Healthy Cheap Recipes
For Long Life and a
Healthy Homestead Budget

Healthy cheap recipes are the best of both worlds. These delicious, healthy frugal recipes strengthen your body and your budget. Cooking frugal and healthy is not only a great way to give you the energy you need for a successful homestead, it also gives a boost to your budget. Cutting back on food expenses is the easiest way to save money and get out of debt. And with a little practice, you can learn to make meals that rival those at the expensive restaurants.

But limiting yourself to cooking boxed macaroni or other unhealthy cheap foods isn't the wisest of choices. Many cheap foods have been highly processed. They're full of chemicals and low on nutrition. It may seem like a good deal at the time, but such choices are costly in the long run. Deprived of the proper nutrients it needs, your body becomes less resistant to disease. Cooking from scratch is not only healthy, but it can be easy also.

Photo by Monika1607 at Pixabay

Also, studies have shown that highly processed food is a significant contributor to obesity. If you have a weight problem, it may not be because you overeat. Rather, you are eating the wrong types of food.

Healthy Cheap Recipes
Does High Quality Mean High Cost?

The good news is, you don't have to spend a lot of money to obtain high quality food. But you do have to make a time commitment. Cooking things like brown rice, beans and grains aren't "instant foods." They take time to fix. Cooking such meals will generally take about an hour or even an hour and a half, unlike the "fast foods" that you can pull out of the microwave in just a couple of minutes.

But once you taste the difference, I'm sure you'll agree, these delicious foods are worth the extra time.

This 13 bean soup mix takes extra time to cook, but is well worth it.

The good news is, you don't have to spend a lot of money to obtain high quality food.

But you do have to make a time commitment. Cooking things like brown rice, beans and grains aren't "instant foods."   They take time to fix. Cooking such meals will generally take about an hour or even an hour and a half, unlike the "fast foods" that you can pull out of the microwave in just a couple of minutes.

But once you taste the difference, I'm sure you'll agree, these delicious foods are worth the extra time.

Healthy Cheap Recipes
Rethink Ground Beef

Many people consider hamburger meat to be a staple of the American diet. The problem with this is, unless you're raising a steer on your back 40 acres, you're going to be consuming a lot of extra things that aren't good for you.

Recently, I watched a documentary called King Corn, in which two young men had a DNA sample taken of their hair. They were shocked to discover that despite their fast-food diet, they were made primarily of corn. They decided to rent a corn patch, grow some feed corn and trace where it ends up.  

The documentary Food, Inc. is a must-see for every American.

It turns out that most farmers in the farm belt are raising feed corn. Feed corn tastes awful and has little nutritional value.  But that doesn't matter because it's fed to cattle anyway. Problem with this is, cattle aren't meant to eat corn. They're designed to eat grass. If they're given a strict corn diet, and no grass, a cow will die within six months. They just can't digest the corn. It makes them sick. Yet, that's all these cattle eat.

Healthy Cheap Recipes
and the Problem with Beef

Furthermore, they're crammed into feedlots where they can barely move. If a cow gets sick, he gets trampled on by the other cattle, and when he dies, the other cattle can't get away from him. Nor can they get away from their own waste. Naturally, they get sick, so they're pumped full of antibiotics to keep them from dying prematurely.

So when you're cooking meals with ground beef you bought at the store, you're usually consuming the meat of an animal that was likely sick, stressed out and crammed with steroids. Suddenly, that burger you're cooking is not looking too good, is it?

Healthy Cheap Recipes and
Lentils, Wonderful Lentils

Fortunately, there is a wonderful, healthy, low-cost substitute for that ground beef. Try cooking with the lentil, an often overlooked, under-appreciated member of the legume family and crucial to healthy cheap recipes. This wonderful little bean can be cooked quickly without pre-soaking (20 minutes generally) and can be used as a substitute for ground beef in tacos, chile and any casserole calling for beef. And canned lentils are a healthy and wonderful fast food.

Healthy Cheap Recipes
Brown Rice - And
We're Not Talking Instant

Another important staple of healthy cheap recipes that should be on your shelf is brown rice. Not the processed stuff that can be prepared in ten minutes, but real whole grain brown rice.

It takes 45 minutes to prepare and is worth every second of cooking time. One of the main reasons people get colon cancer is because they don't have enough fiber in their diet.

White rice is nothing but starch. Brown rice on the other hand provides not only fiber, but wonderful nutrients your body needs. Brown rice with butter and sugar makes a delicious breakfast food. Plus, brown rice can be added to any casserole for both texture and flavor.

Healthy Cheap Recipes
and Whole Grains

 Buying a loaf of whole wheat bread at the store isn't really the answer to including whole grains in your diet. Unfortunately, several brands of commercially prepared bread has a chemical called potassium bromate.

Sometimes it is called "dough enhancer." This chemical is used to give the flour a finer texture and kill bugs. It's the "kill bugs" part that should have you alarmed.

Fresh bread made with your own freshly ground flour is the best source of whole grains.

Researchers found a link between consuming bromate and developing cancer. Want a really radical way to include whole grains in your diet?

Healthy Cheap Recipes and
The Miracle of the Grain Mill

A few years ago, I took the plunge and bought the K-Tec Kitchen Mill.  The difference has been huge. Breads made from freshly ground flour taste fabulous. I was amazed at the amount of energy I had after I began eating bread made from flour I ground fresh. Even my gravies and sauces taste better.  Plus, this mill has lasted for seven years, so I can't complain. 

Still, if I were to buy another grain mill, I would spend a little more money and buy the WonderMill Grain Mill

The Wondermill Grain Mill is sturdy and long-lasting and is a good investment for your money.

But if the K-Tec is all you can afford, you will still have great nutrition and save money. It's just that the K-Tec is made of plastic parts and will wear out more quickly. On the plus side, the K-Tec is also much lighter.

I often bake bread for my mom, and she prefers the bleached white flour. Recently I was out of my own fresh ground flour and in a hurry, so I borrowed some of hers. The sauce I made was awful! I could taste the chemicals in it. Once you start using your own freshly ground flour, you won't want to go back.

Learn More About Frugal Cooking

Want to see frugal recipes? Click here.

Want organic food at a great price? Form a food club, and you'll also foster the growth of locally produced, excellent organic food. Learn more.

Listen to the general media, and they'll tell you that coconut oil is something akin to the devil's spawn, unleashing an epidemic of heart disease into our country and killing thousands of people. But do a little research, and you learn otherwise. For reasons why you should be cooking with coconut oil, click here.

Cast iron cookware is an excellent way to cook healthy meals.

The next time you are suffering from a cold, sore throat or other infection, instead of calling the doctor, reach for this healthful oil instead. Learn more.

Thinking about investing in a grain mill, but not sure which one is right for you? Read a review about grain mills by clicking here.

Dehydrating foods are a great way to preserve foods in a healthy, low-cost way. Learn more.

Using a vacuum food sealer is the best way to make sure your foods lasts and to save money, but there are some tricks to using a vacuum food sealer. Read more.

Having and using a cast iron camp Dutch oven is a good idea should the power go out and you're unable to use your electric range. It's also a great way to keep the heat out of your kitchen in the summertime and outside where it belongs. Learn more.

When you stock up on bulk grains, don't forget to stock up on yeast as well. Learn more about this crucial ingredient by clicking here.

If you have some extra goat milk on hand, try this recipe and get ready for the richest, creamiest, best ice cream you've ever tasted!

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to make ice cream even when the power is out? Fortunately you can! Learn more.

Have an extra supply of peaches on hand? Learn to dehydrate peaches and you'll have a great source of nutrition for years to come.

Lard has gotten a bad rap over the years! Pure lard you render yourself is loaded with essential Omega 3 Fatty Acids your body needs. Learn how to render lard.

Make your own sauerkraut using this recipe for sauerkraut for the freshest, most delicious sauerkraut loaded with probiotics and vitamins A and C.

Other Links of Interest on
Healthy Cheap Recipes
and Healthy Living

If you're looking for more healthy cheap recipes, check out Healthy Recipes For Your Family.com. They have all sorts of great recipes, including crockpot, gluten free and easy recipes. Not only are these recipes healthy, but they are also delicious.

For more great information on living a happy, healthy life, visit Ride the Sunshine Glow

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