Eating Organic On A Budget

moneypileIt's a common complaint that eating healthy and organic foods is more expensive than eating junk. While this can be true if you buy a lot of specialty or processed products, it can also be affordable to eat well if you know how to do it. With that said, I don't know why it is virtuous in our culture to spend as little on food as possible (see Extreme Couponers). Obviously if you aren't bringing in enough money to feed yourself this should be a concern, but even those who are well off get sucked into this mentality. Spending as little as possible on food and dropping thousands on a designer handbag are both admirable. What? I recently had a request from a reader to write a post with tips for those who want to eat organic, but aren't independently wealthy. I'm here to tell you that you can eat delicious, healthy food on a budget, if you put in the effort. It's all about doing what you can, prioritizing your food dollars, and giving yourself a break some times. Jasen and I definitely don't spend unlimited amounts of money on our food, but we're still able to eat well.

  1. Grow your own. No matter if you live on several acres or in an NYC apartment, you can still grow something. Potted herbs are a great place to start!
  2. Shop at your local farmers market. You can get great prices and, as you start to build relationships with the farmers, you can often get deals or freebies.
  3. Use the "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean Fifteen" lists to prioritize your organic dollars. These list which foods have the most pesticide residue (most important to buy organic) and which have the least (less important to buy organic). If you have to choose, you're better off getting organic versions of the thin skinned fruits and veggies like apples and tomatoes, and buying non-organic when it comes to thick skinned foods like oranges and watermelon.
  4. Eat less meat. Organic and pastured meats can be expensive, so, rather than eating cheap meat every night, opt for organic meats 2-3 times per week.
  5. Stop buying chicken in pieces. Buy the whole chicken and cut it up yourself. Not only is this cheaper, but it gives some variety in your diet and you can use the left-over back bone to make stock.
  6. Buy foods in bulk. Often, this can be cheaper (but check to make sure it is)! When it comes to meat, buy a whole cow or hog and freeze it for the year. If you are single and/or don't have a huge freezer to store the meat, go in with some friends and split it.
  7. Don't get sucked into organic specialty products like bars, crackers, and cereal. They're quite expensive. Choose whole, real foods instead.
  8. Make as much yourself as possible. You can save lots of money by taking the time to soak and cook dried beans rather than buying canned. I've recently started making my own yogurt. Start with one change at a time and add them on gradually. As you go, what was once a big deal will become your new normal.
  9. Eat in. Eating out is super expensive and often the quality of the food isn't that great. When you do eat out, make it a special occasion and choose restaurants that specialize in something you can't make yourself and/or ones that use local and organic ingredients.
  10. Find the money. Most people spend some of their income on extra items they don't need. Now, while there isn't anything wrong with this, if you are on a limited budget, you might need to eliminate or reduce these items in order to put that money towards your food. It all comes down to what is more important to you.

A great resource if you need meal ideas is 100 Days of Real Food. After this mom and her family completed a 100 day real food challenge, they went on a 100 day real food on a budget challenge where they spent less than what they would have received on SNAP (Food Stamp) benefits. You can read all about their struggles and tips here.

Even with these tips, the bottom line is that you have to make healthy eating a priority. It does sometimes require sacrifices, but the benefits are much greater.

Do you guys have any money-saving tips when it comes to eating well? Share them in the comments below!

Get the Most Out of Your Food Dollars: Make Stock!

*Update: While this is still a fine method for making stock, I've discovered a new method that I prefer: the slow cooker. It's much easier and practically foolproof.  If you have a slow cooker, click here for more info on that version One of the biggest complaints about eating healthy, whole foods is the cost. And while fresh produce and organic meats can be expensive, you can make your money stretch a little farther by making stock from food scraps. Now, that might not sound too appealing, but, calm down, I'm not talking about boiling down the leftovers on your plate. I'm talking about using those odds and ends that we pay for but throw in the trash or compost every day such as carrot and celery ends, mushroom stems, the woody pieces of asparagus, fennel fronds, onions peels, and the leftover carcass from a whole chicken. These little bits are full of flavor and nutrition and can be used to make a great vegetable or chicken stock that can be frozen and then thawed to use in recipes or in place of water to cook brown rice, couscous, and quinoa. It's as simple as keeping a bag in the freezer to store all of those little veggie pieces and, when it's full, simmering the contents in a big pot of water. The recipe below is a good jumping off point, but feel free to make adjustments depending on what you have on hand or what's in your bag of frozen veggies. This is not an exact science so use what you like and have fun with it! Not only will you be getting the most out of the dollars you do spend, you won't have to waste money on all of those boxed stocks at the store (which are often times loaded with sodium) and you can control the quality of the ingredients. One guideline is not to use cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, etc.) as they can make things a bit stinky and dominate the flavor of the stock.

Basic Vegetable Stock (*see Chicken Stock variation below)

adapted from The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook

Ingredients

1 large onion, quartered (keep the peel to add color)

1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped (feel free to use more if you're a garlic fan!)

2 large carrots, cut  into 2-inch pieces

2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces

8 ounces muchrooms, chopped

Handful of parseley sprigs

4-6 fresh thyme sprigs

1 bay leaf, fresh or dried

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a large stock pot (I use a fryer insert for my veggies to make removal easier). Add water to cover vegetables, partially cover with lid, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 1 hour. Skim off any foam that may rise to the surface, periodically.

2. Strain vegetables from stock, cool, and store in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

* To make Chicken Stock, simply add the carcass of a whole chicken to the pot and increase simmer time to 4 or more hours.