With kids home more during the summer, one of the biggest concerns for parents is serving them healthy meals and snacks, says Dr. Keith Kantor, nutritionist and author of the children's book "The Green Box League of Nutritious Justice" (Effective Press, $17).
What healthy meals and snacks will satisfy children and how can you make them on a budget? Kantor offers the following tips for eating healthy meals on a budget, as well as a few recipes to try at home:
Avoid prepackaged healthy foods; instead, wash and chop your own foods. The more convenient a healthy food is, the higher the cost, unless you're buying low-quality foods. Instead of purchasing pre-washed and chopped produce, cut and wash them yourself at home. Challenge yourself to find foods that are in their whole natural state as much as possible. Plain oats are cheaper and healthier than the flavored oatmeal packets. Instead of individual yogurt cartons, purchase a pint or more at a time. The more individualized and the smaller the package, the more it will cost.
Look for items that are in season. Vegetables and fruits that are in season will always be less expensive than those that are out of season. Another bonus of in-season foods is they are at their peak nutritional value.
Grow your own herbs. Food has to taste good in order to enjoy it, but the flavor in unhealthy cooking comes from excessive fats, salts and sugars. Flavor in healthy cooking comes from herbs and spices. Buying fresh herbs all of the time can be expensive and wasteful if the entire portion is not used. Growing your own herb garden is a great way to always have flavor on hand for a healthy dish. Just picking off what you need will save money and reduce waste.
Stick to the nutrition basics. Center meals on vegetables, protein, and healthy fats. Avoid extras like rolls, crackers or other processed items. Homemade oven-baked chicken strips, carrots and guacamole, for example, are a health-friendly base for a meal and do not contain any processed packaged items.
If you fail to plan, you will pay for it. It's extremely important to plan a grocery and food budget. Planning helps us pack lunch more and eat out less. Plan your healthy meals for the week so you are able to develop a list and avoid unnecessary trips to the store that only end up costing you more money.
Need help getting started? Here is one budget-friendly recipe to try. It’s from Dana Yarn, a registered, licensed dietitian who works with Kantor.
ASIAN MEATBALLS
These meatballs are great for both kids and adults. Ground meats like turkey, chicken or beef are more economical than traditional cuts of those meats. These meatballs are a tasty way to incorporate protein into any meal or snack.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes (or until meat is done)
Servings: 4 (based on 1/4 pound of meat each)
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef, chicken or turkey
Pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 minced garlic clove
1 teaspoon fresh ginger (if you only have dry ginger, that can work, too)
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons 100 percent maple syrup or local honey
2 tablespoons canola, grape seed or safflower oil
Your favorite Asian dipping sauce (peanut, hoisin, etc.)
Directions: Combine all ingredients, except dipping sauce, and roll into balls. Then bake, grill or pan-fry till they are cooked all of the way through. Serve alongside sauteed veggies and your favorite Asian dipping sauce.
Per serving, using ground beef: 373 calories (percent of calories from fat, 74), 20 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 30 grams fats (10 grams saturated), 85 milligrams cholesterol, 258 milligrams sodium.
Estimated cost/serving: $1.82
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