Fitness Friday: Healthy Food on a Tight Budget

Unless you've been living in a tree house with no electricity, no newspaper delivery service and no access to other human beings, you’ve probably heard of a little something called

“The Recession”
(a.k.a. “We need to cut the cable, and sweet Mary Moses what in the tarnation happened to my retirement fund?”)

Yes, yes, the economy is terrible, job security is shaky and the cost of everything is rising. If you are anything like me, you are feeling the pinch in your pocket, too. You may be wondering how to make the choices necessary for a healthy lifestyle without having to give up family vacations, your $4 lattes...or more than likely, your utilities.

Have no fear, Fitness Friday Girl is here!

Don't look now, but she seems to have a few money-saving tips under that snazzy red cape of hers. But be forewarned!

To increase nutrition and decrease spending, you will need to reintroduce yourself to, none other than...





your kitchen.






So without furter adieu, may I present to you, Le Stove.






Les pots and pans.

Les Spoons and stuff.



That’s right. Good, old-fashioned home-cooking. It may seem like a major inconvenience at first, but once you put a little time into the planning portion of the meals, you’ll find the rest of the prep falls right into place. Not only that, but soon you will find that home cooking with fresh ingredients tastes so much better than processed, chemical-laden, fat-drenched foods from a package or a chain restaurant. (Fitness Friday Girl shudders at the thought of such things)

So here’s a list of nutritious and delicious foods that you can eat all week, use in a variety of dishes, and—best of all—won’t take a bite out of your budget. And get this! Most of these foods are available in generic or store-brand versions in your favorite grocery store.

Beans and lentils are very versatile and healthy. They're good for your heart, low in calories, high in fiber, protein, and iron and they're a great meat substitute! The fiber in beans can help lower your cholesterol, keep you regular, remove toxic, cancer-causing substances from your digestive tract, and help keep your blood sugar stable. You can buy them canned or dried to make soups, stews, burritos, bean salad, chili, beans and rice or simply as a side dish.

Brown Rice is a great addition to leftover meat and veggies, can be added to soup or burritos. or used as a side dish. My kids don't love brown rice, so I mix it with white rice for them.

Whole grain Pasta Is a favorite around my house. Toss hot with veggies, tomato sauce, grilled chicken or fish. Make a delicious low fat veggie lasagna or serve cold in a fresh pasta salad.

Soups are not only healthy, but very convenient and versatile. You can make great soup with almost any veggie or meat, stovetop or in a crock pot. I like to make a big pot of soup on Tuesday, freeze some for later, or eat it for lunch through the weekend.

Meat and fish can be grilled, baked, stir-fried or simmered all day in the crock pot. Find organic, low fat cuts of meat when they are on sale and freeze for later. Or buy a whole chicken or turkey for roasting, then use the leftover meat for sandwiches and the bones for soup. That’s three meals from one purchase of meat!

Frozen produce is just as nutritious and often more nutritious than fresh produce because it is processed at peak ripeness, blanched (which causes minimal loss of soluble vitamins B and C), then flash-frozen within hours of being picked. I have found the Kroger Private Selection Organics brand of frozen produce to be extremely reasonable and delicious. Frozen veggies are great in soups, stir-fries, pasta dishes or as a side dish. Frozen fruit is great in muffins, pancakes, oatmeal, yogurt and smoothies.

Canned tuna and salmon are a high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the risk of heart disease, blood clots, arthritis, cancer, and high blood pressure. Add to a bed of greens for a delicious salad, make tuna or salmon salad sandwiches, or make your own fish cakes.

Eggs are an excellent source of protein. If you are watching your cholesterol, you will want to limit your intake of the yolk, but the whites are fabulous and versatile. If you can’t afford organic, at least try to get “free range, vegetarian fed” eggs. Eggs can be used to make omelets, egg salad, frittatas ,or can be sliced on a green salad or eaten hard-boiled as a snack. My kids love “breakfast for dinner”, so eggs fit nicely into our dinner budget.

Fresh vegetables and fruit should be consumed all day, every day. We serve them with nearly every snack and meal all week long. The best way to maximize nutrition and taste while minimizing cost is to buy produce locally and in season. Here is a list of in-season produce, by month:

January
oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, tangelos, lemons, papayas, cabbages: red, white and green; leeks, broccoli, cauliflower

February
oranges, tangelos, grapefruit, lemons, papayas, broccoli, cauliflower

Marchpineapples, mangoes, broccoli, lettuce

April
pineapples, mangoes, zucchini, rhubarb, artichokes, asparagus, spring peas, broccoli, lettuce

May
cherries, pineapples, apricots, okra, zucchini, rhubarb, artichokes, asparagus, spring peas, broccoli, lettuce

June
watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, cherries, blueberries, peaches, apricots, corn, lettuce

July
watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, peaches, apricots, kiwi, raspberries, plums, cucumbers, tomatoes, summer squash, corn, green beans, lettuce

August
watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, peaches, apricots, kiwi, raspberries, plums, cucumbers, corn, eggplant, tomatoes, summer squash, green beans, lettuce

September
grapes, pomegranates, persimmons, eggplants, pumpkins, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce

October
cranberries, apples, pomegranates, grapes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, winter squash, broccoli, spinach, lettuce

November
cranberries, oranges, tangerines, pears, pomegranates, persimmons, pumpkins, winter squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, spinach

December
pears, oranges, tangelos, grape fruit, tangerines, papayas, pomegranates, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower

Always a Good Deal
bananas, potatoes, celery



In the Cooper home, we view our healthy eating as an investment into our future. Like anything worthwhile in life, it takes some effort, some planning and some time. The way we see it, we’re going to pay one way or another—either now by way of a slightly increased grocery bill, or later by way of our failing health and outrageous medical bills.

Which reminds me…did y’all know there’s some kind of health-care crisis in America?????

Just wondering.

Resources for this post:http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=511
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/18/earlyshow/health/main4613172.shtml
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/foodsavings/tp/Cheapest_Produce.01.htm

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Holy Halibut, what does Fitness Friday Girl see? Why, it's Debbie at Heart Choices! She's got a post over on her blog telling us how we can actually use these foods to lose weight! Debbie's a superhero in her own right...fighting heart disease wherever she blogs. Well, worth the click over there...check it out!



And come back to God Speaks Today Monday for our continuation of our series, God Speaks Through the Storm.