Cheap Healthy Meals

I was asked by one of my regular readers yesterday how to make cheap healthy meals using coupons?

You see, my reader had gotten really good at buying groceries with coupons for next to nothing and loved the price. When she looked at all of the packaged and processed food stacking up in her pantry she found that her diet was not as healthy as it could have been and wondered what she could do to maximize the nutrition in her newly overhauled frugal grocery shopping efforts.

I can see the problem, and will admit that processed stuff is generally the most heavily promoted, yet decidedly not the most nutritious diet you could be eating.

Here is how to solve the problem:

1. Buy meat (if you eat it) fresh and cook by grilling, broiling, or roasting on a rack. You will lower your salt consumption, and avoid the chemicals and additives of prepared meats. Incidentally, buying fresh meat on sale is almost always the cheapest price ounce for ounce unless there is a really exceptional coupon offer around.

2. Buy fresh produce somewhere other than the grocery store. Fresh fruit stands, farmers markets, u-pick farms and dollar stores that carry produce are usually a better deal anyway.

3. Buy bakery items either at the dollar store or local bakery outlet. Just Google "Orowheat bakery outlet" and your location to find the nearest outlet store.

4. Use coupons for healthier versions of prepared foods. Look for lower salt, sugar and fat options on the grocery store shelves.

5. Watch the waste. Get used to putting the last little bit in the freezer to avoid spoilage. Waste can escalate your food bills by as much as 20% every month.

With a little attention to detail, you can easily combine frugal grocery shopping with eating an extremely healthy diet. The two can and do go together, it just takes knowing where to get the lowest prices on the healthiest food options. Using supermarket coupons plays a large role in the process of learning to make cheap healthy meals while grocery shopping cheap.