There's no excuse when it comes to finding quick and inexpensive meals to eat when it comes to eating healthfully!
Stock your fridge and pantry with frozen veggies, canned beans, or better yet, buy beans in bulk and prepare them yourself. Only buy enough fresh produce that you know you are going to eat, so that way you don't end up wasting money by throwing out rotten or wilted produce later!
One staple that has helped me to lose and maintain weight is QUINOA! As a vegan, it is a must, as it packs more of a nutritional punch than brown rice. It is considered a complete protein, as it contains all 9 essential amino acids. I've been living off the following recipes (plus others, of course) for a long time now, and I've lost and maintained weight, and I have boundless energy to boot!
Read more about the wonderful whole grain quinoa:
http://no-baloney.com/2012/01/11/brown-rice-vs-quinoa/ http://www.livestrong.com/article/437513-brown-rice-vs-quinoa/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa Try the following no-cook recipes (5 minutes to prepare!) as an alternative to your meat-laden meal and you will save money...and possibly your life. Dr. Sanjay Gupta states that if you go meatless just one day a week, you reduce your risk for heart disease by 19%! Here's more on Dr. Sanjay Gupta's life- saving advice:
http://www.thekitchn.com/the-heart-attack-free-diet-cnn-154900 Recipe #1:
Fill a single-serving size bowl with one cup, give or take, of pre-cooked quinoa I made earlier in the week. Add to that frozen green peas and frozen baby lima beans, a serving of each, more or less. (Optional: throw on some canned or made-from-scratch garbanzo beans.) Microwave (or you can choose to heat on the stovetop in a small pot with a lid). Add Morton "Lite" low-sodium salt and pepper to taste, and a splash of olive oil for some healthy fat to help with vitamin absorption. Mix the bowl. Voila. Dinner is served. (Maybe I'll have other very easy to prepare veggies on the side as well...sweet potato or baked kale chips; recipes upon request).
Recipe #2:
My Spanish flair recipe! Fill bowl with one cup of cooked quinoa. Add canned or made-from- scratch black beans. Microwave. Next, add fresh salsa, a few tablespoons. Add cubed avocado, as much as you want. Sometimes I have a half an avocado, other times the whole avocado, cubed. Add halved mini heirloom tomatoes (from Trader Joes). You can use cherry or plum tomatoes instead if you'd like. Add low-sodium salt to taste, especially if the canned beans don't have any added salt. Mix it up. Another quick dinner is now "prepared!"
Recipe #3:
Here's one with an Asian flair: Fill bowl with cooked quinoa. Add one serving of frozen edemame (de-shelled...just the beans, not the pod!), preferably organic as it is guaranteed to be non-GMO. Add in some frozen green peas as well. Microwave or stovetop heat. Simply add 2 teaspoons (for less sodium) or 1 tablespoon (for more sodium) of tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), stir bowl carefully, and enjoy. I usually have home-made baked sweet potato fries on the side with this.
All of the above bowls take 5-10 minutes to prepare, cost $1-3 per bowl, and are approximately 400-500 calories per bowl! Perfect for the person who wants a quick, inexpensive, nutritious meal AND wants to lose or maintain weight.
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