Clean Eating on a Tight Budget

Hello friends! I've got a quick video to share with you how to eat healthy on a tight budget. I think a lot of times people think that they cannot afford to eat healthy. But, you cannot afford not to! We cannot put a price tag on health. However, I know the struggle is real, stay at home mom here with 3 kiddos in the house. Calorie for Calorie, unhealthy food seems cheaper. But when you really look at it, it's not, and here's why plus my top tips to make your healthy meal plan work for your budget.








- Buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. They are at their peak flavor and nutrition also.


- Know when you can afford to skip the organic option. Some foods minimally absorb any pesticides that come their way, these are called the Clean Fifteen. And then there are the Dirty Dozen, these should absolutely be organic options. You can find these two lists here.


- The store brand of organic is just as good as name brand, and not as costly!


- Buy your staples in bulk. Especially grains, nut butters, spices and oils.


- Don't shy away from frozen fruits and vegetables. They are flash frozen in their peak time for freshness. The nutrients are preserved because there isn't time for the air to deteriorate them. And there's often a store brand!


- Make enough for leftovers! It cuts down on food waste.


- Cook simple with minimal Ingredients.


- Freeze foods before they go bad.


- Shop different stores and sales.

- Meal plan! It eliminates excess food. And you can create meals that use the same ingredients and buy those in bulk.





Cost effective foods:

Bananas

Eggs

Beans

Lentils

Seasonal fruits and vegetables

Cabbage

Frozen veggies

Whole raw almonds

Brown rice

Quinoa

Chicken breasts

Cheating your meal plan

Let's be real for a second here. Cheat meals are great and can actually help you to stay on track with your healthy lifestyle. But, if there's too many, those cheat meals add up in a big way. We have to be honest with ourselves about how many cheat meals we have... and when the cheat meals become more common than the healthy meals, uh oh, that's not the way it's supposed to work!

If you're feeling like this just happened, and you pulled out those jeans with a not so fun surprise, let's get cracking on a nutrition plan that WORKS for your lifestyle! Nothing restrictive, I want you to be able to stick with it and love it!

I'm here to help with what work has worked for me for 3 years. And I would love to spend some virtual time with you Halloween through Thanksgiving in my FIT AND THANKFUL group. In a month where people traditionally pack on pounds, let's shed some, while still enjoying life! Cause food is my buddy, I love it too much to make it boring.

CROCK POT MEAL PLAN

I know, trust me, I know, you...are...busy! Check out this meal plan that has mostly crock pot meals, and then some meals that can be prepped in advance for the entire week! Easy peasy!