Banner image from Kitchen Stewardship.
As most of you already know, I'm a full-time student currently living off of loans to survive. I have read so many things with people saying "healthy food isn't expensive"... and well, yeah it is. It especially depends on where you live. I came from New York where people cared more about health and fitness... therefore, fruit & veggies and organic meats were often on sale. In Indiana, not so much lol. I have come to terms with it and just accept that this is a temporary situation, but that being said, I don't want to undo all of my hard work! The one thing I do buy when it comes to fitness supplements are:
There's just no denying the benefits of Shakeology! It slimmed me down and curbs my sweet cravings! My favorite is the strawberry flavor =) yeahyeahyeah, it's pricey but honestly if you were to add even a fraction of the ingredients to your normal protein shake, it would cost way more!
Learn more at: http://www.shakeology.com/fitcoachcrystal
Learn more at: http://www.shakeology.com/fitcoachcrystal
Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey: Gold Standard Natural Whey [I have tried vanilla and strawberry and love both!] I buy mine on Amazon.com and get the 5lb tub because it lasts me about 4 months! [$57.49]
I sometimes use this to help boost the protein in the Shakeology. When you're lifting weights, you need lots of protein ;)
I sometimes use this to help boost the protein in the Shakeology. When you're lifting weights, you need lots of protein ;)
You probably can't read a fitness blog without someone posting about Quest Bars ;) I LOVE them. At first I protested them because I just thought the price was ridiculous (~$25/box of 12).. however, I have yet to find a protein bar to compare to them, and I have tried A LOT of brands. My personal favorites are cinnamon roll and banana nut muffin because those are from their natural line. There are flavors are pretty awesome but some are from their other line which still contains sucralose. Though I always make sure to buy them with a coupon code or I wait for a sale. Depending on who has the sales, I buy them from Amazon.com, Vitacost.com, GNC, or Quest Nutrition. Quest Nutrition Natural Protein Bar, Banana Nut Muffin, 2.12 oz bars, 12 Count
BCAAs, or branched chain amino acids, are a pretty vital supplement for training endurance and recovery. I take them before and after my workouts. This bottle has 400 capsules and is $24.88 on Amazon.com. I take 6 capsules a day, 5 days a week, so this bottle lasts me about 3 months.
Optimum Nutrition BCAA Capsules, 400-Count
Optimum Nutrition BCAA Capsules, 400-Count
Okay so all of that kinda adds up BUT lasts me awhile so it's worth the investment! Now, things get pretty nasty after the bills are paid and it's time for food shopping. So I decided to put together a little page of some simple recipes with cheap ingredients that won't completely destroy your hard work!
My pre-workout snack kinda changes depending on what I have on hand. I like to buy eggs in bulk (Sam's Club has an awesome 18-pack for cheap) and hardboil some for the week. This particular picture has the yolk picked out but depending on my macros, I usually leave it in. This combo tends to have a decent amount of carbs and protein to fuel a workout:
- 1 hardboiled egg
- 1 slice of Aunt Millie's 35 calorie whole grain bread (~$2-3) [Ezekiel cinnamon raisin bread was on sale one week so I totally picked that up because it's DELICIOUS with some PB!]
- 1 tbsp. of Krema Natural Creamy Peanut Butter (~$3-4 at Kroger/Payless and Walmart. A little pricey but if you properly measure out the tbsp., it lasts awhile, plus you can't put a price on natural PB!)
- 1/2 medium banana sliced up
- small gala apple
- 1 cup of coffee (sometimes I use an actual pre-workout supp. I like MusclePharm Assault or Cellucor's C4)
This is a typical post-workout shake for me. For post-workout you want about 0.8g per kg of body weight in carbs and ~0.4g per kg of body weight for protein (if you train heavy) and NO fats! the protein and milk are about 3g of fat, so keep it to <5g of fat post-workout:
- 5-6 ice cubes (a little less if i'm using a frozen banana)
- 1 medium banana
- 1 tsp. of Optimum Nutrition Fitness Fiber [$9.58 per tub/$0.32 per serving]
- 1/2 cup Blue Diamond Unsweetened Coconut Almond Breeze (Vanilla) [$2.79 per carton/$0.35 per serving]
- 1 scoop (32 g) Optimum Nutrition 100% Gold Standard Natural Whey
- 1 serving (85 g) organic baby spinach (I like Simple Truth Organic from Kroger, which is usually about $5-6 so ~1.20/serving) (I also recently purchased a Sam's Club membership and they have an awesome tub of organic baby spinach for ~$5)
If you're looking for a hearty breakfast, this is it! This recipe is not only delicious, but makes enough for a week! I divided mine up into 1 cup servings and got 5 days worth out of it. I subbed the butter for coconut oil =)
http://www.theyummylife.com/Slow_Cooker_Apple_Cinnamon_Oatmeal
http://www.theyummylife.com/Slow_Cooker_Apple_Cinnamon_Oatmeal
My meal #3 if school is in session is usually just a Quest Bar. However, it's summertime! So here goes:
Other things I do with the Greek yogurt:
- 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt (or a 5.3 oz cup if buying the small serving size ones. I love Fage and Chobani and only stock up on them when they're $1 each. Sometimes it's more cost effective to buy the big tub of it.)
- 1 tbsp. of Krema Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
- dash of cinnamon and stevia
Other things I do with the Greek yogurt:
- add a tbsp. of natural strawberry preserves and top with some dark chocolate chips = HEAVEN!
- add a tbsp. of PB AND a tbsp. of the natural strawberry preserves.. PB&J!
Now the lunch options. Here is one of my faves: Beast Chili (chili is SO versatile, you can really add so many things to it, i usually like to add some corn in):
This makes 4 (1 cup) servings. You can eat it as is, or serve it over 1/2 cup cooked brown rice.
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1.5 lbs lean ground turkey meat
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 (15 oz) can kidney or pinto beans, rinsed & drained (I sometimes also add a can of chickpeas)
- 1 (15 oz) can organic/no-sugar-added tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (I didn't serve mine with parsley and just dashed some into it while cooking)
- heal oil in large saucepan over medium-high heart. Add onion & garlic. Once onions are transparent, add bell pepper and turkey.
- cook stirring occasionally until turkey is no longer pink; ~10 minutes.
- add seasonings, stir and cook for ~1 minute.
- stir in kidney beans and tomato sauce, bring to a boil.
- reduce heat to low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until thickened.
This makes 4 (1 cup) servings. You can eat it as is, or serve it over 1/2 cup cooked brown rice.
This is one of the meals that I lived off of this past semester. I'd prep on Sunday and be set for Monday-Thursday with lunches:
- 1 lb. lean ground turkey (I like the 99% lean) [~$3.99]
- 1 large bag of frozen mixed veggies [~$3]
- sort out turkey into four 4 oz. portions
- grill up in pan with some non-stick spray (I usually added some cajun seasoning and a little low-sodium soy sauce)
- while those portions are cooking up, I measured out ~90g of mixed veggies into each tupperware and microwaved them for about 2 minutes, since you cook them a bit more when re-heating.
- mix together and you're ready to go! (sometimes I added brown rice if I needed more carbs)
Beans and rice! A classic and cheap dish!
- 1 can (15 oz) organic or no-sodium-added kidney beans, rinsed & drained (can also use black beans)
- 1 can (10 oz) Rotel diced tomatoes (I like to use the ones with lime juice and cilantro) *totally optional but adds an awesome taste!*
- 2 celery stalks, chopped up
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 bag of boil-in-bag brown rice (Success or store brand)
- Boil water for the rice
- Spray pan with some non-stick spray (I use Smart Balance or Organic Olive Oil)
- add garlic and cook a minute or so
- toss in celery and cook for 2-3 minutes
- add in rinsed & drained beans
- I divide this up into 2 servings (~133g of rice per serving)
Tuna fish is one of my top things to add into my diet when I'm on a budget and need protein. I prefer the packets of StarKist low-sodium chunk light tuna, but only buy them when they're on sale, otherwise any light tuna can in water is fine:
- 1 can/packet of light tuna
- 1 tbsp. of light mayo (I like Smart Balance, you can also omit this or make your own concoction with fat free Greek yogurt)
- dash of lemon pepper seasoning
- dash of garlic powder
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped or shredded
- 1 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon or lemon juice
- 1 chopped up hardboiled egg (optional)
- I like to mix that all together and eat it as is, or you can place on top of a bed of spinach, a large lettuce leaf, a slice of whole wheat bread or toss into a whole wheat wrap! (Also, if avocados are on sale, chopping up some into tuna is delicious!)
- I also found an AWESOME recipe that adds in some chick peas for added protein and fiber! Check it out here!
This is an awesome one from Stephanie Woods!
- 85 g carrot chips (sliced up)
- 1 large celery stalk
- 1/4 cucumber with skin
- 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
- 1 tbsp. light balsamic vinaigrette
- Mix together and enjoy! Tastes even better when made the night before and left to refrigerate overnight.
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad:
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 small red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 1 roasted red pepper, chopped
- 3 plum tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, onion, cucumber, pepper, tomatoes, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.
- Toss to mix.
- Allow to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes for flavors to blend.
Waldorf Salad Spin-Off (from Chalene Johnson!):
- 1 cup of green apples (chopped)
- ½ cup of dried cranberries
- ½ cup of crushed almonds
- 1 cup of fat free Greek yogurt
- 1 dash of lemon juice
- Mix together and enjoy!
- You can also add in some grilled chicken for more protein!
Some snacks I keep on hand:
- light string cheese (I like Frigo or Sargento)
- hummus to dip some veggies in (currently in love with The Fresh Hummus Co.'s olive hummus)
- Snack Factory Original Pretzel Crisps (if I really need something crunchy and they're delicious with hummus!)
- I haven't made them yet, but saw this awesome recipe for microwaved sweet potato chips!
- low sodium light cottage cheese
Cottage cheese mix-in ideas:
Mix 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with:
Mix 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with:
- 1/2 scoop of protein powder (any flavor!)
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract + 1 packet stevia
- 1 tbsp. natural preserves
- berries
- 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder + 1 tbsp. sugar-free instant pudding & whip in a blender & chill until set
- 1 tsp. cinnamon + 1 packet stevia
- 1/2 packet sugar-free Jell-O pudding (any flavor!)
- 1 can light tuna (drained) + 1-2 tsp. of Sriracha
- 6 tbsp. (90g) salsa