You can eat inexpensively and still eat well.

1, 2, and 3) Shop around, look for sales, and use coupons. No brainers.

4) Put aside a little prep time. Homemade tastes better, and is better for you. Make double batches and freeze for up to two months. I’ve gotten into the habit of making a double batch of different kinds of muffins, waffles or French toast on Sunday mornings. I freeze the left overs. The waffles and French toast taste great directly from freezer to toaster.

5) Buy less prepackaged foods.

• The longer the list of ingredients in a product, the less likely it is to be healthy for you.
• Frozen vegetables lose 50% of their nutritional value after six months
• Canned foods have lots of salt.

6) Don’t always buy the least expensive or the most expensive item. Read the label, and buy what makes sense for you.

7) If you have something you particularly like, indulge yourself a little. For example, I like really good Parmesan cheese from Italy.

Buy all your dairy organic ( or know the local source) when possible. The non- organic stuff is really bad for you.

9) Know what your cows and poultry are eating. Again, really important. Make sure their feed is hormone and pesticide free, that cows are eating grass. And it’s humane to think that they all can walk around during their lives. That’s called free range for cows, and cage free for poultry.

10) Do food exchanges or lunch exchanges with friends. Take turns making a lot and share. It will give each of you a break from cooking.

Healthy Inexpensive Foods

Fruits and Vegetables - can actually be a great deal, if you follow some simple rules.

• Buy local when possible. Even grow it yourself. Can’t get any more local than that.
• For fruits and vegetables only, don’t make your grocery list ahead of time. See what looks good for the money when you get there. Planning ahead can force you into buying something over priced or not healthy looking.
• Look for those grown in the USA, where farmers must comply with more stringent pesticide regulations than other countries.
• Buy the “Toxic Twelve” produce organic when possible: apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, raspberries, spinach and strawberries. Otherwise, your wasting your money.
• If you find good cheap produce, buy a lot, cook it, and freeze it in meal size portions.

Yogurt. Buy a reduced fat version. I like 1% fat. Fat free tastes like wall paper paste to me.Cottage Cheese. A low-fat protein source many haven’t tried. Either you like it or you don’t. I grew up on it, and now eat it nearly every day. Buy organic, or at least buy the type without strange sounding additives.

Canned beans - Rinse away salt, if any.

Canned tomatoes - Don’t add any salt to the dish, or get no salt added. Beans and tomatoes are two items that actually taste pretty good out of the can.

Peanut Butter - Buy the good stuff. I know it’s a pain to mix, but those additives that keep it emulsified for you are really bad.

Rolled Oats - Get a BIG container. It lasts a long time. You can make oatmeal and all kinds of baked goods with it.

Pasta - get the healthy kind when it’s on sale.

Tofu - Don’t everybody groan at once. It’s not bad if you marinate it.

Anyone want to add anything to the list?

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