NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nearly two weeks into the new year, many people are working to stick to their resolutions.
If you’re hoping to eat healthier, I know that can be hard, especially if you’ve got a limited budget for food.
That’s why I met up with registered dietitian and nutritionist Chelsea Leblanc to get tips on how to eat nutritious meals without spending a fortune.
"I help busy families plan and prep really simple meals on a budget," Leblanc said.
We met up at the Piggly Wiggly on Dickerson Pike so she could share advice on frugal yet nutritious food choices.
Leblanc's first tip: if you're looking for healthy protein on a tight budget, pair meat with plant protein to make a bigger portion.
"Half black beans, half ground turkey, and do tacos with those," Leblanc said.
Leblanc also suggests pairing lentils with ground beef, or edamame with ground turkey, as other pairing options.
While you can get a good deal on fresh vegetables depending on the store and time of year, if you still can't swing fresh produce, she said frozen vegetables have virtually the same nutrients and are often packaged at the peak of freshness.
Leblanc also advises people not to shop while they're hungry and not to be afraid to buy store-brand or generic items.
Walking the aisles, I chatted with Piggly Wiggly's owner, Freddie Robertson, who had advice on making protein stretch as well, buy in bulk and freeze.
To put some of this advice to the test, we rang up items for Leblanc's recipe for teriyaki lettuce wraps.
It’s a popular recipe on her Instagram channel.
We picked up sauce, turkey, edamame as a plant protein to add to it, frozen vegetables and fresh iceberg lettuce.
The total came to just under $18, which works out to $2.93 per serving.
That's even less when you consider that the $4 bottle of sauce will last for multiple meals.
Click here for more recipes and healthy eating ideas from LeBlanc.
I’ve listed the recipe for the dish we gathered for this story below.
5 INGREDIENT TERIYAKI LETTUCE WRAPS RECIPE
2-4 Servings
INGREDIENTS:
* ½ lb lean ground turkey (save half for another meal in the week or cook it all and use 3 cups of edamame to make 4-8 servings)
* 2 cups frozen fajita veggies
* 1 ½ cup frozen edamame
* Teriyaki Sauce, to taste
* Lettuce (romaine or butter lettuce works well)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook ground turkey. Add frozen fajita veggies and frozen edamame.
2. Cook until warm and any liquid from the frozen veggies has evaporated.
3. Add teriyaki sauce, stir, and serve on lettuce “wraps.”
This story was reported on-air by Robb Coles and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Coles verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
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