Budget Friendly Clean Eating
How many times have you heard the term “clean eating?” Do you know what it means? No, it isn’t referring to the washing of your fruits and vegetables before consuming them. A from chemicals, additives, and preservatives in your foods. The best ways to know for sure if you’re staying away from these things is to read the ingredients and shop along the perimeter of the stores.
countless times. However, because eating clean was becoming a non-negotiable lifestyle for family has a monthly grocery budget of $200? (This does not include any household products, just food.)
that is okay. The purpose in me writing this is to provide you with the information to help you understand how you are able to eat clean on a budget that works for your family.
Budget Friendly Clean Eating | Liz Edwards Fitness
5
Steps for Budget Friendly Clean Eating
1.
Set a Monthly Budget.
This seems like an obvious step in the process; however, you would be surprised as to how
much you currently spend. Your answer should be a desired yet reasonable budget that you will not negotiate.
number should be. From there, break it down to a weekly budget amount. For the purpose desired budget is $600 a month, your weekly budget will be $150. Look at this number as week, you now have $50 to roll over into the following week. As you begin this journey, do not feel like you must stick with this budget. Try it out for a month and if it does not work, tweak it so it works for your family.
Budget Friendly Clean Eating | Liz Edwards Fitness
2.
Create a Weekly Meal Plan That Includes Snacks.
Now that we are in the age of social media dominating every aspect of our life, we have
meals for a week and you are basing every meal off some new thing to try. Before you hit the
Also, when planning meals and snacks, do not feel like you have to provide one meat and lunch, dinner, and two snacks. Hang your weekly meal menu on the refrigerator as a great way to keep everyone on track. Stick to that for the
For us, we may have two snack options to choose from for the week and we rotate them every other day to keep it from seeming monotonous. As you are planning your meals for the week, plan to re-purpose any
Hiding those vegetables in a yummy omelet may be the answer to getting your kids to eat their veggies. One thing that helps us save money is that we do not meat three or four days a week. There are many other sources for protein besides meat, plus it saves you money when you are not eating it every day.
One way to help with those picky eaters in your family is to get them involved in the planning and cooking process. The more investment they have in the process, the more likely they are
Budget Friendly Clean Eating | Liz Edwards Fitness
goods you may purchase or dried beans that may go on sale. When it comes to produce, there are four farmer’s market. You know where it is coming from and you can talk to the were GMO-free or not. My favorite
“Throwing food away is equivalent to throwing away money.”
www.eatlocalgrown.com). Second, buy what is in season.
not purchase more produce than you need for that week. Because it tends to go bad quickly, you do not want to be throwing away rotten vegetables at the end of the week because you ended up not using it for whatever reason. Throwing food away is equivalent to throwing away money.
3.
Go Shopping...Alone
As you are beginning this new budget conscious journey, it is best to venture out on your own if at all possible. This will help you focus and not get frustrated once you hit the without your children getting you kicked out due to their lack of self-control as you are barely hanging onto yours. No? Just me? Okay. Well, for argument’s sake, let’s just stick to
Now that you have your grocery list (remember, these are only items that you absolutely need based on your schedule for the week) and re-usable grocery bags in hand, here are some other tips to sticking on budget. First, make sure you have eaten something prior to
nor your wallet will appreciate. Second, keep track of the prices as you are placing things in your cart and shop with cash only. Budget Friendly Clean Eating | Liz Edwards Fitness
understand if you need to save time by combining the trips), make two separate transactions. Make a running list on your phone or other device of how much each item great resource for you to refer back to when you are at a different store so you can compare
produce, meat, poultry, dairy, etc. These items are the freshest and least processed foods keeping them closest to their natural state.
to this rule is when a sale is going on. For instance, if one of your staple items is on sale, then stock up on those items. However, if you are spending over allotted amount for that week,
Finally, let’s discuss the thing you are all thinking right now. What about organic? How can you eat clean on only $200 a month while eating organic? Have you heard of the “Dirty have been found to contain a high concentrations of pesticides. There is also a list of items that contain the least amount of pesticide residue (with called the “Clean Fifteen”.
be consumed if organic, but what about broccoli?” between buying organic or non-organic. Decide for yourself and your family if eating organic is a
buying generic brands of other items. Budget Friendly Clean Eating | Liz Edwards Fitness
4.
Meal Prep Goes a Long Way.
delicious, chemical-free foods into the kitchen, it is time to keep that momentum (and longest, but it is worth every minute of it. And, if you have help, it will get done faster and you helps, the more likely they will be to eat the food and take pride in the preparation. Look at your menu and schedule for the week and prepare as many things as you can. For instance, if you’re making a dish that requires vegetables to be steamed or thrown into the
Now that you have cut and cooked anything that can be done in advance, divide everything into separate containers based on the meal it is being paired with. Label them so you do not get confused as you are rushing around during the week trying to get everything checked off on your to-do list. The same
it is time to nibble on something. A couple things to keep in mind as you are preparing your meals. First, watch your portion control. Unless you are on a nutrition plan that requires you to eat more protein or fat, you can stick to
The photo on the right is a good guide to use when
Second, re-use your leftovers. Sure, there is the
Find creative ways to use the items you have left over so you are not wasting money by
Budget Friendly Clean Eating | Liz Edwards Fitness
5.
Drink a Daily Dose of Dense Nutrition in One Glass. -
that there are over seventy super foods from countries all around the world that are placed in mention it tastes delicious too? Besides the fact of how many nutrients are packed into this tall glass of nectar, there is another reason this falls under the budget your daily servings of fruits and vegetables.
Shakeology is clinically proven to lower cholesterol, maintain healthy blood sugar levels, and help you lose weight. This has become part of my family’s daily nutrition.
work for everyone who wants it to work. Budget Friendly Clean Eating | Liz Edwards Fitness
About Me
husband, Keith, and a mother to two little boys, Connor
growing passionate for helping families learn how to
Liz Edwards
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