Yesterday I read an article about McDonald's trying to upgrade their kid's meals to make them healthier! Noble goal, but one that I believe is based on Public Relations, rather than health! My opinion! I do not believe that adding treated apples and decreasing fry size, while leaving chicken nuggets on the kid's meal is that much cause for rejoicing. It is a step in the right direction, I guess, but not enough! What concerned me most were the comments of people on this article! It broke my heart! Many people were saying that they had to frequent McDonald's because the food was cheaper than buying food at the market! Really? I pondered this all day! The golden arches seem expensive to me, but I am a frugal cook!
So I am going to keep track of the cost of my meals for a bit, just for my own peace of mind!
Last night we had a giant salad! I was in a hurry! My son had a therapy, right at 6 pm, so dinner was a quickie! I opened a bag of organic spinach which was $1.99 from Trader Joe's! I divided it between four plates. I topped it with chopped cabbage, also from TJ's for $1.19. Next I layered on Broccoli Slaw and used about half of a bag which be a $1.00. I chopped up four large organic strawberries on top of each salad, which I purchased at TJ's for 4.99, but I used only about 1/4 of the package so $1.25. It was a special deal of $4.99 for 2 pounds of organic strawberries! I added a handful of cranberries, say $1.00 which is more than they probably cost. I also added chopped chicken from a Costco rotisserie chicken. I used about 1/3 of a chicken, so around $1.70. Topped the salad with dressing from TJ's for 1.99 and used maybe 1/2 so $1.00. This meal was delicious, healthy and cheap! It cost $9.15, which for my family of 4, is way cheaper than we can eat at McDonalds! Even if we only allowed each person to choose 2 items from the dollar menu, the cost would have been $8.00, plus tax, plus gas there. I would have come out ahead to eat at home and it was healthier!
Many other meals are so healthy and inexpensive. Even if you do not have access to fresh vegetables, all grocery stores sell frozen vegetables and most grocery stores have sales that you can stock up on these veggies. Soups are healthy and cheap. Make them with grains, beans, frozen veggies (if you can't get fresh), and spices. I use the frozen pea, corn, and green bean combo all the time for my chicken soup. I add the chicken, spices, 2 16 oz bags of mixed veggies and either rice, couscous or pasta! Amazing and cheap! I make a huge pot of soup every single week and we eat it for lunches too! Cheap!!!
Use the Costco Chicken, if time is short. My family of 4, 3 adult guys, can get 3 meals from one chicken. I purchased one on Monday. Monday night we had Taco Salad and used one side of the breast, black beans, lettuce, cheese, salsa and organic tortilla chips. Also a cheap meal and less than $10. Yesterday, we had the spinach salad and used the other half of the breast. Today I am either going to use the rest for a stir fry! Cheap! I buy organic chickens too which are pricier, but I knew this week I was pressed for time!
Grains and Beans are both very cheap, especially if you buy them in bulk! I just wrote up a bean page for my website today, which will take a few days to get on, because I want people to know that they do not have to eat at McDonalds! Beans are amazing and they are not just for poor people! In Mediterranean cultures, beans are huge. It's just our culture that is so meat centric! My kids have been raised on beans because I was raised on beans! No complaints because they are delicious!
Any Grain can become an amazingly delicious salad meal. Try wheat berries, quinoa, rice, couscous, or any grain you find that is cheap can be done like this! Cook your grain and let it cool, add any bean choice, or chopped chicken, and then chop up tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, peppers, or whatever veggies you have and top with a vinaigrette! It's cheap and filling!
Spaghetti is cheap! A pound of noodles can be bought on sale for $1.00. Use 1/2 pound of hamburger meat. Use a jar of sauce. Even Trader Joe's Organic Pasta sauce is only $2.29. Chop up a pound of zucchini into the sauce too or add a salad and that is still a meal less than $10. Costco has bags of romaine lettuce that are cheap!
I do not live in a food dessert! I live in Seattle, so maybe I am living in a bubble! My family is not rich! I try to buy organics for the dirty dozen at least. I know my local grocery stores well, and which ones carry the best prices on specific organic fruits and veggies, and believe me they all differ! I do not spend my whole paycheck at Whole Foods, but sometimes they do have the best prices. Trader Joe's consistently has great deals, but I realize they are not in every state yet! I love shopping there because they are small, and I do not need so many choices of foods. I want only fresh, real foods and I try to buy the best quality if possible, but I do the best I can. I serve way less meat, because I really can't afford huge amounts of organic meats! I make meals that are usually cheaper and way more healthy than McDonalds!
Check back! I am going to try and keep track of my food choices this month to prove to myself that it is cheaper to eat at home, than off of the Dollar Menu of Fast food!
Diets Don't Work, but there are simple things we can do that help us to eat healthy and lose weight. We can eliminate emotional eating, foil our food triggers, and end mindless eating for good. There are many helpful ideas and hope abounds.
