Now, here are five more suggestions for you:
Yogurt is another great food to have in your fridge. There is always one brand of yogurt on sale in my grocery store every week. I especially like the Greek yogurts that are available now (Oikos or Chobani). I stock up when they are on sale for 99 cents each. Just be sure to buy plain yogurt – the flavored ones have too much sugar. Yogurt can be a great breakfast when you combine it with fruit and a whole grain cereal for a beautiful and delicious parfait. Cereals like plain shredded wheat and Grape Nuts are healthy choices. There’s also a brand I find in my supermarket called Mom’s Best, which has no high fructose corn syrup and is consistently cheaper than other brands. It’s great alone as a snack or as the base for a dip for vegetables. You can put it in a coffee filter or cheese cloth and let it drain in the refrigerator until it gets thick, add herbs and make a tangy yogurt cheese. If plain yogurt alone as a snack is too tart for your taste, a ½ tsp of vanilla extract, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a few drops of stevia make it delicious and keep it healthy!
Herbs and spices are an overlooked way to boost the nutrition of your meals. I know they can be expensive, but even they go on sale periodically. In fact, a couple of my supermarkets and my Walmart carry one brand that is 99 cents everyday. You don’t need to have twenty different spices to make a difference in the flavor and nutrition of your meals. Plain old (inexpensive) black pepper is truly a nutrition booster. Studies showed that adding ground black pepper to any other spice multiplied the nutritional value of that spice. Black pepper contains piperine, which is the component that is responsible for this boosting ability! Consider buying black pepper, and then as you are able, adding paprika, garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, basil and oregano to your pantry. Also, if you are able to grow your own herbs, that’s certainly a plus.
Whenever you can, buy in bulk. If you have Sam’s Club, Costco or some other warehouse grocery store, be sure to take advantage of the savings you can get by buying in bulk. Some of these warehouse stores even offer grass fed meat and poultry and wild caught fish at cheaper prices. It helps if you have a freezer to keep extra food in and plenty of pantry space. Think about shopping with a friend and splitting what you buy. That saves you even more money.
Look for high quality foods at discount stores like Target. They happen to carry Archer Farms brand foods, including wild caught salmon at a considerable savings. Keep your eyes open at all times and you’ll be surprised where you find some of your best values.
I talked about buying your poultry on sale in part one. Something else that I want to share is something my mother-in-law taught me as a new bride on a strict budget. Her dad had a chicken market when she was a child and she learned how to butcher chickens. She taught me how to properly cut up a whole chicken and even how to bone the breasts. You can save a lot of money if you buy whole chickens when they are on sale and cut them up yourself. You can put food in your freezer for several meals!
3-D Vitality 