I have a frustration that I could use some advice on, if anyone has it.
We're trying to make an effort to eat better food. The way I cook tends to be high in fat, and with Scott and I both trying to lose weight, I'm trying to change that.
The problem is that healthier foods cost a lot more money! My budget is pretty tight, and I already feel like I spend too much on food. So how do I incorporate healthier foods without breaking my budget?
Scott loves fish, but how do I justify spending $8.99 a pound for good fish when I can get 5 pounds of hamburger that will do several meals for the same price?
Let's not even start on the price of fresh produce. Even here in Washington, I'm lucky to find apples for less than $1.29 a pound! For apples! And that's not even the good kinds of apples, that's for boring old red delicious. And y'all aren't the only ones with grocery stores charging $3.99 for a half pint of blackberries. How do they justify charging that much for what is basically a weed?!?
Even things like low fat versions of some of the foods we eat tend to be significantly more expensive than the regular versions. I want to cook healthier foods for my family, but I don't know how to do it without destroying my food budget. So if anyone has any ideas on how to do this, I'd love to know!
Also, if anyone can help me cook lower fat versions of the foods my family loves, that's information I'd love to know as well. Any good tips out there?
Fizzy Joy: I colored my hair again, and I am LOVING the lighter shade!
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4 comments:
Frustrating, huh? I learned that when your dad had his heart attack and his life depended on lower-fat food but I was already babysitting extra kids for food money.
I'm sure you've heard the usual things. Lower fat versions of dairy products & salad dressings usually cost the same. A recipe rarely suffers from using less cheese or butter or meat. Use oil instead of shortening, fry in chicken broth instead of fat, substitute applesauce in baking.
Make choices such as baked potato (without fatty toppings) instead of au gratin. And as much as possible fill up with low-fat foods. Fill your meatloaf with mixed vegetables, your chili with beans and veggies, make vegetarian lasagna, etc. Maybe apples would go farther in a Waldorf Salad, or grated into a carrot salad or cooked cereal.
I think it's a crying shame that healthy, natural foods are so expensive. As if cooking 3X/day isn't bad enough; we have to work hard to make it healthy on a budget. But every little effort counts. It really does make a difference--now and later, for you and your children.
It's another category of recipes we ought to be sharing.
I'm no help at all in this department, but would love to know the answer.
I thought I had responded to this but I didn't have any advice to give so I guess I didn't, sorry! You havn't posted for a while either- how are you? Hope all is well- congrats to Rachel too for surviving Kindergarten!
My daughter is on a very strict diet because she is allergic to wheat, corn, dairy, and sugar. If she eats any of these foods she has many seizures. So in the last two years I have become an expert on how to get "health food" store food as cheap as possible. Also, my husband is Diabetic and shouldn't eat sugar, even though he loves to. If you have room at all, plant a garden. Then can or freeze the foods from your garden for the rest of the year. You can can or freeze most things. Call your local extension agent for questions. Sometimes the health food store has things cheaper that you'd expect. We bought cases of raspberries for $10 per case, and other roadside stands were charging $20 per case. So just keep an eye out. Preservatives are not good for you either, so shop around the outer sections of the supermarket for fresh stuff, and buy less pre-made. It is more expensive and has lots of preservatives, etc. When you can you can use fruit fresh or vitamin C crystals in it's place and you can can fresh fruit in just water, not syrup. That will save calories on sugar. Use healthy oils, such as canola or better yet olive oil. Some people don't like the taste, but you get used to it quickly. Also there are lots of foods that have good oils in them like nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, etc.). Not canned peanuts with all the salt though. We buy fresh nuts from the Health Food Store and then I toast them in my toaster oven to bring out the oils in them. It's pretty good. Try to eat less pasta/carb foods as they are mostly refined sugars. We buy prepackaged fish at Albertson's that come in 4 oz. pieces when they have their 10 for $10 sale. We stock up then and cook as we need them. That way if you don't want to buy so much, you don't have to eat it right away. The wild salmon is what we buy mostly, but you can get others. One other thing, try ground turkey in place of ground beef. I also got this at at 10 lbs for $10 sale. I really like it. It kind of has a sausage-y zing to it. And it is a lot less greasy. If you need recipes feel free to email me(missfanuly@hotmail.com), I'm happy to share. And if you have particular foods you do or don't like let me know that too.
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