Healthy Eating 101 How to Eat Healthy 5 Dinners on a Shoestring Budget It's not easy putting food on the table that is healthy, tastes good, isn't time-prohibitive and is affordable. We break down some common go-to meals, along with cost-conscious homemade options. By Maya Feller, M.S., RD, CDN Maya Feller, M.S., RD, CDN Facebook Instagram Twitter Website Maya Feller is a registered dietitian nutritionist and nationally recognized nutrition expert. At her Brooklyn-based practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for the management of and risk reduction for noncommunicable diseases. Whether addressing the nation, working one-on-one or with groups, Maya believes in providing nutrition education from an anti-bias, patient-centered, culturally sensitive approach. Maya is dedicated to promoting nutrition education that helps the public to make informed food choices that support health and longevity. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on February 17, 2021 Reviewed by Dietitian Lisa Valente, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Lisa Valente, M.S., RD Instagram Lisa Valente is a registered dietitian and nutrition editor. She studied at the University of Vermont, where she completed her undergraduate studies in nutrition, food science and dietetics, and attended the dietetic internship program at Massachusetts General Hospital to become a registered dietitian. She went on to earn a master's degree in nutrition communication from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. She was a nutrition editor at EatingWell for eight years. Prior to EatingWell, Lisa worked as a research dietitian at Griffin Hospital in Connecticut and also taught cooking and nutrition classes. She was a featured speaker at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics annual Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) in 2017. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Share Tweet Pin Email Our series, Good Food for All, examines the barriers to putting healthy food on the table and what is being done to help. If there is anything the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us, it is that we can't talk about food justice without talking about race, socioeconomic status and access. It is a privilege—not afforded to all—to have access to the nutrition variables that are needed to express optimal health. Putting balanced meals on the table each day is a luxury, but it should not be. The roots of the systemic inequities run deep, and a growing pool of research directly correlates the inverse relationship between income and health issues: as income decreases, health issues increase. Research from 2018 noted that 89% of deaths in the U.S. could be attributed to noncommunicable diseases, with cardiovascular disease at the top of the list. Nutrition is a modifiable factor; however, so many people living in the U.S. face unjust barriers when it comes to consistently accessing safe, affordable and nutritious foods. Many of these barriers go past simply "following a healthy diet." For example, one needs to have safe and affordable housing with a functioning kitchen as well as the tools and time to prepare nourishing meals that support health. Leslie Grow What a Day of Eating on a SNAP Budget Looks Like Creativity is needed to put a cost-conscious nourishing meal on the table. Complementing a ready-to-eat meal with a fresh side can help reduce time in the kitchen. Preparing meals from a mix of ingredients, including fresh, frozen, dried, canned and jarred, can have a significant impact on both the price and nutrition profile of a meal. Working with many low-income families has taught me the realities of putting food on the table that is healthy, tastes good, isn't time-prohibitive and is affordable. Checking off all those boxes is not an easy task—as you'll see here. We break down some of the common go-to meals clients eat, along with cost-conscious homemade options I often suggest. Healthy Budget-Friendly Dinner Recipes Meal #1: Banquet Salisbury Steak Deep Dish Pot Pie For those who are strapped for cash, inexpensive frozen meals like this potpie seem like an economical way to fill a belly. They tend to be priced significantly lower than freshly prepared ones, but are notorious offenders for serving up higher-than-recommended amounts of fat and sodium per serving. Cost/serving: $1.10 Nutrition: Calories: 410 Protein: 8g Sat Fat: 8g Sodium: 860mg Carbs: 45g Dietary fiber: 3g Total sugars: 4g Prep time: 4-5 minutes Meal #2: McDonald's McDouble The vast majority of fast food is made with ultra-processed ingredients—specifically refined grains, added sugars, synthetic fats and salt. Contrary to popular belief, these meals are not satiating. BIPOC communities have a disproportionate concentration of retailers selling fast and processed foods. The presence of these eateries is directly linked to the higher rates of chronic disease that they experience. Cost/serving: $1.39 Nutrition: Calories: 400 Sat Fat: 9g Sodium: 920mg Carbohydrate: 33g Dietary fiber: 2g Total sugars: 7g Protein: 22g Prep time: None 20 Cheap Healthy Dinner Ideas You Can Make in 20 Minutes Leslie Grow | Trinidadian Pelau with Chicken Meal #3: Homemade Trinidadian Pelau Pelau is a hearty dish that can be prepared in big batches and enjoyed over time. Cost/serving: $1.34 Nutrition: Calories: 646 Protein: 28g Sat Fat: 9g Sodium: 752mg Carbohydrate: 74g Dietary fiber: 7g Total sugars: 13g Total time: 35 minutes Leslie Grow | Tuna Casserole with Peas Meal #4: Homemade Tuna Casserole Cooking at home requires kitchen tools, a working stove and oven, a functional fridge and freezer, as well as cooking skills and time. To create a nutritious meal, basic health literacy is also required. All pretty big hurdles. A traditional tuna casserole provides both protein and carbohydrates to keep you full, and is kid-friendly and easy to make, though it takes some time to prepare. Cost/serving: $1.61 Nutrition: Calories: 474 Protein: 30g Sat Fat: 5g Sodium: 728mg Carbohydrate: 61g Dietary fiber: 5g Total sugars: 4g Total time: 35 minutes Leslie Grow | Veggie Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup Meal #5: Homemade Veggie Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup Adding veggies to a classic sandwich—in this case, broccoli, zucchini and red bell pepper—boosts the nutrient-density of the meal. Many families worry that this will result in food refusal and waste, so I recommend starting with one that is already accepted in a small quantity and branching out. It's about balancing the familiar with something new. The people I work with often need to keep per-serving costs around $1—so while this may be more nutritious than some other options, it's more expensive and is high in sodium from the canned soup. Cost/serving: $1.88 Nutrition: Calories: 472 Protein: 17g Sat Fat: 11g Sodium: 1,075mg Carbohydrate: 55g Dietary fiber: 7g Total sugars: 19g Total time: 25 minutes Cost per serving is based on average nationwide prices as of January 2021. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit