THE Food That Is Both Budget and Health Friendly



Lovely Friend,

   Have you ever used the excuse that you couldn't eat healthy because of the expense?  I'll admit that the thought has crossed my mind a time or two, and I might even have been guilty of storing up on junk for the sake of the budget.  However it has been said that "you are what you eat, so don't be fast, easy, cheap, or fake!"  With that in mind, I want to be clean, healthy, and valuable, so my food needs to be also.  With clean eating, the value of the food is not in the dollars but in the nutrition that it supplies for your body.  To be honest, when you truly dig in to the nutrition of the food, you will quickly learn how unhealthy some health food is and how choosy you have to be about what you eat.  When I first started buying healthy food, my grocery bill went up tremendously, BUT I have learned how to bring it back down by planning and choosing high nutrition and lower cost food.

   I know it is crazy, but I actually enjoy budgeting and saving for particular goals.  Although saving for goals is long term, it makes me excited when I take a baby step and budget my grocery bill.  So in my madness with budgeting and eating healthy, I have discovered one of my absolute favorite foods!  The green bean.  Yep, good ole' green beans happen to be one of the best foods for both the budget and health.

  The green bean is so fabulous for the budget because of the low cost per pound.  These guys weigh in between $.99 to $1.29 per pound, and because they are so light, you get a lot of beans for only a pound.  My estimations are certainly not perfect or accurately measured but I estimate that each pound of green beans comes out to about three cups of green beans.  When I purchase the green beans, I grab about 4 pounds.  This amount is enough for 3-4 meals for my family and only cost $3.96- $5.16. Not only is the cost fabulous for the budget, but the health benefits are pretty amazing too!

   Now my love affair with green beans began because of their charming budget-friendly quality, and the fact that they were green.  In my mind, by default, anything green must be at the top of the nutrition list.  I have long been exposed to the lovely bean and, as a kid, ate cans of it by the dozen. Really, this, and frozen broccoli are the vegetables that I remember consuming the most as a child.  I have long left the cans and now grab the green beans from the fresh section of the super market.  These fresh, beautiful little beans are known for their fabulous health contributions.  They contain vitamins to maintain the health of the eyes and bones, and also have good cholesterol-reducing fiber content (4g for only 1 cup!).  In addition to those great health benefits, these stringy pods have only 45 calories for a cup!  I love filling half of my plate with the beans to prevent overeating and making sure that I maintain regular weight loss.

   As you can see, I highly recommend the green beans for healthy and budget friendly meals! Next time you are at the store, be sure to pick up a pound or two.

Giving It My All,
Jess

P.S.
For some health benefits of green beans, check out  this link and this link.