Here's an official challenge to the readers of this blog: Can you come up with better ways to save money on healthy food than the highly trained professionals who work here at Consumer Reports?
I'm betting you can, but you'll have your work cut out for you. I recently put out a company-wide request for ways to eat healthfully on a budget, and terrific responses poured in.
Here are 10 of the choicest tips:
1. Toss in tofu. It's a low-fat, low-cost meat and cheese substitute. Add tofu to salads, sautee with vegetables, flavor with something savory like chili sauce or tamari, and serve over rice. Staffers pointed out that tofu's bland taste means it takes on the flavor of whatever surrounds it.
2. Add beans. They're a cheap, versatile, and nutritious source of protein and fiber that you can add to salads and one-pot meals like soups, stews, chili, and pasta fagioli. Canned beans are convenient, but for maximum savings start with dried beans.
3. Bulk up. Buy large packages of meats and frozen veggies at warehouse stores, and repackage and freeze what you don't eat immediately.
4. Cook ahead. Make more than you need, and freeze extra portions for later. If you’re super-organized, set aside an afternoon or evening to do all your cooking for the entire week. Consider investing in a vacuum-sealing system for long-term freezer storage.
5. Buy local. Get what you can from farmer's markets or sign up for delivery of seasonal produce from your local Community Supported Agriculture outlet (find a CSA near you).
6. Avoid packaged stuff. Learn to cook from scratch with unprocessed meats, produce, and grains. Brew your own tea and mix in fruit juice instead of buying bottled flavored teas from the refrigerator case.
7. Brown-bag it. Bring leftovers to work for lunch, and fruit or flavored yogurt for a mid-afternoon snack. Buy fruit on sale on Sunday and make fruit salads to carry to work for the coming week.
8. Bargain-hunt. Get to know the schedule for specials and discounts at your regular supermarket, and take advantage of its loyalty card. Check out local independent and ethnic markets, which may be cheaper for some types of foods such as spices or specialty vegetables. Use mygrocerydeals.com to find out what's on sale at local supermarkets.
9. Dig in the dirt. Enjoy vegetables in season from your own garden, and freeze the surplus to use all winter.
10. Waste not your scraps. Make a frittata with a few days' worth of leftover veggies and potatoes. Make your own broths with leftover bones, meat scraps, and vegetable trimmings. For a dark broth, roast ingredients first before simmering.
OK, readers, now it's your turn. Give me your best suggestions!
—Nancy Metcalf, senior program editor
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