Clean Eating on a Budget

You can't eat from the dollar menu & have a million dollar body! Ever hear that? But I surely know that buying fresh, healthy foods isn't always easy on your wallet! Consider the long-term effects of how you are fueling your body. Consider the medical bills you could potentially AVOID by eating healthy, avoiding obesity, avoiding high blood pressure & high cholesterol. Sounds like a huge savings to me.
But for the immediate money saving, here are a few tips I abide by to get the biggest bang for my buck in the grocery store.
*Before making your weekly meal plan, refer to your grocery store sales fliers for the week & see which meats, fish, & produce are on sale. Incorporate those items into your weekly menu.
*Plan to eat & buy produce that is in season in your area. Not only will it be fresh & locally grown, it will cost less because it is in season & abundant.
*Make your meal plan before going shopping & use your meal plan as a shopping list. Only buy those items needed for your weekly meals & snack.
*Don't go to the grocery store hungry. This will make you more likely to go off-list & over budget.
*Eat less meat. Depend on less costly forms of protein like eggs, legumes, & beans.
*Keep your left-overs & eat them for another meal! In the picture above I used leftover chicken to make a wrap for lunch. Yum!
*When making items like soup, stew or chili make a large batch & freeze extras for future meals.
*Look for sales expensive items (like boneless skinless chicken breasts) & buy several packages. Break them down into family size portions & freeze for future use!
*Eat in more often. My family wanted pizza the other night. To order take out it would've been over $20. I made HEALTHIER pizzas for the entire family for about $10!
*Skip dessert! Your waistline & pocketbook will thank you. Have a cup of green tea to stave off that after dinner craving.

For some family-pleasing clean eating click here!