“Healthy eating is SO expensive. I can’t afford it!”
What if it wasn’t?
What if you could?
My mission is to transform the way you think about food.
One of the ways I like to do that is by sharing tips for how healthy eating can be not only delicious but also accessible and affordable – not just something only people who are well off can afford to do. By finding ways to save money here and there, from such things as Sunrise Cash Cow deals, and following money experts, more people should be able to afford nicer food to give to their children. Obviously, being a parent and a homeowner can be expensive, however, there are always methods of saving money. For example, some of us have probably never considered switching energy suppliers before. This is something that people always recommend to do, especially when energy bills start to increase. Perhaps more homeowners should consider trying to save some money on their energy bills, they can learn more here. That should allow them to put more money into their cooking.
One thing I’ve learned along my health journey is that cooking at home is the best way to save money and enjoy good, wholesome food. And I’ve learned, if you use your blue cash everyday card at the grocery store, you can earn rewards! These rewards can then be redeemed for almost anything you like, so it’s basically giving you some money back! It seems like a win-win situation to me. If you’re grocery shopping online, you can also check over here to see if there are any savings to be had with places you shop at, such as Sam’s place.
Over the past year, I’ve come across two FREE resources that I’ve shared at several nutrition workshops. Use them for yourself and your family (and share them with your friends!) to make it easier than ever to eat fresh, whole, unprocessed food and prepare simple meals that are affordable and tasty.
Even if you’re not on a tight food budget, we can all benefit from saving money on our grocery bill, so we can use that money to do other things we enjoy!
1) Environmental Working Group’s “Good Food on a Tight Budget”
This agency has done some amazing things to promote and advocate for the health and quality of our food.
They came out with the Dirty Dozen app that I promoted in another post about eating healthy (and organic) without going broke. It’s a fantastic FREE app, and I recommend downloading it!
Not an app person? Check out the Dirty Dozen list on the EWG’s website instead.
I’ve included links to all of the Good Food on a Tight Budget resources below, but in the meantime, check out this video that explains how you can use the guide to shop for healthier food for you and your family!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HMXH3Is6EQ
Here are links to their top tools and resources:
- Good Food on a Tight Budget Recipes – What I love about this guide is that it offers not just recipes but also templates for you to build your own recipes and get creative. Just pick a couple things from each column, so you always have options for changing up your meals to prevent boredom!
- Top Tips for Better Food, Lower Cost – Before you shop, while you’re at the store, or once you’re back home, check out these tips for guidance on how to make the most of your fresh food and food dollars.
- Food List for Best Food Finds at the Lowest Cost – From fruits and veggies to grains, meat, and spices, use this food list to help you find which choices in each food group are most affordable and healthiest.
2) Eat Well on $4/Day: Good & Cheap
Leanne Brown was a grad student in the Food Studies program at NYU when she launched an innovative and ambitious Kickstarter campaign.
Her goal?
Design recipes that fit the budgets of people living on very limited incomes (on SNAP, specifically).
The outcome?
Over 5,000 backers, nearly $150,000 in funding AND a pretty slick, FREE guide that shows you how to eat well on $4/day and includes dozens of recipes.
In the intro of the book, Leanne writes:
“My intent was to create satisfying food that doesn’t require you to supplement your meals with cheap carbohydrates to stave off hunger. I strove to create recipes that use money carefully, without being purely slavish to the bottom line […] More than a book of recipes, this is a book of ideas. I want you to tailor things to your taste. Improvisation is the soul of great cooking!”
I couldn’t agree more! If you have dietary restrictions, some recipes won’t work for you as-is, but you can try to adapt them to your needs, which is something I plan to do to accommodate my dairy-free, gluten-free cooking.
Click here to download the FREE Good & Cheap PDF!