Monday, March 31, 2014

Eating Real Food on a Shoestring Budget

Doing A Lot with A Little


Rewind for a few moments back to September of last year, I sat next to the Director of Counseling Services of Cerro Coso Community College at our community's Veterans' Stand Down event. She was intrigued about my deliverance of teaching the importance of eating antioxidants (through real food) to those that visited my L.E.A.N. table. She asked me if I'd consider talking about nutrition at her event in the Spring. So, here I am getting prepared for the nutrition talk where I will share the foundation of L.E.A.N. (Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitude and Nutrition) and I will cover several topics then end it with my signature green smoothie. The event will be held the first Friday in April. 

In thinking about this group of students I wanted to share Real Food Recipes using every day ingredients that small towns, food deserts, and fixed and low-income families have access to. Some recipes have substitution options if a particular ingredient isn't accessible or affordable where you reside. This is a collection of recipes I've gathered with written permission to share. 

I must mention that some of the recipes (namely condiments) below you can buy at the store already made. However, if you're wanting to make wholesome foods from scratch (with ease), you'll find that making them will cost about the same (sometimes less) albeit sometimes more but you get to decide if it's the direction you want to take. With that said, making your own can yield more food and it will almost always taste better! Many of the foods we buy at the store that is already made for us includes additional ingredients, primarily preservatives, that aren't really good for us. So when we can we ought to opt for homemade

Stocks & Condiments

2 Ingredient Chicken Broth via 20 Something Allergies 
Creamy White Sauce (secret ingredient) via Raia's Recipes



Chicken Broth (from scraps + a frugal recipe) via How To Just About Anything



Crockpot Chicken Broth via All Done Monkey

Homemade Barbecue Sauce via Raia's Recipes
Homemade Chocolate via Economies of Kale
Homemade Ranch-ish Dressing via Raia's Recipes
Homemade Rice / Coconut Milks via Raia's Recipes



Homemade Tomato Sauce via Economies of Kale 
Tomato Paste in 2 Easy Steps via A Happy Health Nut


Smoothies & Snacks

Blueberry Pie Smoothie (you can sub vanilla extract) via Good Girl Gone Green
Chocolate Covered Bananas via Conveying Awareness
Garbanzo Bean Poppers via Conveying Awareness
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Smoothie via Raia's Recipes



Pumpkin Smoothie (using canned or pumpkin leftovers) via The Provision Room
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus via Raia's Recipes
Spinach & Applesauce Smoothie via Raia's Recipes

Breakfast

Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie via Raia's Recipes



Banana Pancakes (can be made without gelatin) via Paleo Gone Sassy

Crustless Veggie Quiche (sausage can be omitted) via Conveying Awareness
Eggs Baked in Tomato Sauce via Economies of Kale
Egg "Muffins" via Conveying Awareness



Egg Scramble (Paleo) via Paleo Gone Sassy
Fabulous Frittata via Lil Suburban Homestead

Meal Planning

Real Food Meal Planning via Don't Waste the Crumbs
Frugal Meal Plan (Family of 4; 3 meals/day; 1-week = $80) via We Got Real
How to Meal Plan with Tara via We Got Real
Meal Planning When Broke via We Got Real


Lunch or Dinner  

30-Minute Tamale Pie via the Real Food Girl: Unmodified
(This is a very budget friendly dish and all the food can be found in a food dessert (they can use canned and boxed versions of the beans and veggies in the dish OR organic fresh if they have access. You can also substitute butter in place of ghee.)
Brazilian Cheese Bread via Inculture Parent
Cheesey Mexi-Lentil Macaroni via Don't Waste the Crumbs



Chicken, Pasta & Veggies in under 20 minutes via Conveying Awareness
Classic Vegetable Lasagna via Family Gone Healthy



Crockpot Chicken for fast weekday meals via Raising Generation Nourished



Easy Lentils & Rice via Family Gone Healthy 



Frittata (can omit kelp and use regular milk) via Real Food RN
Hearty Lentil Soup via The Organic Kitchen 



Kid-Friendly Vegetable Soup via Raising Generation Nourished
Nourishing Cabbage Soup via Busy Mama 911



One Pot Spicy Chicken Corn Chowder via the Real Food Girl: Unmodified (Recipe can be made without chicken to make it more affordable.)
Savory Collard Greens via Real Food Carolyn 



Spaghetti with Collard Greens via Conveying Awareness
Taco Soup via Conveying Awareness

Nutrition Tips

Avoiding HFCS via Conveying Awareness 
Dear Mom Who Can't Afford Organic Food via The Humbled Homemaker
Eating Well on a Budget {Guest Post} via The Good Long Road


Healthy Food at the Dollar Store via Don't Waste the Crumbs
How to Eat on Less than $4.50 a day {Guest Post} via Conveying Awareness
March on with Nutrition via Conveying Awareness
Organic Food on a Budget (buying & preparing) via Homemaking with Heart



Portion Control the L.E.A.N. Way via Conveying Awareness
What is a Brainy Breakfast via Conveying Awareness




Ridgecrest (CA) Resources

Abundant Harvest Organics (delivers in-season produce 2x/week at a fee)

Resources for Meals (& Other Great Finds) in Ridgecrest, CA
As of July 2020 - Please contact me for the PDF.
Compiled by Jessica David of Conveying Awareness

Community Garden 
This garden is ran by volunteers which provide organic and non-GMO vegetables to local families in need. If you know of a family in need that can use fresh vegetables from the garden, message the administrators on the Facebook page with the name and phone number with permission to contact. If you're looking for an opportunity to volunteer your time, contact them on Facebook: Ridgecrest Community Garden. 

Other Helpful Resources

10 [More] Supermarket Products You Can Make at Home via Attainable-Sustainable 

As always, start with one food item that you'd like to make from scratch. At one time, I thought that making homemade foods was 1) from a box from the store (I made it at home!) or 2) too difficult! The initial successes lie in looking for a recipe that has ingredients you have on hand or have seen in the store and are within your budget. Build from there and after awhile you may surprise yourself with the foods that you can make at home and from scratch!

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

5 comments:

  1. This is a great post full of all kinds of wonderful ideas! I am always looking for ways to save on my grocery bill. Thank you for including my Nourishing Cabbage Soup in your post. i am pinning this post!

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    1. Thanks Amanda! I am glad that you could submit something so deliciously simple - I like cabbage a lot. Be well! =)

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  2. Awesome ideas! I'm going to share this with one of my clients...we were talking earlier this week about eating on a budget and how hard it can be!

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    1. Thanks for sharing. Small steps, when meaningful, will create everlasting change in our wellness journeys!

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  3. this is a great list of real food! thanks for sharing!!

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