Healthy Eating

We are all facing it - the rising costs of gas, clothing, heat for our houses and most noticeably, the cost of food; all while our paychecks are not rising.  We are faced with choosing the cheapest groceries, we are forced with choosing poor quality nutritional value foods, while seeing our obesity rates continue to rise.  Here are some tips to help take the burden off, find new creative ways to save money while not seeing your waistband expan -- maybe you will find a few to start implementing:1) Drink water - and make it tap water!  If you don't like the taste, buy a water filter or buy a Brita pitcher!  2) Eat eggs - these are high in protein, can be a quick snack on the go or made into a meal3) Buy whey protein - this is an inexpensive way to get high quality protein into your daily diet.4) Eat tunafish -- another high quality protein & quick & convenient!!!5) Buy frozen veggies ~ they are quick & easy to throw in a stir-fry, pair with a lean protein, or put with some rice.  6) Take a multivitamin7) Buy generic food when appropriate8) Buy in bulk - if meat is on sale one week, buy it and freeze for later throughout the month.  Buy bread when it is on sale & freeze it.  Did you know that you can freeze gallons of milk?  Take a little bit out of the container, then freeze the rest.  9) PLAN, PLAN, PLAN! ~ Plan your meals for a week, plan your grocery list!  10) Bring your own lunch11) Don't buy junk food12) When cooking a big meal, make extra to freeze or use later int he week for lunches or quick suppers.  Double the recipes, then freeze half.13) Save your vegetable trimmings to make your own vegetable stock ~ you will not only save money but vegetable stock also makes a nutritious base for casseroles, soups & slow cooker cooking.14) Don't buy junk food!  We get sucked into the marketing ploys for all the junk food (think oreo cookies dunked in cold milk) ~ this adds to our total budget spent for our groceries as well as adds to our waistband!  15) Buy fruits & vegetables in season!  You can always freeze extras.  Some grocery staples to always have on hand ~ that are healthy & quick & easy to make:1) Beans & lentils2) Brown rice3) Whole wheat pasta4) Soups (look for the lower sodium ones)5) Fresh fruits & vegetables (you can freeze them too when they are in season to throw into a smoothie or to add to a meal)6) Lean protein (chicken, turkey, protein, ground turkey & fish)7) Spices -- try a spice you have never used before to change a meal (how many times can you eat chicken in one meal?  A bunch if you change the spices).  Google a spice & see what you can find for new recipes.
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