You may save money on food by preparing more meals at home and using some of the healthiest items available at your groceries, such as whole grains, vegetables, and legumes.
Fortunately, many of these foods are available for less than $2 a package.
For example, a 1-pound bag of brown rice costs about $1.75 and yields approximately 10 side dishes – that’s just 18 cents per serving. Discuss nutrition on a shoestring budget!
Additional instances can be found in the list below. Prices may vary by shop, region, and season.
1. Rice, brown
Excellent for: Salads, rice, fried rice, casseroles, soups, and stews.
What constitutes a serving? 1/4 cup uncooked rice
18 cents per serving. A one-pound package is approximately $1.75 and contains ten servings.
Per serving, this recipe contains 170 calories, 2 grams fiber, and 4 grams protein.
2. Pasta made with whole wheat or a combination of grains
Excellent with both hot and cold pasta dishes.
What constitutes a serving? 2 oz. dry pasta For the majority of people, a serving equals approximately 2 ounces of dried pasta, which indicates that a standard box or bag of dried pasta contains approximately 7 servings.
What is the cost per serving? Approximately 24 cents. A 13- to 16-ounce box or bag of store-brand dried pasta costs approximately $1.69.
Per serving, approximately 200 calories, 7 grams protein, and 6 grams fiber.
3. Whole-Wheat Bread
Excellent for: Hot and cold sandwiches, bread stuffing, bread pudding, and strata breakfasts.
What constitutes a serving? 2 slivers While most labels define a portion as one slice of bread (about 28 grams per slice), for our purposes, we’ll use the amount used to build a sandwich.
Around 18 cents per serving. A 22-ounce loaf of store-brand whole-wheat bread costs approximately $1.99. (on sale). Each loaf contains approximately 22 slices, or 11 2-slice servings.
Serving size (2 slices): around 120 calories, 6 grams protein, and 3 grams fiber.
4. Greek Yogurt Low in Fat
Ideal for: A quick snack, fruit and granola parfaits, and smoothies.
What constitutes a serving? The majority of individual servings are packaged in 6- or 8-ounce containers. You can save money by purchasing a larger container of Greek yogurt and dividing it into six or eight ounce portions.
Individual servings (6 to 8-ounce containers) cost approximately 89 cents each and occasionally less when obtained on sale.
Per serving (for a 6-ounce serving of honey vanilla), the nutrition facts are as follows: 150 calories, 0 grams fiber, and 14 grams protein.
5. Oatmeal Made the Old-Fashioned Way
Excellent for: Hot or cold cereal, granola, dessert crumb toppings, and muffins.
What constitutes a serving? 1/2 cup rolled oats
13 cents per serving. A 42-ounce container of store brand oats costs approximately $3.99 and contains approximately 30 servings, based on a 1/2-cup serving of dried oats.
Per serving, this recipe contains 150 calories, 4 grams fiber, and 5 grams protein.
6. Vegetables, Frozen
Excellent for: Salads, casseroles, and stews.
What constitutes a serving? 1 c.
Around 25 cents per serving. Frozen veggies are sold in 12- to 24-ounce bags that range in price from $1.75 to $2.25 and contain between 6 and 8 cups of vegetables, depending on the item and the size of the bag. A package of frozen organic green beans costs $1.79 at one national retailer. A bag of small peas costs $1.19, as does a ten-ounce box of frozen chopped spinach.
Nutritional information for each serving: A 1-cup serving of frozen mixed vegetables (classic mix) contains 82 calories, 6 grams fiber, 4 grams protein, and 115% of the Daily Value for vitamin A, 8% for vitamin C, and 7% for potassium.
7. Russet Potato
Baked potatoes, breakfast potatoes, salads, casseroles, and stews are all excellent uses for this kind.
What constitutes a serving? 1 baked potato, medium or big.
The cost per serving is approximately 33 cents per potato. A 5-pound package of Russet potatoes costs approximately $3.99 and contains 11-13 potatoes.
Per serving (one medium-sized potato), nutrition facts include 168 calories, 3 grams fiber, 5 grams protein, 20% of the Daily Value for vitamin C, 10% of the Daily Value for iron, and 25% of the Daily Value for potassium.
8. Spinach, Freshly Bagged
Salads, egg dishes, casseroles, soups, and stews are all excellent uses for this versatile ingredient.
What constitutes a serving? If used as a main dish salad, approximately 4 cups makes a serving. If you sauté it and add it to an omelet or use it as a side salad, a serving is around 2 cups.
66 cents every 4-cup serving; 33 cents each 2-cup serving. A bag of washed spinach leaves (9 ounces) costs roughly $1.99.
Per serving, 20 calories, 2 grams fiber, 160 percent of the Daily Value for vitamin A, 40% of the Daily Value for vitamin C, 8% of the Daily Value for calcium, and 40% of the Daily Value for folic acid are contained in a 4-cup serving.
9. Refried Beans in Cans
Burritos, nachos, dips, enchiladas, or as a quick side dish
What constitutes a serving? Each can contains approximately 3.5 servings based on 1/2-cup portions.
Around 34 cents per serving. A 15-ounce can of store brand vegetarian refried beans costs approximately $1.19.
Nutritional information per serving: approximately 140 calories (for vegetarians), 7 grams protein, 6 grams fiber, 4% daily value for calcium, and 10% daily value for iron.
10. Canned Tuna
Excellent for Sandwiches, casseroles, a variety of salads, and as a dip for crackers.
Due to the mercury levels identified in canned tuna (which are higher in albacore tuna than in canned light tuna), the FDA recommends that pregnant women, women attempting to conceive, nursing mothers, and young children consume no more than 6 ounces of albacore tuna per week. Additionally, the FDA recommends that those women avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish due to their high mercury content. To my mind, pregnant women should certainly avoid canned tuna entirely and go for lower-mercury seafood instead.
What constitutes a serving? Around two servings are contained in a 6-ounce can.
Around 70 cents per serving for chunk white albacore in water. A six-ounce can of solid white albacore in water costs approximately $1.99, whereas a six-ounce can of chunk white albacore in water costs approximately $1.39. Typically, the greatest price is with chunk light in water, which costs 85 cents per 6-ounce can.
Nutritional information per serving: approximately 500 milligrams (0.5 gram) omega-3 fatty acids, 60 calories, and 13 grams protein.