6 Affordable Ways to Eat Healthy by Kelsey Nixon

Two questions Rachael gets asked all the time are 1.) How can I afford to eat healthy?; and 2.) How can I cook healthy?

To help answer these questions, Rach has enlisted help from her good friend Kelsey Nixon. She's here to show you easy ways to cook yourself healthy, all with the help of two affordable and easy-to-make ingredients: quinoa and roasted vegetables.

Check them out, below.

QUINOA

Kelsey Nixon's Pork and Apple Meatballs with Quinoa

Rachael Ray Show

Want to up your amount of protein intake? This recipe will allow you to do just that, as it combines pork with quinoa to make even the pickiest of eaters happy. Kelsey recommends serving the meatballs with egg noodles, parsley and parmesan cheese -- a combination that is as winning as it is affordable.

Kelsey Nixon's Lemon Chicken Quinoa Soup

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This twist on chicken noodle soup is another way to boost your protein. Plus, swapping noodles for quinoa allows you to eliminate gluten. To make this dish taste extra good: Dish about half a cup of quinoa into your bowl and pour the soup right over the top, rather than mixing it together, to maintain that delicious flavor.

Kelsey Nixon's Banana Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookies

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Our culinary team couldn't stop raving about these cookies -- and for good reason. This recipe calls for a number of items you can feel good about serving to your family -- everything from coconut, to oats and peanut butter. For an even healthier option: Try swapping the chocolate chips for raisins. Either way, this will be a recipe you'll be making for years to come.

ROASTED VEGETABLES

Kelsey Nixon's Roasted Root Vegetables with Cider Vinaigrette

Rachael Ray Show

Whether you're talking about asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower or anything in between, you can literally roast any vegetable you want. The best part is: You only need to worry about three things: your vegetables, EVOO and salt and pepper. Anyone can handle that!  To add a little flavor, Kelsey recommends topping the vegetables with a  Cider Vinaigrette, a really simple step that makes a huge difference. Combined, you can serve this next to any lean vegetable.

Kelsey Nixon’s Roasted Vegetable Panini with Herbed Feta Spread

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A roasted vegetable sandwich?! Talk about a great way to save money at lunchtime! If you don't have a panini press at home, you can make this in a cast-iron skillet and just put another heavy pan on top and weigh it down with a couple of tin cans.

Kelsey Nixon’s Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

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This is a perfect hearty, comfort food-type dish that is still jam-packed with nutritional value. It looks as good as it taste, plus it allows for the roasted vegetables to be the shining star. Your kids will love this dish, and so will anyone else who takes a bite.