I've been eating very frugal and plan to for the next 14 months or something. I have some money budgeted to splurge on something nice once a month but don't really have a problem eating the same meal daily. It consists of instant rice, dried refried or black beans, and a bunch of chicken. I don't have much time to meal prep so I basically just cook the chicken for 3 days worth of food and then add boiling water to the instant rice and bean mix. It's actually pretty tasty.
Anyway, I am definitely not getting enough greens. I supplement potassium, calcium, and magnesium, and the beans have a lot of fiber but I would LOVE to add some green to this mix that's easy to prepare, nutrient dense, and most importantly relatively cheap. Taste isn't a huge factor. I just need something good and green for my body I can shovel into me. Are dried greens a thing? Spinach? Broccoli? Frozen bags of veggies? What is my best option? Any help is greatly appreciated!!
Cheapest way to get greens? Taste isn't a huge factor.
byu/SCastleRelics inFrugal
Posted by SCastleRelics
23 Comments
Frozen spinach on sale.
If you buy those little frozen blocks, you should be able to find them regularly for about $1 per 10-oz package. Buy a lot, and stir them into your standard meal (or into pasta sauce, soups, bean dishes, make omelettes etc.).
Frozen spinach and raw broccoli are probably your best bets! Cabbage is also pretty cheap and lasts a long time
Hi, from this sub’s wiki here’s [a frugal guide to sprouts and microgreens](https://sh.reddit.com/r/Frugal/wiki/microgreens/).
Basically, you can grow your own salad greens in a mason jar or on a windowsill. Depending on what method you choose, it’s a quick turnaround thing that goes from start to harvest in 3 to 10 days. Sprouts don’t require sunlight (they get harvested before they need it).
The r/Frugal wiki guide covers the basics and links to free informational resources.
I personally love a big delicious pot of collard greens.
Go out and pick dandelion greens and chickweed. There’s an amazing amount of edible weeds out there.
Another vote for frozen. If you have access to buy in bulk, the larger bags are a great value. Store brands are usually decent. The ones I buy most frequently: spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans. You can also find “fancier” things like cauliflower rice (it’s just chopped finely), zucchini noodles (spiral cut), and various stir fry mixes. Frozen edamame pods are a fun snack steamed sprinkled with salt. Some brands offer microwavable bags so you literally just toss the whole frozen bag into the microwave and cook for a few minutes. Super easy!
Be mindful of nasty chemical run off or over-spraying of weird chemicals but dandelions have very nice roots, greens and flowers for consumption and the only cost is transportation to the field. Plantain commonly in the same fields and the young leaves can be used in salads or cooked. Supposedly the seeds can be eaten raw or roasted, but I just buy nuts and legumes roasted and salted.
As an aside, one place had unroasted, unsalted macadamia nuts for less than half price of my occasional treat. I found the crunch was the same, but the oil from roasting and salt was the actual flavor I liked.
Onions. Carrots. Cabbage. Potatoes. Celery. These veggies are the base of most soups.
Right now winter squash is cheap.
Any frozen veggies that you like. Peas, green beans, spinach, etc.
I love cabbage as an easy and cheap green to keep on hand. I prefer Savoy Cabbage (it looks like a standard green cabbage head but more crinkled). It lasts a long time, and I find it stays crispier for longer. Its wicked easy to add a bit of it to soup, or toss with your ingredients for an easy salad.
I usually keep a cheap savoy cabbage to shred for slaw or sauerkraut, or napa cabbage for making kimchi. Sometimes I get lazy and pick up the shredded red/white cabbage with carrot that’s prepackaged. I dump it in the Tupperware and toss it with some Good Seasons Italian Dressing or a vinaigrette and use it for a quick side. Keeps for several days and even works as a nice deli sandwich topping.
Wild gathering. Some common weeds taste better than lettuce or spinach, grow all over the place, can be grown inside from seed, and aren’t difficult to learn to identify because they are easily distinguished from toxic plants.
Kale. I don’t love it and if you’re not going to eat it it’s a waste, but it’s very hearty and doesn’t go bad as quickly as spinach and it doesn’t cook down to nothing the way spinach does.
Cabbage is my usually go to because it lasts so long in the fridge, but I don’t think it’s as nutrient dense as kale is. Cabbage doesn’t cook down like spinach does either, is great when cooked, especially with carrots, but diced finely with carrots it also makes a great slaw.
Frozen peas are kiiiiing
frozen spinach is so good and easy to add
I’m fond of broccoli sprouts and, for me, they have been idiot proof as far as growing them is concerned. You can grow them in a jar or in soil. I buy a turkey roasting pan at the dollar store, a small bag of soil, and bulk broccoli seeds. That’s going to be your biggest expense, but it’s not too expensive. Look online. A pound will be enough for a lifetime. Put about 2 inches of soil in the pan, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of seeds evenly, press gently into the soil and mist. Don’t add too much water. If you’re worried about messing this step up, poke small holes in the bottom of the pan before you add soil. Set it near a sunny window or outside when the low is consistently above 32*F. If you’re growing them inside in a pan which has holes, be sure to set it on a tray. You should have it ventilated inside or you’re risking growing fungus and mold. I use a fan on low blowing nearby. It doesn’t have to be pointed at the pan. They sprout in no time and they are ready to harvest 3-5 days after sprouting. I’ve grown them outside with less than 4 hours of direct sunlight, so they are pretty forgiving with sun requirements. When they get a couple inches tall, cut what you need. I’ve tried pulling them and got them filthy, their neighbors filthy and totally disturbed the soil and the surrounding plants. Don’t do that.
Broccoli sprouts actually have more nutrients than the actual head (10-100 times more). Replant every week or so in fresh soil. Use them on sandwiches, wraps, salads, tacos, garnish soups, etc. Be sure to give them a rinse and pat dry. They are a little peppery. I’m sure you could add it to any kind of soup or stew. I don’t do any sprouts in jars because it’s really easy for them to go bad and then you’re looking at food poisoning. If you go that route due to space requirements, be sure that your jar is sterile and follow the directions exactly. You risk foodborn illnesses with soil, but that’s why you buy a bag of potting soil. If you are totally broke and must use old dirt, make sure that it is clean and hasn’t been sprayed. You can bake it in the oven to sterilize it. Check online for specifics and suggested amendments if you have clay or sand. You’re going to initially spend more than your average weekly grocery haul, but the volume of what you can grow makes up for it in the long run. There’s really no comparison. If you want to give it a trial run, seed packets should be in stores and EBT can cover it. Broccoli is a cold weather crop, so you can start it in the spring, and grow it in the fall, but you might have to give it some shade in the summer. If you typically have rain, be sure to poke holes in the pan for drainage.
Also, I had a friend who was really into foraging. If you’re in the northern hemisphere, it’s almost time for spring greens. Think dandelions, etc. Only pick where it hasn’t been sprayed and pick in the morning. Get information on how to id plants in your area. A lot of stuff is easily identifiable, once you know exactly what to look for. You should be able to find resources in your local library or online. YouTube has a lot of videos. I’ve seen people offer classes.
These are the absolute cheapest way to get your nutrients from greens in if you have a place to do it.
If you live in a big city, ethnic grocery stores for sure. I look for what’s in season, which is usually the cheapest. Chinese cabbages for 99 cents/lb, sometimes romaine or lettuce for cheap too
Dried wakame seaweed from the Asian grocery store! I add it to all my soups, but you can also make it into salads easily.
Stores well in the pantry, all you have to do is rehydrate it. You just need a small sprinkle too because of how much it expands. it’s very nutritious too!
Freeze your own. Buy a large bag of greens and fill into sandwich bags. Freeze the bags. If you make your recipe every three days, one bag would be about right. You can freeze a lot at once. If takes up little freezer space.
Frozen spinach is pretty cheap. You could mix it with the rice while cooking.
If you have room for any gardening. Collard, Mustard, Kale, Chard, are plants that are easy to grow and survive a wide temperature range. You can start cutting single leafs early in growth cycle and the plant keeps going. A handful of leafs with a couple slices of onion, a touch of garlic etc can be a side or a base for some scrambled eggs. Bonus = if you let them grow through bolting you have pretty plants that attracts many insects, butterflies etc.
Kroger and Costco generally have the tubs of salad/mixed greens for $4 or $5. 12 oz to 16 oz and they yield 4 or 5 salads. Add some broccoli, cucumber, carrots, onion and Roma tomatoes which are generally pretty cheap. It’s my lunch anchor and maybe costs $2 total per serving.
Collard greens. You can do a lot with them too.
I spend $16 a month to have a huge salad with every dinner. Go to Winco/your equivalent. A head of red cabbage, green cabbage, a big bag of spinach, a big bag of kale, and a bag of carrots. Chop the caggabes, a quarter a week and store in a plastic container with a piece of paper towel. When you open the spinach and kale add a paper towel to those too. Fluff them up when you grab a daily handful.
There are often sales, etc to bring this down.