We are a family of 5 (2 adults & 3 small children) and we've been spending a little over $600 a month on food. I'm hoping to get our grocery budget down to $400-$420 a month. We buy a lot of soda, junk and processed foods right now and I'm wanting to get the kids eating healthy before they get any older and pick up our bad eating habits, also my dad just passed away of a heart attack at 49 yrs old.
Any advice/tips on healthy or easy recipes as I have never cooked from scratch before.
I am in the middle of doing this as well. My advice is to get rid of all the junk you don't want them eating. Do not buy them at all. I buy lots of canned and frozen fruits and veggies (it's cheaper for me). I make sure I serve them with every meal. I always buy my meat in bulk and divide. When they are hungry, they have a bowl of fresh fruit to choose from. I also let them have healthy crackers with peanut butter as a snack. I really don't use too many recipes.
Here are some good snack ideas....
applesauce, granola bars, the chocolate granola bars (like the quaker dips), baked potato chips, popcorn (kettlecorn is good), fruit cups, yogurt, pretzels, bananas with nutella, apples with peanut butter, pita chips, low fat string cheese, low fat ice cream (for after dinner)
Buy some frozen strawberries or bluberries and put some low fat whipped cream on them...
Do cinnamon baked apples....core apples but leave whole, but some granola, cinnamon, honey inside and bake until soft, tastes like apple pie and some much better for you.
When you buy ground beef, buy it 95% lean and always drain off the fat.
Buy lean cuts of steak and cook it in the crockpot, it'll come out very tender.
Make homemade mac n cheese with whole grain pasta and 1/2 1/2 (instead of heavy cream), 1 % cheese instead of full fat...you get the idea
There are so many things you can do to make what you make healthier....
I changed our diet just over a year ago, and I had to do it gradually. You'll probably want to do the same or else you may get some rebellion. It's easy, though:
Start by picking one area to cut out...say the sodas. Substitute something healthier, like water with enough juice to give it flavor. Add ice cubes that have berries frozen in them, or slices of citrus to make it fun. Then you'll pick another area to cut out. For snacks, you can make your own trail mix...or make your own granola bars...or make your own popcorn and add Parmesan cheese for a tasty cheesy variation....or cut up apples into slices and serve with peanut butter...or make your own frozen treats (very easy to do!) If your kids like yogurt, I have an easy crockpot yogurt recipe that you can make, then add fruit or preserves or your own sweetening.
Meal planning is VITAL. It will help you use what you have and less will go to waste. Many people just plan dinners, but I've found that planning all three meals plus snacks, and sticking to that plan, saves me money. I made a list of all the meals my family will eat for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. When I sit down to make a plan, I'll also go through my cupboards, freezers, and refrigerator, then keep those foods in mind along with what is on sale at the stores when I'm thinking of ideas for meals. Example: this week's flyer had Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce on sale for 1/2 the usual price....and I have a beef roast. I can combine those two things in my crockpot to make shredded BBQ beef sandwiches for a meal. Add a baked potato casserole (I have plenty of potatoes and 2 oz. cheddar cheese left over -- need sour cream and seasonings) and steamed frozen veggies (I have frozen peas and I can add sliced carrots) to make a meal. I only need to buy the BBQ sauce and sour cream!
As for cooking from scratch, it's much easier than you'd think. Start simple with a few ingredients in an easy recipe. You'll be able to make yummy casseroles or even dinners like roasted chicken with herbed potatoes and veggie dishes in no time! I have plenty of recipes if you'd like them.
Everyone's idea of healthy will be different. For us, what worked was cutting out grains and grain foods (bread, cereal, pasta), yellow seed oils, and foods with refined sugars. We eat a lot of veggies (at least 1/2 of my shopping list is veggies - not always fresh - frozen can be just as healthy and often is cheaper) and we eat some sort of animal protein (beef/pork/chicken/fish/eggs) at pretty much every meal...and I'm not worried about our healthy fat consumption (coconut oil, olive oil, butter, avocado.) Some
people may think the diet is too restricting, but we enjoy eating a
variety of tasty, filling meals, including sweet treats. Check out the weekly meal plan posts to see what we eat! My goal was to be able to control my blood sugars, but the added benefits convinced me this was for us: my cholesterol levels plummeted from over 300 to normal, without the use of medication. My blood pressure returned to normal, again without the use of medication. My doctor no longer talks about stress tests for my heart. My youngest son had migraines for years, and he hasn't had a single one since we changed our diet. I don't have PMS anymore. The arthritis pain in my hands is gone. I used to have weekly issues with IBS...no more! I have plenty of energy!
We really don't have sode very often, but when we do, we dilute it 50/50 with selzter water; it cuts down the sugar but is still bubbly and refreshing.
You can make your own snack mixes with Cheerios, nuts, dried fruit and chocolate chips; just divide servinf sizes into those snack size zip-lock bags (I rinse and re-use the bags until the zip gives out). I try to always have fruit and carrot sticks on hand; you make throw together dips from yogurt and whateber you have on hand. Cheese, granola bars, dry cereal, popcorn (it's dirt cheap to pop your own on the stove).
Who is more Frugal?
- 3KidsOneMom
on Jun. 29, 2012 at 1:15 PM