REAL FOOD ON A BUDGET

     You are not alone if you go into sticker shock every time you look at the price of high quality real foods. It often makes people give up in frustration before they’ve even begun to incorporate better food choices into their diet. Well, I’m here to tell you it can be done and that you have options. You may need to make some compromises sometimes so give yourself a little grace.
     There are two components to eating real food on a budget. One is learning what foods to prioritize sourcing well, and the other is learning how to manage your kitchen properly to stretch those dollars.

How to Prioritize Food Choices

Here are some suggestions on how to prioritize spending your grocery money - they are listed from highest to lowest priority:

1. High Quality Meats, Fish, & Eggs
2. Raw or Fermented Dairy From Grass-Fed Animals
3. High Quality Fats & Oils
4. Buying Organic Fruits, Veggies, Grains & Beans

General Tips on How to Manage Your Kitchen

1. Prepare your own meals – eating out is a luxury.
2. Don’t buy packaged foods.
3. Buy in bulk, and directly from local farmers.
4. Eat fewer animal products (and more veggies).
5. Make meat only a part of the meal, rather than the centrepiece.
6. Don’t waste food.
7. Make your own convenience foods – breads, salsas, salad dressings, condiments.
8. Avoid doubling up on expensive animal proteins in any given meal (ie cheese melted on an omelette).
9. Eat in season & locally
   
   
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     New year, new goal of keeping better tabs on the grocery budget. So today I had $100 in my pocket for food this week and here is what I bought from the farmer's market and grocery store:

• dulse seaweed
• flour
• coconut milk
• tahini
• bananas
• carrots
• sweet potatoes
• cilantro
• ginger
• wild shrimp
• ground beef
• navy beans
• mushrooms
• cabbage
• bread
• avocados
• apples, pears and lemons
• potatoes
• salad greens
• sardines

     Fortunately, we keep chickens and so have lots of fresh eggs in the fridge. Our freezer is also stocked with lamb and goat from this fall's slaughter, or this week's groceries wouldn't go very far. I will use that flour to make loaves of sourdough bread, pancakes and other baked goods.  The sardines are nutrient powerhouses and cheap, and my 4 year old is addicted to them lately. I'm not complaining. Navy beans are a great source of (cheap) protein, and make awesome baked beans. Admittedly the bread was a bit of a splurge because I make great bread at home, but nothing compares to this stuff from the local french bakery. Local Grass Fed Ground beef is a thrifty form of beef that I actually really love eating any way at all. Totally versatile and delicious. Cabbage is local, seasonal, and incredibly useful in so many recipes. Dulse is another nutrient powerhouse, chock full of minerals, and my kids love to snack on it - while I prefer it in salads and sprinkled on pretty much everything. We never have enough fruit in the house so I always load up on local apples and pears, and of course, bananas. While those mini little shrimp are not my favourite variety of this blessed sea creature, the kids prefer it over larger shrimp, and the bonus is they are a sustainably wild harvested from the Atlantic, which makes it a healthy seafood selection. Now, I make homemade almond milk a few times a week, but my husband seems to enjoy this stuff in his coffee so that's why I buy it - and I am super glad they stopped adding carrageenan to this product. Carrots are just a kitchen essential, as are ginger, mushrooms and potatoes of any kind. Phew! That was a long justification for my purchases!

     I tend to shop in many different places because I like variety and in order to get the best selection and prices for everything, you have to shop around. So, my shopping route for the rest of the month may also include the health food store, my neighbourhood farmer, and Costco.  I love Costco! They have a great selection of organic and real foods for really good prices. Here's what I buy at Costco:

• organic coffee
• wild haddock
• organic red peppers
• organic carrots
• organic broccolini
• organic frozen berries
• organic salmon
• organic chicken (sometimes - when we run out of local)
• organic beef (sometimes)
• organic bread (if we're out and I'm feeling uninspired to bake that week)
• organic cheese ravioli (as a treat - not for tight budgets)
• organic potstickers (as a treat - not for tight budgets!)
• organic empanadas (as a treat - not for tight budgets!)
• almond butter
• organic maple syrup
• natural Siracha sauce
• garlic stuffed olives
• organic tomato sauce and canned tomatoes
• organic raisins/figs/apricots/dates
• almonds- raw and roasted with sea salt
• macadamia nuts (not for tight budgets!)
• organic pine nuts (not for tight budgets!)
• organic quinoa
• organic almond flour (not for tight budgets!)
• hemp seeds
• organic coconut oil
• organic olive oil
• avocado oil
• organic steel cut oats
• organic pasta

     Whatever your reasons for needing to be thrifty at the grocery store, rest assured there are options other than buying highly processed convenience foods that will cost your health in the long run. Bon appetit!