how we afford to shop at whole foods
Monday, January 2, 2012 at 7:51AM 
happy new year! i hope you all had a wonderful bit of rest and rejuvination, with lots of love, treats and coziness! are you making resolutions this year? i still need to sit down and come up with my 2012 action plan! yes, i am totally that nerd that just typed that.
someone recently left this question in my comment section: "how do you manage to eat all your veggies/fruits, etc. organic w/o breaking the bank? any tips would be greatly appreciated." this was practically begging for me to climb up on a soapbox and talk about how/what we eat and how we afford it. and there's no better time of year to commit to a new way of doing things, so here goes my friends!
- we don't buy dairy or meat, and only occasionaly buy a little white fish. i whole heartedly believe this is better for our health,our waistlines, the environment and most definitely for our bank accounts. (please read the china study if you're interested in learning more about the effects of these foods on our health, or eating animals to understand the environmental ramifications of meat/dairy/seafood consumption, or skinny bitch if you want motivation/information about your appearance and diet.
-we don't buy a lot of pre-made foods including cereal, crackers, snacks, meals or anything for that matter! hello savings, nice to meet you! you'll find when you shop primarily in the veggie section of the store, you'll be saving more than enough to make up for buying organic instead of pesticide grown. *we do buy a few packaged things, lou does enjoy his grapenuts!
-we buy lots of brown rice, beans, and other grains in bulk. you would be amazed at how cheap (and healthy/delicious) brown rice from the bulk section is!
- we waste not: ruca and eleanor eat almost any vegetable that's nearing the end and hasn't been scarfed by me and lou. *if you feed your dog table scraps, please PLEASE do your research! there are many things they can't have, including onions, pineapple, raisins, chocolate, etc.
- the thing i want you to know, that i believe is more important that anything above, is that we are incredibly happy with the way we eat! we love food and tasty things just as much as the next person and we make sure that we cook/eat things that make our mouths happy!
someday i'll tell you about how i used to eat another way entirely, and how it landed me in the hospital. until then, eat your veggies and make sure they're organic!
healthy eating, organic, whole foods in Food
Reader Comments (10)
Great, Thanks Sarah :) You look fantastic and I hope you are feeling fantastic too.
I'm so happy Lou found such a special person who matches his good work ethic and rad lifestyle. I hope to see him (and meet you!) sometime in the future :)
Yes and yes! The most expensive things at Whole Foods are the packaged goods and ready-made items. Learning to cook for yourself will save you so much money in the long run.
I wholeheartedly agree!! Haven't been able to stop eating meat altogether just yet (and not sure I ever will), but being conscious of what you eat is so important. I love veggies, organic food and love this post!
I love your blog, please do continue to post!
omg.. just saw your link on FB about eating and had to read this.. only to find out we eat EXACTLY the same way! i read both the china study and skinny bitch after being disgusted and pretty much vegetarian for years and it turned me completely vegan. meat already grossed me out and then being obsessive about animals and reading about the treatment of them made me swear off red meat, chicken and pork for good, and i have never looked back 7 years later! then 2 years ago i started eating white fish in moderation! i eat black beans, veggies, brown rice by the boatload and try and eat as little of processed food as possible. is there a name for a non-dairy mostly vegan eater who eats fish now and again???? congrats again on your marriage!!!! xoxoxo happy new year.. c
I love this. My new years resolution is to eat healthier, so I most definitely will be starting to shop at whole foods/other stores like this!
So inspiring thanks! :-)
X Mandy
http://mandykoster.blogspot.com
Thanks for responding to my question! :) I've been cooking more and making a conscious effort in buying as much organic as we can afford. I like your tip about avoiding "pre-made" foods--good money-saving advice.
great post. curious to see a few recipes or a sample menu of your meals throughout the day...
i had a baby 4 months ago and i'm trying to get back to my pre-preg weight. my husband and i are trying our hardest to buy fresh foods, visit our local farmer's market, and stay away from processed junk (this can be hard though...especially with an 11 year old boy in the house.)...so yeah...please do share! i'm always on the lookout for healthy, quick, easy recipes.
Hi Sarah! The whole family is inspired to eat more this way in 2012. We ate more like this a couple years ago, but a year of my dad's cancer and his passing after Thanksgiving threw us all off. Lots of traveling and stress gave way to fast food and traditional comfort food. Ready for a fresh start and we are excited to change things now.
Question ..how long did it take you to change into this way of eating? Was it a sudden change or was it gradual?
Thank you! Jen