I have a theory that there is a impossible trinity (like in economics), where a food cannot be delicious, cheap and healthy at the same time. At maximum 2 of the 3 can be achieved.
Is there any food that breaks this theory?
Edit: I was thinking more about dishes (or something you put in your mouth) than the raw substances
Some popular suggestions include
- fruits (in season) and vegetables
- lentils, beans, rice
- mushrooms
- chicken
- just eat in moderation
Edit 2: Thanks for the various answers. Now there are a lot of (mostly bean-based) recipes for everyone to try out!
Also someone made a community for cheap healthy food after seeing this topic!
Look into Indian foods and even traditional japanese. Really hearty and nutrient dense foods there. Plus there’s a book on Depression era cooking that has a lot of great recipes for low cost and self sustaining.
Any sort of cuisine from historically depressed areas is going to be great. For me, that’s Cajun and Creole food – lots of rice, beans, and spices in the skillet. Get frozen vegetables in bulk if fresh is too expensive, because you’re going to be cooking them to mush anyway.
I’ve found that the key isn’t minimizing the dollar amount, but maximizing the output. A little bit of butter may be more expensive, but if you add in a fuckton of rice and beans, that 2tbsp butter will improve your next week’s worth of food.