Most Nutritional Foods for your Money

After a hard day working in the garden, it is too easy to send out for pizza, go and get one, or pop one in the oven:  no cooking today!  We can always top it off with a scoop or two of ice cream.  Or who can resist the temptation of visiting the fast food with its run on inexpensive breakfasts?  I give in to temptation more often that I should.

Interestingly, the AARP Bulletin for January/February 2016 published "10 Foods with a Big Nutritional Bang for your Buck>"  This was in conjunction with articles about "food insecurities" and aimed to give low income people and seniors a better opportunity to eat healthy foods.

This is the list and cost per serving as of that month (my notes in parenthesis):

Carrots, 13 cents (available in my garden)
Plain, low-fat yogurt, 52 cents
Cottage cheese, 88 cents
Frozen peas, 23 cents (or any kind of beans that may be frozen, canned, or dried--from the garden)
Canned Salmon, 70 cents
Whole frozen turkey breast, 33 cents
Black beans, 43 cents (see frozen peas)
Russet potatoes, 50 cents (or any other potatoes)
Brown rice, 25 cents (or white rice -- little difference in food value)
Canned tomatoes, 25 cents -- a good deal (or from the garden)

The only problem I have is with the Brown rice:  There is virtually no benefits at all in food value.  Don't get me wrong.  I love white rice and black beans together.

For people without freezer, it would be easier to store greens such as collards, mustard, and kale which contain an abundance of fiber and vitamins and require a short cooking time.  You really don't have to cook the collards for hours and hours.  You may even eat these greens raw.

I find little difference in nutritional value between turkey and chicken.  Whatever is the beast deal:  the price is the game changer.

I any case, the possibilities of stew or soup with the above ingredients are plentiful.  With the turkey or chicken, left over bones may be made into soup by adding carrots, tomatoes, and potatoes or rice.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Look for the A to Z Blog Challenge coming up in April 2016.