Healthy Dinners On The C H E A P!

One of the biggest objections I hear during my time with challengers on their health and fitness journeys are how hard it is on their budget when they make the switch to clean un-processed eating.  Its a fair argument and honestly I agree.  It takes loads of time to plan, prep and shop ads, specials and even price match in order to feed our families, while providing the best nutritious meals to help them grow and keep them strong and healthy.  I cannot argue with that. Its hard and it takes creativity to keep things flavorful and fun and sometimes it means weekly shopping trips instead of the 1-2 time a month that obviously is much more convenient.  But give yourself some credit here.  Nothing worth having ever cam easy including keeping a healthy diet on a health budget.  It takes discipline, and hard work and with time it totally gets  easier.

On weeks where things feel tighter than usual I turn to a handful of quick, super easy and super cheap meals I keep in my back pocket to make our dollar stretch a little further while also keeping it clean and healthy.  

1 lb. Chicken breasts or tenders

1 tbsp Avocado oil

1 Lemon

2 tbsp. Italian dressing Mix to coat chicken (don't add the sugar)

Frozen organic veggies (Favorite is a giant bag from Costco, it will last us several easy meals)

- Heat oil in pan over med/high heat.  

- Coat chicken in lemon juice and italian dressing mix.  

- Cook chicken in oil until browned.  

- Cook veggies by steaming or roasting in oven with salt band pepper.

 1 lb. Chicken breast

 Juice of 4 limes for marinade

 1 tsp. Minced garlic

 Salt and pepper to taste

 3-4 Sliced bell peppers

 Sliced onion

Whole wheat tortillas OR butter lettuce

- Marinate chicken in juice of 3 limes, minced garlic and salt and pepper for 30 minutes

- Cook chicken on high heat until browned.  

- Remove chicken and finely slice.

- Sauté veggies until tender in separate larger pan.  

- Add chicken to veggies and finish with Juice of 1 lime.  

- Serve in a warmed tortilla or leaf of butter lettuce. 

1 Box whole wheat pasta

1 Can italian diced tomatoes (drained)

3-4 Cups fresh baby spinach

Italian turkey sausage 

1-2 Handfuls shredded mozzarella cheese

- Slice sausage and cook until browned over med/high heat

- Boil pasta in a large pot until al dente. 

- Drain pasta then return to pot and add can of diced tomatoes spinach, cooked sausage.

- Cook down until spinach has wilted and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.