Thursday, November 14, 2013

Whole Foods on a Budget

I haven't been writing about it much, but I have been on a health kick. After the increased carbs of gluten alternatives piled extra pounds on my hips, I freaked. I have been trying to keep my carbs way down. The first few days I went too low, and couldn't get off the couch. For the sake of my productivity I am trying to balance it a little, but I can't say I have been very successful.

But wait! Life has been quiet, so obviously Murphy decided it was time to throw a wrench in the works! Honey Bear broke himself and lost his job, and slashed our income by, well, half. So now I am tasked with maintaining a gluten free, low carb, high fat diet with the budget of a half of a conventional one.

By the way, my eating style has been rather like Primal, with no grains, legumes, or added sugar. Can I freak out yet?

I ran to Pintrest for inspiration, and as usual it did not fail me!

It doesn't meet my requirements exactly, but I started here, with number 25:

"25. Make the most of “cheap” foods like broths, carrots, bananas and beans."

 Well, it doesn't sound like much, but its a plan that I can get behind. There has to be more items that I could put on this list. They had to be healthy, cheap, fatty, and most of versatile, since I would be eating a lot of it! So, I built on this list, and made some compromises in my own diet. (I want to note here that I am feeding my family mostly conventionally, with gluten free family meals. My budget slashing is centered around my own meals and snacks.) I decided in the interest of budget, I would reintroduce legumes and count on an extra workout to cover the extra carbs. I also tore through Pintrest looking for more cheap, fatty, versatile ingredients to line my fridge. 

With a touch of reflection on my current eating habits to round it out, here is my own personal list of budget friendly nutrient rich foods that should form the backbone of my diet:


Homemade Stocks and Broth
Carrots
Bananas
Beans
Cream Cheese
Eggs
Sweet Potatoes
Canned Tuna
Heavy Cream
Peanut Butter
I know for a fact that there are excellent flourless muffins and breads based on some of these items, so I should not be wanting for variety! I will add veggies and round everything out with trappings from the family groceries. Basically your seasonal veggies and leftover meats and cold cuts. These are some of the things I am planning using my new list of go-tos for:
Lots of deviled eggs and egg salad
 
Yes, I have posted this Egg Drop Soup already, but I have no evidence of the Oopsie Bread yet!

The tuna cakes, oopsie bread, and of course the soup I have made before and were all well worth the placement into rotation. This is just the tip of the iceberg, too. I should have no problem keeping myself from getting bored and still staying on target.

Wish me luck!

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