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Eating Healthy on a Budget {Guest Post}

Published on December 15, 2016 By Emily. Updated on October 22, 2016

.Hi Relishments readers! I’m on maternity leave, but some awesome bloggers have volunteered to step in and keep new content coming your way. I may be popping in occasionally, but I really appreciate the opportunity to take some time off with our new addition.  Please show my guest authors some love and check out their sites and social media!  Today’s post is from Brynn of The Domestic Dietitian.


A common complaint about eating “healthy” is that it can be expensive. While it’s true that buying only organic foods can get costly, maintaining a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to break the bank.

Here are a few tips that I use when buying groceries for my own family of four that have helped us keep our grocery bills within budget:

eating-healthy-menu-planning

Meal Plan, Meal Plan, Meal Plan

  • Making a plan for the week and then making a grocery list accordingly will ensure you are buying enough for complete meals without buying too many impulse buys that will just go to waste
  • I like to sit down with two pieces of paper when meal planning: one for the week’s menu and one for the grocery list for the store. Making the lists at both times will help prevent those last minute runs to the store for a forgotten items
  • Check your pantry and fridge to see if you already have any items on your list to avoid purchasing repeat ingredients

eating-healthy-purple-cauliflower

Plan Meals around what is On Sale / In Season

  • Use the sale ads that come in the mail when planning your meals. If pork tenderloin is on sale, plan on having pork tenderloin one night for dinner. If ground beef is at an unbelievable price, plan a taco night or meatloaf
  • Use produce that is in season to ensure the best quality and the lowest price. Buying vegetables when they aren’t in season often costs much more
  • If I’m not making a specific vegetable dish with a certain meal and just need a plain old veggie, I often just write “veggie” on my grocery list and then just pick out something that’s on sale once I get to the store. Being flexible with certain items on your list helps you spot deals at store

Consider going Meatless One Day a Week

  • Creating meals focused on vegetables, whole grains, and legumes is a great way to increase the fiber and nutrients in your diet while saving money at the store
  • We started going meat free on Mondays for the past two months in our household and it’s really helped us save at the grocery store

Buy in Bulk

  • It’s often cheaper per serving if you buy certain things (like chicken) in bulk. Consider planning two meals utilizing the same ingredient during the week so you can save money by buying more at one time.
  • Analyze your grocery list to ensure you aren’t buying an item you aren’t going to use all of. For example, if you are making a dish that requires 2 cups of spinach and plan on buying a bag of spinach, add a dish later that week that uses the rest of the spinach. This saves money on having to buy two separate ingredients and ensures less waste

eating-healthy-meal-prep

Use Whole Ingredients when Possible

  • Convenient ingredients are time savers in the kitchen, but often cost more at the store.
  • Try to buy whole ingredients and prep them yourself. For example buying a block of cheese versus shredded cheese, buying whole fruit instead of pre-cut fruit, whole carrots instead of shredded carrots, etc.

Utilize Leftovers

  • On our weekly meal plan, I save one day for simply “leftover” day. It’s usually Thursday night and I don’t plan any specific meals for this day. I simply schedule it as a day to use up any leftovers from the week.
  • This can mean anything from leftover entrees from the previous couple dinners or using up leftover vegetables before they spoil
  • A great idea to use up leftovers is to make a stir fry or a loaded frittata using up any leftover chicken, beef, or vegetables from the week.

Brynn McDowell is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for nutrition, health and wellness. Currently a stay at home mom to 2 little ones by day and creator of The Domestic Dietitian at night. A blog designed at helping create a Healthy & Happy Lifestyle in a Hectic Home.

Follow Brynn!

On her blog: The Domestic Dietitian

Instagram: @the_domestic_dietitian

Facebook: @thedomesticdietitian

 

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Filed Under: food, life, menu plans Tagged With: advice, budget, guest post, maternity leave, menu

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Comments

  1. Travis says

    January 10, 2017 at 5:35 pm

    Great post! I’ve always been weary of the whole meal plan thing because I’m a little intimidated of the cost!

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photo of EmilyWelcome to Relishments! Follow along with my adventures in cooking and eating in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.

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Emily
Last week Brian and I finally got around to hiring Last week Brian and I finally got around to hiring a sitter for a rare night out. We went to dinner at @publicna and took advantage of the opportunity with drinks, appetizers and dessert.

Pictured:
- Citrus Braised Beef Tacos
- "Chicken and Waffles"
- House Fries with Garlic Aioli
- Fried Chickpeas
- Blood Orange Cheesecake
It was no surprise that Public was close to full on a Wednesday night - everything was so good. 

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#igers413_food #igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #PublicEatAndDrink
New year, new theme word! This year's word is "enr New year, new theme word!
This year's word is "enrich" and I'm really excited about it.

I've written more about this year's theme on the blog. Click in the link in my profile or follow the link below to read the post.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-2023-theme-word-enrich/
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#YearlyTheme #MyOneWord #2023 #enrich2023 #NewYearsResolution
It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post. It's It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post.
It's almost all #Berkshires content this year, which is great.
1. A pasta salad reel that took longer to create than the recipe took to make.
2. A reel from North Carolina where I could have watched birds all day.
3. The @thelazygenius book giveaway.
4.@plantconnector 
5. @berkshiremuseum 
6.@sculpture.now at @themountlenox 
7. @massmoca 
8. @mountainviewfarm413 
9. The #AshuwillticookRailTrail
New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year' New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year's theme word - resume. 

I was able to get back to many activities that were meaningful to me this year and I'm calling this theme a success. Follow the link below or click the link in my profile to read more.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/reflections-on-resuming-in-2022/
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#resume2022 #newyearsresolution #myoneword #yearlytheme
New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022. For New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022.

For the fourth year, I've recapped the best new (to me) recipes I made this year in the hope that they'll give you some new dishes to try. This year's list is short, but delicious. It includes @budgetbytes My Favorite Recipes of 2022
Published on December 30, 2022 By Emily. Updated on December 30, 2022

It’s hard to believe that 2022 is basically behind us. Though overall this year found me getting back to the person I want to be (post-babies and “post”-pandemic), I did not try nearly as many new recipes this year as I used to. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I’d made note of any new-to-me recipes I wanted to share in this post. This year’s list is short, but delicious. It includes recipes from @budgetbytes, @smittenkitchen and @howsweeteats.
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Read the post by visiting the link in my profile or 
https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-favorite-recipes-of-2022/
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#RecipeRoundUp #BestRecipes2022 #FavoriteRecipes
@coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one @coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one of the highlights of all my return trips to Boothbay and their annual Gardens Aglow event continues to impress. It was great to be back to walking the gardens instead of the pandemic drive through and there seemed to be more lights than ever.  I'm already looking forward to next year.
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#Boothbay #BoothbayMaine #CoastalMaineBotanicalGardens #GardensAglow #BotanicalGarden #MidcoastMaine
It has been a while, but there is finally a new CS It has been a while, but there is finally a new CSA menu plan on the blog! Visit the link below or in my profile to see how I plan to make use of some of the @mightyfoodfarm produce seen here.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/welcome-to-winter-farm-share-csa-menu-plan-148/
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but t Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but this year we've had weather that has also been outstanding. The past 2 weekends have included time at Jaeschke Orchards, the Greylock Glen, and the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail as well as stopping to photograph any random foliage I see. 
Check out the last slide for video of some feathered friends we saw on a walk.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #FallFoliage #FallColors #autumn #AshuwillticookRailTrail #JaeschkeOrchards #GreylockGlen
@freshgrassfestival continues to be one of my favo @freshgrassfestival continues to be one of my favorite events each year, and it doesn't hurt that it's just minutes away from home. Enjoying the festival with my kids is definitely a different experience than without, but it's still a good time. The weather was especially cooperative today which was great for all the laps I did around the @massmoca campus pushing a stroller. I'm already looking forward to next year.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #FreshGrass #FreshGrassFestival #MassMoCA #MusicFestival
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