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!   

RECLAIM YOUR KITCHEN (and your health!)

     After a long day of work, whether at the office or at home caring for children, you’re probably pretty exhausted.  Sometimes the last thing you want to do is cook - and for many of us this means reaching for convenience foods or eating out in restaurants more often than we’d probably like.  These fast foods are quick and easy, but they can get expensive and take a toll on your energy levels and well being.

     Cooking at home is the first step to take if you're interested in eating healthier and cutting costs.  Home cooking is hands down the best way to save money. Whether you're considering dining out or bringing home prepared food, you're paying for someone else to do something you can do yourself — and, with a little practice, probably do better. Buying prepackaged frozen foods or restaurant meals means you are paying for the processing, packaging, and advertising of that product — none of which adds value to the food itself. So, when you cook, you are saving money, and when you cook sustainably, you're taking those savings to the next level. When you buy locally raised and produced food you're not footing the bill for transporting ingredients across the country or around the globe. Another way to save money by making your own meals is  “using the whole thing.” The bones from tonight’s chicken and the trimmings from fresh vegetables can be transformed into a mineral rich stock, the ultimate “must have” in every kitchen and the basis for a pot of delicious and nutritious homemade soup. If you compost and do any gardening, some of your dinner waste can be repurposed as free fertilizer too! 

     Another benefit to cooking at home is that you have more control over what goes into your body. By buying organic, sustainably raised or minimally treated meat, dairy and produce, you can reduce your consumption of food contaminated by chemical fertilizers, hormones, or antibiotics. Your food will taste much better too because it won’t contain artificial colours or flavours, texturizers, preservatives, or packaging. Making homemade meals from fresh foods means they will taste superior to frozen foods and will be more nutritious.  When you leave it to corporations to cook for you, your food will be of lower quality (they will use the cheapest ingredients they can get away with) and it will be full of salt, sugar, or fat. Cooking at home means you can keep an eye on these types of ingredients which is especially important for people with medical conditions or food allergies.

     Another amazing thing about cooking is that it activates your body’s powers of digestion.  Taking the time to prepare your food will help your brain get your digestive juices flowing. During the first phase of digestion, called the cephalic phase, the sight, sound, smell, and thought of food triggers the brain to transmit signals down your central nervous system to prepare your body for digestion.  So not only will you meals cost less, taste better, and have higher nutritional value, but you will actually absorb more nutrients from your food with better digestion!

     What percentage of your meals are cooked at home? And I don't mean fish sticks and frozen pizza!  How can you take a small step to upgrade your choices, even if for only one or two meals per week?  I could go into a long list of foods that are better to eat or worse to eat, but at this point, as long as you cook it yourself from scratch, nothing is out of bounds. Happy cooking!

CHICKEN BROTH

Properly prepared chicken broth is a storehouse of nutrients liberated from the bone and connective tissues which accelerates overall healing and supports our own bones, teeth, joints, digestion and immunity.  Pretty amazing for leftovers!

1 whole chicken (preferably free range/organic) or 2 to 3 pounds of bony chicken parts (such as necks, backs, breastbones and wings leftover from dinner)

Gizzards and/or feet from one chicken (optional)

4 quarts cold filtered water

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped

1 bunch parsley

sea salt

Optional add-ins (Nova Scotia kelp, reishi mushroom, shiitake mushrooms)

Method:

If using a whole chicken, cut chicken parts into several pieces. Place chicken or chicken pieces in a large stainless steel pot with water, vinegar and all vegetables except parsley.  Bring to a boil, and remove scum that rises to the top. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6 to 8 hours (I like to leave it overnight on low).  The longer you cook the stock, the richer and more flavourful it will be.                

     About 10 minutes before finishing the stock, add parsley. This will add additional mineral ions to the broth.  Remove whole chicken or pieces with a slotted spoon. If you are using a whole chicken, let cool and remove chicken meat from the carcass. Reserve for other uses, such as chicken salads, enchiladas, sandwiches or curries. Strain the stock into a large bowl and reserve in your refrigerator until the fat rises to the top and congeals. Skim off this fat and reserve the stock in covered containers in your refrigerator or freezer.

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