Today's Tip: Add These Four Healthy, Budget-Friendly Foods to Your Diet

Buying healthy foods doesn't have to break your budget. If you're not eating them already, consider adding these four healthy foods to your next grocery list. They're diet-friendly, nutritious, and cost less than a dollar per serving -- now that's budget-friendly!

1. Brown rice is nutritious, low in calories and filling (due to its fiber content). It's perfect as a side dish in almost any type of meal or can be added to a main dish as a "filler" to make it heartier. You may also like to try adding brown rice to salads or even having it for breakfast as a hot cereal (with the addition of cinnamon and some fat-free milk). You can buy brown rice at a bargain at any supermarket, but it's even cheaper when bought in bulk at health food stores -- it's just pennies a serving!
2. Canned wild salmon is an easy and inexpensive way to get in healthy omega-3 fats. It is a good source of lean protein, which will help keep hunger at bay. Reach for salmon instead of tuna for your next seafood salad sandwich, add it to a garden salad or even toss in with whole-grain pasta and sauce. You can get a can of wild salmon that provides several servings for just under $3 at most supermarkets.
3. Frozen vegetables are naturally super-low in calories, super-easy to prepare and super-easy on the budget! (Just watch out for added butter or sauces.) Nab a few bags of your favorite variety at about a buck a pop each time you visit the grocery store. You can get many servings from a single bag (But beware those pre-packaged single servings -- definitely not a bargain!). The options are virtually endless: They can be added to omelets, used as simple sides, added to canned or homemade soup, mixed in to bulk up plain pasta, or folded into wraps or fajitas ... I could go on!
4. Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A, a very good source of vitamin C and provide plenty of fiber at just cents a serving. Bake, roast, mash them, or whip up a healthy version of sweet potato casserole as an alternative to another boring baked potato. Slice larger sweet potatoes into medallions before baking to ensure proper cooking. Unless you're buying organic, it's best to peel sweet potatoes before consumption. Baked sweet potatoes are even tasty cold, so you can easily tote leftovers for lunch the next day.

Previous Daily Tips:
Start Slow, Start Smart
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