You CAN Eat Healthy and Save Money

Yesterday I was able to drive all the way out to Sprouts. It's a farmer's market (I'm not sure if it's national)- all the way across town from me. I had a doctor's appointment out there, so I figured I should take advantage of the trip. I have been looking for a place where I can buy all the random grains you never hear about or see in the regular stores. My doctor said Sprouts should have everything I wanted, and it did! It was love at first visit.

They have bins in the center of the store- everything from grains to candy. So you grab a bag, label your tag, and scoop out as much or as little as you want. I was in grain heaven. I also picked up some flax/sunflower seed granola that had little sugar added (a rarity) and it was so delicious! They had every kind of dried fruit and bean you could think of as well.

Some of the grains I have never tried before, so it was wonderful that I could only take a little (and not have to buy a huge pre-packaged amount) to see if I like it. Plus, things like ground flaxseed were much cheaper in the bins, as opposed to the way I was buying them before, which was from a "boutique" health food company with jacked-up prices. I am so happy I finally went there, and I plan on shopping there every time I have to make the trip out to that doctor.

On Saturday I also had a new food experience. It was my first time getting produce from a food co-op. It runs in Arizona, Utah and Idaho. It's called Bountiful Baskets, and you can get really good deals if you get your produce through them. I believe they purchase through the same warehouses as restaurants and grocery stores. You just order a "basket" (half veggies, half fruit- whatever's in season) and on the designated pick-up day you bring a laundry basket or other carrier to carry it all home in. But expect to do your share. It is all-volunteer and wouldn't work without volunteers, so everyone should pitch in at some point.

I got home and went through our huge basket of food (potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, artichokes, grapes, apples, pears, plums, cantaloupe...), as well as the Asian pack that we added (bok choy, green onions, ginger root, mushrooms, etc). There were only a few of some items, and a ton of others, like the pears and potatoes. So I cooked up over half of the potatoes (per directions on Still Tasty) and froze them in portions for future meals. I did this with other items as well. It cost us $15 for the main basket, $7.50 for the Asian pack (which is an add-on), and $3.00 for the first-timer's fee. I think what we got was worth over $50, so, hooray for that!

These are just a couple ways for you to save money AND eat healthy during tough times. Don't let anyone tell you that it is too expensive to eat healthy. If you buy whole, natural foods, you are probably saving money over the alternative pre-packaged, processed food diet. You don't need to buy fancy, expensive "health" foods to eat well- just stick to items that are as close to nature as possible and you're on the right track.