Clean Shopping on a Budget

I woke up this morning to do a light workout doing Self’s “6 Moves for Sexy Sundress Arms” and “Lady Gaga’s Flat-Ab Moves and More” while watching Father of the Bride…again.  I still haven’t made my entire way through it, for some reason it is really hard for me to watch movies and sit still for very long.  Even if it is a movie I am dying to see in the theaters, I can guarantee that I will be heading to the bathroom at least once.  Weird, I know.

For breakfast this morning I had a bowl of half a frozen banana and half of an apple topped with a tablespoon of peanut butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon.  I just love eating fruit in the morning!  For Brian and Brenna, I made some pancakes.  For some reason they just love eating pancakes in the morning! (ok, I made that one up…)

Brian and I are heading back to Indianapolis today, and today is our grocery shopping trip day!  Since I am a recent college grad and Brian is still a student we are living on a pretty slim budget.  Sometimes it does get a little intimidating and overwhelming to shop for produce and clean foods while looking for a bargain, but it is totally doable!

I am a list person through and through, and I whole-heartedly believe that making a list of the ingredients you need and planning your meals ahead of time are the majority of the battle.  I usually start by jotting down a couple of meals that I know I will want to make and then I write down a couple of other ideas that could be made if I am in a pinch or just don’t want to put much effort in.  After I have my list, I think about the ingredients that I currently have on hand and make the list based on what I need.  Brian and I split the grocery bill and usually spend about $50 a person for a shopping trip that lasts two weeks, that’s $25 a week for homemade, healthy, delicious meals!

After the list is made and we are actually at the grocery store, the big question is “What should I buy organic?”  When it comes to that question, I refer to my little list of The Dirty Dozen.

The Dirty Dozen are produce that should always be purchased organic because of the high retention of pesticides.  This is great for people on a budget like me, because organic produce tends to be a little bit more pricey and with this cheat sheet a lot can be purchased not organic.

I really enjoy the experience of grocery shopping and I know that not everyone does, but I feel that a little preplanning can quicken up the trip and eliminate some of the anxiety associated with making healthy decisions on a budget.

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