Eating Healthy on a Budget: The Shopping Challenge

So many people say that the majority of coupons available are for processed or unhealthy foods. While that has been the trend in the past, I find that more and more coupons for healthy foods are being issued. Some of these coupons will be found in the coupon inserts that you find in your newspaper, and some you can find directly on the manufacturer's website or via their newsletter. I've made a list of health food and organic sites that offer coupons and discounts, and I am registered with all of them. It would be beneficial to you to register with each one as well.

My weekly grocery budget goal is $50 for a family of three and you would think that I have to buy whatever is on sale and sacrifice quality to stay within that budget. That is far from the truth. My family eats very healthily and in fact, my goal is to bring in as few processed foods into the home as possible.  The reality is, if you go to the refrigerator or pantry and it's there-then it will get eaten and I want my family to eat the cleanest diet possible so I try to limit the choices to wholesome foods.

To maintain a decent grocery budget while still providing my family with healthy, nutrient dense foods has been my most interesting shopping challenge, but one I feel I have been quite successful in achieving great results.

There is a process and a method to my madness. I keep a small back yard garden, visit farmer's markets, produce markets and local health food stores as well as my local grocers. I get creative with my recipes and I'm not afraid to try something new, which gives me more flexibility in my menu. When produce is in season, it's fresher and more affordable and chances are, I'm going to find a great use for whatever it is.

First, let me say that I do cook at home the majority of the time, we only eat out of the home about once a week and I have a well stocked kitchen. I utilize what I feel to be the five essential appliances to have in a frugal, healthy kitchen, and I make some dishes ahead on the weekends so we have a nice selection of healthy snacks to choose from during the week. I juice quite often (try my yummy Green Juice Recipe) and I use my food processor to make hummus-which is one of my favorite snack items because I can spread it on tortillas, or use it as a dip for celery or bell pepper strips.

About twice a month, my grocery shopping items might consist of mostly produce and little else because on the other weeks I will dedicate a large portion of my budget to proteins, grains and other items I can stockpile. There are some produce items I can buy when they are on sale and prepare them for freezing. You can peel bananas and freeze them for use in smoothies. Very recently, I got a bag of 18 bell peppers for $2! I brought them home, chopped them up and froze them for later.

Here is an example of one of my healthy grocery shopping trips....

If you'll notice, there is very little processed food and a whole lot of produce. This is quite typical in the way that I shop. I will be sharing my recipes and experiences with you so that you will see that it is quite possible to take on the shopping challenge of eating healthy on a budget and do quite well with it!