The Healthiest Wallet-Friendly Foods That Should Be On Your Plate This Summer | Nutrition & Dieting slideshows | Well Being center

Dried Fruit And Nuts Bought In Bulk

That little can of nuts that might cost you $9.99 in one part of the store might hold the same contents as the bag of nuts you can buy for $4 at the self-service bulk foods counter. The great advantage of buying in bulk is that you can buy as little or as much as you like. You don't have the convenience of a pretty container, and some cities will require you to bring your own bag, but you can't get a better source of highly concentrated antioxidants than dried fruits or wholesome omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids than dried nuts and seeds.

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Photo courtesy of Jessica and Lon Binder by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/lonbinder/2846508170/
greatist.com/health/cheap-healthy-breakfast-recipes

Wheat Zucchini Muffins, Store-Bought Or Made At Home

Wheat zucchini muffins can be packed with sugar--or just packed with flavor if you know how to make them yourself. The reason whole wheat muffins of all kinds are usually also high calorie is that whole grains in general have a bitter aftertaste, especially if they are stored on the cupboard for six months or longer. The sugar is added to offset the natural bitterness of the grain. If you make your own whole wheat muffins with whole wheat pastry flour, however, you will get a lighter dough and a naturally sweeter flavor, to which you can add healthy, tasty ingredients such as blanched zucchini, diced dried apricots, walnuts, apples, or bananas.

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Photo courtesy of Debbie R by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/freakgirl/827711381/
Bitman, M. The Minimalist. Whole Wheat Muffin, the Remix. New York Times. 10 February 2010.

Vegetarian Chili

If you are from Texas, there is one thing for sure you know about chili, and that's that it doesn't contain beans. That doesn't mean, however, that chili has to contain meat or can't include beans. It's just that if you cook this dish from a traditional recipe from Texas or Mesico, you call it "chili with beans." The "chili" in chili is the heat imparted by the peppers. To save money, buy builk dried peppers at the market. Give them a quick toast in a skillet or in the oven, no more than 3 minutes, and then grine to add to water as your chili base. Then add onions, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, tomatoes (dried, diced, fresh, or juice), carrots, pinto beans, kidney beans, or the legume of your choice for a low-calorie, low-fat, tasty inexpensive meal.

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Photo courtesy of Jennifer by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/sweetonveg/8078817046/
greatist.com/health/cheap-healthy-lunch-dinner-entree-recipes

Pesto Cheese Pizza

Pesto is a great way to get your daily greens with a healthy dose of the omega-3 essential fatty acids of pine nuts or walnuts, and making a pesto pizza is a great cooking activities with kids. Make your own simple dough with flour, water, a tiny amount of sugar, and yeast. Let it rise, spread it out on the pizza pan, and make your pesto. Just toss spinach or basil leaves, olive oil, and either pine nuts or walnuts into the food processor, pulse about a dozen times, and spread over the pizza with your favorite cheese--and bake. Store-bought pesto also works. For video instructions, see the link below.

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Photo courtesy of di.wineanddine by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/4848079360/
www.nytimes.com/video/2013/06/18/dining/100000002287823/recipe-lab-making-pesto-pizza-with-kids.html

Meatless Mushroom Bolognese

Bolognese is a sauce typically made with six meats, but you can also make an interesting and tasty bolognese with mushrooms. Use baby belles, porcinis, and shiitakes for an texture and flavor, substituting the same weight and volume of mushrooms for an equal volume of meat. Don't forget to caramelize your aromatic vegetables (carrot, celery, onion, and garlic) before adding to the mix, to bring out their full flavor. For the herbs, use rosemary, thyme, crushed bay leaf, and black pepper, with a generous addition of salt. It's the combination of mushrooms that is satisfying in the absence of meat. Making a meatless bolognese with just one kind of mushroom just won't do.

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Photo courtesy of Dorota - dstroy by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/dstroy/8162101390/
The Italian Dish Blog. Mushroom Bolognese. 27 January 2011, accessed 24 July 2013.

Pasta With Creamy Avocado

Looking for something different to go with pasta? Try avocado! Make a cold pasta salad with your favorite pasta, avocado, red onion, and a little feta crumbled in. Or make a hot pasta with a sauce you make with a dash of cream, some peeled, deveined, and cooked shrimp, and avocado to taste. You can also make an avocado dressing for a cold pasta salad with avocado, lemon juice, garlic salt, and pepper, adding chopped basil to taste and garnishing the salad with basil leaves. Be sure to use avocado within a few minutes of slicing. Even with the addition of lemon juice and even when it is mixed with olive oil, avocado quickly darkens, as does chopped basil.

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Photo courtesy of Mary by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/maryamandathompson/5503536033/
The Sassy Life. Creamy Avocado Pasta. Accessed 24 July 2013.

Dolma, Also Known As Stuffed Grape Leaves

Dolma are stuffed leaves, either the Greek, Turkish, or Iranian stuffed grape leaves, or the stuffed leaves of cabbage that are popular in the Balkans. Dolma are usually stuffed with a mixture of cooked ground meat and rice, flavored with peppers and spices, onions, and parsley. Dolma can also be served for dessert. In Assam and Bangladesh, "dorma" are made with a mixture of grated coconut, raisins, and poppy seeds, and sometimes with shrimp to make a savory dessert. Preserved grape leaves are available in jars in the ethnic food sections of most supermarkets in the USA; they can also be eaten by themselves as a tart, salty appetizer.

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Photo courtesy of pelican by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/pelican/4424995576/
greatist.com/health/cheap-healthy-snacks-side-dish-recipes

Baked, Rather Than Fried, Onion Rings

Love onion rings but need to cut back on the fat? Try baked onion rings. You make the rings the same way you make fried rings. Cut white, Maui onions into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch slices. Dredge the rings first in a dry mixture of flour and paprika, then in a wet mixture of egg, salt, pepper, and buttermilk, and then finally into a dry mixture of panko bread crumbs, olive oil, and salt. Instead of frying, spread the onion rings in a single layer onto parchment paper on a baking sheet, and bake in a preheated 450-degree over for 14 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. There's no hot grease, no splashes to clean up on the stove, and a lot fewer calories from this easy recipe.

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Photo courtesy of Aine by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/dainec/2728772353/
Recipe adapated from Jeff Mauro, Food Network.

Ginger-Fried Rice

Fried rice is a favorite comfort food, but ginger fried rice becomes an instant main course when combined with left-over vegetables and protein foods. The secret to making a sticky fried rice is cooking rice the day before and storing it in the refrigerator overnight. Peel and chop ginger and fry in hot oil, then add egg, chopped scallion, and peas and carrots, and finally add bean sprouts to be lightly cooked. Add oyster sauce, soy sauce, and/or fish sauce just before serving. Be sure to serve while still hot. If you use cold rice, you'll only need about a tablespoon of oil to keep your fried rice from sticking to the frying pan or wok, but if you use hot rice, you'll wind up using a lot more oil.

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Photo courtesy of esimpraim by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/dishingupdelights/4320248845/
Recipe adapted from the Healthy Heart Cookbook (Eating Well, 1998, 2008).

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Cookies

Most people like chocolate chip cookies. Add pumpkin for a unique end of summer flavor, a chance to add pumpkin pie spices, and a walloping dose of antioxidant alpha- and beta-carotene. Add canned pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg to your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, and be sure to use regular chocolate chips, not semi-sweet. The sweetness in the chocolate chips is needed to stand up to the pumpkin spices. For best results, mix baking powder with the dry ingredients in your recipe, but dissolve baking soda in the milk. The longer you can wait before you add baking soda to milk and milk to the other ingredients, the more your cookies will rise.