-5 times per week or less and try to incorporate meat alternatives like tofu or beans to provide some variety.  I posted about this before here when I made yummy falafels, one of my favorite vegetarian meals.

Chris and I usually spend anywhere from $70-80/week for two people eating breakfast, lunch and dinner from home.  Sometimes I have to control myself because grocery shopping for me is like a kid in a candy store!  I swear I could spend hours in a place like Whole Foods just finding tons of things that I could buy and try, dangerous!  Having a recipe plan beforehand helps to keep me on track.  We eat out about 3-4x/month and try to keep this to a minimum.  I mostly shop at Trader Joe’s and Walmart and mostly buy basics, that is things that are unprocessed, because it is usually almost always cheaper if you make it and chop it yourself.  It may take a little bit longer, but in the long run it is worth it for health and saving money.     

Recently I found a blog that is great for active vegetarians called No Meat Athlete.  Recently he posted a recipe for corn-type pancakes for dinner.  I thought this was a great idea so I decided to try my hand at it because, well one, it looked pretty easy and fast for a weeknight meal, and two, it was cheap!  Yes please!

I made the batter for the pancakes and found it was a bit too runny for me.  I wanted some more structure and puff to them, so I adapted a recipe from CookingLight and they turned out pretty darn good.  They were just like pancakes and had a nice texture from the cornmeal.  I topped them with the black bean mixture and added a can of fire roasted maters and an oh so glorious poached egg and mozzarella cheese.  I just love egg yolk!  I completely believe that whole eggs can be a part of a healthy diet, because while it is high in cholesterol, saturated fat can be more detrimental to our lipid profiles.

 For the corny cakes:

• 1/2 cup WW flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2  tsp  baking powder
• 1/4-1/2  teaspoon salt
• 1  cup  canned corn, rinsed and drained
• 1  cup  1% low-fat milk
• 2  tablespoons  canola oil, divided
• 2  large eggs
• Cumin, chili powder, garlic powder all purpose seasoning

Simply mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and the wet ingredients in a smaller bowl.  Add the wet to the dry and mix.  Cook them over medium heat in a large pan or griddle until golden.

For the black bean topping:

• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 can fire roasted maters
• 1/2 cup canned corn
• cumin, oregano, chili powder

Mix ingredients in a pot and heat together.

For the poached egg:

Gently boil a pot of water with about 1 tbsp of white vinegar.  Gently pour egg into the water and simmer until desired degree of doneness (about 4-5 minutes).  I always have had a hard time making my poached eggs perfectly round, but it didn’t turn out too bad this time.  Do you have any secrets to the perfect poached egg?

    

Mid-bite yolky goodness . . . 

 

This was such a satisfying meal and very filling with the beans!  These pancakes are also great for breakfast or as a pancake sandwich, yum!

What are your best tips for eating healthy on a budget?  Any ergogenic aid ideas?

Have a great week!