[USER]

I’m starting my fitness journey again, it’s so easy to go over budget when buying fresh healthy foods, what top 5 fruits/veg should I always have? I’m thinking carrots, avocados…what else? Or should I expand my list to top 10?

[Scott]

Your best bet to both eat healthy and spend and not spend a lot of money Would be instead of keeping a specific list of a few fruits and vegetables instead is to cycle them. Check and see what local grocery stores have on sale that week because you might find one day that instead of having peaches they have nectarines or instead of having grapes they have cherries instead of having kale, they have spinach and that way you can have something that is still considered healthy but might be cheaper than the other version that is nearly identical.

[Erica]

Zuchinni is fairly cheap and you can use them in so many dishes. Zuchinni roll ups replacing the noodles. Air fried. In salads. Baked w cheese.

[Lauren]

Buy frozen dark leafy greens like chopped spinach, kale, and Brussel sprouts. They are very nutritious and there is no waste.

[Brian]

it’s probably more up to what you like and what you’ll eat before it goes bad (so it’s not wasted).

I personally do frozen veggies because they practically last forever. Having healthy convenient foods ready to go help me stay on track. a vacuum sealer and chese freezer are a great investment in that regard.

I buy family size packages of chicken breasts and grill them in bulk on the weekends. then when done I individually vacuum seal and freeze them. I also buy lots of bags of frozen veggies like mix veg, green beans, peas, stir fry mixes, etc. Usually you can get them for like $1.50 each. For lunch I’ll frequently take a chicken breast out, microwave it for a couple minutes, microwave a bag of frozen veggies, and boom lunch is served.

I also prep ahead rice for days I want carbs. I’ll make up a huge pot of brown rice, toss in several bags of veggies, mix it up and portion it out into vacuum bags again. Seal, and freeze.

I also vacuum seal all leftovers (that’ll keep anyway). Like yesterday I made ribs for dinner and there were 4 portions leftover of it, I individually sealed and froze them. That’ll work as a lunch! I do that with everything, all meats, potatoes, veggies, etc.

I also meal prep scrambled eggs for my breakfasts. A couple days ago I made a huge batch of eggs (something like 20 eggs) with a couple chopped green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and jalapenos. Portion out into those meal prep containers, put some cheese on top, and freeze. Every morning, a couple minutes in the microwave and boom, breakfast is taken care of.

I feel like by now the savings I’ve made in not throwing out perfectly good food has more than paid for the freezer and sealer.

Proposed: Are vegetables safe if left unrefrigerated overnight?

[Stacey]

I really like getting frozen veggies too. Like broccoli. It tastes so good and is reasonable if you get it on sale. It helps me because I might not be able to eat all the fresh in time. I also like getting radishes and slicing and air frying them. Lettuce for salads. Celery for crunch. Cucumbers.

[Kimberly]

Just remember that fruit is chock full of sugar. Try to source berries that won’t break the bank.

[Marsha]

Well, we are always on a budget. I always keep carrots, celery, mushrooms, peppers, cucumbers and lettuce on hand, plus buy one or two green veggies, plus apples, bananas and some other kinds of in season; fruit, like strawberries, peaches, frozen blueberries, sometimes grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon, etc. but always apples and bananas. Oh, and also yams or butternut squash. We grow some of it ourselves.

[Mindy]

Grape tomatoes, broccoli, romaine lettuce, bananas, and strawberries. I buy everything at Aldis except bananas. I buy kale now because of my bird.

[Melissa]

Definitely try frozen, you’ll be able to eat lots more for much less. Especially frozen veggies that can go into stir fries or be baked/roasted or even thrown into green smoothies. Frozen berries, mangoes, & other fruit for smoothies or warmed for compote.

For fresh I stick with the affordable ones that last a long time in the fridge: celery, carrots, kale, apples (organic gala are affordable & delicious), citrus. Some veggies are good canned as well, I actually like canned potatoes– they don’t go bad & they’re already cooked so easy to use in hash, etc.

Also consider root veggies & squash.

[Debbie]

They are saying to get all the colors. Green, brown, orange, purple, red etc. I feel like Brussel Sprouts are super healthy if you like them.

I like Mushrooms, Green and Red Bell Peppers, Cauliflower, Cabbage (mostly for cole slaw), Avocados, Onions, and some people like Kale, (ick) I personally eat one avocado every day.

I buy the little bags.

I buy the fixings for a fresh salad only, and than I buy frozen veggies to avoid waste. As far as fruit, I buy one week’s worth of what is in season at a time, to avoid waste. So maybe one bag of apples, or one watermelon, or a bag of tangerines, etc

Appropriate: What happens when you switch to a Mediterranean diet?

[Ann]

Yay! You can’t put a price tag on good health! I buy organic lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, beets and broccoli. Fruit is grapes, apples, and also organic sweet potatoes. I don’t get overly frugal where my health is concerned.

I do my best.

[Author]

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