Eating healthy while staying within your budget can be a very difficult task, especially when you are a college student. Just because you are low on cash doesn’t mean you should be swinging by your local McDonald’s because you believe that is all you can afford. You are wrong; being able to eat healthy on a budget is ABSOLUTELY POSSIBLE! Eating a nutritional diet makes you feel great, you feel more motivated and your body will thank you. Below I have provided you with some of my personal favorites. As you read you will get an idea of an average day of healthy eating starting with breakfast and ending with lunch, remember you should NEVER skip a meal!
Breakfast:
I am an early riser, while taking early morning classes and working a job that requires me to be there in the morning time. Breakfast can be a difficult task, I never find myself starving but I know that you shouldn’t skip it just because of that. A fruit cup with fresh fruit (or the pre made fruit bowls) found at your local supermarket is a perfect way to get your day started. Always running under $10 and typically on sale they should be able to last you a couple days at a time. Apples, grapes, strawberries are always a great fruit to buy as well especially when they are in season. Along with the fruit you can always eat a cheese stick, or make an egg or two to have with your fruit bowl. Cooking eggs only take a few minutes, and they are delicious! Try to hold back on the salt though.
Total: Around $10-15 that will last you a whole week.
Lunch:
Whether you are busy with school, or caught up at work you should never skip out on lunch. Try to make sure that you time your day just right that you have at least twenty minutes to fill you belly up!
A favorite lunch for me is:
Sliced turkey/ham from the deli at your local supermarket. Wrapped in your favorite cheese. Think of it as a sandwich without the bread! You can also wrap the meat of your choice with cheese in a lettuce wrap and enjoy that way. Along with my lettuce wraps I enjoy a small cup of hummus with gluten free pretzels. They are truly delicious you should try them! As my “dessert” I love to eat the chocolate chip clif bars it is just the hint of chocolate that you really need to satisfy your taste buds.
Total: around $25 that will last you your entire week.
Late afternoon snack:
We are all guilty with this. Just because it is a snack doesn’t mean that it has to be unhealthy. Enjoy celery sticks dipped in peanut butter. You can mix a few spoons of plain yogurt to get a “skinny” version of peanut butter (it tastes the same I swear). If you do not want to eat that healthy as a snack a bag of potato chips isn’t an the answer, but a serving size which is around 7-12 chips won’t hurt you either.
Total: $10
Dinner:
Honestly, dinner is my personal favorite of the day. Here is one of my specialties that I make, I found off of a Pin on Pinterest I have change a few things due to the fact I wanted to make it healthier during the process of preparing.
Honey Lemon glazed Chicken:
Ingredients:
1 Ziploc gallon bag
Boneless chicken
½ cup of honey
¼ of lemon
1 cup of flour
A pinch of salt
A pinch of pepper
- Preheat the oven to 375 degree, in a 13 x 7 (or larger) baking pan depending on how many pieces of chicken you intend on baking lightly line the pan with vegetable oil, PAM, or olive oil. Doesn’t matter just based off of your preference.
- Mix the flour, pinch of salt and pinch of pepper into a bag.
- After preparing your chicken shake each piece individually in the bag and place onto the baking pan.
- Once the oven is preheated, bake the chicken for about 35-40 minutes.
- While the chicken is baking prepare your honey lemon glaze by mixing the ½ cup of honey and ¼ cup of lemon into a cup and stir.
- After the 35-40 minutes take the chicken out pour the glaze over the chicken pieces then place back into the oven for another 15-20 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Sides to be served with this meal are completely up to you. I personally enjoy cauliflower with white rice and pinto beans served with this meal.
Total: Assuming you have most of the spice ingredients and all you need is the chicken and a few other things this equals out to around $25 that will last you the entire week.
Whatever you chose to do always make sure that you eat! Your body needs food in order to survive. Too many people starve themselves to reach the body that they desire. Doing that is only hurting you, not helping. Even if it means you are eating a meal you aren't really craving to eat at the moment at least you are giving your stomach something break down. Believe me eating your breakfast, lunch and dinner will have your body thanking you later.