Check this video out to see my latest favorite snack:

If you have the mindset that eating healthy is expensive and beyond your means, then please read this post. Molly has sound advice for homeschool moms who wish to change their families meals to fit, healthy fare. Enjoy!

EATING HEALTHY ON A BUDGET
Molly Green, www.Econobusters.com

I have to admit that sometimes it seems like it would be much easier, and possibly cheaper, to grab a “meal in a box” out of the freezer section of the grocery store, warm it up in the stove or microwave, add some side veggies and call dinner “done.” However, over the years I have found that this is not the healthiest or the cheapest route to take when feeding my family. I have always shopped as frugally as possible at the grocery store, but I have made a conscious decision to try and provide mostly healthy, whole foods for my family. You probably have heard the advice to shop the perimeter of the store – this means you’ll be buying mostly fresh produce, meat and dairy items. To save money and still provide whole food meals, I buy items that are on sale and/or in season and create my weekly menus around them. I also use my “superfoods list” to help me determine which foods I want to buy each week.

Another way to save on food is to grow your own fruit and vegetables! The February edition of my Money-Saving Digest details the basics of starting a garden and sharing seeds or plants with friends by hosting a garden party. If you can encourage your friends to garden, then all of the families can share the bounty that is produced. I have two neighbors that garden. One friend has a cherry tree and it always produces more than she can deal with, so she invites me over to pick as much as I want. I usually make freezer jam or fruit topping for our pancakes and waffles. She has one tree which produces enough fruit for two families! My other neighbor always shares her tomatoes, squash and zucchini with us. We’ll be planting our garden within the next two weeks and my husband wants to try strawberries, beans and potatoes. These are items that my neighbors do not grow, so we hope to share with them this year the produce from our garden. I am interested in planting some blueberry bushes, too, but I need to research this a little more.

Now, this is not to say that I never buy food in the aisles. I do, but I try to keep with the healthiest choices if possible – whole grain items, frozen vegetables without sauces, canned tuna and salmon, etc. Of course, there are some processed foods that we do buy – potato chips, canned spaghetti sauce, and salad dressing are examples. However, I only buy these items when they are on sale and I stock up so that we make it until the next sale. If I am going to buy items that are processed, I have to buy them on sale. I do not buy cookies or crackers to snack on. We eat fruit, yogurt, light popcorn, cheese or nuts instead. It scares me sometimes to see the expiration dates on processed foods like cookies and crackers. I try to choose items that will expire in weeks instead of years! One experience that has shown me processed foods cost more money is when I buy food to take along on vacations. The lack of a refrigerator often dictates what we can take along, so I often opt for easy choices and I end up spending a lot more than I normally do week after week.

One thing that I have learned is that providing healthier food for my family sometimes takes more time. I have learned how to bake bread from freshly ground grains. I have also taught myself to make yogurt and kefir. I love knowing that these items are made from whole foods with no preservatives. Cooking meals from scratch instead of popping a “meal in a box” into the oven also takes a little more time, but not as much as I thought it would. In the last year, I have had to begin eating gluten-free, so I now spend more time with planning menus, reading labels and preparing meals. However, I know that I need to do this to continue providing healthy meals for all of us.

Most meals that I cook usually include a meat, a starch or carb and vegetables. Examples include:

:: roast, potatoes, carrots – cooked in the crockpot covered with Rachel Ray’s beef stock and water

:: salmon patties, sweet potato or carrots and salad

:: chicken and rice bake – made with brown rice and added veggies and covered in Rachel Ray’s chicken stock

:: tacos – we use whole grain, high fiber tortillas and lots of veggies

:: meatloaf, macaroni & cheese, peas

:: stirfry – usually made with chicken and frozen vegetables and sprinkled with gluten-free soy sauce

:: baked fish sprinkled with lemon-pepper seasoning, baked potatoes or brown rice, salad

I hope this encourages you to believe that you can provide whole food eating for your family while sticking to a budget. For more money-saving tips, visit my blog, www.Econobusters.com. I’d love to help you break free from this economy!

Molly Green

www.Econobusters.com

Molly’s Money-Saving Digests

I think the kids enjoy two full days of “daddy time” since he spoils them silly! (Making my angry face)

I have to be there by 8 am tomorrow morning and we will probably record until 6 pm. The guys NEVER eat good. Sherri and I are both avid exercisers so we team up and choose healthy options for lunch.

To survive a weekend like this you MUST plan ahead. I have my handy, dandy cooler that I pack with all my essentials. I make sure I have some cut up vegetables, boiled eggs, protein pudding, a back up lunch in case the options are bad and raw almonds/raisins mix. Those are my standbys. I usually eat these during the week also.

Being at home can sometimes be a hindrance when trying to stay on track because I have a budding chef in the family. She makes the most incredible dishes that I would consider cheat meals most of the time. LOL Yesterday she made puff pancakes with white sugar! Ugh! I didn’t even know we had white sugar in the house. Luckily, I have 4 girls and between them they finished it all off before I could get any. Whew!

I’m sure you are incredibly busy all the time like me. When I look back at all the things I accomplish during the week I wonder how I ever made it through. God is good!

Your key to being successful in your fitness journey is to PLAN, PLAN, PLAN. Homeschool moms are at an advantage with this because that is what we do with the most important people in our lives. We plan our children’s educations. Don’t neglect your health or the health of your family. They need you to be at the top of your game.

Have a great weekend!
Coach Angela

The Ramos gang

Women are busy.  We sometimes find our days stretching out longer and longer to fit in everything that needs to get done.  With this comes stress and frustration which can cause us to put ourselves at the bottom of the list of priorities.  Our weight loss goals are forgotten or saved for another time.

It doesn’t need to be this way.  If you can learn to create good habits, you will reduce stress and accomplish your fitness goals quickly.  One of the best habits you can learn is planning your meals ahead.  The less you need to cook during the week, the quicker you can get out of the kitchen and the more time you enjoy with your family.

Here are a few strategies to get you started on your road to permanent fat loss:

Strategy #1:  Pick A Planning Day – Pick one day every week to sit down and plan out the menu. 

I start with a blank calendar and a sheet of lined paper.  I also have all my favorite healthy cookbooks out in front of me.  Include 3 meals and 3 snacks for each day of the week.  As you create your meal plans, add the ingredients you will need onto your grocery list and include the cookbook and page number on your menu.  Doing this will enable anyone to follow the menu plan if more than one person cooks meals in the house. 

Be sure and include 2-4 cheat meals.  Denying yourself your favorite foods and calling them forbidden will ensure weight loss failure.  I always include cheat meals on the weekends when we are most likely to eat out or go to the movies (popcorn!). 

Strategy #2:  Create a Master List – Save all your favorite menus and grocery lists.

Compile all your favorites into a notebook and save them for future use.  This is a great time saver.  Most families will eat the same meals over and over again.  Do the work once and save yourself time later. 

I like to break my master list down even further by creating a master meal list.  By having a list already made of your family favorites, you can save a lot of time browsing through cookbooks.  Be sure and include the name of the cookbook and the page number next to each meal for future reference.

Strategy #3:  Pick a Shopping Day – Do all your shopping in one day buying only what is on your grocery list.

I save a lot of money buying in bulk.  Planning your menus ahead of time will let you know exactly how much of one item you will need for the week and it cuts impulse buying drastically.

Always make sure you eat before going shopping.  You will do more impulse buys if you are hungry.  Temptation will be all around you.  The whole, unprocessed foods are on and around the perimeter of the store.  Try to avoid the inner aisles if at all possible. 

Strategy #4:  Do Some Prep Work When You Get Home – Precut your veggies, precook your chicken breast and make a large salad for the week.

You will be grateful during the busy week for taking the time to do this.  If your salads are premade you can just worry about the main dish.  If you purchased a large bag of chicken breast, you can throw it all in a baking pan and roast them ahead of time while you chop veggies.  When they are done, bag them in ziplock bags and put half in the freezer, half in the refrigerator.  Halfway through the week, you can pull the other bag out of the freezer.

Fitness is a lifelong commitment.  Instilling the habit of planning ahead will help you maintain your resolve to get healthy, fit and strong.  Remember that anything of worth takes dedication.  Having a plan will keep you focused and less likely to become overwhelmed to the point of quitting.