Food on a budget

Hey guys,

Real food, a term we hear about a lot. If you're someone who's concern about what you put in your mouth like me, then the term Real food matters to you.

A problem you'll face when you're trying to eat healthy and clean is paying to much for grocery, or that's what you're made to think, eating clean doesn't have to be expansive, at all.

today I will try to give you a real food on a budget.

There are two components to eating Real Food on a budget. One is learning what foods to prioritize sourcing well, and the other is learning how to manage your kitchen properly to stretch those dollars.

 

•  Prioritize Food Choices

 

this is how I prioritize spending my money:

 

1. Getting High Quality Fats & Oils:

 

 The goal here is to eat a traditional balance of fats by reducing the amount of Omega 6 fatty acids in our diet and increasing the amount of Omega 3 fatty acids. Try to use more coconut oil, butter, and olive oil in your cooking. Whatever you do, eliminate all yellow seed oils like corn oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, etc.

 

2. Getting High Quality Meats, Fish, & Eggs:

 

 By this, I mean for you to eat meats from humanely raised, pastured animals or wild caught seafood.  High quality eggs are trickier to find.

 

3. Buying Organic Fruits & Veggies:

 

 If you’ve done the first two things on this list and still have some wiggle room in your budget, then start buying as many organic fruits & veggies as you can afford. Prioritize buying organic on thin-skinned fruits & vegetables like grapes, peaches, leafy greens, etc. If a fruit or vegetable has a thicker-skin or peel, you can feel safer buying non-organic b/c you can simply peel it and eliminate most pesticides that way.

 

You may say that in the short term real food is more expensive. So how do we make it work? How do we eat real food on a budget?

 

• Here are some ways I’ve found helpful . . .

1. Always Go Grocery Shopping With A List

This is my no. 1 tip on saving money, because saving money starts at home before going out to the grocery store. Make a list of the grocery you need preferably organized by where things are found in the store.

2.  Make It Count

It’s not necessary to make everything from scratch (unless you want to, which can be fun!). To save money, though, figure out what you spend most on and learn to make THAT.

Store bought breads, Quality condiments like Ketchup or Mayo and Any specialty ingredient you love – Convert one large bag of shredded coconut into coconut milk for smoothies and coconut butter. 

 

3. Get The Scoop On Farmer’s Market Deals

 

If you want the best products for the best price you must read this article for tips on how conquer the

farmer's market.

4. Plant a Garden

“If you shop at the grocery store for tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, salad greens or strawberries — and who doesn’t? — then you are the perfect candidate for becoming a kitchen gardener,” says Dan Shapley of The Daily Green.

“Growing your own will save you an incredible amount of money — more than $1,200 if you plant all five, according to the analysis of one Maine gardener.”

5. Or At Least An Herb Garden!

Not only will this impart tons of flavor to simple meals, you can dry the extra to use year round. MUCH more affordable than buying jars at the grocery store.

6. Make Your Own Convenience Foods

Get the hubs to watch the kids for a few hours while you prep snacks to keep in the freezer. Here are 20 Grab-and-Go Snack Recipes.

 

7.  Stock Your Pantry

 

Beans are a great way to add bulk to meals, but if you’re an idealist like me you want them properly soaked. Problem is, I often forget to take them out the night before to get the process started. Meal planning is one way to help, but an even simpler way is to have them ready to throw into the pressure cooker. Not sure what to do once they’re prepped? The bean recipes in Eat your beans post are my family’s favorites.

 

8. Make the most of “cheap” foods like broths, carrots, bananas and beans

 

For example, use leftover chicken bones to make nourishing bone broth

 

Whip up this spicy carrot salad

 

Make and freeze these banana walnut muffins (if the cost of walnuts is an issue omit them – the muffins will still be great!)

 

Or try these refried beans and eggs for breakfast!

 

• My penny-saving tips for real food on a budget:

 

1. Shop Less 

 

I’m not sure I can commit to NO shopping, but with my new freezer packed full, I’m excited to see how little I can spend by eating the food I already have.

 

2. Don’t double up on protein

 

I do love eggs and bacon for breakfast, but in a effort to save money, it doesn’t make sense to “pair meat with cheese, eggs with cheese, meat with eggs, and the like unless I’m cooking up something special.”

 

3. Eat more Veggies

 

 Don’t get me wrong, I do love some wilted kale or steamed asparagus (both with butter, of course), but I just know they don’t pack as much nutritional punch as high quality fat and meats. BUT, to save money without gorging on tons of grains, a big serving of veggies (smothered in fat and accompanying my protein) is a great way to fill your tummy.

 

4. Make Meal Plans

 

 I swore I would never do this (it always seemed so tedious), but now I can see how planning the week’s meals in advance will save us from those last minute restaurant lunches or expensive trips to the grocery store. I will share my meal plans in the coming weeks so we can compare notes.

 

5. I don’t waste food

 

We save up unused vegetable parts and uneaten leftovers to make hearty broths and soups each week, use chicken bones to make gravy and broth. This way, I can generally get four meals out of each chicken!

 

I hope you found this post helpful and rich in advice, this is what I do usually and it helped me a lot in saving money through out the week.

 

Please share your advice for saving money and getting real food on a budget down below.