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 servingFrozen Lasagna - $2.95 per servingRestaurant Lasagna - $12.95 per servingWe 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: