Centering your diet around whole, unprocessed foods from plants is great for your health and your wallet (or purse ?♀️). These foods aren’t only found at fancy grocery stores, any supermarket has what you need.
We like these staples because they’re not only easy to find, but they’re also convenient, meaning they don’t require much prep work to turn into a meal.
Here’s the go-to, affordable staples that you’ll always find in our kitchens:
Whole Grains – You can really save by purchasing these in-bulk or stocking up when on sale. The pre-cooked or individually packaged options are more expensive, but if the alternative is buying lunch out, you’ll still save!
- Frozen cooked brown rice
- Instant brown rice
- Pre-cooked quinoa (and other grains)
- 100% whole grain pasta
- Steel cut and rolled oats
- Sprouted grain bread
Beans & Legumes – Dry beans is the most affordable, but canned saves you time. Even when choosing canned, the cost of a serving of beans is around 19 cents, while the cost of a serving of meat is 3-5 times that!
- A wide variety of canned bean, unsalted
- Dry lentils
- Frozen, shelled edamame
- Frozen black eyed peas
- Hummus, oil-free
Fruit – Choosing in-season fresh fruit equals cost savings and freshness. These options also are great for convenience.
- Frozen fruit, no sugar added
- Dried fruit, no sugar added (for baking or seasoning)
Veggies – When it comes to fresh veggies, just like fruit, in-season is great for saving money and getting the best quality!
- Frozen veggies
- Canned tomato products
- A variety of potatoes (sweet potatoes, purple potatoes, red potatoes)
Nuts – These are great for adding flavor and nutrients. A little bit goes a long way!
- Nut butter, no sugar or oil added
- Raw almonds
Some of our favorite meals and snacks, when it comes to saving time and money, include our Made-in-Minutes Veggies Hummus Wrap, 10-Minutes Thai for Two, Fruity Nut Butter Toast, 1-Step Chocolate Banana Nice Cream, Baked Sweet Potato Fries and Hummus Pita Pizza.
