Eating healthy on a budget is not only possible but it’s the only way I know how to shop! “Eating healthy is expensive.” Ever heard that before? Ever said that before?
Unfortunately, finding really good deals on chicken, broccoli, and sweet potato are rare. Whole Foods is often referred to as “Whole Paycheck.” And, fifty-cent vending machines rarely dispense fresh-squeezed juices or raw almonds. So often people complain about the expense of healthy eating, and yet, spend their hard earned dollars elsewhere:
Take a look at this list, maybe your guilty of a few of them?
Post-work happy hour cocktails
A daily $4-$5 Starbucks fix
Cheap fast-food, pizza deliveries, and non-perishable food-like products (chips, bars, Lean Cuisines)
Eating and cooking healthy, real food may seem like it’s more expensive in the moment because your spending $150-200 at the grocery in one trip versus $10-20 for each meal out, but in the long run, you actually can save money.
Here are a few simple tips and tricks for savvy shopping, while upholding the convenience, tastiness, and simplicity you value in the meals you eat.
When it comes to buying organic versus conventional produce, the general rule of thumb is to invest your dollars in organic versions of the “Dirty Dozen.” The Dirty Dozen is a list compiled every year by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The list consists of the most pesticide-laden foods in the grocery store:
Apples
Strawberries
Grapes
Celery
Peaches
Spinach
Sweet Bell Peppers
Nectarines (Imported)
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Snap Peas (Imported)
Potatoes
As for saving your money, rest easy with conventional picks if you so choose from the Clean 15, also put together by the EWG:
Avocados
Sweet Corn
Pineapples
Cabbage
Sweet Peas (Frozen)
Onions
Asparagus
Mangoes
Papayas
Kiwi
Eggplant
Grapefruit
Cantaloupe
Cauliflower
Sweet Potatoes
While you are at the store, stock up on grab-and-go healthy items that will definitely get eaten and save time and money, such as:
Chicken. Buy a few prepared rotisserie chickens from Whole Foods or another natural food store to keep in your fridge for easy snacking and meal supply
Hardboiled eggs. Trader Joe’s sells cage-free hardboiled eggs (yes, already boiled!) or you can easily grab some of these on a salad bar at the grocery store if you don’t like making your own.
Nitrate-free deli meat. Buy a package or two of nitrate-free turkey or ham slices (I like Applegate Farms) for a quick snack of turkey rollups.
Prepped veggies. When you buy your veggies, slice them up and put them in Ziploc baggies when you get home. That way you actually reach for them and use them (and they don’t go bad and waste your money).
Frozen meats. Keep some frozen nitrate-free chicken sausage, frozen turkey burgers, and/or other protein sources (fish, chicken, ground meat) in your freezer to easily break out and cook when hunger strikes.
Keep it Simple! Buy the basics, and if you need some creativity, use different spices or simple variations to change up the flavors.
Think:
Chicken and veggies, seasoned with curry powder for an Indian flair, coconut aminos for an Asian twist, or stuffed in a sweet potato for post-workout heartiness.
Grass-fed beef becomes chili, sweet potato hash, baked meatballs, or burger patties.
Fish can be served atop a salad, inside a coconut-flour tortilla, alongside roasted asparagus, or made into fish burgers.
Get to planning ahead of time and you will be ready for the week ahead !