Here is a compelling slide from our new show Healthy Shopping on A Budget. With every MyPlate food group (grains, vegetables, fruits, meat/beans, milk), we found that the least processed foods were the least expensive foods. While most people assume healthy foods are more expensive because chicken breasts and fat-free cookies are more expensive than their regular counterparts, we found that this assumption is a narrow-minded approach and that frugality and healthy shopping require a broader scope. Take a look at the vegetable chart above – you can see that fresh vegetables are the least expensive (and might even be less than this when they are in season or from a farmer’s market) compared to more processed ones like frozen potatoes (mashed, French fries) and potato chips.  Clearly, healthy shopping on a budget means buying less processed foods, not fat-free processed foods!

This slide was another of our favorites:

Cooking from scratch at home does save money! And our healthy lasagna is a lot lower in fat and sodium, too! If you compare to a restaurant meal of lasagna you save either way:

Scratch Lasagna – .80 per serving

Frozen Lasagna – $2.95 per serving

Restaurant Lasagna – $12.95 per serving

We looked up the nutrition facts for a restaurant portion of lasagna and we were shocked. In addition to spending a lot more money you get a lot more fat (47 grams), calories (850) and sodium (1280 mg)!

Here is a list of inexpensive healthful foods you should have in your meals and on your weekly shopping list:

We like to shop our freezer and pantry first – to use up what we have on hand – and then we take a look at store specials – did you know most grocery stores have weekly flyers online?

Here is the info about our show – with a flash edition for preview. 

And our best tips – to help you save more: