Eating Healthy…On the CHEAP!

I hear all the time how expensive it is to eat healthily. May I suggest growing some of the food you eat?

I have tried gardening for the past 7 years. Until the last two years, it was very difficult. Then I saw The Back to Eden Film.

Ever since we have been gardening with a covering, we have been producing more and more of our food. I hope, in 2015, to produce 90% of the food we consume.

But what does that look like? Here are some examples of what we eat. I will make note of what is from the garden and what I had to buy. (I do not include cost of wheat or beans because a relative died recently (he was a ‘prepper’) and we received all of his wheat berries and beans.)

For breakfasts, we typically eat oatmeal with blueberries and honey or eggs, jelly bread, and fruit. We drink water. I pay for the oatmeal and oil to make the bread. The rest comes from the garden (except fresh fruit in the winter).On Saturdays, we have something special to eat and drink. The milk is bought for the pancakes and the beet juice includes store-bought apples. If I do not make juice, I will buy orange juice. The rest is from the garden.(beet-blueberry pancakes and honey pancakes, eggs, blueberries and strawberry) (with beet juice)

Our lunches are chickpea salad, egg salad, or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches along with almonds and whatever veggies and fruit are in the garden (peas, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries). I buy the almonds, mayonaise, peanut butter, and oil (bread).

Some suppers…

From the Garden: lettuce, the first green beans, and the first potatoes. The corn was given to us. This was likely eaten with some type of bean ‘main’ dish.
$$ spent: ketsup

From the Garden: sweet potatoes, green beans, lettuce.
$$ spent: condiments to make baked beans.

From the Garden: lettuce, first tomato!, green beans, potatoes. (homemade bread)
$$ spent: ketsup, onions, spices, and marinara (sloppy joes)
From the Garden: cabbage, carrots, zucchini, potatoes, corn
$$ spent: ketsup, onion, spices, marinara sauce (sloppy joes)From the Garden: corn, zucchini, potatoes (mashed), kale, carrots, squash, tomatoes, onions
$$ spent: cheese (zucchini quiche), pasta, apples, raisins, oil (for salad)Pasta Primavera. Noodles bought. All else from garden. To.Die.For. From the Garden: tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, kale, spaghetti squash, green beans (homemade crust)
$$ spent: marinara sauce, cheese, artichokesFrom the Garden: corn, green beans, potatoes, zucchini, green peppers
$$ spent: ketsup, various spices for bean burgersFrom the Garden: spinach, raspberry, sweet potato, green beans, peas, corn, carrots (homemade crust)
$$ spent: riceFrom the Garden: sweet potatoes, kale, green beans (homemade bread)
$$ spent: apples, oil, various spices for the bean burgers, cinnamonFrom the Garden: sweet potato, spinach, carrots, green beans, pecans
$$ spent: condiments to make baked beansFrom the Garden: green beans, sweet potatoes, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes in marinara (homemade bread)
$$ spent: mustard, mayo, various spicesAs you can see, when we eat like this, very little money is spent at all. I basically buy spices and condiments. These are things I could make but I choose not to. I am intimidated by growing herbs and I am afraid the condiments would spoil before we use them.

In the winter, we eat a lot of soups. Lentil soup with fried eggs, mashed sweet potatoes, and sweet potato biscuits…Split pea soup with a salad and yeast rolls…Vegetable soup with a salad and biscuits…all are basically free (other than spices).

We eat other meals that are not nearly as garden-centric such as rice and beans with guacamole, boiled eggs, and salsa. That, obviously, costs more than something that is straight out of the garden but it is still very cheap (about $2.50 for the whole meal…50c/person).

You can feed your family cheaply and healthily. It IS possible. It is a lot easier when your organic produce is grown just outside your front door.

Please do not be overwhelmed by the amount of food I grow, either! Two years ago, I had some raised beds, a potato patch, and a tomato patch. Last year, I expanded that by 5 more sections. I have made 7 more sections for the 2015 garden. As long as you are learning, you are doing great 🙂

So go watch the Back to Eden Film! Start your Back to Eden Garden. Feed your family wonderfully healthy, tasty, free (other than seed purchase) food!

I am linking up with Simple Lives Thursday, Green Thumb Thursday, and Friday Blog Hop, hoping to give others encouragement on how they can feed their family cheaply and healthily 🙂

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