Healthy green recipes

It much depends on what "healthy" means to you. For me, now, healthy means shedding some pounds so I´m on more veggies and fruit. I am also having lean meats and legumes instead of too much pasta. But some people have other needs as health goes. In my country, veggies are not expensive if bought on season. And now (it{s Summer) we have lots of fruit that aren´t expensive either. I like my veggies steamed and I add, after I cook them al dente, some dry oregano, salt, olive oil and lemon juice if needed. They are also wonderful if stir fried, with very little amount of oil. THe cost of veggies varies from place to place. Check what you have where you live.

I must agree that veggies are very expensive here in the U.S. I too am trying to eat healthier, hubby not so much, so I plan my meals just for myself. First, try to avoid proccessed foods(frozen meals, canned meals, cookies) things made with white flour (donuts, pasta, bread). Stock up on dried beans, brown rice, and spices that you like. Beans are a good source of protien and fiber, and brown rice is very good for you too, and both are very cheap. Right now winter squash is in season, it can be baked, steamed, boiled, and frozen after its prepared. Buy frozen veggies, plain veggies without sauces, additives, and without added salt. These are cheaper than fresh and also a good healthy choice. You can use a crockpot/slow cooker to cook the dried beans, once cooked beans make a very good "base" meal by themselves or you can add onion, carrot, celery, rice, to make soups both ways store for up to five days in the fridge. Cheap fresh produce like lettuce, carrots, onions, celery, potatoes (don't forget sweet potatoes), all make healthy salads, make baked potatoes as a meal by topping with steamed frozen broccoli, a sprinkle of shreded cheese, a teaspoon of sunflower seeds, a dollop of sour cream, add a simple lettuce salad and you have a filling healthy meal. Soups are very healthy (and delish in this cold weather) and a few ingredients can make a large quantity of soup that can be divided into singler servings and frozen for lunches, dinners, add a tasty wheat roll or bread a hot cup of tea and again a cheap healthy meal. With soup since a little goes a long way you can spend a little more for the pricier produce. Leeks and potatoes make a good soup. You can also add kale or spinich (fresh) to make it even healthier. To make a cream soup without the added fat and calories of milk or cream, boil a few potatoes in water, when tender and cooled put in blender: a nice thick creamy base that is ready for mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, what ever you want to add. Leeks, broccoli, asparagus will work well also instead of the potatoes. If your going to be eating meat, the best you can get is the harmone, additive free, grass fed. Yep it's pricy but much healthier for you. Go for lean cuts, even cheap cuts of meats can make a scrumptous meal if cooked all day in a crockpot. If possible visit your grocery store in the morning around 9 a.m. mon. through fri. and get the mark down meats. Besure to check the expiration date and the meats color. These can be frozen and used at a later date and you can save alot of money. You may not find the cut you wanted, but use your imagination and look up recipies online. Sometimes the already cooked whole chickens can be a good deal and that chicken is fab for dinner one night, lunch sandwiches the next day, and then make a soup with whats left. Thats 3 meals from 1 whole chicken. Keep in mind that with healthy eating also means smaller (than what we're used to) portions so food can go further. Depending on what stores are around you, if you can buy dried beans, rice, barley, oats, and wheat pasta in bulk you can really save over buying smaller packaged items. Oranges and bananas are cheap here right now also, for other fruit for smoothies again go to the frozen section and buy just the plain fruit without additives. You can also search for vegetarian recipe sites, enter in the produce you can afford or have on hand and see what comes up. Sorry for being so long, but I'm in the same boat and these are some of the things that I have found helpful for me. I live in an apartment so gardening isn't an option, altho I can grow herbs. But really look into portion sizes and how much of each food group you should have daily and if you stick with those guidelines you really can eat very healthy for less than unhealthy eating can be. A good place for this info is the Dash Diet website. If you can replace a couple of meat meals with meatless meals will really help money wise too. Or cook a whole turkey on the weekend, freeze the meat in meal size or single serving size portions, use the bones for soup stock and that can be frozen also and it will all go a long way.