New Year, New You: Eating Healthy On A Budget

My grocery haul. You can see my naughty kitten getting into the herbs...

For 2013, I want to make more of an effort in eating well. Being a college student and a vegetarian, I realize that this can only happen if I find things that are budget friendly. I went to the store with two main recipes in mind; a green smoothie and tostadas. Below I tell you what food I needed for each and how much the item cost me. First, I went to ALDI (A), and then I went to Walmart (W) to get the things I couldn't find at ALDI.


For the green smoothie I needed:

• spinach- 13oz./$3 (W)
• parsley- $0.75 (W)
• cucumber- 2/$0.90 (A)
• green apples- 1lb./$1.56 (W)
• lemons- 4/$1.29 (A)

For the tostadas I needed:

• tortillas- 10/$1 (A)
• refried beans- $0.79 (A)
• corn salsa- $2.60 (W)
• cilantro- $0.75 (W)
• shredded lettuce- $1.35 (W)
• sour cream- 16 oz./$1.29 (A)
• onion- $0.90 (W)
 

I also picked up:

• black beans- $0.59 (A)
• brown rice- 14oz./$1.49 (A)
• veggie burgers- 4/$3.69 (W)
• box of Pasta Roni (for days when I'm feeling lazy)- $1.00 (W) 

I expect this grocery trip to feed me for a week. Since I am trying out the green smoothie for the first time, I am not sure of how many veggies I really need to have a drink every morning. I am expecting to only get 3-4 drinks from this trip. On the other mornings, I will probably drink a Carnation Breakfast Essentials. Also, keep in mind that I already had milk, butter, cheese, pasta, some spices, and eggs in my kitchen.

So... are you wondering how much money I spent buying all of this food? Drum roll please...
$22.95 + tax. Proving that you can eat healthy on a budget :-)