A dear friend was gracious enough to join me last week in a LASAGNA THROWDOWN. She prepared a pan of lasagna in the normal, conventional fashion and I prepared with organic and natural ingredients and we compared prices. Here are our results for a 9x13 pan (which fed my family of four, two meals):
Conventional Lasagna
Lasagna noodles (Used half a box) - $2.50
Cottage cheese - $1.99
Mozzarella cheese - $3.99
Tomatoes (used 2 cans) - $1.80
Tomato paste (used 2 cans) - $1.75
Grassfed beef (1 pound from Whole Foods) - $6.99
Extra ingredients had on hand: Parmesan cheese, 2 eggs, basil and oregano - $1.00 (guesstimate)
Total - $20.02
My Lasagna
Lasagna noodles (Wholefoods organic - Used half a box) - $1.50
Cottage cheese (Trader Joes Milk from cows not treated with rBST) - $1.99
Mozzarella (Trader Joes Milk from cows not treated with rBST - Used about 8 oz.) - $2.00
Tomato basil pasta sauce (Trader Joes organic) - $1.79
Diced tomatoes (Kroger organic) - $1.50
Beef (Preferred meats - 1 pound) - $4.89
Extra ingredients had on hand: Parmesan cheese, 2 eggs, basil and oregano - $1.00 (guesstimate)
Total - $14.67
When we stopped going to fast food restaurants (another blog for another day), stopped eating pre-packaged and processed foods, organic and natural foods fit better into our families food budget. Please understand, our family is not 100% organic. I do, however, think that whenever possible....if I can feed my family clean, whole, chemical free foods, we are better for it.
Here are a few quick tips that have worked for us.
- Watch for "Managers Specials". Recently, I have found organic milk on "Managers Special" because it is within several days of expiration. At $2.99/half gallon...organic milk isn't cheap. But finding a gallon on sale for $2.99 is a DEAL...who cares that it's going to expire in 2 days, we'll drink it! Look for "Managers Specials" in the organic/natural section of your grocery store. Ask your store when they typically do these mark downs and shop those days.
- STOP eating the junk! Make a commitment to not eat the convenience foods. Instead of grabbing those microwavable, frozen meals...make an extra portion at dinner. Like with my lasagna, I was sick of eating it before it was gone. But knowing that frozen meals are packed full of preservatives and chemicals...makes it slightly easier to stomach another day of lasagna.
- Stock up on staples when you see sales. Different than "Managers Specials", these items aren't within days of expiring. My son is a HUGE cereal eater. He would eat cereal at breakfast, lunch and dinner if we let him (and sometimes has). When I began looking at the ingredients of conventional cereals, I thought he was going to hate me for life for taking the fun, kid friendly stuff away. I have found a brand of cereal that my Krogers carries, called Mom's Best Naturals. They have look alike, taste-alike and mom approved versions of several cereals. They are not organic but do not have artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. No hydrogenated oils and no high fructose corn syrups...considered "natural". Just yesterday, I found the Mom's Best on sale for $1.49/box, expiration date 8/12. I stocked up!!!!
- Don't shop for meal ingredients...shop and then make meals. I try hard not to go to the grocery to buy ingredients for a recipe, rather...shop, see what deals you can find and figure out what you can cook with those ingredients. I recently found, free range organic eggs on "Managers Special". They were within 1 day of expiring...perfect opportunity for a quiche, other egg based dish or what about breakfast for dinner?
- Shop at organic/natural stores. About twice a month (less now because of our bridge situation), I head to Louisville to shop at both Trader Joes and Wholefoods. Locally I run into Rainbow Blossom occasionally, but have found their prices higher UNLESS, it's something on sale. I have found great staples that I purchase every single time at Trader Joes. I love their produce, taco shells, pasta, pasta sauces, canned and frozen vegetables and "kid friendly" snack type stuff like granola bars.
- Farmers markets when possible. I say when possible because I haven't found one open in the winter. In the spring-fall months, farmers markets are packed full of fresh, local whole foods and better prices that you can typically find in stores. Within the farmers markets you can find vendors that specialize in organic products. Be willing to travel. My cousin and I traveled to Bloomington, Indiana a few times this summer for their amazing farmers market. Full of amazing produce, meats, cheeses, salsas, flowers...you name it, they had it and we had the most fun exploring.
- Make your own. Things like taco seasoning and chili seasoning are simple to make yourself, cheaper (buy organic spices at Trader Joes!!!) and without additives commonly found in store bought versions. Here is a recipe I use for taco seasoning:
1 tbls chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
- Stop eating so much. Because I am not a licensed dietician, I cannot tell you how much you should or should not be eating. I can, however, tell you that Americans are OVERFED and UNDERNOURISHED. There are plenty of apps for our smart phones that help us track calories...how many you need and how many you just shoved into your mouth at your favorite restaurant. I was amazed when I began to do this. My mentality was "It's just a salad" or "I'll get the veggie pizza". My husband and I do not eat out without sharing a meal. Portion sizes are OUT OF CONTROL! Until I began tracking calories on my iPhone I didn't understand how many calories a meal consisted of. There are several good calorie tracking apps out there, my favorites are MyFitnessPal and LiveStrong. Start tracking what you're eating...I think you'll be surprised.
It's taken our family almost a year to get to the point we are now, but we are NO WHERE CLOSE to where I'd like to be. I'm still learning and still trying to find the best ways to feed my family. My last and biggest tip I could give you is to read and research. Finding out what goes into the conventional foods has motivated me to take this journey, to feed my family the most healthy foods I can find. Please take 20 minutes and watch this video...I believe it will motivate you as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YkNkscBEp0&feature=player_embedded
Until next time, accept no excuses!
Laura
No comments:
Post a Comment