You don’t have to compromise on flavor or sacrifice your favorite foods to stick to a budget. Contrary to what people may think, making healthy dietary choices doesn’t have to necessarily pinch your pocket. When it comes to meals, affordable and healthy should be synonymous. This list of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack options will show you how it is possible to eat healthy meals on a budget and lose weight:
Roasted root vegetables over spiced lentils: This Middle Eastern-flavored meal makes good use of leftover roasted root vegetables from a weeknight dinner. All you have to do is spruce it up with a dollop of yogurt to make it rich and tastier.
Mediterranean chickpea quinoa bowl: Chickpeas and quinoas make for the best complex carbs that can help you shed the extra pounds. This vegetarian bowl is packed in proteins and can make for a healthy, grab-and-go lunch.
Spaghetti with sauce: For a healthy budget dinner, choose spaghetti in meat sauce and serve this with garlic bread and steamed broccoli.
Vegetarian shepherds’ pie: You don’t have to buy meat every time you feel like gorging on a shepherds’ pie. You can prepare mini shepherd pies for the family containing carrot, corn, lentils and with a creamy mashed potato topping. The meal, when served with walnuts, oranges and red wine vinaigrette, is sure to bring a smile on your loved ones’ faces.
Chinese chicken salad: This peppy dish can be an excellent dinner choice complete with green onions, shredded carrots, and red cabbage spread over romaine lettuce. All you now need is Chinese dressing and tasty chicken on the top. This flavor-rich meal is super-delicious even without exotic and costly ingredients.
Greek yogurt with blueberry sauce granola: Blueberries are a great source of antioxidants and help to prevent inflammation and lose weight. To keep it within budget, you can always opt for frozen blueberries instead of buying these fresh from the market.
Veggie scramble and Gouda: This is a protein-packed breakfast meal rich in all healthy nutrients, and pocket-friendly too. You can use a blend of spinach and frozen broccoli with a sprinkle of Gouda cheese in shredded form. All you have to do is steam the vegetables in the microwave and scramble two eggs in a bowl. As you pour this out into the pan, you can fold the veggies in and sprinkle the cheese on top.
Open-face Tuna Salad Sandwich: Tuna is one of the best sources of affordable proteins. You can prepare a healthy tuna salad by adding vegetables like shredded carrots, celery, olives, and pickles to it. All you now have to do is spread this salad filling onto whole grain bread on top of a lettuce layer, and you have a nutritious meal in hand.
Mexican black beans, corn, and tomato quinoa salad: This offers a wholesome blend of fiber-rich beans, anti-inflammatory tomatoes, and corn with quinoa, a super complex carb. This salad is sure to keep you feeling full for a long time and will help you lose weight at the same time.
Adding a few of these healthy budget-friendly recipes to your diet shouldn’t be a problem if you are serious about losing weight. Weight loss must be healthy for you to sustain it. At the same time, you need a diet plan that will work for you and not overshoot your monthly budget.