Day 2: Healthy Eating Doesn't Have to be Expensive

Mondays have turned into leftover days because we have recently started going to a Young Married Couple's Connect Group at church. If you're married/engaged and living in Tulsa, you should come check it out.

Since this is a no cooking night, I'd like to talk about eating healthy on a budget. Eating healthy does not have to be expensive and I can and will attempt to prove that during these 30 days. 

Over the last 7 months of being married and living on a tight budget, I have learned ways to cut costs. One major way is to buy in bulk. There is no sense in paying extra money for packaging and extra food that you may not even use. Just buy what you need. I don't do this for everything but I do it for things such as granola, trail mix, nuts and seeds, different types of flour, quinoa (more about this fabulous grain in a different post), lentils, couscous, rice, barley, etc, etc. I get just the amount I need from Whole Foods. You can also buy spices in bulk there. This is great for the recipes that call for a spice you've never heard of and/or probably will never use again. Normally, you would be forced to buy a whole jar from the grocery store, but not at Whole Foods. They have a huge variety of spices. Let's say you need 1/2 teaspoon of Ground Cloves. A little bit of that spice goes a long way so you will probably be holding on to the jar far beyond it's expiration date. Solution: go to Whole Foods and put 1/2 teaspoon in a little baggy. Just the amount you need and you don't pay for any extra!

This next part is gonna blow your mind. There is a grocery store out there that is cheaper than Wal-Mart!! It's called ALDI. This an international company. More about their low prices here. Yes, they have foods just like any other grocery store, loaded with preservatives and high fructose corn syrup (cheapest way to make food these days) but they also have fresh produce and healthy items. For example, last night I got a whole fresh pineapple for $1.99 at Aldi. I went to Wal-mart right after and pineapple was on sale for $3.98. Bargain, huh!

More healthy stuff I get from Aldi at the lowest price: canned tomatoes and beans, whole wheat pastas, veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, carrots, avocados, celery, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes) fruits (lemons, limes, oranges, bananas), dairy (cheeses), and meats (ground turkey and chicken breasts).

You've got to be careful on the meats (some come from farms in China for example). When it comes to meat and produce, the closest you can get to local is best. I do buy ground turkey from there and it is the lowest price you'll find anywhere. While we're on the subject of meat, this is a quick way to lower your budget: eat less meat or go meat-free (I know men don't like to hear that one!).

Another tip that has really helped with healthy and affordable meals is to plan all the meals a week in advance and grocery shop for everything at once. That way there's no opening the fridge and deciding to order takeout because there's nothing to eat! With careful planning, shopping, and cooking, this can be done.

One last thing I do is make double. Most recipes serve 4, so I usually make that amount and it turns into leftovers for lunch the next day or later on in the week. Sometimes it goes in the freezer and gets pulled out a couple weeks later for an easy and quick meal.

Further info for healthy eating on a budget:
http://www.thedietchannel.com/Meal-Planning-Healthy-Eating-on-a-Budget.htm
http://www.thedietchannel.com/Eat-Like-A-King-On-A-Budget-A-Healthy-Diet-Doesnt-Have-To-Be-Expensive.htm
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=511
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/foodsavings/tp/Eating_Healthy.htm
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/foodsavings/tp/Cheapest_Produce.htm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reames/healthy-eating-on-a-budge_b_190646.html
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/healthy_budget_friendly_recipes