Eating on a Budget

Something I get told/asked a lot is; "Isn't it really expensive to eat healthy?" To be completely honest, I just never thought about it that way. I personally put food so high on my priority list. I always put my money there, before I put it anywhere else. Food is what nourishes me. My body is my home, it's the only place I have to live in for the rest of my life. I want to give it only the best, most nutrient dense foods I can. But in saying that, with everyone feeling the huge economic down turn, saving money anywhere and everywhere is more important than ever. This combined with the rise in produce prices can make it more difficult to afford all the food for a healthy diet. Here are 3 ways that has helped me keep the budget down.

EAT LOCAL. Eating closer to home can be part of the solution. Shopping locally cuts down enormously on fossil fuel consumption, tends to be cheaper, and supports our local farmers and the local economy. Shopping locally, also, brings with it a, strong, sense of community. I feel that, the sense of community, surrounding the food industry, has been lost, in our generation, to large corporations such as the McDonalds and Walmarts. Here in Calgary, we are fortunate enough to have some amazing farmer's markets which make it a lot easier to shop locally. The one I go to on a weekly basis is Calgary Farmers Market.

FOOD BUYING CLUBS. This could be the most convenient way to get a good abundance of food, for a really good price. The, one and only, downside of food-buying-clubs is that you don't get to choose your produce. I, personally, don't mind this at all. I love getting a big box of the freshest, most scrumptious, produce! Buying this way keeps me thinking outside of the box by incorporating new fruits and veggies when preparing food for my family. Every summer I try to find, at least, 12 people, who are interested, in committing to a food buying club with me. This way you're guaranteed a variety of fruits and veggies each, and every, week. Nom nom nom! For reasons above, I always buy from clubs that support our local farmers; two birds with one stone, I'd say thats a win win. 

GROW A GARDEN. This is, by far, my favourite, and the most fun way to keep the money in your wallet! Growing a garden is great for sustainability, and you can't get any more local than home. A home garden allows you to connect with your food,  and to spend quality time with your family. I don't know why, but when you grow it yourself, it tastes sooooo much better. In the spring, I will be sharing a post on gardening. Whether you live in a house, duplex, townhome, condo, apartment or cardboard box you can grow your own garden. If you're looking for help setting up your own garden my friend Landon owns a company which helps with the dirty work. Check out his website here. From the Ground Organic Gardens

Eating Healthy With Kids: My Top 5 Tips and Tricks!

Hey everyone! Convincing most children to eat their veggies, is like trying to convince a lion to eat a kale salad. It doesn't go over well. Sometimes we can get away with a few of the staples, like carrots, cucumber, celery, and the odd pepper. I refused to accept those simple 4 veggies as the only options for my kids. Veggies are the single most important food, contributing to a persons over-all health. Depriving children of these foods, is depriving them of their best life.  Having your little-ones prepare the food with you, definitely, helps the situation, but, lets face it, most night's I'm lucky if I have an hour to get supper on the table. Between all of life's busy-ness (work, hockey, ballet, homework, bath time, etc.) it can be difficult to get a healthy home-made meal on the table. Don't get me wrong, I love cooking with my kids, but, sometimes having Jack cutting veggies (me in fear of him cutting his fingers off) and Olive pouring and mixing (risk of her burning herself on the stove) is not, really, an option when I just need to get them fed. lol. So here are a few tips that work for me:

1. Give veggies a new and creative name! The first time I remember having one of those "Ah ha!" moments was when Jack was almost 2 years old. I made him asparagus, and, I was having a hard time getting him to eat it. Since we knew he loved, and, I mean LOVED, anything to do with dinosaurs, we started calling them dinosaur beans.  Sure enough, he chowed those "dinosaur beans." As he got older broccoli became "trees", green smoothies became "Zombie Juice" and so forth hehe. It was always fun to see what we could come up with. 

2. Explaining to them what each and every veggie is doing for their bodies. This is great for older picky eaters. It's not only educational but it gets them involved. An example of this would be to teach them how broccoli is known for helping detox the liver. Its high in vitamin E and C and can help heal cuts and wounds, how cool is that. It is also great for teeth and gum health too.This approach isn't only great for your children but also in educating yourself.

3. Mask the veggies you know you just can't get them to eat. Soup is heart warming, good for the soul, and, by far, my favourite way to get a picky eater eating. Soup can be made chunky or smooth, thick or thin, savoury or sweet. For all the families with young babies just throw it in a blender. Walla! Baby food! And it freezes amazing!!! Home made meal as fast as you can heat it up.

4. Juicing!! Who doesn't love a good juice. I always recommend starting out with fruit first and to slowly add in veggies. Start with orange then add a few carrots. Eventually you can add a hint of beet. It's a fast, quick way to get a lot of goodness in.

5. Praise them! Honestly, if I had to choose what works best for me, this is definitely it. It's natural human nature to want approval. Especially from the ones you love. So make it fun, cheer them on. I know that when someone is nice to me, I can't not be nice back. So get your cheer on!

These are just a few of my favourite tips and tricks to get my kiddios eating their veggies. Here is the recipe to the juice above. It's one of our staple green juices - my daughter calls it Monster Juice. This one is my fav. I love starting out my day with at the very least, 2-3 cups of juice. Such an amazing way to give your body that kick start in the morning.

Monster Juice (Green Juice)

What you need:

• 1 Large Cucumber
• 5 Green Apples
• 1 Head of Kale
• 1 Head of Romain
• 2 Large Handfuls of Spinach
• 1 Lime
• 4-6 Celery Sticks
• A pinky size of ginger (optional)

The how to:

• Juice all ingredients, I then like to strain mine afterwards to get as much of the pulp out as possible. I like a really smooth juice. Put on ice or drink as is....This recipe usually makes about a litre and half. I hope you enjoy it us much as we do :)