The arrival of spring often motivates people to stop hibernating and renew healthier habits, such as enjoying more outdoor activity and adopting a better overall diet. If you’re hoping to add some more wholesome and healthy ingredients to your cooking, there are a number of inexpensive, everyday items that pack a powerful, nutrient-rich punch. March is National Nutrition Month, so what better time is there to try these healthy and cheap ingredients in your next recipe?
Read on for five inexpensive and healthy ingredients to add to your meals.
[See: 20 Tips for Saving Money at the Grocery Store.]
Spinach. One of the most versatile vegetables, spinach can be used in many recipes, whether you’re preparing breakfast, lunch or dinner. Spinach is known for countless health benefits. It’s not only packed with many vitamins and minerals but also shown to improve eyesight, reduce blood pressure and strengthen muscles (just as Popeye taught us). Try frozen chopped spinach, which is inexpensive without losing nutritional value, plus it won’t spoil quickly.
Recipe ideas: For breakfast, toss spinach into your scrambled eggs or add it to your smoothie. During lunch, spinach works great as a nutritional boost in many soup recipes or as a dip for veggies. For dinner, saute it as a side dish or mix it into a pasta sauce. If preparing spinach from frozen, note the best way to cook it and not lose any vitamin C, which can happen when thawing.
[See: 12 Habits of Phenomenally Frugal Families.]
Sweet potato. When considering the best type of potato to include in your regular diet, consider a few different factors: cost, nutritional value, diet and taste. If you want to boost your intake of vitamin A or vitamin C, sweet potatoes have ample amounts and more than half your daily need. However, if you’re looking to watch your carbohydrate or calorie intake, white potatoes will be the better bet. In terms of expense, you’ll find that sweet potatoes may be slightly more costly, though it’s hard to tell when they are priced per item versus per pound, as white potatoes tend to be smaller. Pay closer attention during holidays when particular dishes are more popular because the cost of both is likely to increase.
Recipe ideas: Try sweet potato in your next chili or in a breakfast hash served with eggs. One more idea is to simply cut a sweet potato into wedges, drizzle them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake them in the oven to make delicious fries.
Brown rice. While brown rice is more expensive than white rice, it is still relatively cheap and offers more bang for your buck nutritionally. Brown rice has higher amounts of fiber, offering more energy and keeping you full longer. There are a number of minerals and vitamins that are higher in brown rice because white rice loses nutritional value after processing.
Recipe ideas: Include brown rice in a stir fry with chicken and vegetables or as the base for a burrito bowl, with frugal fillers such as black beans, canned corn, chopped onion and fresh salsa.
[See: 12 Ways to Save Money on Food.]
Lentils. Speaking of frugal fillers, lentils are a nutrient-packed legume that cook quickly and are versatile. When looking at a bag of dried lentils, you may think it won’t get you far, but once they are cooked, you’ll see how filling and satisfying they can be. Lentils are an excellent source of protein, especially for vegetarians, and of iron and fiber.
Recipe ideas: Use lentils in soup and casseroles, as a protein boost in salad or in lentil “burgers.”
Canned tuna. Think canned tuna is only useful for salads and sandwiches? Think again. This frugal item is often overlooked on the shelf, but it has a number of important health benefits, and you can’t beat the price. Canned tuna in water is popular with weightlifters because it contains a high amount of lean protein. It also carries B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. If you are concerned about mercury, light tuna contains less.
Recipe ideas: Look outside the sandwich and add tuna to your leafy greens as a boost of flavor and protein, or incorporate it into a cold or hot pasta dish. You can also grill tuna in a wrap or quesadilla. Celery and cucumbers are great vegetable complements in most tuna dishes. Try creating a tuna patty or “burger” for an easy weeknight dinner.
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Try These Nutritious and Cheap Ingredients in Your Next Recipe originally appeared on usnews.com
