You CAN Eat Healthy on a Budget

If you could change one thing in your life that would help you for the better, what would it be? For a lot of people, myself included, that would be my eating habits. Now, I’m going to go out on a limb here and be honest with you - I feel like I eat pretty clean for the most part. Lots of veggies, the good fats (avocado, coconut oil, etc), proteins, and low carb. It also doesn’t hurt to take advantage of some organic fruits and veggies as well.

However, society has made eating clean and healthy a more expensive lifestyle, and fast-food a cheap convenience. Many of us are living on a budget and feel that buying more healthy options at the grocery store is way out of reach.

One of my goals for 2019 was to keep my body fueled with the best of the best while we work our way up to becoming parents- whether it happens naturally or through IVF, I want my body to be at its healthiest while it houses another human for 9 months. For me, that means upping my Green Game - lots and LOTS of kale, broccoli, spinach, and of course my morning glass of celery juice. This will also help a lot of my autoimmune issues, as well as these dark, leafy greens, are full of the perfect vitamins and minerals to help keep my platelets high.

A question or concern I’ve been seeing A LOT of lately is, “I can’t afford to buy healthy at the store.” It kind of irks me when I see this because, and coming from personal experience, this is very attainable and affordable. You just need to know where to shop. My new favorite food store is Aldi’s. Not only is a German-based (the land of my people), but they offer all-natural, organic options for half the cost of other food retailers.

When buying produce, this is always my go-to stop. I also recommend buying FRESH, not frozen or pre-cut, fruits and veggies. Yes, it may be a bit more time consuming, but fresh is always cheaper than precut. Take 10 minutes of your day and prep your meals/snacks for the week. I do this every Sunday and it is such a time saver for during the week.

I also love this store for their snacks! I stock-up on yogurts, protein bars, and almonds for the week plus whatever else my husband may want for his lunch. He loves those little brownies packs! I’m also able to get our Almond milk, oats, OJ, water, eggs, and basically anything else I need for the week, and I usually only end up spending around $40-$50.

When it comes to buying meats, I usually hit up Foodtown for this. My weekly list includes:

For Me:

-2 packs of ground turkey meat

-Chicken Breasts

For My Husband:

-Ribs

-Ground Meat

-Stir Fry Steak

-Pork Chops

-Ribs

Foodtown is my go-to because they offer 5 for $19.99. That’s an amazing deal and it works out for me because I am able to use one pack of each for my husbands’ lunch at work and his dinner. He eats more red meat and pork, while I keep it simple with the ground turkey and chicken. I usually end up spending about $30 which isn’t bad considering I am able to make lunches and dinners for a 7 day week.

If you’re looking for some simple/healthy ideas for the week, I’ll share some of mine below. I’m telling you, eating healthy does not have to cause you to take out a personal loan. It may mean having to go to a couple of different stores to find the better deals, but if I’m saving a ton of money, it’s worth it to me!

My Breakfast / Lunch / Dinners / Snacks

Breakfast Options: Cup of fruit / Protein shake / or Overnight Oats

Lunch Options: Turkey Roll-ups / Salad / Hard Boiled Eggs w/ fruit or veggies

Dinner Options: Ground Turkey with Kale, Green Apples, Zucchini, and Onion (all finely chopped) with brown rice or quinoa / Seasoned Chicken with Broccoli / Spinach Salad w/ Chicken, Hard Boiled Eggs & lot’s veggies of your choice (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, carrots).

For snacks, I munch of carrots during the day and eat a lot of fruit. For me, combining both of these together helps to kill the cravings for something crunchy like pretzels and the fruits curbs my sweet tooth. I also fill up on protein shakes after my workouts because, especially since I’ve been trying to up my cardio game, I can binge eat all night which defeats the entire purpose.

If I can eat healthy on a budget, YOU CAN TOO! Share some of your favorite recipes with us!