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Eat Right on the Cheap!
Just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean you have to abandon your healthy goals. Use these tips to cut costs, trim calories and boost nutrition.
- Bulk up. Buying in bulk means savings for you—no fancy labels and packaging to drive costs up. Best bets include whole grains, dried beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, and cereals.
- Go seasonal. Out-of-season fruits and vegetables are often imported and expensive. Find out what’s in season in your area at www.fieldtoplate.com/guide.
- Make a plan. Planning menus in advance ensures that you only buy what you need and helps you avoid the takeout trap.
- Be an outsider. The outer aisles of the grocery store are where the healthiest ingredients are typically located. Expensive (and less-than-healthy) processed foods like soda, candy, chips and snacks are usually found on the inner aisles.
- Love those legumes. Beans and legumes cost only a fraction of the price of other sources of protein, like beef and chicken. Plus, they’re loaded with fiber and rich in folic acid, calcium, iron and antioxidants.
- Start stretching. When you do use beef or chicken, make it go further with generous additions of whole grains, beans and/or vegetables—as in our Sesame Beef Stir-Fry, made with whole-grain noodles and cabbage. Enjoy!
Sesame Beef Stir-Fry
Photo by: Photography:Mark Boughton; Styling: Teresa Blackburn
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Ingredients
4 ounces whole-grain noodles,
cooked al dente
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled
fresh ginger
1 1⁄2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
3 chopped green onions
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup carrots, sliced on diagonal
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 medium green bell pepper, julienned
1 tablespoon sesame oil
12 ounces flank steak cut in thin strips
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3⁄4 cup lower sodium chicken broth
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper
sesame seeds (for garnish, optional)
Instructions
cooked al dente
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled
fresh ginger
1 1⁄2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
3 chopped green onions
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup carrots, sliced on diagonal
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 medium green bell pepper, julienned
1 tablespoon sesame oil
12 ounces flank steak cut in thin strips
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3⁄4 cup lower sodium chicken broth
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper
sesame seeds (for garnish, optional)
1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain well; transfer to mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger, garlic, green onions, cabbage, carrots, onion and bell pepper; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Transfer to bowl with the pasta.
3. Heat sesame oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and soy sauce; sauté for two minutes or until beef is nearly cooked. Add the broth, reserved vegetables and noodles and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.
Nutritional Information
2. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger, garlic, green onions, cabbage, carrots, onion and bell pepper; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Transfer to bowl with the pasta.
3. Heat sesame oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and soy sauce; sauté for two minutes or until beef is nearly cooked. Add the broth, reserved vegetables and noodles and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.
PER SERVING: 340 calories, 13g fat, 30mg chol., 25g prot., 31g carbs., 7g fiber, 680mg sodium.
Recipe by Cheryl Forberg; from Spry Kitchen, Jan. 2009, "Eat Right on the Cheap"
Recipe by Cheryl Forberg; from Spry Kitchen, Jan. 2009, "Eat Right on the Cheap"
first appeared: 1/1/2009
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Great greens
Stock up on Swiss chard to get a dose of heart-healthy fiber, bone-building vitamin K and more. Substitute it for spinach in any recipe.
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