Alright, so let’s talk about how to keep a healthy diet in the home without spending hundreds of extra dollars in order to do it. I’ve been a food budget for almost a year now, paying cash only, and when the cash runs out that’s what I have to live on until pay day. This in theory can sound very difficult, but it really isn’t! I’ve posted before about Pantry Meals and healthy family habits, and I just wanted to show you how my 2 weeks of healthy eating will begin. Here are my steps.
1. Write out a meal plan for dinner for 2 weeks
2. Search for coupons and what is needed in the pantry and freezer
3. Write out my grocery list by section of the store (I shop at WinCo – it’s the least expensive store, has bulk foods, and easy to navigate store)
4. Buy bulk meat at Costco – now you can choose to do Safeway, WinCo, or your local meat market, but I enjoy the Costco trip and their prices stay the same every month. Also, stick with lean meats, i.e. ground turkey, pork, and chicken. If you are going with beef, get as lean as possible, below 10%.
5. Stick to your meals – no eating out. Keep a list on a white board in the kitchen, check off the meals as you cook them. If you have an event or do a pizza night, plan it into your budget and grocery shopping, and then you won’t over buy food that won’t get eaten anytime soon.
Here’s my menu for the next 2 weeks:
1. Chicken/hard boiled egg salad with melon slices
2. Roasted chicken, red potatoes, steamed vegy
3. Taco Salad w/ turkey meat
4. grilled pork, peppers & onions with rice
5. Turkey burgers w/ fruit & fries
6. Mini Pizzas w/ fruit
7. Sushi & fried rice
8. Stuffed Chicken
9. The Heart Family Soup
10. Burritos
11. Baked Pork chops w/ roasted potatoes & vegetables
12. Turkey Meatballs & Spaghetti
13. Chicken & Rice casserole w/ Salad
14. Chicken pot pie
As you can see I have a lot of chicken dishes, and also ground turkey and pork. These are staples in our home. I have one beef meal (the soup dish, with stew meat), and I think it’s good to add that in at times to give your food some variation as well as a different nutrients. Now, I did not add in my events and pizza night into this because I use extra meals before going shopping again (Plus, with pizza night I usually add a salad, so I need that added in). So, this way I can have a reserve meal in place if I can’t make it to the store before I need to. Some weeks I will just add those in, but my freezer’s a little bare, so I couldn’t go that direction this week. I hope this can help you in your lifestyle changes and encourage you to avoid the drive-threw and take out!
Showing posts with label budget. Show all posts
Showing posts with label budget. Show all posts
January 07, 2011
August 30, 2010
Health & Budget
Eating well on a budget is the hardest part of all of this to me. I have the hardest time keep my budget in tacked when I would rather eat fish and lean meats instead of red meat and frozen meals. How do I manage to feed my family for $100 a week and still keep the calories down? Here are a few tips I try to follow before going to the store, and then afterwards.
Before you go:
• Meal Plan: I can’t emphasize this more. This one step alone will give you the ground work for all the work you want to get done in weight loss and healthy lifestyles. Start off with just planning your dinners for 2 weeks. Try to group your meals around the same basic foods (chicken meals, beef meals, or salads). Then, once you feel confident you have that down (it can take a few months) begin to plan snacks and lunches. Breakfasts are usually pretty easy, so no need to really plan those for each day. Just have the basics on hand.
• Write a grocery list: Once you have the meals written out, check out the ingredients and write out what you are going to need. Since you made meals around similar ingredients then this should be easier then if each meal had a new ingredient. Don’t forget breakfast essentials (eggs, milk, cereal, bread, butter, and maybe some toaster waffles).
• Eat before you go & have no distractions: When you are well fed before going to the grocery store you are less likely to be tempted to buy extra snack foods that are NOT on your list. Also, if the kids are with you they are also going to trigger the need to buy what is NOT on the list. If at all possible, leave the kids at home. Ask them if there is anything they want to add to the list – make them part of the process still.
Afterwards:
• White Boards: If you have kids, or even a hungry husband, then the white board is for you. Posting what’s for dinner for the week helps your family stay involved in the budget and healthy living. Not only do you stay organized and focused, but you are able to have those able help you get dinner started if they know what’s cooking – so, if you’re running later call them up and say defrost the meat and chop the vegys please!
• Stock the Pantry: This step is part of your meal planning and grocery list, but it is an essential to making your budget stay low in the long haul. Having foods that are basics in your menus stocked up means you will buy less and spend less at the grocery store on weeks you want to splurge on pizza or have a night out.
• Make Leftovers/Eat them: One of the cheapest ways to have a packed lunch for yourself the next day is to have leftovers from dinner the night before. You $10 meal just fed your twice! If you have leftovers for more then just 1 meal left over then schedule in a leftover dinner night. This is when you have a ton of meatloaf, casserole, and spaghetti leftover in the fridge and it needs to get eaten. Everyone takes a small serving of each and fills their plate. Then it’s just warmed up in the microwave!
• Bake: So, we want to have a healthy lifestyle, but we don’t want to give up on dessert. So, the best way to ensure you can have dessert is if you know what’s in your sweets. Baking with fresh ingredients is always the better way to have your indulgence, and you can even use low fat recipes or substitute splenda for sugar in some cases.
Some of these tasks need a little more elaboration, and in time I will give you the tips to all of them. For now, use these to help you start your lifestyle right and keep your bank account safe!
Before you go:
• Meal Plan: I can’t emphasize this more. This one step alone will give you the ground work for all the work you want to get done in weight loss and healthy lifestyles. Start off with just planning your dinners for 2 weeks. Try to group your meals around the same basic foods (chicken meals, beef meals, or salads). Then, once you feel confident you have that down (it can take a few months) begin to plan snacks and lunches. Breakfasts are usually pretty easy, so no need to really plan those for each day. Just have the basics on hand.
• Write a grocery list: Once you have the meals written out, check out the ingredients and write out what you are going to need. Since you made meals around similar ingredients then this should be easier then if each meal had a new ingredient. Don’t forget breakfast essentials (eggs, milk, cereal, bread, butter, and maybe some toaster waffles).
• Eat before you go & have no distractions: When you are well fed before going to the grocery store you are less likely to be tempted to buy extra snack foods that are NOT on your list. Also, if the kids are with you they are also going to trigger the need to buy what is NOT on the list. If at all possible, leave the kids at home. Ask them if there is anything they want to add to the list – make them part of the process still.
Afterwards:
• White Boards: If you have kids, or even a hungry husband, then the white board is for you. Posting what’s for dinner for the week helps your family stay involved in the budget and healthy living. Not only do you stay organized and focused, but you are able to have those able help you get dinner started if they know what’s cooking – so, if you’re running later call them up and say defrost the meat and chop the vegys please!
• Stock the Pantry: This step is part of your meal planning and grocery list, but it is an essential to making your budget stay low in the long haul. Having foods that are basics in your menus stocked up means you will buy less and spend less at the grocery store on weeks you want to splurge on pizza or have a night out.
• Make Leftovers/Eat them: One of the cheapest ways to have a packed lunch for yourself the next day is to have leftovers from dinner the night before. You $10 meal just fed your twice! If you have leftovers for more then just 1 meal left over then schedule in a leftover dinner night. This is when you have a ton of meatloaf, casserole, and spaghetti leftover in the fridge and it needs to get eaten. Everyone takes a small serving of each and fills their plate. Then it’s just warmed up in the microwave!
• Bake: So, we want to have a healthy lifestyle, but we don’t want to give up on dessert. So, the best way to ensure you can have dessert is if you know what’s in your sweets. Baking with fresh ingredients is always the better way to have your indulgence, and you can even use low fat recipes or substitute splenda for sugar in some cases.
Some of these tasks need a little more elaboration, and in time I will give you the tips to all of them. For now, use these to help you start your lifestyle right and keep your bank account safe!
August 24, 2010
Healthy mom = Healthy Kid
I’ve been feeling guilty lately about what I’m feeding my daughter. She really loves hot-dogs, French fries, ice cream, pizza, and cookies. No, I don’t give her these all the time; she also really likes all fruits, green beans, cheese, yogurt, broccoli, and any form of ground meat. I just notice that the first set of foods are guaranteed winner, and I will frequently fall back on these items when I know I’m making a meal she won’t eat. She’s not a picky eater, but I don’t expect her to eat a salad with the rest of us, so I have to find some options that we can all eat along side the salad that will make her happy and not add to my waist line. Here are some of my ideas for today.
Healthy Snacks:
• Frozen fruit pops
• Homemade granola bars/bran muffins
• Smoothies
• Lunch meat roll-up – roll deli meat with cream cheese and some vegys
• Any kind of fresh fruit
• Sliced cucumbers
• Low-fat cheese sticks
Cheap & Healthy Groceries Tips:
• Plan your meals! – this has helped me so much with dinner time preparations, I’m hoping to start getting more on the ball about planning lunches and snacks too.
• Shop alone – my daughter’s only 2, so her presence is usually a distraction rather then having her asking for things. But, for those moms with older kids – DON’T BRING THEM, they only add to your list.
• Bring a calculator & Stick to a budget – We started this with our financial peace make-over, and I almost always stay under budget, but there are times I go over.
• Substitute Foods – Instead of sugar cereals – buy large lox of oatmeal and add cinnamon; generic forms instead of name brands; black beans instead of refried beans; make your own sauces from scratch; etc.
• Stock your pantry with Bulk – Buying a case of tomato sauce to make your homemade spaghetti sauce with keep the cost way down; or a large bag of flour will store for a year or more; tuna is inexpensive and canned; soups are great for rainy days and end of the month penny pinchers; and freezing breads works wonders if you can remember to pull the bread out ahead of time.
• Go Meatless – Have a vegy option once a week to cut costs. Beans, eggs, and tofu are all great options. I’m not a big tofu fan, so we frequent the bean section.
Eat Healthy outside the Home:
• Fruit Parfaits – McDonalds & Starbucks both have them
• Wendy’s Ultimate Chicken Grill – no mayo, just honey mustard sauce
• Taco Bell Fresco Style – you can ask fro fresco style for almost anything there and make it healthier and less fat.
• Subway!
• Skip the fries – get chicken nuggets for the kids with honey mustard sauce
One more thing that really is key to making your family a healthy one. Eat together! Most of us are always so busy and eat in shifts, but if you make a pledge to eat together for 1 meal a day, you will create a lasting bond, help with digestion, and improve eating habits. I know you can do it!
Healthy Snacks:
• Frozen fruit pops
• Homemade granola bars/bran muffins
• Smoothies
• Lunch meat roll-up – roll deli meat with cream cheese and some vegys
• Any kind of fresh fruit
• Sliced cucumbers
• Low-fat cheese sticks
Cheap & Healthy Groceries Tips:
• Plan your meals! – this has helped me so much with dinner time preparations, I’m hoping to start getting more on the ball about planning lunches and snacks too.
• Shop alone – my daughter’s only 2, so her presence is usually a distraction rather then having her asking for things. But, for those moms with older kids – DON’T BRING THEM, they only add to your list.
• Bring a calculator & Stick to a budget – We started this with our financial peace make-over, and I almost always stay under budget, but there are times I go over.
• Substitute Foods – Instead of sugar cereals – buy large lox of oatmeal and add cinnamon; generic forms instead of name brands; black beans instead of refried beans; make your own sauces from scratch; etc.
• Stock your pantry with Bulk – Buying a case of tomato sauce to make your homemade spaghetti sauce with keep the cost way down; or a large bag of flour will store for a year or more; tuna is inexpensive and canned; soups are great for rainy days and end of the month penny pinchers; and freezing breads works wonders if you can remember to pull the bread out ahead of time.
• Go Meatless – Have a vegy option once a week to cut costs. Beans, eggs, and tofu are all great options. I’m not a big tofu fan, so we frequent the bean section.
Eat Healthy outside the Home:
• Fruit Parfaits – McDonalds & Starbucks both have them
• Wendy’s Ultimate Chicken Grill – no mayo, just honey mustard sauce
• Taco Bell Fresco Style – you can ask fro fresco style for almost anything there and make it healthier and less fat.
• Subway!
• Skip the fries – get chicken nuggets for the kids with honey mustard sauce
One more thing that really is key to making your family a healthy one. Eat together! Most of us are always so busy and eat in shifts, but if you make a pledge to eat together for 1 meal a day, you will create a lasting bond, help with digestion, and improve eating habits. I know you can do it!
The Journey Continues
There you all are asking me how I am doing with my “diet” and how my exercising is going out in the real world. I knew you were out there thinking of me. It’s been interesting to have taken a break from the blog, but continue on my journey. I have managed to step away from the thoughts and focus more on the actions and the lifestyle. More of you have been coming up to me to talk with me and see how I’m doing, because you haven’t heard. I’m so glad you are still interested, and wanting to hear my story. So, here it is.
I’m doing great! I haven’t had any significant weight loss in the past month because life has been taking priority over my gym time, but as part of my journey I’ve had to except that and find other ways to burn those calories. Some ways I have managed that burn in recent weeks includes walking the mall for several hours with the stroller, cleaning the house (moving furniture, dusting the ceiling, vacuuming, and scrubbing floor boards), church garden work party, and church yard sale. You would be surprise at how sore and fatigued I became after some of these activities. I didn’t get my heart rate going, but I worked my muscles and made sure they remembered they were still in use. I didn’t sit on the couch, I didn’t even sit at the computer for long periods of time, and I just got out and did stuff. I’ve been to farmer’s markets; I’ve been walking around town; and even riding public transit so that I don’t just sit around all day.
My journey with food is still a struggle at times. I find it difficult to eat on a budget due to several factors. One, my daughter has certain foods that are guaranteed winners that I know she will eat, which aren’t salads and low fat foods. Two, fish is not cheap. Three, when life has you out and in the world away from your refrigerator and pantry the healthy stuff is twice the price then the junk food. This part has been the struggle. Doing a yard sale for two days and not remembering to pack healthy options to snack on resulted in fast food lunch and a quick hunger only an hour later. And going to the mall to play and walk results in greasy, fried, or expensive options. Where’s the happy medium? I’m sure the easy answer would be to plan for these events and bring along your food, but any mom would tell you that answer is just not realistic! When your kid's hungry and all she wants to eat is pizza and fries that really sucks, or you could drive the 45 minutes home while she screams in hunger and give her the healthy turkey sandwich or fruit and vegys you know she will eat at home. So, the journey continues with more insight into how hard it will always be and a quest to make not just me, but my family healthier!
Tomorrow is weigh-in day and I promise to post my current weight and any exercise that I have been getting. Wish me luck in some loss; I haven’t seen a lot of it lately.
I’m doing great! I haven’t had any significant weight loss in the past month because life has been taking priority over my gym time, but as part of my journey I’ve had to except that and find other ways to burn those calories. Some ways I have managed that burn in recent weeks includes walking the mall for several hours with the stroller, cleaning the house (moving furniture, dusting the ceiling, vacuuming, and scrubbing floor boards), church garden work party, and church yard sale. You would be surprise at how sore and fatigued I became after some of these activities. I didn’t get my heart rate going, but I worked my muscles and made sure they remembered they were still in use. I didn’t sit on the couch, I didn’t even sit at the computer for long periods of time, and I just got out and did stuff. I’ve been to farmer’s markets; I’ve been walking around town; and even riding public transit so that I don’t just sit around all day.
My journey with food is still a struggle at times. I find it difficult to eat on a budget due to several factors. One, my daughter has certain foods that are guaranteed winners that I know she will eat, which aren’t salads and low fat foods. Two, fish is not cheap. Three, when life has you out and in the world away from your refrigerator and pantry the healthy stuff is twice the price then the junk food. This part has been the struggle. Doing a yard sale for two days and not remembering to pack healthy options to snack on resulted in fast food lunch and a quick hunger only an hour later. And going to the mall to play and walk results in greasy, fried, or expensive options. Where’s the happy medium? I’m sure the easy answer would be to plan for these events and bring along your food, but any mom would tell you that answer is just not realistic! When your kid's hungry and all she wants to eat is pizza and fries that really sucks, or you could drive the 45 minutes home while she screams in hunger and give her the healthy turkey sandwich or fruit and vegys you know she will eat at home. So, the journey continues with more insight into how hard it will always be and a quest to make not just me, but my family healthier!
Tomorrow is weigh-in day and I promise to post my current weight and any exercise that I have been getting. Wish me luck in some loss; I haven’t seen a lot of it lately.
July 28, 2010
Wednesday Weigh In
Weight: 270.2
Total Weight Loss: 37.9
I have lost -.2 pounds this week and a total of 37.9 pounds since January 1. Well, at least I didn’t gain any weight this week. I haven’t been following a strict diet this week because we are living off of our freezer/pantry right now. I’m doing my best to keep it healthy and have veggies and fruit involved from the farmer’s market, but the lack of cash is evident. I also didn’t make it to the gym but for 3 times the past week, compared to my 5-6 times a week usually. Better loss next week!
Total Weight Loss: 37.9
I have lost -.2 pounds this week and a total of 37.9 pounds since January 1. Well, at least I didn’t gain any weight this week. I haven’t been following a strict diet this week because we are living off of our freezer/pantry right now. I’m doing my best to keep it healthy and have veggies and fruit involved from the farmer’s market, but the lack of cash is evident. I also didn’t make it to the gym but for 3 times the past week, compared to my 5-6 times a week usually. Better loss next week! March 04, 2010
Pantry Night
I love how little calories I consume right before the grocery store trip (because there isn’t enough food in the house for me to cook). I also loved making dinner tonight because I just made this hodgepodge of taco meat with the last of the onion and yellow pepper, as well as left over enchilada sauce, salsa, and the usual spices (chili powder, salt & pepper, paprika, garlic, cumin, and red pepper flakes, but I was out of those tonight too). I suppose this is what most people call pantry night, right?
Well tomorrow is weigh in day, and of course I do not feel like I’ve lost anything and I say that every week. Maybe this week I will finally have fulfilled my self-fulfilling prophecy. Of course I hope not, and I will do my last chance workout of course. I also did my walk while is so beautiful out tonight, and when up and down hills and walked for about 45 minutes.
Daily Calories: 1,637
Well tomorrow is weigh in day, and of course I do not feel like I’ve lost anything and I say that every week. Maybe this week I will finally have fulfilled my self-fulfilling prophecy. Of course I hope not, and I will do my last chance workout of course. I also did my walk while is so beautiful out tonight, and when up and down hills and walked for about 45 minutes.
Daily Calories: 1,637
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