5 Low Cost Healthy Recipes
When it comes to eating healthy meals, people come up with all sorts of reasons as to why they resort to buying processed foods. Some people gripe that healthy meals are just too expensive while other people say that giving up fries, cheeseburgers, pastries and other processed goodies means no more enjoying flavored food. However, such notions are far from the truth because eating right does not have to come with a hefty price tag nor do wholesome meals have to be bland in terms of taste.
With cases of heart disease and obesity on the rise, removing processed foods filled with extra salt, sugar and fat from your diet is the best health decision you can make. Fortunately, it’s not hard to enjoy tasty meals rich in nutrients if you know what to cook. What’s more, you can have fun preparing delicious, wholesome meals without having to spend too much money.
For those who are in search of ideas on how to make cheap, tasty and healthy meals, keep reading. The following 5 low cost healthy recipes will satisfy your sweet tooth or savory cravings without compromising on your nutritious meal plans or budget. They have been selected to offer a good balance of meals that you can serve for breakfast, lunch, dinner or desert.
1 – Banana & Cream Cheese French Toast
With this banana and cream cheese stuffed French toast, you can spice up your whole grain slices of bread during breakfast. It takes less than 15 minutes to prepare and this makes it the perfect breakfast snack when you’re getting ready for work and are pressed for time.
Cost & Servings
- Cost per serving = $4
- Servings =1
Equipment Required
- 1 knife
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 skillet
- 1 whisk
- 1 wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 2 slices of whole grain bread
- 2 tablespoons of cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons of whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 medium banana
- A dash of black pepper
- A dash of salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat the skillet on the cook top on a low heat.
- Spread 1 tablespoon of cream cheese onto 1 side of each slice of whole grain bread
- Chop the banana into round pieces and place them over the cream cheese on 1 of the slices of whole grain bread.
- Cover this slice of whole grain bread with the second slice to make a sandwich.
- Whisk the egg and milk in the mixing bowl, then add the black pepper and salt while beating the egg and milk.
- Take the sandwich and place it in the egg mixture, making sure that you coat both sides with egg mixture.
- Transfer the sandwich to the skillet, then fry it on a low heat until it becomes golden brown. Make sure you use the wooden spoon to flip the sandwich so that it becomes golden brown on both sides.
- Once the sandwich is golden brown on both sides, turn off the heat, transfer the sandwich to a plate and enjoy.
Nutritional Information Per Serving
- Calories = 427
- Carbohydrates =
53g
- Of Which Fiber = 7g
- Of Which Sugar = 20g
- Of Which Other Carbohydrates = 26g
- Fat = 17g
- Of Which Monounsaturated Fat = 6g
- Of Which Polyunsaturated Fat = 2g
- Of Which Saturated Fat = 9g
- Protein = 17g
2 – Creamy Avocado & Lemon Juice Spaghetti
This super easy to make creamy avocado and lemon juice spaghetti can go from the cooking pan to the dining table in less than 20 minutes. Whip it up when you want a quick and healthy meal. The use of avocado adds some protein and fat to this dish and also makes it perfect for vegetarians.
Cost & Servings
- Cost per serving = $5
- Servings = 2
Equipment Required
- 2 wooden spoons
- 1 food processor
- 1 grater
- 1 medium sized pot
- 1 large bowl
- 1strainer
Ingredients
- 8 oz. of whole wheat spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 tablespoon of dried basil
- ¼ lemon juiced
- A dash of black pepper
- A dash of salt
Instructions
- Pour several cups of water into the medium sized pot, place it on the cook top on a high heat and boil the water. Once the water starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium, add the whole wheat spaghetti and let it cook for 8 minutes.
- As the spaghetti cooks, grate the garlic cloves and add them to the food processor along with the olive oil and lemon juice. Then process the ingredients until they become smooth.
- Wash your avocado with clean water, cut it into 2 halves, peel off the skin and remove the seed. Then add the avocado, basil, black pepper and salt to the mixture in the food processor and process the ingredients until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy.
- Once the spaghetti is done cooking, turn off the heat and transfer it to the strainer.
- When the spaghetti is dry, transfer it to the large bowl and pour the creamy avocado and lemon juice sauce from the food processor on top of the spaghetti. Use the 2 wooden spoons to toss the spaghetti and sauce until they are fully combined.
- Once the creamy avocado and lemon juice sauce and spaghetti are fully combined, grab 2 plates, transfer half the creamy avocado and lemon juice spaghetti to each plate and enjoy.
Nutritional Information Per Serving
- Calories =424
- Carbohydrates = 40g
- Of Which Fiber = 12g
- Of Which Sugar = 2g
- Of Which Other Carbohydrates = 26g
- Fat =30g
- Of Which Monounsaturated Fat = 22g
- Of Which Polyunsaturated Fat = 4g
- Of Which Saturated Fat = 5g
- Protein = 8g
3 – Basil Quinoa Cakes
Are you having cravings for cakes but happen to be on a diet? Well, you can still enjoy some tasty treats without having to settle for processed snacks that are filled with empty calories. These basil quinoa cakes make use of nutrient rich ingredients and are easy to prepare, just like pancakes. They’re also packed with protein thanks to the use of quinoa and eggs.
Cost& Servings
- Cost per serving = $5
- Servings = 2
Equipment Required
- 1 chopping board
- 1 knife
- 1 large baking sheet
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 skillet
- 1 whisk
- 1 wooden spoon
- Paper towels
Ingredients
- 4 smalleggs
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 cup of cooked quinoa
- 1 cup of whole grain breadcrumbs
- 1 small onion
- 1 tablespoon of dried basil
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Pre-heat the skillet on the cook top on a medium heat.
- Line the large baking sheet with paper towels.
- Usethe knife and chopping board to finely chop the garlic cloves and onion.
- Add the eggs, garlic, onion and cooked quinoa to the mixing bowl, then beat the mixture with the whisk.
- Add the parmesan cheese and whole grain breadcrumbs to the mixing bowl, mix them into the other ingredients with the wooden spoon and then allow them to absorb the moisture.
- Add the olive oil to the skillet and heat it.
- Once the olive oil has heated, divide the mixture up into 8 patties and fry them in the skillet in batches. Make sure you cook the patties until they have browned on both sides and use the wooden spoon to flip them.
- When the patties have browned on both sides, transfer them to the baking sheet lined with paper towels so that the excess oil can drain off.
- Once all the patties have cooked, turn off the heat, grab 2 plates, transfer 4 basil quinoa cakes to each plate and enjoy.
Nutritional Information Per Serving
- Calories =507
- Carbohydrates = 56g
- Of Which Fiber = 6g
- Of Which Sugar = 5g
- Of Which Other Carbohydrates =40g
- Fat =23g
- Of Which Monounsaturated Fat = 11g
- Of Which Polyunsaturated Fat = 5g
- Of Which Saturated Fat = 7g
- Protein = 23g
4 – Potatoes & Spicy Tomato Sauce
This recipe of potatoes in spicy tomato sauce provides you with a tasty and savory dish. The sauce is made using fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomato paste which is often high in sodium and other unhealthy preservatives. The dish is perfect for a main course and makes use of cheap, healthy and easy to find ingredients.
Cost & Servings
- Cost per serving = $5
- Servings = 4
Equipment Required
- 1 chopping board
- 1 colander
- 1 food processor
- 1 knife
- 1 large skillet with tall sides
- 1 vegetable peeler
- 1 wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 6 garlic cloves
- 5 large tomatoes
- 2 large potatoes
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 1 tablespoon of turmeric
- 1 teaspoon of coriander
- A dash of sea salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat the skillet on the cook top on a medium heat.
- Use the knife and chopping board to finely chop the garlic cloves and onion.
- Use the vegetable peeler to peel the potatoes. Once they have been peeled, chop each potato up into 4 quarters using the knife and then chop these quarters into thin slices.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in your skillet and then sauté the onions until they become soft and translucent, while stirring occasionally with the wooden spoon.
- When the onions have become soft and translucent, add the garlic and fry the ingredients for a further 2 minutes.
- Add the potato slices to the skillet, then stir the ingredients with the wooden spoon. Allow the potatoes to cook for 20 minutes, making sure you continue to stir the ingredients in the skillet occasionally to ensure that everything cooks evenly.
- While the potatoes are cooking, use the knife and the chopping board to chop the tomatoes in half. Then squeeze and drain the tomato halves in the colander.
- Once all the tomatoes have been squeezed and drained, transfer them to the food processor, add the salt and turmeric and process them into a smooth paste.
- After the potatoes have cooked for 20 minutes, pour the tomato paste into the skillet and then allow all the ingredients to simmer for a further 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, turn off the heat, grab 4 plates, serve an equal amount of potatoes and spicy tomato sauce on each plate and enjoy.
Nutritional Information Per Serving
- Calories =263
- Carbohydrates = 48g
- Of Which Fiber = 8g
- Of Which Sugar = 9g
- Of Which Other Carbohydrates =31g
- Fat =8g
- Of Which Monounsaturated Fat = 6g
- Of Which Polyunsaturated Fat = 1g
- Of Which Saturated Fat = 1g
- Protein = 6g
5 – Baked Apples Stuffed With Sweet Oats& Pecans
Baked apples are very simple to prepare and are perfect for a light snack or healthy dessert. This recipe uses maple syrup, oats and pecans to create a sweet, filling flavor that tastes delicious.
Cost & Servings
- Cost per serving = $4
- Servings = 4
Equipment Required
- 1 baking dish
- 1 chopping board
- 1 grater
- 1 knife
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 4 large apples
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
- 1 small piece of ginger
- ½ cup of pecans
- ½ cup of oats
- A dash of cinnamon
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius.
- Use the knife and chopping board to chop the pecans into small pieces.
- Use the grater to grate the small piece of ginger.
- Add the cinnamon, ginger, maple syrup, oats and pecans to the mixing bowl and mix with the wooden spoon to fully combine all the ingredients.
- Use the knife to remove the core from the apples without cutting through the bottom. Then scoop out all the seeds and rinse out the hollowed areas of each apple with clean water.
- Fill up the hollow space in each of the 4 apples with equal amounts of mixture from the mixing bowl.
- Pour a cup of water into the baking dish, then place the apples in the baking dish, transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake them for 40 minutes.
- After 40 minutes, turn off the oven, remove the baking dish from the oven and allow the baked apples stuffed with sweet oats and pecans to cool for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, grab 4 plates, transfer 1 baked apple stuffed with sweet oats and pecans to each plate and enjoy.
Summary
Remember, eating wholesome meals does not have to be expensive or restrictive in terms of how your meals taste. With these 5 low cost healthy recipes you can start enjoying highly nutritional meals for $5 or less. So get in the kitchen and give them a try today.
