If you’re looking to stock your pantry with staples that provide flexibility and flavor along with affordability, then split peas and black beans should be at the top of your list. Here are some of the reason these two fiber-filled items always make the cut when it comes to deciding what healthy cheap food items we put on our grocery shopping list.

Black beans are extremely versatile.                                                             

Because of the bean’s small size, many black bean recipes don’t take as long to cook as some of the foods prepared from their larger bean counterparts. Black beans also contain a fair amount of antioxidants, and can be used in anything from a spinach salad, Caribbean food and a number of Mexican recipes as well. They have a meaty texture, and if you keep a few cans of prepared ones in the pantry, there are a number of meals that can be prepared extremely quickly.

Split peas are about as cheap as it gets, even when you buy the organic version.

Not only are they affordable, but these things cook extremely quickly. That makes split pea recipes perfect for the family cook on the go. Vegan split pea soup, soak and mash split pea falafel and many other meals can be crafted affordably, making this food one of several frugal items you’ll want to include on your organic vegan grocery list.

Another thing I enjoy about both of these food items is that they can store for long periods of time in your pantry, provided you have something airtight in which to keep them. They don’t require fridge or freezer space until after they’ve been cooked, and are both equally suited to spending a day in the family crock pot when things get busy. What are your favorite pantry staples?

Photo Credit: Bobojudge

While there are numerous restaurants of note in Longboat Key, Florida, I’m just completely wild about Harry’s.

What’s particularly cool about Harry’s kitchen is that he doesn’t have just one. In addition to his more formal sit-down restaurant which features phenomenal seafood entrees and a decent wine selection, there’s a casual convenience store with stick-to-your-ribs takeout burritos and an elegant gourmet takeout deli for that romantic picnic on the beach.

Breakfast is a particularly fun meal to have at Harry’s, because the venue has a charming breakfast room and garden from which you can enjoy decadent omelets, gorgeous homemade granola and a variety of other morning meal goodies. After a hearty fuel up, you can head over to Sarasota for an afternoon of shopping, circus heritage and other fun activities.

Photo Credit: This photo was taken by the team at Trekhound.com, and is available along with other images of Longboat Key, FL through a creative commons license on our sister site, Pictures of Travel Places.

We happen to be fortunate enough to live just down the road from one of the most heavily Greek-American populated communities in the country. Tarpon Springs is a seaside community located along Florida’s nature coast in the greater Tampa Bay area.

Full of historic, oceanfront charm and one of the largest harvesters of sea sponges in the world, this picturesque town offers cheap food for Greek cuisine fans, authentic natural sea sponge products and access to fresh seafood as well.

Curious? Consider traveling there for a romantic weekend getaway, stop by for a walking tour or simply schedule a waterfront dinner at one of the numerous restaurants the community has to offer.

Photo Credit: This image was photographed by the Trek Hound team. It’s available for creative commons use along with other pictures of Tarpon Springs through an arrangement with our sister site, Pictures of Travel Places.

When you’re out and about and find yourself without a single plant-based diet menu item available, deciding on an affordable seafood entrée is always a nice middle of the road option that falls along the edge of what most people consider to be vegetarian cuisine.

This image of a plate full of fish and chips was photographed at Rotten Ralph’s restaurant near Longboat Key in Sarasota. They have an all you can eat program featuring haddock and chips on Fridays, making it a great way to save money on seafood while dining out in the area. If a picnic on the beach is more your speed and you find yourself without access to anything resembling a veggie burger or hummus, then consider making a sandwich salad from imitation crab meat and stuffing it along with some sprouts and baby spinach into a pita pocket. That, a bottle of water and a piece of fruit will keep things light and relatively healthy while still staying on budget.

Photo Credit: Trek Hound

If you’re looking for strategies to develop an affordable organic vegan grocery list, including flax seeds is one of my top tips. At less than three dollars per pound, and a multi-tasking powerhouse in the kitchen, these things are one of my favorite secret weapon foods for going vegan. You can use them in bread to bring more nutrition to your vegan sandwiches, include them in a breakfast smoothie or even sprinkle some ground meal into your breakfast cereal.

Because they include essential fatty acids found in other foods like salmon, including them is a healthy way to transition to a plant-based diet and for buying organic groceries in general. You can purchase these seeds online or at most regular grocery stores. However, the most affordable place I’ve found to pick up flax seeds is at Whole Foods. Their bargain bulk bins offer great deals on dry pantry staples, and if you bring your own lightweight drawstring bags, you can avoid any additional packaging or plastic bag waste. In fact bulk food bins in general are one of the top ways to purchase organic food on a budget, whether it’s flax seeds, rice, brown lentils or other types of foods.

What are some of your favorite ways to use these seeds in efforts to incorporate healthy foods?

Photo Credit: Trek Hound photographers snapped this image while traveling in Tel Aviv, but it is available along with other travel images through a creative commons agreement on Pictures of Travel Places, a site we are affiliated with.

It’s no secret to those who know me that I simply adore pumpkins. I love everything about them. Decorating with them, carving them for Halloween, and even mixing up pumpkin margaritas to accompany treats like cookies,  toasted pumpkin seeds, autumn soups, casseroles, coffee drinks, pumpkin whoopie pies and more. It all makes me happy. I even enjoy cooking with canned pumpkin when the fresh stuff isn’t available.

Other fun pumpkin recipes include ravioli filling, a savory stuffed dinner pumpkin and vegan pumpkin snack cake. What sort of recipes for this fun food make it into your family meal plan?

Photo Credit: Trek Hound

If anyone had told me even a handful of years ago that going vegan would be part of my life plan, I would have been torn between laughing hysterically and passing out from shock. While we are still primarily only vegetarian and flexitarian on the road, over the past two years, David and I have transitioned to a mainly plant-based diet here at home. We’ve researched lentil recipes, come up with some fun ideas for vegan sandwiches and even discovered some helpful tips for vegan baking. Seriously, who would have thought?

Other cool developments include my own internationally-syndicated travel column with McClatchy-Tribune News Services, a best-selling book I co-wrote with the writers of Wise Bread called 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget and finally being able to make a full-time living as a writer, blogger and travel photographer.

While we’ve been based here in Florida for a few years while my husband completed his science teaching degree, we’re now getting itchy feet to hit the road again. We knew it would happen, and have been downsizing diligently for quite some time. We’ve moved before, but always assumed (for whatever reason) that we’d have a permanent home base, and that with that home base would come the space to store all of the items we’d accumulated over the years.

While we’re still hanging on to a few of our treasures, the truth is we don’t want the headache of moving them every few years as “permanent” just doesn’t seem suit our lifestyle or be part of the universe’s plan for us. Sure, we like to feel at home whenever we put down roots for a period of time, but the dug-in, having enough belongings to service a small village plan no longer fits who we’ve become as people.

Where are we going? We have no idea. Maybe it’ll be overseas for some short-term contract work. Or maybe we’ll tour North America with our dog Maggie. Or perhaps she’ll spend some time with her favorite long-term caregiver and auntie while we snag a house sit in a destination we want to write about. However it all pans out, packing up will be part of the process. So we are moving forward on that front with precision, trusting that the proper plan will unveil itself when the time is right.

In the meantime, writing, blogging, photography and speaking gigs are all still on the table and taking place. They are projects well-suited to our nomadic hearts, and part of our long-term business plan. Stay tuned for more updates as our situation unfolds. Thanks so much for your readership and support!

Photo Credit: Trek Hound photographers snapped this image while traveling in Saquisili, Ecuador. It is available for creative commons use along with other travel images on Pictures of Travel Places.

Whether you’re telecommuting from a cozy fireside location at a house sit in Ireland, from the road while touring Peru or from the comfort of your long-time family domicile, working from home is efficient. It saves time, money, stress and the inevitable wear and tear on things like professional clothing, your vehicle, manicures and more.

Another benefit is being able to take the time for a work-at-home-fitness routine, even if it’s just a simple dog walk, a couple of swimming pool laps or using an exercise ball instead of a chair. Of course, it’s also important to stay organized when telecommuting. Work is work, whether you are performing your tasks in a traditional office cubicle, from the road or from a command center you shoehorned into an old closet.

One of the things that can be most challenging for telecommuters to organize is the countless incidentals like binder clips, file folders and rubber bands. Having too much or too little can be detrimental to productivity, so balance is key. For people who operate between their car and home, using a fishing tackle box for office supplies is an affordable hack that takes up very little space. It’s also portable, and the built-in sections make organizing the various bits of office fluff a breeze.

Wearing your own work station is also a huge help to a successful telecommuting experience. For those on the home front, using an apron as a portable work station works well. Especially if you go for one of those shorter, utility aprons used by contractors or restaurant wait staff. They easily hold your smart phone, ear buds (if you don’t do the Bluetooth headset thing), sticky notes and pencils for those times you receive a client call while your head’s in the washing machine or you happen to be outside hanging out laundry.

Of course, if you are a digital nomad cranking out assignments as a backpack journalist while pounding the pavement in Paris, Beirut or even Boston, then a wearable portable work station will need to manifest differently. For example, pants with cargo pockets, utility belts and expedition-style jackets might come into play, along with waist packs, shoulder straps with storage and other types of gear that allow you to put your hands on what you need without too much fuss.

One thing’s for certain, anyone who’s been given – or created – the opportunity to telecommute for any length of time will do nearly anything not to return to the traditional employment model. By making your “office” routine as efficient as possible, you’ll be able to have the seamless telecommuting experience you’ve been striving for.

Photo Credit: DDFIC

The Termas de Papallacta spa and hot springs resort is a great weekend getaway from Quito, Ecuador. With the affordable cottages nestled among steamy pools, relaxation is literally steps away. And with weekday prices for one-hour hot stone massages starting at $35, this is one of the most affordable spa getaways a traveler is likely to find. For those concerned with skin care, the spa has massage services available and hiking trails are located nearby for those who want to go horseback riding or stroll through the mountain meadows at altitude. Dreaming of a mountain spa getaway and can’t find the cash? Trying making your own beauty products at home to save money. You’ll be surprised how fast you can save up for a plane ticket!

Photo Credit: Trek Hound photographers snapped this and other pictures of Papallacta, Ecuador while traveling in South America. We have made them and other travel photos available through a creative commons agreement with a sister web site called Pictures of Travel Places.

Looking to bargain shop when it comes to poultry savings? Whether you’re a boneless, skinless breast buyer, or go even further along the budget scale with those ten pound bags of leg quarters, chicken is just plain affordable.

Not only is it available in most places around the world, you can also create several international experiences with it right in your own kitchen. A few ideas?

•   Cashew or Polynesian Chicken
•   Fajitas or Quesadillas
•   Simple Thai Curry
•  Chicken Marsala
•  Coq au Vin
•  Tom Kha Gai or Chicken Lemongrass Soup
•  Skewered Tenders with Asian Peanut Sauce
•  Tetrazini

As you can see, it’s possible to cover the flavors of several continents with this humble ingredient and still stay on budget. Do you have a favorite international recipe involving chicken? I’d love to hear about it.

 Photo Credit: Jason Lam