Kelly Velotta has two main ingredients for healthy eating on a tight budget: shop wisely and learn to cook.

The backbone to eating healthy is to cook it yourself, and your meals will be much cheaper when you do cook it yourself, Velotta said.

Most people underestimate how often they eat out and how much it costs, said Velotta, nutrition manager for LIVE FOR LIFE, Dukes employee wellness program. They fail to realize that lunchtime trips to the cafeteria or deli counter and late afternoon stops for a fast food dinner add up -- both in cost and calories.

Velotta offered the following tips for preparing cheap, wholesome food.