{"id":987699,"date":"2026-08-07T22:59:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/987699\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:59:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:59:17","slug":"san-antonio-food-bank-program-offers-budget-friendly-recipes-for-eating-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/987699\/","title":{"rendered":"San Antonio Food Bank program offers budget-friendly recipes for eating healthy"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO<\/strong> \u2013 Eating on a tighter budget doesn\u2019t mean people have to sacrifice sufficient nutrition.<\/p>\n

KSAT reported on a study<\/a> that shows a huge spike in the number of residents who don\u2019t have enough food. One in five people in the San Antonio Food Bank region is food insecure as of 2024. For children, it\u2019s one in four. <\/p>\n

Oftentimes, stretching a dollar means less healthy meals, but the San Antonio Food Bank said people can eat cheap and healthy at the same time. <\/p>\n

To start, San Antonio Food Bank Interim Chief of Nutrition Becca Smith said the nonprofit provides lots of healthy foods for free. <\/p>\n

\u201cFresh fruits and vegetables, fresh produce, but also thinking about the canned produce that we provide, staple goods, whole grains that can be incorporated into a healthy diet,\u201d Smith said. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s just knowing how to use all of it without adding other expenses to a meal. That\u2019s where the nonprofit\u2019s CHEF program comes in, offering exact recipes and even teaching classes on how to make them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we plan our recipes, we\u2019re really intentional about looking at how much this sample size costs,\u201d Smith said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to get about four ounces of food underneath 50 cents a serving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith took KSAT into the kitchen where she showed how to make two easy, cheap and healthy recipes that don\u2019t even need to be cooked or heated. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur first recipe is going to be an oatmeal cinnamon protein bite,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Smith poured dried oats and rice cereal into a bowl, showing two inexpensive items that can be bought in bulk.<\/p>\n

\u201cCut your price by buying in bulk and also purchasing pantry staples that have a longer shelf life,\u201d Smith said. <\/p>\n

For protein, she added sunflower butter (like peanut butter) and dried non-fat milk, which is a product many people get at food banks and food pantries but don\u2019t know how to use. <\/p>\n

Then, Smith added honey, mini chocolate chips, vanilla extract, cinnamon and dried cranberries.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s got fiber, protein, fruit, with a lot of vitamins and minerals and antioxidants,\u201d Smith said. <\/p>\n

The second recipe was even quicker to make. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis next one is called Texas Caviar, and it\u2019s blending canned goods that you might get, and you might have sitting in your pantry as well as some fresh produce,\u201d Smith said. <\/p>\n

She mixed canned black beans, canned corn, chopped red bell pepper, chopped and diced onion, a seasoning mixture, and then a blend of oil and lemon juice.<\/p>\n

Smith said everything doesn\u2019t have to be bought fresh, since that is often more expensive. <\/p>\n

\u201cThese are some canned goods, and frozen is also a great option as well,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

The mixture can be used as a side, topping or a dip with chips or crackers. <\/p>\n

Every recipe also lists health benefits. The Texas Caviar lists that its ingredients help with vision, immunity, heart health, and lower the risk of some cancers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always say, eat the rainbow, because that provides lots of different nutrients. This recipe has all kinds of colors in it,\u201d Smith said. <\/p>\n

There are dozens of low-cost, healthy recipes in English and Spanish on the food bank\u2019s CHEF program website<\/a>. People can also sign up for the classes there. <\/p>\n

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